#demigod!beomgyu | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

slickchickchocolatier · 1 year

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ok but imagine demon! heeseung and angel! beomgyu, but heeseung is actually very kind (when he's not inside you 😀) and beomgyu is actually far from innocent

mind goes brrr

Warnings: Demon HS, angel Beomgyu, smut, unprotected smut, oral sex (male receiving), near death experience, Beomgyu is a perv, and HS is both....a softy....and hard dom! total switch.

@0x1dazed - enjoy 😉

"Shoot! I'm going to be late."

Waiting for the signal to change, you await while watching the cluster of vehicles drive pass. The light flashes, signaling that you now have the right of way to walk through the crosswalk. Halfway through, you heard the screams of screeching tires as the smell of burnt rubber suddenly fills the air; your life flashes before your eyes when a red sports car slides in your direction. Having lost control over the vehicle, a female driver with a male passenger by her side, threw their phones up in the air as they tried to react in time to avoid the collision, which would no doubt result in your death. The price to pay for their careless mistake and lack of attention to the road.

Or it would have been, had you been left to brace and take on the impact of the steel frame, the red hood, and the shattered glass. Yet all was well when you found yourself suddenly out of place. Looking around at your surroundings, the area was different. Where were the bustling streets? The neon street signs? The overbearing crowd of people, and the traveling vehicles? Where was the industrial infrastructure? The steel frames of the buildings, and the modern architecture?

Rubbing your temples, your eyes winced shut as you count to ten in your head, only to become reacquainted with the satin grayed room. The silk tapestries reflected a darker mauve hue, while the embroidered thread on the wallpaper was as silver as the metal itself. There were no windows, and no doors that you could see, which compelled you to grow anxious. How are you going to leave? Where do you begin to figure out where exactly you are?

The last image that flashed through your mind was the red coupe flinging its way over to you, with the driver frantically screaming and waving her hands around, looking just as fearful as you. Could it be possible that you......

"You didn't die."

A male voice stuns you out of your thought process and triggers you to turn towards him.

"I-I'm sorry?"

Flashing a dashing smile, he walks over and stands beside you, facing the large oil painting hanging on the wall. "I said, you didn't die." he reiterates softly, glancing a quick side eye before turning back and continues to study the large art piece.

"W....who are you?....Do you know where we are?"

"Yeah, you're in Oecus Altair."

Confused, you shifted your eyes before you stuttered and bid for him to elaborate. "The what?"

"It means The Hall of the Flying Eagle. This is where the old Gods used to collect themselves and hold their councils."

Turning your attention to the painting, you catch yourself following his lead as you take time to admire the fine details of the portrayal of what seemed to be the Gods of Olympus, paying respects to one particular figure that was well known throughout mythology, Zeus.

By the raging strike of lightning balled in his grasp, you figured it had to be the King of Gods himself, raising a fist of glory or victory it seemed like, while his brethren, sisters, and all the demigods encircled his magnificent form and awe towards his awesome power.

"....How did I get here?" You asked the young man, unsure who he was or where he came from, yet you figured he had the answers that could aid your release from this unknown place, and help you return to the city.

"He brought you here....I was told to watch after you until he returns."

"He?"

"My brother."

"B-brother?"

Startling you, a deeper voice emerges from afar, chiming in the conversation. "Yes, that is correct. Younger brother, but not by much."

Presenting himself, the slightly taller male stands before you and flashes a deviously handsome smile. He was dressed fashionably Victorian and reminded you of a prince as he donned a coat of beige, embroidered in gold threaded accents, and a pair of black trousers with knee high boots to match. The frills of the satin white shirt under his royal cloth delicately peeks out from his sleeves, and above the top button on his chest. He issues a bow, excelling in perfect form and poise, before re-engaging eye contact.

“Oh, here we go….” the other brother huffs out as he rolls his eyes. “Could you stop with that?”

The brazen elder walks to his younger brother’s side and rests a bent elbow on his shoulder. “I’m Beomgyu, and this is Heeseung. Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, can you take your dress off? I wanna see what it looks like under there….let me find out.” he issues as he bites his lip.

Reaching up from behind, the younger of the two, Heeseung, smacks his palm atop Beomgyu’s head and peels him back, flinging him behind towards the wall. “Don’t mind him, he’s a bit of a pervert I’m afraid. Good fellow….just too sordid.”

“Like it’s my fault!” Coming back up to his spot, Beomgyu takes his stance next to Heeseung, policing himself up as he straightens his attire from the toss. He was quite the opposite from his sibling, wearing all black with a dark green coat that also resembled a Victorian flare. He was definitely much more outspoken and haughty, yet something about his personality was seemingly adorable. With Heeseung, he was dashing and smooth in the deliverance of chivalry and his vocabulary. Both men were strange and unlike anyone you’ve ever met before.

“I’m sorry….I don't mean to be rude but…can you both tell me how I may leave? I have to get back.” Nervously chuckling, you crossed your arms and began to shut yourself away as you bid them to honor your request.

“Well, there are two ways you can leave here…” Heeseung calmly states as he shifts his gaze over to the side. “One way is to just leave through that door right there…” Pointing beyond where you stood, you turned and found a door lodged into the wall. It was peculiar since just a moment ago, the door wasn’t there. Turning back around, you look at Heeseung with a questioning gaze. “Was…..did you put that there?” you softly asked as you delicately pointed to the door behind you.

“I didn’t.” He smiles softly as he gently shakes his head. “The door just wasn’t visible until now.”

Shrugging your shoulders, you asked him to elaborate the other option. “What is the other way of getting out of here?”

“Well….before we get to that, let me explain what happens if you choose to go through the door…” Heeseung calmly spoke out as he took you by the hand. HIs skin was so smooth and he smelled of lavender, guiding you over to a gray loveseat, made of velvet, he sat you beside him as he cups your hand with both of his, warming them. “Cold?”

You nodded hesitantly, watch as he softly breathes out and warms the back of your palm. It was only one exhale, and targeted directly to your hand, yet the moment it hit your skin, your entire body felt warm and soothing, almost as if you were sitting by a fire.

“That’s –...how did you do that?” you inquire as you admire your hand and look around you. Smirking, he rests his elbow on his lap and strokes his chin as he takes in your features. “We’ll get to that here in a minute.” he softly speaks, reaching up with his free hand he gently tucks the strands of your hair behind your ear.

“Going through the door will take you back to the place from where you came, the problem is-”

“The problem IS that you’ll be taken right back to the very spot where we plucked you out of. In your case, you’d go right back in front of that colliding vehicle and probably die.” Beomgyu boldly confirms as he makes his way over to the loveseat, and rests his boot on the arm closest to you. Leaning his forearms on his thigh, he relaxes in a slightly hunched form while staring deeply into the slight bit of cleavage that is exposed from your subtle neckline.

Rolling his eyes, Heeseung shook his head faintly as he rubbed his temples. “....you idiot…”

“What? It's the truth!”

“You don’t have to be so…nevermind.” Heeseung gives up and continues to explain the alternative option of gaining back your freedom, one without you dying. “The other way to leave here, is to please the descendants of the Gods.”

Confused, you looked up, shifting your sights between the two men. “Please?....In what manner?”

“Like, sexual intercourse is a good one.” Ever as unfiltering, Beomgyu scoff’s out his defining example, causing Heeseung to snap his fingers towards him, gesturing for the young man to quiet himself.

“I’m sorry about him…” Heeseung states as he glares over to his elder brother.

"As ill mannered that came out to be, he isn't’ wrong. That is one way. It’s the most assuring way for you to get back safely. ” Heeseung delicately states as he takes your hand once more, rubbing the back of your palm with his thumb.

“What?! I can’t do that! I don’t…what is this? Who are you? What does this…please tell me this is all a dream.” You rock your head back and forth as you rub your head.

“But it’s not! Come on girl, it’s not like you’re a virgin, we know everything about you. We get it, you’re not a whore and you consider yourself a “respectable” woman, but give it up if you want to live.”

“Beomgyu….”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

Comforting you with his embrace, Heeseung hugs you softly as he narrows his gaze over to his brother.

Descendants of Gods? What or where exactly are you? How could such a place be real where such a demand exist and becomes a mandatory option for a woman to free herself from this….this….

“Come on! It’s not like you’re in prison. What do you say?” Beomgyu bids, tilting his head and yearning for you to answer.

“O-okay…..fine. Who..who are the descendents?”

Both men share a gaze and blink before looking back at you. “Uh….it’s us….” Beomgyu states offensively. “We’re the descendents. The last ones in fact.”

Wide eyed and shocked, you bury your face into both your palms. “.....This can’t be happening….” you mumbled into both hands.

“Well sis, it is. So what’s it going to be? The door, or us?”

You shoot out a faint glare at the young man and express with a slight bit of attitude as you come to a breaking point of the man’s vulgar behavior. “Obviously...I don't have much of a choice…at least you’re not leaving me any. But could you be just a little more compassionate? It’s not like I do this sort of thing on the regular.”

Pulling you back into his chest, Heeseung swoops his hand over your neck and gently strokes your shoulder as he tenderly caresses you. “Don’t mind him. We know you’re not that type of woman, and we wish there was another way but we don’t make the rules. This is something that was established well before our time.”

Sighing, you grew curious and asked about their lineage. “So….who are you two? Where do you both come from?”

“We’re sons of the Archangel Michael, you heard of him yeah? He was also a descendent of the old Gods, and we both are his only heirs.” Beomgyu explains as he stretches his arms, cracking his neck, a pair of lush, silver and white-feathered wings extend from his back and graciously decorates his frame.

“...I didn’t know angels were so…petulant.” you spoke in humor as you admired the shine of the transparent features, they were beautiful and magnificent.

“Well we are.” Beomgyu responds back in slight annoyance, placing his hands on his hips as he rolls his eyes faintly. “I’m the angel, whereas Heeseung here is-”

Cutting his older brother off, Heeseung’s wings shoot out from his back, gently draping over his shoulders. They were matte black, nearly dark purple and hued out a velvet texture, reflecting a sinful glow that twinkled with each feathered strand.

“A-are you…?” Too caught up with the beauty of his Godly appearance, your question remained incomplete. Nodding, he smiles softly as he strokes his chin. “Yes beautiful…I’m the son of the Archangel Michael, and my mother was a demoness. Although, out of the two, her bloodline runs strong…it’s like that with all Hellish creatures, so I take after her quite a bit.”

“And that’s why he resides in the scorching regions of Hell and rules over it.” Beomgyu teases in a cocky manner.

This was so strange. The two men appeared to be the exact opposite of one another, not only that, but out of the two, Heeseung seemed far more fitting as an angel, whereas Beomgyu gave off the essence of a perverse demon, yet that wasn’t the case. Looking at them, not all was what it seemed.

With a deep breath, you closed your eyes and sighed out once more. “Okay…so what do I do? So I can leave here in one piece.”

“Do you know how to use that pretty mouth of yours?” Beomgyu winks out, clearly excited and eager to get things started.

“Will you stop?” Heeseung glares once more towards his sibling.

“Come on Heeseung. It’s not like we’re forcing her. Look, why don’t I go first, and then you can take her after?”

Heeseung shakes his head out of bitter annoyance, before turning back to you. “Will that work for you?”

Nodding in the affirmative, you looked over to Beomgyu, who raises his brows in excitement upon making eye contact. “..uh…yeah…i guess.” you answered, not entirely sure how you were going to be able to perform. This entire ordeal was making you more and more uncofmortable.

“Don’t worry. Despite how he may come off, he really doesn’t know how to handle a woman. You’ll be able to hold the reins with this one.” Heeseung smirks out, teasingly winking.

“Hey!” Beomgyu shouts out from the side. But leaves the conversation where it stands as Heeseung stands, helping you up and gently hands you off to the elder sibling.

“Be nice to her, Beomgyu.”

“Oh how rich! Coming from you.” Beomgyu scuffs out in response.

Shooting his hand around your waist, Beomgyu immediately kisses you deeply as he holds you by your chin. His movements were sudden and a bit rough, you tried to match his stamina but it had been a while since you had done this. Not to mention, you never once experienced intimacy at random, only sharing it with a man you once loved, but offended by your gift when he abandoned your love for a woman who was far less reserved than you. Breaking your heart into two, you mourned and had ever since, made yourself unavailable to all prospects, solely focusing on your career.

“Kiss me back.” Breaking the kiss for just a moment, Beomgyu gasps out his words before reconnecting the kiss while his hands swarm over your waist and lower back, pulling you closer. His wings softly flutter and suspend up in the air as he shifts both your bodies to a missionary position, with you on top. Laying his head on both his hands, he relaxes as he admires your suddenly nude body.

“W-where are my clothes??” you gasped out, quickly covering your breasts as you wrap your arms around your chest, looking around and seeing that you were now in a different room, one surrounded by walls that were shrouded in satin curtains. The bed you both laid on was framed with both, a head and footboard that displayed large brass arches.

“You’re in MY room.” Flexing his arms as he takes the bend in his elbows to a perfect angle as he readjust his head in his palms, he gently breathes out, enjoying the sensation of the cool air hitting his nudeness, while simultaneously feeling the warmth of your skin.

Gulping, you felt far too nervous and shy as you realized that he was entirely nude underneath you. Flexing his member, it stiffens and taps against your rear end.

“What….stop!”

“Come oooooon…..would you live a little?” he teases, grinning wide while eyeing your body. “Come here,” he whispers. Grabbing hold of your arms, he gently brings you to lean forward, and kisses you.

Feeling his member stiffen, it didn’t feel as obscene as before due to the gentleness of his touch. His arms cradled you and his kiss was passionate and tender. Breaking the kiss, he speaks in a near whispering tone, one that was far different from the usual boldness it carried.

“So....You never answered my question. Do you know how to use that pretty mouth of yours?” he asks, waving a soft smile. He had become different, still sordid but so much more angelic and tender.

“I…um….if you’re referring to what I think you are….I’ve never done it before.”

“I know.” he chuckles. “He never showed you…or rather, he never stuck around long enough to experience it with you.”

Hearing his words cut you deep. He obviously was referring to your first love, the man whom you would have given up anything and everything, yet stranded you broken hearted for another woman. One with superficial assets and a large dowry.

Shifting your gaze down, trying to avoid crying in front of him, you gulped and fought back the tears that began to sting your eyes.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He softly remarks. “The man was undeserving of you, don’t let him be your downfall. Besides…I can show you. I don’t mind being your first.” Flashing a toothy grin, he cradles your head with his hands as he fingers his limbs through your hair.

Kissing you once more, he slowly drags you lower by the hip, shifting you towards his cock. “Grab it.” he whispers out.

Taking it in your hand, you merge lower until his impressive length rested against your chest, right in between your breasts.

“Kiss it.” he gently tells you, still laying his head on his palms. Doing as he bids, you kiss the tip, it seemed appropriate considering it appeared swollen. Once you had pressed your lips against his skin, it felt right…so right. Instinctively, your mind and body knew what to do, and you continued to place your soft kisses, surrounding the head, lowering it down the midriff of his shaft, and finishing off by placing them on the base of his groin.

“Thaaaaat’s it princess. Now put it in your mouth, start off with the tip of it.” he slightly chokes out, enveloped by the wonderful sensation he was feeling as you swallow the head of his member, and began sucking on it. Your tongue rolling all over its surface and the grooves of its form, you started to fit more of him in.

“Wow…you’re a natural. Don’t need me to tell you what to do now, huh?”

Subtly shaking your head, you continue without pause. Your body just knew how to take over, and you did. You did exactly what your heart and soul told you to do, and he loved every single moment of it. Stroking in his member repeatedly, you take in saliva that droop out of the crevices of your mouth as you stretch as wide as you could to fit his girth. The scene became messy, though in the most sensual and beautiful way possible. Slurping, you pick up the pace and combine the efforts of your hand as you swirled your palm in half rotation near the base, while your mouth took on the rest.

“Ah…good….good girl…fuck…just like that.” tilting his head back, his mouth remains wide open as he gasps out his groans. The more evident it became that he was enjoying it, the more it motivated you to continue and do more. Popping out the tip from the corner of your mouth, you lightly tap the tip of his bulge against your tongue, moaning as you stuffed him back inside and twirled your tongue along the grooves of veins and muscle that decorated it.

“Oh shit…” he gasped out, quickly shifting his hands and establishing a grip on the sides of your head as he pinned you down, forcing you to take all of him in. Your gag reflex becomes triggered, yet you hold yourself well by steadying yourself as you taste the saltiness of his essence coating the muscles of your throat. His cock twitches against your tongue, and slowly, he lifts your face up and away, allowing you to relax your jaw. Fully exiting your mouth, he chuckles out and re-establishes his comfy position.

“You did well. It’s too bad old boy left when he did, he’s missing out.”

A small smile forms on your face as you hover over his body and crawl towards his face. Kissing him, you were slowly reaching down for it, preparing to take him in once more, when his hand gently grabbed onto yours.

“As much as I want to…angels are not allowed.” with a disappointing look on his face, he gives off a half smirk as he shifts his gaze onto the ground. “It’s a rule…only archangels, one like my father, have the freedom to do so. It’s a status that I have yet to gain, but will someday.” shifting his gaze back up to meet your eyes, he shoots his hands around your waist. “When I do…might come and find you again.” He states before kissing you once more, when suddenly you felt the room spinning and a moment of pure darkness shrouds you. The instant the air clears, you find yourself in another room, one that was much different from Beomgyu’s personal palace. The walls were draped with black satin, matching the black silk of the bedding, which was all framed by brass ornaments that displayed symbolic Gothic theme’s.

“Did you have fun with Beomgyu?” his voice shoots from behind as he walks up, admiring your nude body as you attempt to cover yourself with the sheets.

“Um…yeah…learned a thing or two…” you jest as you look up at him. Shocked, you slightly gasped out as you saw a change in Heeseungs demeanor, his face was much more stern. His eyes were fierce, and darkened with a sense of dominance and lust like you have never seen before. Biting down on his lip, he flares off a look of hunger and desire, it was far too intense. You couldn’t help but think that the white and gold coat of his suddenly looked far too light for his countenance.

Sitting next to you, he raises a hand and gently tucks your hair behind your ear once more. “Scared?” he asks.

Trying to steady your breath, your chest heaves deeply as you glance over from the side and look at him. His smirk was devious and rather eerie, but still dashing. Softly chuckling, he leans in and aims for your neck. With long strokes of his tongue, and the latching of his lips, he soothes your neck line with the tenderness of his mouth. Your breathing calms down, until he starts to grab on to your waist, pulling you in against him as he kept on with feasting on your throat.

“H-Heeseung….” you whimpered out.

“Shhh…enjoy it.” with one final kiss on your smooth skin, he darkly whispers. “I know I will.”

Your body is suddenly suspended and laid back on the bedding as his weight lays atop you the missionary position. Just like his elder brother, his clothes vanish in a blink of an eye, and you feel the coolness of his skin as he drapes over your body. His wings remain extended out, and flaps vigorously as he traps you in his arms. He was demanding and strong, yet with the way he slightly dipped his hips low and waved them against your groin, you found yourself to be less scared and more focused on his touch. Whimpering out his name, he hushes you tenderly.

“Shh…pretty girl…I’ll make you feel like a queen.” Kissing you, he gently bites down on your lip. “We’re going to fuck just like demons do.” With one last kiss, he props himself on his knees, and swings your leg over, forcing you to lay on your side. He grabs onto your rear cheek, and slowly, he inserts himself. “It’s been a while, but I promise you I aint rusty.” he teases, pushing the tip of his throbbing cock in. You quickly deduced that despite being the younger of the two, and a demon, Heeseung’s size was supreme. Beomgyu’s length and girth was absolutely nothing to scoff at, in fact, he was perfect. But with Heeseung, you now know that there was going to be pain with pleasure as you felt the tear of your stretch while enveloping his length. Jutting in, he continues to push through the friction of your entry as he finally mashes the base of his groin and testicles against your folds.

“Oh wow…you feel really nice.” he gasps out, eyeballing you as he raises his eyebrows in surprise. “All the way in princess…you ready?” he cocks out as he bites down the corner of his lip. You weren’t sure if he was genuinely asking, or if he really did care, nonetheless, you hesitantly nod and felt the shoretend sense of relief as he starts to slide out, only to ram himself back in with a vengeance.

Thrusting violently, he goes in hard and deep, not at all starting off with a slow or gentle pace. Bucking his hips with high energy, he slaps into your rear cheek as he throbs and twitches his cock inside, making sure you get the full effect.

“Ah! Please! N-not….not too rough! Ugh! You’re breaking me!”

“Aww…too much baby?” he teases. Leaning in, burying his member deep inside, he shoots out a ball of spit on your cheek, only to lick it back up before whispering in your ear. “You like it…don’t you?” the tone in his voice was dark…too dark.

“You miss being fucked…dont you? Come on baby, say it. I know you’re dark and nasty….”

Feeling how deep his cock was reaching, he rotates his hips as he drills himself deeper. Too deep.

“How badly do you wanna get fucked baby?”

Gaining enough stamina to issue a voice, you caved in. He was right, just because you weren’t spreading yourself thin among the male populace, it didn’t mean that when alone, and at night, your thoughts grew wild and you yearned for someone like him to plunge into you. He was ruthless, dementing, and brutal with his performance….and it was exactly what you needed.

“Yes…yes….”

“Yes what?” He smirks as he bids you to elaborate.

“Yes….please…please fuck me…oh God….fuck me hard.”

Leaning all of his weight on top, he cradles his arms at the sides of your head and kisses you. The kiss was the only tender nature of his performance, everything else was grim and cruel. “Come here baby, let me give you just what you need.” he whispers out, firmly grabbing hold of your neck and starts back up in thrusting. Each time he thrusted his cock back in, you nearly saw stars. He was going in so hard, so fast, and was animalistic. Digging his fingernails in, he leaves his mark along your neckline while he harshly sucks your breasts. He fucked you, for who knows how long, all you knew and cared about was that he kept going.

Flipping you over, he raises your hips and smacks your derriere, before placing a dozen kisses on each cheek. “Tell me how badly you want it.” Admitting another slap, he watches your rear end jiggle as your body shakes from the rigorous effects of his harshness.

“Ugh! I want it…I want it so bad…please…please…do everything to me.”

Slapping his hand on the back of your neck, he latches a new hold on you as his free hand grips your waist, keeping you still as he slides right back in. Watching your rear end pop against his groin from the hard smacks, he fucks…and fucks….and fucks. He pumps his cock deep, and flexes it while it rests inside. He expands your walls and tears you open more and more, until finally…

“Fuck!!” slapping his hands on your waist, he leans forward and rests his forehead against your back, his mouth gasps open as his lips gently brush against your skin. Pushing out the last drop of his seed, he slowly exits from your cavity, yet remains holding you still to admire the pure white thickness that oozes out of your slit.

“Beautiful.” he softly remarks. Dropping his weight back down on you, he spoons you from behind and nibbles on your ear. Catching your breath, you commit a half turn to face him. “So….is that it? Will I be able to go home now?”

Keeping his eyes closed, he keeps himself in the state of relaxation as he hugs you. “Mmhmm…soon.”

Shifting your gaze down, you felt the need to get up and move, yet there was a sliver of your heart that didn’t want this moment to end. Not with Heeseung, or Beomgyu. Resting your head against your elbow, you let out a bittersweet sigh.

Reaching around, gently tapping the tip of your nose, Heeseung rests the tip of his finger against your lips before mumbling into the smooth silky strands of your hair.

“If you’re not against the idea…and are over the fool that deserted you….maybe I’ll come visit you….tell you more bedtime stories.”

You laughed a little, before he continued. “Maybe I’ll show you some magic tricks…and teach you some things that Beomgyu can’t.”

Sensing the looseness of his demonic presence, you felt that he was coming back to that gentle and kind being that he was when he introduced himself. “We’ll see…maybe…” you softly respond back with, flaring your own teasing sense into your words.

Chuckling, he slowly wraps his arm around your waistline.

“Or maybe…” Licking the helix of your ear, he whispers as he reaffirms his grasp around your neck.

...........

“I just won't let you go home tonight…”

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hyuukais · 1 year

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okay so i just finished The Sun and The Star and thus am plagued with thoughts of demigod au’s so here are some of the thoughts:

(some of this is also inspired by The Star Seekers lore and what not)

Yeonjun: okay so,,,i’m kinda torn between child of ares and child of aphrodite. on the one hand there’s that firey almost aggressive drive and ambition. his agility and strength pose a threat on both the battlefield and the dance floor. then there’s also his,,looser temper. however, a lot of that can also translate over as a child of aphrodite. his intense passion and overwhelming compassion. his love and passion for performing such a prime motivator to continue pushing himself. a huge heart with so much love for all those in his life. Not to mention his interests in fashion and beauty and creating statements with clothes (or his flirting on weverse). children of aphrodite do also have their snappy moments as well. which is why i’ll say Yeonjun is a Child of Aphrodite.

Soobin: okay, so, i was actually having a rEALLY hard time with soobin. originally i thought perhaps athena, natural-born leader, but that didn’t feel entirely right. then maybe hephaestus? but definitely not right either. Demeter is a little too child-of-the-earth for him and Iris just doesn’t seem to work. Of course in Star Seekers soobin is an archer, but even Apollo doesn’t feel right. It was only after talk with someone else that it kind of settled where he belonged. Now, it’s be a little weird for a demigod to be unfit for the domain of their parent, but it’s not uncommon. In fact, many children’s mortal parents will actually instill fear of their godly parents element as though it will keep them safe. It’s odd that soobin, despite his inability to swim, comes across most accurately as a child of poseidon. however, the sea is equal parts powerful and terrifying and calm and comforting. a gentle giant, an imperfect leader, introverted and rarely commanding, but caring and willing in all of the ways needed. he reflects well in the push and pull of the tides. plus, getting the entire cabin to himself is kinda perfect. also, horse girl soobin 🤷 thus ends my long-winded, hard-to-decipher reasoning as to why i think Soobin is Child of Poseidon.

Beomgyu: gyu’s very base disposition is rather quiet and muted when you aren’t as close. as soon as you get to peel back layers you find the playfulness everyone talks about. Teasing is a form of affection yet he’s never devoid of kindness and a warm smile. Despite his nature as an introvert, he’s a very good addition to any welcoming committee. Also, the intelligence of children of Hermes is so often undermined despite them being incredibly resourceful and smart, both traits of Beomgyu’s that are commonly ignored. He has a compassion and sense of empathy that aligns well with those who take in all travelers, all those lost or forgotten. somewhat similar to a lost boy, beomgyu finds friends and family in everyone, with time of course. Hence why i think Beomgyu is a Child of Hermes

Taehyun: in an effort to not reduce Taehyun in to the tired “only braincell” stereotype, i wanted to avoid categorizing him under Athena. And after some consideration, i have come to a conclusion. Tyun is smart, he’s seen to be a very logical thinker and seems to have a lot of trivial knowledge. He has great emotional intelligence and physical strength. In any case, he would be able to fight a battle with both brain AND brawn. He’s an eloquent speaker with a dry sense of humor and a teasing nature. It’s a wonderful encapsulation of both a scholar and a fighter; someone known for knowledge AND strength on the battlefield. It’s often forgotten that those are both things honored in Athena’s name as the goddess of knowledge and warfare. Therefore, i think it’s very fitting to place Taehyun as a Child of Athena

Hueningkai: i think it’s really often forgotten that hueningkai is quite literally a musical prodigy. Drums, Guitar, piano, & vocals!!! Like that one clip of him casually playing Beethoven while talking about pikachu stickers ?!?!?? not to mention his almost sunshine-like disposition. there’s absolutely zero question as to whose kid he is. sure,,he could stand to improve his first-aid skills but, in times of need, there is no better quality than his compassion for every person in need. however, not even training from his father himself could save Kai’s archery skills 💀 of course, all of the members are incredibly talented artists, but Kai’s musicianship is on such a level i have no choice but to say he must be a Child of Apollo.

#txt #tomorrow x together #txt imagines #txt taehyun #txt huening kai #txt beomgyu #txt yeonjun #txt soobin #kpop imagines #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson headcanon #txt hcs #txt headcanons #kpop headcanons #kang taehyun #choi soobin #hueningkai #choi yeonjun #choi beomgyu

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siennasfix · 4 months

Text

Pareidolia

Chapter 4 "Uneven pressure"

*****

<<<Chapter 3 Chapter 5>>>

Trigger warnings: 1. Child torture 2. Child experimentation 3. Strangling 4. Bullying

The demigods watched and listened intently as Y/n, nervous under their scrutiny, stuttered her way through sentences. Even Yeonjun, who seldom missed out on an opportunity to put her in her place, kept his mouth shut and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed against his chest. Somehow it made her even more anxious to speak. As if their silence was but the calm before the storm of insults and accusations.

When she trailed off in the middle of the sentence, Minho leaned forward to get her attention. “Did she tell you what the nightmare was about? Other than Juliana and Ruth being butchered.”

Y/n nodded and Beomgyu immediately asked, “Did she recognize the culprit?”

This time, she shook her head and Minho spoke again. “Don’t you think they would’ve reported it if they knew? If she’d told Y/n?”

“Hard to say.” Beomgyu shrugged. “She’s an old blood.”

The delivery was so matter-of-fact that it had her looking up from her empty bowl, frowning. Their tendency to assume the worst of her character and abilities when they hadn’t even exchanged a word before she started living with them pissed her off beyond belief. It distressed her to know that Minho’s only objective was to extract a confession out of her. All the while, Hwang and Yeonjun spectated with looks carved from a rock.

“So what?” Beomgyu’s face remained inexpressive, neither taunting nor defensive, as she spewed out the words. “You think we want you dead or something?”

Beomgyu shrugged that off as well. Whatever Y/n said in her defense could only be taken as pitiful excuses to save herself. Her ill reputation preceded her.

From the corner of her eye, she spied Hwang planting his elbows on the table.

“She doesn’t know what the culprit looks like. And you’re right.” He looked straight at her, unflinching, “She wouldn’t have reported it.”

Again, Y/n felt that she must try to change their opinion of her. “You can’t know that.”

“I know you’re afraid.” He stated and the surety of his tone caused her to cringe in shame. He allowed her a few seconds to wallow in it, less as an act of mercy than an opportunity to pick her apart a vulture did with carrion, before continuing, “But there’s something else you’re not telling us.”

Looking down into her bowl again, Y/n swallowed. “No, there’s nothing else.”

It was the wrong thing to say apparently. Or maybe it was the way she was so intent on avoiding his gaze that gave her away. Either way, Hwang didn’t believe a word she said, and neither did the rest of them, Minho included.

Like a lake frozen from the surface to the bed, his voice bore no ripples as he warned, “I will get it out of you regardless.”

Y/n almost shot up from her seat, ready to scurry into the nearest corner.

“You can’t torture me.”

Hwang titled his head. “Oh, really?”

“If you could, you would have already.” Y/n pushed on defiantly, pain webbing throughout her hand from where her fingers dug into her thighs. “You wouldn’t have waited for me to tell you all this.”

At that, he hummed and then shrugged. “Maybe I’ve been feeling generous.”

She tried to stare back at him, to defy him in some small measure, but Hwang, Y/n realized, had been moulded for a world that wasn’t for her eyes to perceive, and should she dare to try, she would have to lose an eye. That was how it felt to challenge him; like having your eyes gauged out for the audacity. She wondered if he kept the memories of other people’s submission with him as a good luck charm.

“It has nothing to do with Juliana and Ruth.” She said in a gasping attempt to dissuade him from pressing the matter. Might as well have tried convincing ice to not be water.

The legs of a chair screeched against the floor. Minho, the only one who mothered to use persuasive means, now sat closer.

“Tell us.” He urged her. “No matter how irrelevant you think it is.”

Something about how Minho said it, the permission to carry on with what others would consider absolute rubbish, chipped away at her reluctance. She could be sure that at the very least he would refrain from painting her as a dimwitted creature.

She’d seen him interact with other people, playing pranks on them, lampooning them when he thought their actions rash, never hesitating to clap back when it was called for, but toward her, Minho was nothing if not patient and forgiving. Perhaps it was her ignorance of the world’s treasures such as delicious food, the internet, slang, jokes, trends, items of various kinds, and the list went on. Maybe he simply considered her not to be worth more of his energy than he was obliged to expend by the authorities. What she knew for certain was that he placed duty to his people high on his list of priorities and being tolerant of her ignorance was the way to fulfill it.

“There was a man.” Though she was no longer reluctant to divulge, her voice still maintained that rickety quality. It couldn’t improve her credibility. “When I went into the forest searching for Luna, I found her by a stream with a man. He gave her a flower and when I thanked him for looking after her he said it was me he’d been waiting to talk to. He said,” She shut her eyes, trying to relay the man’s message verbatim, “He said to tell the wretched vermin not to be so awfully stingy.”

Only once she was done, did Y/n realize she’d been facing Minho the entire time, even before she’d begun her rant. So, when she opened her eyes, it was his she was staring into, and she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. She never could tell what others were thinking, save for when their revulsion was so visceral it showed in the lines of their face like carvings on an ancient tomb. Right now, Y/n wished she could understand him better, that Minho would reassure her in some way, however small.

A scoff of irritation quickly caught her attention.

“You were right,” Yeonjun said. “That is irrelevant to the main issue.”

The blood rushed to her face. “Well, you wanted to know.”

“And he wanted to speak with you specifically.” He mocked her tone while making a face. “Don’t you find that odd?”

Beomgyu, whose plate was now cleared of its contents, surprised her by cutting in impatiently.

“Was it someone you’d seen before?” Curiosity sparkled in his eyes. “Someone you know?”

“I don’t think that was a someone… rather a something.” A sense of unease crawled into her and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “His clothes were too pristine for the environment, and he spoke as if he knew me; as if he’d known I’d be coming to him. It was like he looked down on everything here.”

“Could it be he lives in the forest?” Minho asked but even though his body was facing hers the question wasn’t aimed solely at her. He was asking everyone at the table to complete the puzzle.

Feeling cornered once again, Y/n glanced back and forth between him and the rest. “I don’t think so. He vanished right after he told me to relay that message.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.” Hwang asserted. “The forest spans for miles. He could’ve just teleported into another area.”

Beomgyu, ever so eager to get to the bottom of this, looked at the others with an almost pleading look. “Do you think it’s worth taking a look?”

Unsurprisingly, Yeonjun’s face crumpled in distaste at the prospect of having to fight his way through the accursed forest while Minho tipped his chin at Hwang and the latter shrugged as he rose from his seat and took his plate to the sink.

Minho wasn’t on dish duty tonight so she wasn’t sure if they’d like her to help. Before everyone could carry on with their evening activities Y/n plucked up the courage to ask if she could go with them.

The glare Yeonjun shot her as he buttoned up his jacket was nothing if not acidic. Maybe he thought it would cleanse him of the filth that was the sight of her before him.

“To do what?” He jeered. “Be a deadweight?”

Y/n pointed her index at him. “Do you know what he looks like? Can you be sure you’d recognize him if you saw him? He could be a shapeshifter for all we know.”

“In that case, you’d be just as useless as the rest of us, stupid.”

“I can understand the shadows.” She argued her point, hoping to at least convince Beomgyu who was lounging on the sofa playing games on his phone, and Hwang who considered her a liability in terms of combat skills. If she succeeded, it would be the two of them against Yeonjun. “They might be able to pick up on his energy or presence or whatever better than all of us combined.”

“Y/n, you can’t go with them.”

Just like that, her attempt to sway them was in vain. Minho didn’t mince his words when it came to the guidelines of his part in this process, one of them being that she was to abstain from roaming the fields, visiting the altars, catacombs, wandering inside the forest; basically any other place considered to boast profound cultural significance aside from Olympia University. Even that small mercy was more for Minho’s sake than concern for her education or wellbeing.

Desperation nibbled at her patience. “But if I can’t do anything and they can’t either then what use was it talking to you about it?”

Minho approached her and, placing his hand between her shoulder blades, led her upstairs.

“It’s worth it because now we have an alibi of sorts.” He turned on the light in her bedroom. “Luna was with you, and she couldn’t have killed Juliana or Ruth. And if that’s not an alibi, then at least it’s a confession.” He paused, searching for something in her gaze. Perhaps a hint that she understood what he was getting at. “You have a chance to see Luna again.”

Y/n lowered her gaze to the blue rug past the threshold and turned her back to him. All she mumbled in response was a resigned ‘okay’, and a few seconds later the door clicked shut.

******************************************************************************************

The first rays of dawn barely just cracked the night when Minho had turned on the light without so much as a good morning to tell her that she was to partake in the collective training for second and third years. With eyelids weighed down by lack of sleep and exhaustion, it was all Y/n could do to pretend that she was at least a bit excited to stand alongside her peers here at the foot of the Berkley Hills. It was to be her first time after all.

First-years were granted the small mercy of being trained and evaluated separately. On the other hand, the fourth and fifth years were subjected to rigorous training in preparation for the Argenti Legio, commonly referred to as the ARL, the final exam that determined their rank in the legion before they were eventually elevated to the AUL, Aureus Legio. She’d heard it was grueling and the written records detailed that ever since the treaty between Camp Half-blood and Jupiter had been signed more than three centuries prior the deceased demigods numbered in the thousands, with a yearly mortality rate of approximately 37%. Small wonder the instructors were ruthless in their approach.

Yet, as she stood there, barely able to contain her shivers, Y/n wondered why she had to become part of this. Why now that she was to be locked up for good? What was the point in keeping up the pretense of being part of the collective when she wouldn’t even get the chance to compete in the ARL? She really would rather have stayed in her bedroom, just as immersed in the third part of the book Professor Hajjar had gifted her as she had been way into the early hours of the morning. Granted, it wasn’t a solution. It did nothing but facilitate her escape from reality. Still, Y/n preferred it.

She was further convinced of it when a silhouette identical to all the rest thanks to the standard black uniform waded through the crowd to stand before her, sinewy and dignified.

Shin Ryujin, commander of the Rubeus Squadron, regarded her as one would a misplaced sock. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Y/n kicked at a small rock. “I don’t want to be here.”

“You won’t last five minutes.”

Was that necessary? Sure, Y/n stuck out like a sore thumb with her emaciated frame and lack of training. But it wasn’t as if she enjoyed freezing her ass off here with the only prospect being of embarrassing herself in front of people whom she knew to be incredibly eager to see her fail. Surrounded by the rest of her peers, Y/n felt humbled.

It took everything for Y/n to look Shin Ryujin in the eye and not pounce on her like a feral animal. For the past two weeks, whenever her thoughts would stray to her, all Y/n could see was an executioner.

“I guess you’ll just have to carry me out of here when I pass out.”

The young commander didn’t find that funny, her expression a replica of her mother’s. “Optimistic enough to think anyone will bother.”

Y/n didn’t find this unwanted exchange all that amusing either.

“Leave me here to rot then.” She said, meeting each word tit for tat.

If it weren’t for the fingers curling around the dagger, Y/n would have thought Shin Ryujin unaffected. The latter, catching on the fact that she’d noticed, strode the way she’d come from.

Not five seconds later, Minho joined her with a bottle of water in hand, leaning against the marble pillar just a few shades lighter than his sweatpants as he watched her find comfort in the engravings on the ceiling. The enormous structure was a marvel. Especially since she’d never been permitted access to these grounds before.

Minho removed the cap and handed her the bottle. “Can’t imagine she was anything but condescending?”

“You know her personally?” Y/n asked and took a sip of water.

“Not quite.” He loosened the zipper of his black jersey. “She’s three years my junior and a daughter of a war goddess of Rome, one that doesn’t often mingle with humans. That comes with a certain status, especially when you’re as skilled as she is.” A pensive frown. “But I never imagined she’d go as far as to interact with you outside of her duties as a leader of the Third Cohort and commander.”

Y/n swiped her knuckles across her mouth, wiping off excess water. “Neither did I.”

A bellowing sound reverberated throughout the grounds. It left her stomach feeling hollow as if her breakfast had been swallowed by whatever instrument had produced it. Y/n held onto Minho’s sleeve and in return, he helped her straighten up; she hadn’t noticed she’d been slouching and bending her knees as if to brace herself for a fall.

“I’d tell you not to try too hard but-

“I know. Professor Hajjar says it is imperative that I try to blend in.” It was embarrassing to hear the anxiety in her voice as well as the desperation and resentment that lingered once the phrase was uttered. “I just wish I could speak with him. Why won’t he just-

Minho cut her off by placing his hands on her shoulders and steering her down the steps. “There’s no time for that right now. They’re lining up. Go stand next to Hyunjin.”

“You’re not staying?”

It was even more embarrassing to hear the need for reassurance. She was certain so could Minho. She’d hoped that his guard duty would somehow oblige him to join her, forgetting that Hwang could effectively take over in his stead.

He peered down at her through long lashes before patting her on the shoulder. “Try your best.”

Y/n looked at where Hwang and Beomgyu stood, the former glancing their way as the latter yapped on, and asked him him to help her secure the bottle on her thigh, using the straps that came with the uniform. She bid him goodbye and joined Hwang and Beomgyu, situating herself between the two per Minho’s instructions. She must have looked so pathetic; a bony young woman and two male demigods who’d spent years breaking and restoring their bodies for combat. Hwang had put up his hair in his usual half-up-half-down style while Beomgyu had let his loose. Just like her, they had water bottles strapped to their thighs.

Hwang spared her a glance. “Keep up.”

“She’s going to die,” Beomgyu blurted out behind her.

Y/n glared at him from the corner of her eye. “I won’t.”

Beomgyu’s laugh wasn’t even derisive, just so fucking annoying.

“You look dead already.”

Y/n decided to ignore him. Nothing good could come out of giving Beomgyu a reaction. Also, there was no time for a back-and-forth as the four instructors took their place on the platform and delivered short speeches, which were just a listing of the rules, scoring system, and safety measures.

The rules would have been easy enough to follow if they didn’t include the part about surrender being forbidden. Participants had to see this through no matter the cost. It meant Y/n would receive the lowest score in decades, if not in all of demigod history.

The scoring system was divided into four parts, as was the training on the whole; strength (25 points), flexibility (25 points), balance (25 points), and endurance (25 points). The only phase of the training she might not absolutely fail at was flexibility; she had made it a rule to stretch in the morning and before bed. Strength was out of the question and so were balance and endurance. She simply didn’t have the adequate muscle mass to perform all the intricate tasks adequately. There was also the matter of the tracker injection. It felt weird to have something pistoned in instead of it being siphoned out.

As for the safety measures, Minho had already seen to it that she was provided with knee and elbow braces, a water bottle, a packet of sterile gauze, and a flat tiny bottle of antiseptic solution that he’d stuffed in one of her thigh pockets in case something happened. Something was bound to happen.

The trials began and they were excruciating. Strength was the worst of them as Y/n just was no match for Hwang Yeji, the demigod she was pitted against. Hammer throwing was impossible; it didn’t budge no matter how much energy she exerted. The following tasks⸺ rope and net climbing, pull-ups, etc⸺ in this phase were just as much a breeding ground for humiliation. Nothing changed when it came to flexibility and balance. She was tossed around, plummeted from not being able to adjust her footing on the ropes, and might have pulled a muscle overdoing it during the acrobatics part.

She should have just accepted a score of zero instead of standing there absorbing the shame each time Hwang helped her to her feet.

After a particularly nasty fall, he looked down at her. His words from the training session came to mind then; pitiful, weak, not worthy of being considered prey. Y/n knew she’d have to finish the last phase of the trials on her own, without him there to act as her disgruntled coach, rolling his eyes whenever she failed pathetically. He didn’t have to say out loud for her to understand that much. Also, she hadn’t the energy to beg him to be there for her, as desperate as she was.

As soon as one of the instructors blew the horn, the endurance trials commenced. It consisted of running through the woods to reach an area similar to this one. The instructors informed them of the distance (25 miles uphill north) and that the trackers in their bodies would monitor their heart rate, speed, body composition, and levels of cortisol among other things. Heart rate and body composition didn’t affect the score but speed and cortisol levels did. Y/n knew she was doomed to receive a pathetic score either way.

Something was wrong from the very beginning. An acidic substance bubbled up to her throat. It had her coughing and her fingers itched to rub it off from the inside. In a matter of minutes, the sons and daughters of Hermes and Mercury put miles of distance between them and the rest despite the terrain being slippery from the days of incessant downpour.

All of the students would have to scrub their bodies raw, especially the ones who tumbled face-first into the mud. Y/n managed to grab onto a branch to prevent that. That wasn’t to say she wasn’t looking downright filthy. Her hands, legs, and elbows were caked with mud and leaves. But that wasn’t her greatest concern. The burning itch in her throat persisted until it eventually turned into nausea and stomach pain. Her vision turned foggy and she could no longer tell if she was looking at demigods stumbling uphill or weirdly-shaped logs.

When she’d finally shed every ounce of energy and the pangs of pain became unbearable she decided to search around for a trunk to lie against. She thought she’d found her temporary sanctuary but was just a trick her impaired vision had played on her. Y/n sucked in a breath as the thorns of the brown bush dug into her flesh.

There isn’t much to tell about what happened after that. She slipped and tumbled down a hill. Sludge and needles painted her into a creature from beyond the grave. Similar to that day in the forest, she couldn’t tell right from left, south from north, or east from west. The only thing Y/n could make out was the belching sounds as she threw up and the dust of sunlight filtered through the cloud of green above. The curtains fell shut.

It wasn’t yet noon when she gained consciousness. Her forehead and back of her head throbbed, her skin stung, her neck ached, and her eyelids felt heavy with both mud and exhaustion. Through the haze of her senses, she could tell two people were speaking. None of the words made sense. Maybe they weren’t human. Maybe, she’d finally kicked the bucket and was on her journey across the Styx on Charon’s boat, soul ready for dismemberment.

“… unconscious.”

Fingers rubbed against her cheeks.

“… in vomit.” This voice came from her right instead of above her. “Minho… grill you.”

That name. She knew that name. Lee Minho. Lee Minho. Son of… his hair was a dark brown. Round eyes? Lee Minho. Help. Minho. The name and the cold fingers at her neck, checking her pulse, shocked Y/n into opening her eyes. She looked up then to her left.

“She’s waking up,” Her neck felt bare when the beautiful, long-haired man removed his fingers. She could see the other drawing closer. “Can you hear me?”

As if on cue, she started hyperventilating. It didn’t make sense. Where was Luna? Why was her head on this man’s lap? Had she never left the forest? Had they caught her? Had they gotten their hands on Luna? Why did the man cup her mouth in his palm? Was he trying to suffocate her? Why was the world growing dim when the sun had barely reached its peak? The lights were out once more.

The second time Y/n awoke was in her bedroom. The predominantly blue hues created a soothing ambiance. It also helped that someone had lit up incense sticks and the whole room smelled like lavender and chamomile. As she struggled to get her bearings, rubbing as if to cleanse her vision of filth, a hand pressed against her forehead. That, apparently, was all it took for her to straighten up and take in her surroundings fully.

Minho, who sat at the edge of the bed, removed his hand and watched as she sat up, restless. The memories of today’s events hit her all at once and she was left internally writhing with humiliation, something she tried to cover up by rubbing her hands along her arms, face, and torso.

Minho poured her a glass of water. “I cleaned you up before tucking you in.”

Y/n drained the glass in two seconds.

“Did you bring me here?” She asked, hoping he’d say ‘no’.

He shook his head as she handed him back the glass. “Hyunjin and Beomgyu did.”

That was it. That sent her over the edge. The mere mention of their names amplified the humiliation she had been feeling since the beginning of the trials. Tears came pouring down her cheeks that were so hot it felt as though some of the humiliation had seeped into them, inflicting physical on top of the emotional pain. She couldn’t see Minho as he fished out a packet of napkins from the drawer and handed it to her. Sobbing, Y/n blew into it.

“I told you I wasn’t ready, but you wouldn’t listen. He wouldn’t listen.” She whimpered, resenting Minho and Professor Hajjar a little more with each passing second. “Now your friends are going to mock me forever, tell everybody how fucking filthy I am. No one will ever want me near.”

When she started hiccupping Minho poured her another glass of water.

“No one else saw you, and they won’t tell anyone.” He said as she drank it. Then, he set the glass on the nightstand. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Covering her ears, Y/n shook her head so violently that the pain intensified. “But they’ll remind me of it like Yeonjun always does.”

“Yeonjun.”

“He’s always wrinkling his nose, sneering, and telling me how stupid and filthy I am from the very first day. I don’t want to see him or talk to him or do anything in front of him. Every time I say something he makes me regret it.” A smidge of the built-up bile spilled. “I hate it. I hate it so much. And now the other two will act the same.”

Understanding that there was no improving her mood with words alone, Minho decided to change subjects in hopes of redirecting the conversation.

“While I was cleaning you up, I noticed you had little to no hair in your pubic area.” When Minho mentioned he’d cleaned her up, she’d thought more along the lines of him wiping off the vomit. But it made sense that more had to be done, considering she’d been lying in filth for hours before his friends had found her. It didn’t make it any less embarrassing though. “I thought that maybe it was because you just have very thin hair, but your hair is naturally dark and coarse so that’s unlikely.” Minho seemed to be uncomfortable as he asked, “Y/n, do you menstruate?”

Napkin still her hand, Y/n tugged the soft blanket closer to her chest. “You’ll make fun of me.”

“That would be cruel.” Minho chased her fleeting gaze when she looked out the window. “Do you think me cruel, Y/n?”

She flicked her index back and forth, toying with the seam of the blanket. “No, more like a trickster.”

“Courtesy of my heritage.” He remarked jokingly before his tone turned thoughtful. “I won’t pretend that you not menstruating isn’t alarming. You might be sterile. You might not. It’s not like your fertility is for public record. What I do know for sure is that you’re starved.”

This conversation had taken a turn she hadn’t anticipated. Over the years, ever since she’d learned what it meant for a woman to be fertile, there had been times when she’d sat in deep thought. What did it mean to be a mother? What kind of mother would she be if someone desired her enough to procreate with her? Would her existence be accepted if she were to procreate with someone pure? Or would her children inherit the curse of her womb? No old blood had lived long enough to answer any of these questions.

“It doesn’t matter.” She sniffled. “I’m never having children.”

“Doctors might say it matters because your hormones are catastrophically dysregulated. Your body-” He sighed in frustration. “This is why we need Professor Hajjar, why you need to follow the training regimen. Nutritious meals and training will help you gain the weight you need to get your period.”

“I tried. I tried to keep up with the rest of them but they were so much faster, stronger, and resilient.” Y/n fisted the blanket. “Everyone is just better.”

She couldn’t presume to know what Minho was thinking but even he couldn’t counter that. It was a fact that everyone was better than her. They were stronger, had been trained in every discipline there was, and were primed for the battlefield. But it wasn’t just that. By default, their existence was pure and holy. By virtue of not being her, they were loved.

“Let’s have dinner downstairs.” Minho stood and watched her expectantly when she made no effort to follow suit. “We can get ready after. There’s someone waiting to see you.”

Y/n had never stood up faster. She almost passed out.

After they had an early dinner, which Minho insisted was to be consumed slowly so as not to trigger heartburn, he drove them to the CIIL (Criminal Investigation Institute of Learning). It was only 5 miles north of the headquarters, built strategically close to Mount Diablo as it was a sparsely populated region of Camp Jupiter. That wasn’t to say that the drive was over in a matter of minutes. It took them a solid hour and a half to get there, and not a minute passed that Y/n wasn’t chewing on her lower lip, causing the flesh to tear. Minho handed her a napkin when he pulled over at a gas station.

When they finally arrived, Y/n could only wonder at the nature of the research they could be conducting past the gargantuan charcoal grey walls that rose before them. The gates, made of celestial bronze enforced with steel, bore the symbol of Olympus and reached up to the parapets of the wall where sentries took turns on patrol. The grimness of the place seeped everywhere, down to the grass that had taken on a dull shade of brown.

After a back and forth with one of the guards, Minho forced them to call over the Head of Security at the institute who initially wasn’t much help either.

He barely considered her presence as he Minho showed him the permission signed by Professor Laqueus and Professor Hajjar.

“Only the subject’s sister is permitted entry into the chamber.” He stated curtly.

Minho kept his cool, or at least pretended that was the case. Y/n herself was too anxious to tell.

“As her guard, I have been tasked with accompanying her everywhere.” Minho stood his ground, fishing his ID and another circular object out of the inner pocket of his jacket. “Even in high-security settings.”

The Head glanced back and forth from the documents to Minho’s face and from the latter to Y/n, whom he had barely acknowledged up until that point. She doubted the sight of her was what forced the man to relent. What mattered was that the gates groaned loudly as they opened inch by inch, revealing what she could only describe as a civilization within its right. Structures that far surpassed the university were commonplace it appeared. She imagined this was where most of the science-obsessed graduates of Olympia chose to spend the rest of their demigod lives. Whereas the subjects dreaded seeing the dawn of another day, the researchers bathed in the glory of its promises.

Minho and Y/n were escorted through a white-light mazelike path under the most sterile building she’d ever had the privilege to exist in, and when they stepped foot in the maddeningly white chamber where Luna was being held, she could tell their escort would be keeping guard as well as the time. Y/n had to make every minute out of all 30, count.

She practically bounded towards Luna’s bed, where she was strapped down and connected to tubes and machines that she couldn’t make sense of. Unable to bear the sight of her sister confined to her bed like an animal, Y/n began undoing all the buttons and knots, freeing the little girl’s frame of its constraints. Her eyes welled with tears as she took Luna in from head to toe. How sickly pale her sister looked, how emaciated.

For a minute or two, Y/n simply sat at the edge of the bed, holding the girl’s cold hand. She wanted to wake her up and let her know her big sister was there.

“Luna? Hey, little bug.” She spoke to her softly, brushing her dark hair aside when those eyes fluttered open the tiniest bit. “Did you have a nice dream?”

“She can’t hear you,” Minho muttered.

Nodding, Y/n tried to wipe away the unshed tears discreetly and pointed at the tubes. “What’s in them?”

At her question, he drew closer, lightly feeling the length of the transparent tubes as he inspected the fluid they transported from the cylinder at the top and into Luna’s circulatory system.

“Diazepam by the looks of it. For seizures most likely.” He let the tube go as he let the state of her sister soak in. “Whatever it is, it’s best not to pull out the needles.”

“I know. They’d just shove them back in the second we’re gone.”

“She’s in pain. Help her sit up. That’s right. Hold her still.” Y/n held Luna close to her chest while Minho unbuttoned her hospital gown and inspected her spine. He pressed his thumbs gently into the flesh, what little remained of it, anyway. “They’ve been siphoning out her marrow. Look at all the purple patches all over her back. She must have been screaming in pain so they put her to sleep.”

Y/n cupped the back of Luna’s neck, securing her head against her chest, and felt the little girl’s breathing quicken as she stirred awake.

“Y/n…

The big sister rubbed her hand over the bony little arms while Minho buttoned up her hospital gown.

“Hey, bug-bug,” Y/n murmured and Luna moaned in pain as they helped her lie down, “I’m here.”

Luna’s eyes, though barely open, welled with tears of fatigue.

“Will you take me home?” She pleaded.

Glancing at Minho, Y/n shook her head softly. “I can’t-

“Please, take me with you.” Luna’s frail grip could easily be shaken off, but Y/n could never do that to her. “I want to come with you. Please-

Y/n responded by tightening her hold, just enough to not cause her pain. “I will get you out of here. Soon. I’ll get you out of here and then we’ll go back home. I promise you.”

“It hurts.” Luna sobbed.

“I’m sorry.”

“They came back.” Y/n could feel Minho, who had been beside her the whole time, lean forward with renewed interest. “The voices. They came back and I can’t sleep. Please, please, make them go away, please.”

At that moment, it didn’t matter whether Luna’s confession could be used against them should Minho decide to report it to Professor Hajjar and Laqueus. The tremors in Luna’s hand matched the shuddering of the rest of her body. She needed sustenance and reassurance. The latter, Y/n could provide.

“I promise.” She spoke it like a litany, “I promise. I promise. I promise.”

From next to her, she felt something shift. Minho stepped closer and muttered something she could barely hear, lips almost pressed against the object in his hand. When he unfurled his fist she saw the same object on his palm that he’d produced from his jacket back in her cell. Only, this time what sprung from it was not a blanket to trap in the body heat and multiply it until the optimal body temperature was achieved. It was… a bar of chocolate, caramel-flavored. He opened it, broke it into smaller pieces, and offered one to Luna.

When she shrunk away from him, he only said, “Your sister says you like caramel.”

Luna glanced at her and only accepted the offering when Y/n gave her a nod of reassurance. That was how they spent the remaining minutes, feeding her chocolate, helping to clean her teeth however they could, asking her what else hurt, informing her about the hearing that was to take place, and simply brushing her hair with a small comb Minho kept in his inner pocket. Y/n was glad to hear Luna sigh in contentment, eyes lighting up at the tricks Minho played with the plastic wrapper. It was not enough to make her forget about the white, sterile prison she was in.

Near the end, Minho placed his hand on her shoulder. “It’s time, Y/n.”

Y/n didn’t look at him, only at Luna.

“I’ll be back, okay?” The promise rang with uncertainty.

Pouting, Luna nodded and looked up at Minho.

“Can you bring chocolate again?” She asked him in a voice riddled with shame.

Minho smiled. “Of course, we will. Strawberry-flavored. Orange. Cherry. Peach. Coconut. Whatever you want.”

“Thank you,” Luna murmured.

The hug was too short to count as a proper goodbye. Y/n felt like this prison was siphoning her blood out and away from her. It left her fatigued, regretful about not having said something more, confused, and angry.

“Why would they do that to Luna?” She voiced the question once they were back in their car. It had been burning and writhing in her mind for the entire duration of their visitation. “I get that she’s being held in custody. But there’s no need to drain her marrow to prove whatever they think there is to prove.”

Minho put his seatbelt on and stared ahead. “That’s sketchy for sure.”

“Sketchy?” She couldn’t understand the need for that understatement. “It’s cruel. She didn’t-

“They think otherwise.”

“They’re wrong.”

“Not to them.” He violently rammed in his car keys and Y/n stilled. “To them, she’s an old blood who ran away while an investigation was being conducted and whose sister stormed into a forest crawling with monsters so they wouldn’t get to her first.” He sighed, head on the headrest. “I get why you went after her. I do. But it was the wrong choice to make.”

Angry hot tears pooled in her eyes so she looked out of the window instead, hoping the searingly bright light from the lamppost would vaporize them. She felt like such a weakling at that moment.

“So, you would have left her alone?” Y/n tried to keep her voice from shaking. “Knowing she might get mauled by some monster. Knowing she might die thinking no one cared enough to search for her.”

His reflection in the window gazed back at her and, before she could look away, he turned the key. Y/n barely made out his words over the sound of the engine roaring to life.

“It doesn’t matter what I would have done.” He said as he drove out of the parking lot.

Halfway home, Minho handed her a napkin.

******************************************************************************************

Safe to say, Y/n got absolutely no sleep last night. She stormed up the stairs, ignoring Yeonjun’s biting comments, Beomgyu’s persistent inquiries, and Hwang’s stalking gaze as they paused the game they were playing. She didn’t care to see anything other than the pages of Professor Hajjar’s book or to hear anything other than the voice in her head reciting fact after fact on the river Styx and the goddess after which it was named. Everything else⸺ the motorcycles speeding down the road, the bustling nightlife of New Rome, and the birds pecking her windowsill (where she’d placed some seeds after asking Minho if she could)⸺ was nothing but background noise. It worked. She memorized everything to a T.

From the dawn of the Golden Age, it had been the custom of legendary heroes of old to pledge oaths in the name of the stream of hatred, the current of gloom and abhorrence, for it was that of the Goddess whom Zeus, sovereign of Olympus, considered an ally to be revered. Oaths in her name were to be kept; be it during the valor of life or the torment of death. Oaths in her name are impossible to elude.

Attempting to rid herself of the guilt, Y/n memorized the entire 3rd chapter. She labored to stave off her sleep by drinking water and going to pee at least three times, but eventually, sleep claimed her like a relentless, lurking beast that wouldn’t take no for an answer. Even then, the guilt plagued her dreams, for it was she who followed Luna into that forest. In her nightmare, the man stood behind her sister, staring at Y/n as both he and Luna plunged into the gaping abyss. She knelt at the precipice, reaching inside the pit, but an invisible force would not allow her to chase after Luna.

Her screams rang in her ears from the moment she awoke screeching and sweating, up until now, as she and Minho sat on the bench and sipped from their thermoses. She’d been unable to learn much of what he’d been trying to teach her, his words going in from one ear and out of the other. There was just… so much noise.

She heard him say they were heading out loud and clear though.

“Why are we leaving so early?” Y/n asked him.

Minho wiped at his brow with a towel. “Professor Hajjar has called me into his office to discuss the details of your confession. And you’re coming with me.”

That was certainly new.

“Really?” She said, cautious. “I thought you’d… you know, have Hwang teach me. Like last time.”

Minho tossed the towel in his sports bag and zipped it up. “Look around.”

She did as he said but… there were no signs of Yeonjun’s insufferable expressions, Beomgyu’s insupportable teasing, or Hwang’s arrogant stance.

She looked back at Minho. “Where have they gone?”

“Come on.” He slung the strap across his shoulders, clearly intending to drop the subject entirely. “Professor Hajjar dislikes tardiness.”

Neither did Minho apparently, for he ushered them out of the building, back to campus, and up to Professor Hajjar’s office. Before bringing his hand up to knock, he looked at her to assess whether she was ready. Y/n nodded at him and he rapped his knuckles against the wooden surface. They waited for Professor Hajjar to call from the other side and then crossed the threshold.

Y/n didn’t think it was possible for Minho to straighten his posture even more, but he did.

“Good afternoon, professor.” He greeted, nodding.

Professor Hajjar looked up from his book and offered a greeting in return. She almost didn’t notice his eyes flit between the two students before him thanks to the sunlight being reflected from the shelves on his glasses.

The professor angled his way so he might get a better look. “I see you’ve brought Miss. L/n along.”

Minho’s thoughtful gaze settled on her as he seemingly pondered how to answer the unspoken question. Eventually, he stared ahead.

“There was no one available who could stand guard.”

Professor Hajjar fixed him with a skeptical look, one that would have had Y/n stuttering or running away for fear of feeling exposed. But with Minho refusing to divulge further details on his friends’ whereabouts, the professor had to redirect the conversation, albeit reluctantly. Y/n was certain he would get to the bottom of this one way or another. It was in the nature of the children of Athena and Minerva.

“You did well bringing her here.” Professor Hajjar bookmarked the page and shut the book. “What we are to discuss involves both her and her sister, and now that we have a confession of sorts we can work on an alibi. Although,” He paused, gesturing for the two of them to take a seat. “I don’t presume you will listen unless I’ve answered your questions first.”

He had read her like an open book, but just this once Y/n did not mind. He wanted her to see her desperation, to feel the maggots of rage buried in her flesh each time she thought of her little sister. Perhaps then he would be inclined to do more.

“What are they doing to Luna?” She asked, hands placed on each thigh. “There were tubes and-

“A research is being conducted that demands the extraction of her marrow.”

The immediacy of his answer and the purely analytical nature of Professor Hajjar’s gaze stupefied her. She looked to Minho for help… anything.

“What kind of research?” He prodded, letting the bag rest on the carpeted floor.

“You know I am not allowed to speak further.” He stated. At that, even Minho deflated, almost shrinking back from the thought of pressing the matter. Professor Hajjar turned his attention fully on her. “Let me be clear. You have no alibi.”

Y/n leaned forward. “But-

The professor raised his hand, effectively silencing her. “You cannot prove intent and, considering the fact that you and your sister are old bloods, I would consider it ill-advised to attempt it. That would open a can of worms neither you nor I can contain.”

Minho tried to speak when Y/n couldn’t. “Is there anything we can do, professor?”

“To the Council, Luna Weisfeld’s culpability is a foregone conclusion. No amount of begging or thorough investigation can convince them otherwise, and even if they were somehow persuaded of her innocence, there is the matter of the population. The masses would never accept it as the truth.”

She could not accept this whole farce as the end, her sister’s end. Luna’s life had barely just begun. There was so much food for her to try, so many games for her to play, and so many books for her to read, should she wish to. But, to let them tear the choice from her for the sake of some old men’s bureaucratic, fanatic nonsense was inconceivable. It was just… just…

“So, this is it?” Her lips trembled. “My sister dies and the world lives on?”

It was just so unfair. She knew the whole sentence was carved on her expression. Anyone could taste the anger in her blooming tears but none would care to try. Before, she had wanted him to witness her anguish. Now, she stared down at her fists. She focused on the nails that had just started to grow back and the flesh that itched furiously.

“As you may know,” Professor Hajjar continued, “though rarely so, there have been cases when one person has taken the fall for another, volunteering to be executed in someone else’s stead. But considering you are old bloods,” He looked at her with some discomfort, “And yours is the blood that sustains the populace, there might be a way to keep the both of you alive while satisfying both the Council’s need for maintaining the status quo and the people’s calls for retribution.”

She grasped the true meaning of his words. It was unfair for Luna to rot without even getting the chance to bloom. But Y/n was… she was older. Luna could still have a family, people who would care for her. All Y/n had to do was decay. When she spoke, it was in resignation.

“I will take her place.”

Minho jumped from his seat. “Wait, hold on, Y/n-

“I will volunteer to be experimented on in her place.” Once again, only the voice in her head mattered. Everything else was just background noise, Minho’s voice included. “They can take my blood too. That way she can be free until the day I die.”

Professor Hajjar approached her, his hand resting on her head. It reminded her of when Chiron would feed her hot soup in winter. Only at night though. The gods of Mount Olympus couldn’t know he would sit next to her and let her fall asleep on his stomach. Y/n resisted the urge to flinch from it; the memory and the touch.

The professor removed his hand and walked them to the door. “Someone will be assigned as her caretaker.”

Y/n was at a loss for what to say. She was a dead woman walking, every step that of a phantom. It was Minho who thanked him, and then they went on their silent way home.

At precisely 10:37 PM, while Minho was teaching her to type out her assignments on his laptop, the sound of the security code being punched into the keypad outside announced the other boys’ arrival. Y/n prayed that the shower and the soothing creams Minho had applied to her face had lifted some of the redness around her eyes. If not, Yeonjun, who was currently stomping toward the living room, would comment on it. Beomgyu would snicker. Hwang would give her those conceited smirks of his. They irked her so badly.

“That forest is the gate to fucking Tartarus, I’m telling you.” The son of Cupid was practically seething as he unzipped the outer layer of the fitted black leather attire. His flaming eyes bore into Y/n’s, and her fingers froze on the keyboard. “How did you manage to survive that shithole?”

She felt someone tug lightly at her hair before sitting down across from her, kicking his feet up on the table. Minho shoved them off.

“The shadows speak to her,” Beomgyu repeated her words from before.

Yeonjun muttered under his breath. “Fucking freak.”

Minho, who had now forgotten about teaching her, cut in before things could escalate.

“Did you find anything?” He asked.

“Nothing useful that’s for sure.” Yeonjun chuckled bitterly as he removed all the celestial bronze daggers strapped to his thighs and slammed them on the table. Y/n flinched. “Leaves and branches and shit and filthy monsters. That whole place should be torched. Fuck! I smell like shit!”

Yeonjun was always a little pissed off. It was like he was born with a permanent distaste for anything unflattering and the mere sight of such a thing⸺ specks of dirt on the floor, dishes that had not been properly washed, or the smallest stain on a shirt⸺ drove him mad to the extent that the air around him would all but swim in heat. She’d seen it happen the day before at the Training Center when Beomgyu had tried his luck and gotten an ass-whooping for it. An angry Yeonjun couldn’t be a good omen.

It was Beomgyu who answered Minho’s question in full.

“We found the stream and searched it for footprints, hair, and other things we could use to track its energetic blueprint.” He made a zero with his fingers. “Nothing. Whatever she saw was good at covering its tracks.”

“Or maybe it has faded.” Suggested Minho.

“That could be it.”

She expected Minho to continue the dialogue but, instead, he turned to her. “What do you think?”

Their undivided attention only made her more nervous. She would rather chew her lips raw than contribute to the discussion⸺ any discussion⸺ at the moment. It didn’t help that she felt a prickling sort of heat at the back of her head like a hot rod was being rammed into her skull.

“What if it was a portal?” She proposed, reluctant.“What if that thing disappeared through some sort of portal?”

Behind her, Hwang pointed out, “Portal energy is detectable.”

It made Y/n feel so small, knowing that any mistake could cause her to be perceived as a dumb monkey who hadn’t evolved to understand common speech.

“It could have been a different one.” She chose her words carefully and buried her hands under her thighs. “Some kind of nullifier.”

Yeonjun scoffed, leveling her with a look of undiluted repulsion. “Are you an expert on that now?”

“That’s enough.” Minho intervened, forcing her attention back on him. Yeonjun could seethe for as long as he wanted but there was a job to be done first. “What makes you think it was a nullifier?”

The truth would make her sound like a pathetic eavesdropping creep, which hadn’t been her intention at all, but for the truth to come to light Y/n needed to lay all her cards out in the open. Minho was there, which meant none of the others would try to step out of line. Yeonjun didn’t seem to give a shit about Minho’s reprimands though, still looking at her like one would at a pile of dog shit on the sidewalk. But Beomgyu didn’t care to mess with her much, and to Hwang, she was no more than a weak little pest. So, really, could telling the truth be as detrimental as her nerves led her to believe?

“I heard the four of them talk at breakfast. Felix and Lia said there was no DNA, no trace of the perpetrator. I just thought this might be similar. Some kind of nullifier.” She lowered her eyes to the laptop. “Not for the DNA but the energetic trail. I don’t know. It was just a thought.”

Minho patted her on the shoulder. “It’s a possibility.”

“It’s even more plausible when you consider he was waiting to speak with you specifically.”

Hwang’s voice and the way his knees brushed against her back sent chills down her spine. It was like being doused with ice-cold water.

Y/n twisted around and looked up at him. “What does that mean?”

Yeonjun scoffed for the umpteenth time that evening.

“It means that no matter what you do or how hard you try you cannot escape the reality of being involved in this shit.”

She frowned. “I don’t even know him.”

“Doesn’t matter much when he knows you,” Yeonjun enunciated, rising to his feet.

The sight of him towering over her made her want to claw her way out of the penthouse with her barely-grown nails.

“I didn’t do anything.” She tried to keep her voice steady, but every anxious vein in her body bled into it, staining her delivery with guilt for something she hadn’t done. “He was asking Luna if she liked flowers, made grass into one, and then told us to go back.”

Yeonjun squinted. “So your sister could kill more of us?”

She shook her head, covering her ears like she did when the outside world inundated her senses.

“I didn’t know what to do.” Minho tried to touch her but she flinched away. “Luna was so scared and I just wanted to keep her safe.”

“Old bloods are ever so susceptible to suggestions from the Pit,” Hwang stated as Minho went to the kitchen. When he came back it was with a glass of water in his hand and a warning glint in his eyes. “She could easily be a conduit.”

The water felt dry as it passed through her esophagus, leaving behind a sense of dehydration more scratching than before. Their assertion of her 9-year-old sister’s guilt could not be shaken. It compelled her to her feet.

“She didn’t do anything,” She uselessly defended once again, trying to appear more threatening than she could ever hope to be as she glared at Hwang and Yeonjun. It sounded closer to a plea, further emphasized by what she said next, “Why don’t you believe me?”

She’d just spoken, and once again, her words were met with nothing but silence, minutes pelting atop her chest, crushing her ribs. None of them, not even Yeonjun who never missed out on an opportunity to spite her, uttered a word. Thinking back on her question, Y/n realized how obvious the answer was. Silence weighed all the more for it.

Usually, she would find comfort in the expanse of the sky, lit by stars or lightning, but tonight, neither the moon nor the glittery tapestry could cradle her, embrace her into a sense of comfort.

“We could try to trace the energy in the flower.”

Once again, Minho intervened by redirecting the flow of the conversation. Children of Hermes and Mercury were pros at conflict de-escalation just as they endlessly racked their brains to bring into the world. That was another gift from his father to Minho, who sat on the sofa with Y/n lodged between him and Hwang. The latter stared at her without a care in the world that the rest were there. She focused on the feeling of the cool glass against her skin and the conversation taking place.

From the other sofa, Beomgyu asked a valid question. “Didn’t they confiscate it?”

Hope bloomed in her chest, though it still did not manage to alleviate her anxiety. In her chest, her heart kept thundering, threatening to all but wrestle its way out of her ribcage.

“It could be in the same lab they’re keeping Luna in.” She suggested.

Hand on her shoulder, Minho looked at Hwang. “Do we have anyone on the inside?”

Despite wanting to, Y/n held back from looking to her right, fearing that Hwang would only refuse to help upon catching the desperation in her expression. Somehow, she could feel his breaths against her neck, his flesh melting into hers even without touching. Disconcerting. Blood-chilling. Constrictive.

It was a moment before he shifted in his place.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Hwang responded.

Y/n bit back a cry of gratitude and resolved to only look up at Minho with a small smile. It didn’t reach her eyes, somehow her smiles never did. But she hoped he understood.

He patted her on the shoulder and urged her to go to bed. Content that they had worked something out, however futile it might be, Enid could now go to sleep feeling somewhat accomplished. Yet, despite everything said, Yeonjun had to open a new can of worms.

“Why the fuck are we trying so hard?” When Y/n turned to face him, he wasn’t even looking at her. To him, she’d already vanished and all that remained was to cement her guilt in the minds of others. But then he pointed an accusing finger at her. “She probably lied to us about seeing that thing in the forest yet here we are running around like imbeciles, putting our lives at risk to save that of her sister. Why? She’s not our friend. Prisoners locked up for rape have more human rights than her. She’s a nobody.”

“She deserves a fair trial though.”

Y/n had never imagined Beomgyu would speak in her favor. He was too nosy and insensitive in his approach to topics that demanded caution. Yet, as he sat there, glancing back and forth between his friend and her, Y/n wondered if that was merely a mask.

Yeonjun had an answer to that it seemed.

“Is that you or your mother speaking?” He bit out.

Minho, who had been on his way to the kitchen, glass in hand, slammed the glass on the counter. “You’re overstepping.”

Yeonjun’s eyes narrowed. “Everything bad that has happened so far has been because of her despicable kind.”

It was nothing new. From the first day, Yeonjun had made it clear that her presence repulsed him, a sentiment his friends hadn’t been shy about sharing. Minho was the sole reason they hadn’t made it impossible for her to survive, and even he had a job to do. A job that did not involve babying her, comforting her, wiping the snot from her nose or the drool from her chin. She knew that.

She clutched her book tighter.

“You might be right.” The blood roaring through her system made it so she could hardly hear herself speak. But she could still see, and there the four of them were, staring at her in varying degrees of confusion. “Maybe every word that comes out of your mouth is not yours but your parents’. Maybe that’s why you’re cruel to those you don’t want to have sex with.”

Though briefly, she caught the spiteful curl of Yeonjun’s lips.

“Look at you.” He looked her up and down, drawing closer. Each step he took forward meant one step backward for her. “No one would bother being kind to you, sex or not. You’re barely human.”

“So are you, asshole.”

He reached her in such a short time that she couldn’t make out the shape of him. Perhaps he’d been close the whole time. Her heart almost burst out of her chest, and if it weren’t for Minho inserting himself between the two of them and Beomgyu holding Yeonjun back by the torso, having the heavy book knocked out of her hands wouldn’t have marked the end of it.

“Don’t fucking compare yourself to me,” Yeonjun snarled at her, his sclera glowing a sickly red. “Filthy fucking blood pig.”

“I said,” Minho extended his arm behind him protectively, and repeated, “You’re overstepping.”

Slowly loosening his hold, Beomgyu muttered, “Come on, man,”

“Get your hands off of me.” Yeonjun shoved him off completely and the younger demigod raised his hands defensively, “Don’t fucking touch me right now.”

Before stomping up the stairs, he flexed his jaw and shot them a glare. Beomgyu's face was moulded into one of guilt like he was sorry to have kept Yeonjun from inflicting harm upon her. Minho pushed Y/n further behind him until she was almost out of sight. Hwang… she wasn’t exactly certain how to interpret his expression at the moment. There wasn’t anything particularly expressive about his face right then, to begin with. It puzzled her.

Upon hearing the door to Yeonjun’s bedroom slam shut, Minho accompanied her to quarters. He advised her to lock the door and only open it if he should be the one asking to be let in.

“What if I need to get something from the fridge?” Y/n asked.

He made a gesture with his fingers. “I suggest you lock it, yeah?”

After Minho left, she didn’t bother switching on the light. It always felt so jarring to her vision. Besides, she could always use the bedside lamp to read without being forced to endure her reflection on the vanity mirror. She really didn’t wish to see her tears as she read about the Underworld.

She got under the blanket, setting her throbbing foot gently on the bed. What bad luck it had been for the corner to dig on the bridge of her foot. It would bruise and ache for days.

Still, she didn’t wish to see herself sob. In due time, eternity would be at her disposal. What remained of her could weep in the abyss, where nothing could ever see or be seen.

At 1:35 AM, Y/n plucked up the courage to tread out of her room, sticking to the darkest side of the corridor until she was finally in the kitchen. No lights were turned on, so she assumed everyone had already hit the sack for the night. She felt safe to drink without the fear of choking.

“Thirsty again.” A voice drifted from the balcony after she all but inhaled the glass of water.

She turned to the living room and indeed, the door to the balcony was wide open, the curtains billowing inside before deflating with the withdrawal of the wind. They were a sheer sort of blue, almost silver, Y/n realized. Had they changed them while she was up in her room? At so late an hour? Or was this her first time noticing?

She didn’t need to squint in the darkness to make out his silhouette. Of course, he would be awake at this hour, haunting the halls like a bewitching wraith, forever watchful, always on the prowl. He always made her feel cornered in an open space. His presence⸺ the skill, prestige, and beauty⸺ hammered her down like a nail into its rightful place. Y/n could only nod and hope that he deemed the debacle from a few hours ago beneath his consideration; unworthy of his mockery.

Afraid of pissing him off, she didn’t mean to stay. But when he drove holes into her skin, any thought she might have had of scurrying up the stairs was wrenched from her mind. Her feet moved on their own, and the outline of his figure became clearer as he leaned back with his elbows on the railing. Sweat glistened in the moonlight, gluing the dark runaway strands to his skin despite it being in his usual half-up half-down style. She also noticed he was in a similar gear from before, only made of lighter material. Ideal for late-night training.

Her lips had a mind of their own. “Why do you train at night?”

For a few seconds, all he did was look at her, head tilted.

“It’s quiet.” He answered, shrugging.

“But how do you see?” The words escaped her before she could think them through. To make matters worse, Hwang pointed op at the bulbs installed into the balcony’s ceiling. Feeling stupid, Y/n looked down at her feet. “Oh, right. Forgot.”

“You’re never going to see the outside world again,” The abrupt turn of the conversation gave her whiplash. She looked at him, wide-eyed, but he looked the epitome of nonchalance. “You know that, right.”

Y/n leaned forward, elbows on the railing. “Luna will be free to enjoy her life like a normal child.”

“Will she now?” She nodded and felt him draw closer. “Who will care for her if you don’t?”

Hwang was treating her like she was a stupid mongrel. She’d had worse epithets pinned to her name, but for some reason, him thinking of her as this unevolved ape who knew nothing of the world’s cruelty got on her damn nerves. Keeping herself from side-eyeing him was tough.

“I know people won’t jump at the opportunity to shelter and provide for her. It’s expected. Who would want to care for creatures like the two of us?” She tried to be as eloquent in her response as she could. “But she’ll have proper meals, dress for the weather, and be looked after by someone who knows what they’re doing even if they’re being mandated to do it. She will never be cold again.” She looked down at her reflection in the glass of water. “After graduation, she can choose to leave or stay until the day I die. So long as she has a choice, her decision doesn’t matter.”

Her left side itched under Hwang’s gaze.

“You’re so delusional.” He said. “It’s a bit cute.”

Reluctantly, Y/n lifted her eyes to meet his.

“Why do you say that?” She asked in a small voice.

“The bargain ends once you volunteer to take her place. After that, you get locked up in the lab and she’s delivered to a stranger’s doorstep. The guardians could be child beaters, rapists, or even decent people.” He paused only to level her with an unsympathetic look. “But don’t think, not even for a second, that they’ll do anything for her that goes beyond what is demanded from them.”

Her fingers tightened around the glass.

“You tell me how to fix this then.” Y/n retorted.

“Why would I?” He rejoined, shifting to face her with only one elbow to support him against the railing. “I don’t care what happens to the two of you.”

Her lips parted. Not in shock. No… that wasn’t it. She knew everyone wanted her locked away so they wouldn’t have to stare at her. That was repulsion. Yeonjun showed it. Beomgyu supported it. But it was there. Hwang simply didn’t give a single damn. He neither loathed her nor cared for her. To quote his friend, she was a nobody. These past few days she’d forgotten her place.

“Would you care if I told them you were there?”

He stood silent. Good. For once, she wanted to be the one to render him speechless.

“I was, wasn’t I?” He said, taking one step closer.

“They never did find her phone.” Y/n raised her chin, drunk on some illusion of invulnerability. “Who knows? You could have done something to it. What would they think then? What would you-

In a heartbeat, his slender fingers were wrapped around her neck. Wide-eyed, Y/n fought to escape his vicious grip but that only encouraged him to add more pressure on her jugular.

His features were set in a permanent barrenness. “I wasn’t lying when I said I was feeling generous.”

The more she struggled the more he tightened his grip, forcing her flush against the glass panes. She searched the surface for something to use against him but came up empty. There was nothing. There was no way for her to fight but by thrashing and kicking him anywhere she could reach.

“Go on. Tell me more, doll.” He seized her wrists when she tried to scratch at him. Pressing her harder against the glass, he whispered. “Tell me about how they’d believe a single word coming out of your mouth. Come on.” She tried but every time she opened her mouth, no words could climb up her throat. She heard him sigh, pleased. “There it is. I like it better when you squirm and look away like a skittish animal.”

As a last resort. She tried to kick him between his legs but by the time she raised her knee, he’d already seen through her futile attempt.

Her vision blurred as his grip tightened. Her chest burned for air that she couldn’t supply. Everything from her brain to her lungs was slowly shutting down, succumbing to his strength. Though her body pleaded for her surrender, she gasped, eyes bulging and turning pink as he lifted her with little effort. She was forced to stand on her toes, which made it harder to focus on kicking him. Not that he’d ever allow for that to happen.

In the haze of her vision, she searched for his eyes and gasped out, “I- please… can’t-

His face was close. She could feel it even if her senses were in disarray, abandoning their mission in alarm.

“What is it? You can’t breathe?” His thumb dug into the flesh in response to the choking sound that followed. “Call out to him, doll. Call out to Minho. Maybe he’ll come to the aid of his pathetic little pet.”

As if from far away, as though observing rain trickling down a window, she felt the snot and tears slide into her mouth.

“-jin… please.”

Just as unconsciousness reached to claim her, Hwang released her, and she dropped to her knees coughing, choking, and wheezing. She clutched at her throat as if to trap the oxygen inside her lungs. That way, she thought in her alarmed state, it wouldn’t leave.

Y/n was still wheezing when he crouched before her, lifting her chin. “Is there something you want to say to me?”

Paralyzed by terror, she didn’t even flinch from his touch.

“I’m sorry.” She choked out through quivering lips.

He dragged his thumb across her lower lip, her drool clinging to his skin. But it was neither his icy touch nor the nasty curl of his mouth that wrenched the pathetic sobs from her heaving chest. It wasn’t even the wetness running down her legs or the pajamas clinging to her skin.

“Of course you are.” He said, cupping her jaw.

It was the knowledge that she stood at his mercy. Who knew if he would bother with what Minho had asked of him? Not her, that was for certain. Not when she’d gone and foolishly tried to gain the upper hand by blackmailing him. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! So fucking stupid!

As if to add to her humiliation, Hwang yanked her by the back of her t-shirt, practically dragging her to her bedroom, and bid her good night before sauntering toward his.

In the otherwise orderly space, she felt filthy and disassembled; like prey that had been shat out. But that was just the thing. She wasn’t prey. She wasn’t a threat. In a world of things both meaningful and meaningless, she was nothing.

As Y/n gazed emptily at her reflection⸺ the bruises, her swollen, bloodshot eyes, and the mixture of snot and saliva drying on her skin⸺ she traced the truth engraved into it.

#skz #skz pjo #skz godly parent #skz godly parent au #hwang hyunjin #hwang hyunjin skz #hwang hyunjin x reader #hwang hyunjin angst #hwang hyunjin enemies to lovers #child abuse #child torture #bullying #strangling #child experimentation

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choistick · 2 years

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no time for the wicked | choi beomgyu

pairing: son of poseidon!beomgyu x child of athena gn!reader

featuring: all of txt, changmin and sunwoo of tbz, yuna of itzy, karina of aespa, 02‘s of enhypen

synopsis: it‘s summer! Y/N can‘t wait to see their friends after a long year. they also finally plan to confess to their crush! but with the arrival of a new demigod who turns out to be a son from one of the big three, all of their previous summer plans change completely.

genre: smau, percy jackson!au, demigod!au, fluff, comedy, possible angst

warnings: this smau might contain spoilers to the first percy jackson book!!, profanity, me trying to be funny, incorrect timestamps, more tba!

started: tba

A/N: i‘m currently reading the percy jackson books and decided to try a smau, yay! this is not gonna be 100% like the books but it‘s definitely based on book one. i have no idea yet how it will progress so let‘s see!

PROFILES : one | two | three

one

two

three

four

five

taglist: open ! send an ask to be added. @soobin-chois @mintxts @strawbrinkofdeath

#no time for the wicked ! 🔱#beomgyu smau #choi beomgyu smau #beomgyu x reader #txt beomgyu #beomgyu fic #beomgyu imagines #txt smau #txt x reader #txt fic #txt imagines #kpop smau #kpop imagines #beomgyu fake texts #txt fake texts

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fallingphosphenes · 3 months

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wips introduction

if you're interested in a summation of my primary wips (just the fanfiction) as of right now (july 2024)

(disclaimer because i write a lot of kpop fanfiction: i do not think of my characters as the real actual people they're based off of, so i hope you will not engage with my fanfics like they're reality.)

elegy (temp name) (tomorrow by together)

-> in the modern year of our lord two thousand something or another, during a period of great political, social, and ecological upheaval, beasts from the heavens arrived, fragments of dying stars and planets from universes far away that became known as the astral undead. as humanity learned to harness their power, factions were organized, led by those who had defeated the most powerful astral undead, the planetary undead, whose bones granted its users the most powerful abilities. at hyperion academy, run by the three major factions, magicians (who have the inherent ability to harness the magic within star fragments) and cavaliers (who have the inherent ability to use weapons which have been imbued with star fragments) form bonds to fight together in the great war against the astral undead. choi beomgyu, prince of the golden chasm, better known as the dying realm, a faction which is outcasted for its specialty in deathly magic, despite having defeated a planetary beast, goes to this school and meets kang taehyun, a factionless, untrained cavalier, and a genius.

choi beomgyu/kang taehyun, choi yeonjun/choi soobin

fantasy, probably some angst, more abusive parents, school setting, tournament arcs, war! and what comes with that

inspired by when i read gideon/harrow the locked tomb

current word count: ~44000

time and life (haikyuu)

-> after suffering that greatly, after losing so much, after making it to a worthless, horrific end -- kei blinks his eyes open, and is greeted by the worst sight possible. that after all that struggle, after all that pain; nothing has changed. he is right back here at the beginning. he must live through it all again.

and no one else remembers.

tsukishima kei/kuroo tetsurou, probably others

fantasy, time travel, superpowers, school setting, angst

inspired by the light novel "a returner's magic should be special"

current word count: ~34500

in every universe? (seventeen)

-> it's harder to be friends in every universe than they thought.

they try, anyway.

ships TBD i guess? multiple ships (probably?) none, maybe?

multiple universes (thirteen)

have you ever been writing fanfiction and not known who to write as your side cast? well now your main cast can be your side cast, with this cool new tool: thirteen different versions of every character!

wins the reward for most complicated fic idea i've ever had

current word count: ~13000

bonus: dream demigods, part 2 (nct dream)

-> (see my ao3 for the description of part one)

huang renjun/na jaemin/lee jeno, mark lee/lee donghyuck, zhong chenle/park jisung

i promise to finish it i swear i'm so sorry

current word count: n/a, because it's being rewritten

please feel free to send me questions about these wips, or ask about what other wips i have (there are so many) !!

#my writing #fanfiction #original works

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sweetheart-sunghoon · 4 years

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BEOMGYU IMAGINE ࿐ ࿔:･ﾟ*

contains: fluff, angst, happy ending, fem!reader

word count: 3.7k

summary: you’re forced into a marriage with beomgyu, the son of hades

this wasn’t what he wanted. this wasn’t how he wanted it to happen. when beomgyu had told his father he liked you a lot and wish he could date you, this isn’t what he meant. but really, what else would you expect from a man who got his wife in the exact same ways. damn hades and his impulsive and irrational ways.

beomgyu paces around persephone’s garden, walking up and down the dark stone paths past pomegranate trees with orange blossoms, deep green bushes, poisonous shrubs and glowing mushrooms. like the cloudy mahogany sky above him, there is a gloom over his mind. groaning and tugging at his hair, beomgyu tries to figure out what to say to you.

“y/n, i’m so sorry. i swear i didn’t ask hades to do this. my dad… he’s… he’s a bit… he’s a bit…” beomgyu groans and flops onto the wide edge of a fountain that spews a blood-like liquid rather than water. “this is hopeless. y/n, i’m so so so so sorry.”

“it’s okay.”

beomgyu jumps at your sombre voice. his heart flutters. there you are, looking solemn yet as beautiful as ever. you’re dressed in your usual bright colours and there’s a flower behind your ear, but you don’t look like you usually do. you look dreary and tired and… honestly? half dead. and beomgyu would know. not only does he live in the underworld, where you currently are, for a quarter of the year, his demigod powers include sensing the life auras of other’s. yours is surrounded by a layer of death.

usually, you look like a beautiful spring flower in full bloom, but right now beomgyu thinks you look like a wilted flower, dying a slow death. your cheeks are hollow, your skin is losing its glow and colour, dark lines circle your eyes.

“y/n,” beomgyu says. he’s surprised to see you here. ever since his father dragged you down here you’d been locked in your room, avoiding everyone. “y/n, i’m so sorry.”

you shrug weakly. “i know this wasn’t your intention.”

“i’ve tried to persuade my dad to let you go but… he doesn’t like being told what to do. his temper is… extreme. but i’ll keep trying. i’m so sorry.”

shrugging again, you sit on a nearby marble bench, your shoulders hunching forward like your spine is struggling to hold you up.

beomgyu feels his heart break at how little energy you have. that’s the effect the underworld has on outsiders. it reacts much like an immune system when a foreign bacteria or disease enters the body. because the underworld is a place for the dead, it sucks the energy out of the living which it does not know, those not from it or tied to those from it.

beomgyu sinks back to his seat on the fountain. “have you eaten?”

“no.”

it might sound weird to others, but beomgyu’s glad you haven’t. eating from the underworld means you cannot leave.

“i doubt you’ve been sleeping well,” beomgyu then says.

as if having your literal life force drained from you and not being to eat wasn’t enough, the constant tortured screams echoing out from tartarus can be hard to block out at night.

you shake your head.

beomgyu watches as the flower behind your ear dislodges and floats to the ground, shrivelling to dust when it touches the ashy ground.

you see it too, an ironic smile forming. “this really is the land of the dead, isn’t it?” one strained laugh leaves your lips. “you know, the longer i’m here, the more i feel like i’m becoming like everyone else hear. dead.”

beomgyu’s breath hitches. he can’t stand this.

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄

the next night, beomgyu knocks on your bedroom door and calls your name, praying you’ll let him in. he had persuaded a hermes child he knows to deliver some ambrosia to the gates of hell. beomgyu hoped the food of the gods, known to heal and recover, would help you regain your energy.

beomgyu is surprised when you open the door, even if it’s only a crack.

“yes,” comes your tired voice through the small gap you’d opened.

“i have some ambrosia for you,” beomgyu says. “i doubt it’ll do much but hopefully you’ll feel a little better.”

you open the door fully for beomgyu and walk back to your bed. you hold in the sigh of relief when you sit down. you’re so drained and lacking in energy that just walking making you feel nauseous.

you observe beomgyu as he steps in and shuts the door behind him. even now, late in the evening, he wears a sleek black suit jacket and dress pants. he doesn’t wear a tie. his fingers are adorned with silver rings matching the silver chain you see peeking behind the colour of his button-down shirt. maybe if you weren’t so miserable you’d find him attractive. you always did at camp, particularly after he’d spar with his friends and push his jet black hair off his forehead.

“can i sit?” beomgyu asks, gesturing to the spot beside you.

you nod.

beomgyu perches on the edge of the bed next to you, leaving some space because as much as he likes you, he doubts you like him right now.

“there’s not a lot but…” beomgyu hands you the small paper box. there are nine cubes of golden ambrosia inside.

“thank you,” you say. your voice is weak and it hurts beomgyu to hear it.

“i’m sorry,” he says again.

“it’s okay,” you reply, popping a cube of ambrosia into your mouth. “there’s nothing we can do about it now.”

for what feels like the hundredth time, beomgyu’s heart breaks and he whispers, “i’m sorry.”

and for the first time since you arrived here four days ago, you look beomgyu in the eyes. you see for the first time that he’s hurting too. there’s a sadness in his eyes you’ve rarely seen before. the sadness one feels when someone they care for is hurt.

slowly, you lean your head against his shoulder. beomgyu flinches from shock but stays still. the two of you stay like this for a while until beomgyu helps you under the covers and you fall asleep, your last thought being that while you’d rather be a million other places than this, there are worse people to be forced to marry.

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄

the next day, beomgyu finds you in the garden. you look a little better. you’re admiring some black lily flowers and beomgyu is suddenly reminded of your parentage.

“i’m sure your mother is absolutely furious with my father right now,” beomgyu says, startling you a little. “he’s stolen two of her children now.”

“bold of you to assume she wasn’t already,” you say, eyes still on the lilies.

“right, yes.”

“demeter is a very bitter woman, you know,” you continue. you turn and slowly make your way to a nearby tree with low hanging branches. it’s a pomegranate tree.

beomgyu watches you silently. he’s happy you’ve recovered a little, though you aren’t nearly as joyful as you are above ground.

“do you see her often?” you ask suddenly, running a hand down the trunk of the tree. “persephone?”

“no,” beomgyu answers, making his way towards you and the tree. he walks with his hands behind his back. “we have… conflicting schedules, you could say. i leave for camp during the summer. when i return she is here but not for long as she leaves just before spring and is gone all season so that the harvests will be successful.”

you nod in understanding.

beomgyu stands just beyond the reach of the tree branches. “have you met her?”

“no. we are only half-sisters. plus she’s here mostly.”

“that is true.”

“is she nice?” you ask, a question that you have considered a number of times.

beomgyu kicks at the ground absentmindedly. “yes. she’s kind to me. though, i think my father’s temper has rubbed off on her after all this time. she can be surprisingly fierce.”

nodding to show you’re listening, you put both of your hands against the tree and focus your power into it.

“she treats me well. like a son, i suppose. she asks me about camp and my friends, she jokes that she only leaves during spring to make sure i get fed.” beomgyu smiles. “she’s really kind and polite and gentle and loving.“

beomgyu looks at you. your eyebrows are pulled together in concentration. he’s seen you use your powers like this at camp before. you can heal plants and prompt them to produce flowers or fruit. a fond smile tugs at his lips. "like you.”

your eyes open, landing immediately on beomgyu. his widen, shocked, realising his words. he turns away from you to hide his blush and clears his throat loudly. he wasn’t intending to make any a move of any sort of you, thinking it wrong to flirt with you when your marriage is forced.

but you find it amusing that the compliment just slipped out. and you appreciate it. you can see the tips of his ears burning red.

deciding to return to your room, you reach up to the pomegranate you had used your powers to produce and tug it from its branch of the tree. stepping up to beomgyu and tapping his shoulder, you place the red fruit in his hand and walk away.

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄

yours and beomgyu’s wedding is not for another week. in the days leading up, you spend a lot of time together, the ambrosia he brought slowly healing you more and more. you find yourself able to laugh again. perhaps you even find yourself growing to like beomgyu.

you knew him well enough at camp half blood but mainly through mutual friends. after a week of getting to know him more, you wonder why you weren’t closer before. though, the screams from tartarus at night remind you that the whole son of hades thing likely formed a negative bias against him in your mind.

but that bias dissipates over time. you see that he’s just a boy trying to enjoy life. he didn’t ask to be a demigod, and he certainly didn’t ask for his godly parent to be the king of the underworld. this detail almost completely slips your mind until three days until your wedding when you ask beomgyu what it’s like beyond the garden walls.

he’s reluctant to take you outside at first but eventually does.

“um, you should probably hold my hand,” he stutters. “it’s easy to get lost out here and there’s a lot of dangerous things.”

you glance at his hand. he’s wearing an odd piece of hand jewellery. thick rings around his fingers are connected to a matching bracelet at his wrist by thin chains. the black metal is a stark contrast to his pale skin.

your staring turns beomgyu’s ears pink and he’s quick to say, “y-you can just hold my jacket if you want.”

“no, no,” you say, taking his hand in yours. you’re not entirely surprised by how icy his hand is. “it’s okay."

honestly, you didn’t even realise you were staring at his hands so much.

you walk for about an hour around the dry land, the hazy red sky growing darker and darker the further from hades castle you are. you talk about many things. the topic of powers and abilities comes up.

"so what are your powers?” you ask beomgyu who is beginning to look antsy.

“if we stay out here any longer, you might find out,” he mumbles, his voice low.

“what do you mean?” you ask.

“we should turn back,” beomgyu tells you, his eyes narrowing as he glances around. “something’s not right. i can feel the dead nearby.”

“this is the underworld, beomgyu. everyone is dead.”

“yes, but they’re too close. something’s not right. let’s go.”

you frown but nod and let beomgyu pull you back in the direction of hades’ palace. you’re halfway there when a piercing screech sounds from above. a strong force suddenly knocks you into beomgyu and a sharp pain seers on your arm. a shocked exclaim jumps past your lips as you find three large gashes on your arm, blood pouring down.

“y/n,” beomgyu gasps, his arms catching you around your waist. he sees the blood too and his jaw clenches. he spots the cause of your injury just in time to pull you closer, out of its field of attack.

your heart rate doubles. “w-what-what-”

“a fury,” beomgyu growls, manoeuvring you behind his back.

holding your arm to stop the bleeding, you peek over his shoulder and see the ugly bat-winged monster circling back to your direction. it flies at full speed, baring its huge yellow fangs.

“stop!” beomgyu commands, his voice strong, deep and demanding.

to your surprise, the creature does, halting in mid-air, growling at beomgyu. it is now you recall just how powerful beomgyu must be. being a child of the big three (zeus, poseidon and hades) makes him indefinitely stronger and more powerful than the average demigod. even if hades wasn’t one of the big three, the kind of power he possesses is terrifying. the thought of beomgyu sharing some of those abilities…

beomgyu glares at the fury. “leave now before i banish you back to tartarus.”

the fury snarls.

“leave!” beomgyu yells, loud enough to make you flinch. he feels your movement and reaches back to grip your hand reassuringly.

with one last snarl, the fury flies away. beomgyu spins to you the moment it’s out of sight, his demeanour flipping as he cradles your arm in his hands.

“are you okay?” he asks quickly.

“not really,” you admit, shaking a little.

beomgyu inspects the large scratches and winces. “it’s too big for me to heal.”

he can heal? you think. it’s an odd concept considering he’s the son of death.

beomgyu stretches out his hand and makes an upward motion. a dark and opaque wall rises from the ground. he pulls you towards it. “let’s go.”

“wait, what is this?” you question.

he turns his head to you, the hint of a smirk on his lips. “shadow travel.”

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄

the night before your wedding, beomgyu knocks on your door to check on you as he didn’t see you today. he was visiting a friend because, while you are stuck here, beomgyu is free to come and go as he likes.

“how are you feeling?” beomgyu asks, sitting at the end of the bed. for once, he isn’t dressed up, instead donning a black plain tee and pair of sweatpants.

“i’m okay,” you tell him.

“that’s good.” he fiddles with the bed cover, avoiding your eyes. “i’m sorry.”

“it’s fine,” you say. “i can’t expect you to follow me around all day every day. you should see your friends too.”

“that’s not what i meant,” beomgyu says, his dark eyes taking on the sorrowful look he gets when he thinks you’re not looking. “although i’m sorry for that too now."

he takes a deep breath. "i meant that i was sorry for this. all of this. for my father dragging you down here. for our forced marriage. for making you unhappy, sick, lonely. i’m sorry for everything.”

“beomgyu… beomgyu look at me.”

he hesitantly meets your gaze and you see a tear sliding down his cheek.

“oh, beomgyu,” you sigh, leaning forward to wipe away the tear. “stop apologising.”

“but it’s true,” he says, his voice becoming rough and strained. “i know you don’t like it here. you don’t want to marry me. you’ve only been eating ambrosia for the past week but you still look half dead. you can’t even sleep at night. you-” his voice catches and he shakes his head, looking down.

you grab his hand and squeeze gently. “but it’ll get better once we’re married, right? i’ll have my energy back, i’ll be able to eat and sleep.”

“yes but that doesn’t change the fact that you don’t want this marriage,” beomgyu says. “i don’t want this marriage. i never asked for this, it was all my stupid father.”

“okay, you’re right,” you say. “i don’t want the marriage. but because i’m young, i’m unprepared, i have no say in it. i know you think i hate you but i don’t.”

beomgyu looks up again.

“i may hate the circumstances but i don’t hate you,” you say honestly. “at first, i did resent you, but i realised that this really isn’t your fault and that i shouldn’t hold your father’s actions against you.” you squeeze his hand again. “it’s not your fault. i don’t hate you. stop feeling sorry for me, okay? i’m fine, really.”

beomgyu nods. “okay.”

he’s silent, thinking, contemplating, processing.

you too have some thoughts on your mind. one thought actually. something that you’ve wanted to ask beomgyu the past few nights but never have, feeling too foolish. but seeing as you’ll be married to him tomorrow, you don’t see the harm in asking now.

“beomgyu,” you say quietly.

“yeah?”

“w-will you… will you please stay with me tonight?” you ask.

beomgyu’s ears flush bright red, the colour you’ve come to associate with his bashful and shy side.

“i think it’ll be easy to sleep if you do,” you continue. “will you?”

beomgyu needs a second to process your question but he eventually splutters, “yes.”

folding the blanket back for him, you shuffle over and lie down. beomgyu cautiously slides in beside you. he looks so stiff and awkward, it makes you smile a little.

“lie down,” you tell him and he does.

you take the initiative and cuddle up to him first, slotting yourself under his arm as you lay your head on his chest. immediately, you feel one hundred times better than you have all week. you feel safe and as though you can now breathe easy.

beomgyu finally relaxes, his arm looping around your shoulder, his hand slowly brushing over your hair.

the noises that usually keep you up at night fade away and sleep takes over. for the first time in almost two weeks, you have a good nights rest.

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄

when you wake in the morning, beomgyu is gone and a gorgeous women with long, flower adorned hair is carrying in a long black dress.

“you’re awake!” she says. “great. i’m persephone. i’ve heard you’re my half sister. it’s lovely to meet you. now let’s get you ready. you’re getting married today.”

you barely have time to process any of what the goddess has said before your being stuffed into the ebony gown. the silk body somehow fits you perfectly and the lace sleeves are the exact length of your arms.

the next half an hour is a blur as persephone styles your hair with a flower crown of red and white roses, clasps a chunky bejewelled choker around your neck and swipes red gloss on your lips and dark glitter on your eyes.

and suddenly you’re standing at the entrance of a large grecian temple with black marble pillars. beomgyu is standing at the other end of the temple on a raised platform. a… skeleton?… is standing near him, a large book in it’s bony hands. as you start walking towards beomgyu you vaguely wonder if you’re really about to be married by a skeleton.

to your right and left are rows of skeletons, odd creatures and the odd person who seems to be relatively alive. hades and persephone are in the front row.

the ceremony passes by in a flash. beomgyu holds your hands softly as the skeleton addresses the crowd of undead. he looks at you with more adoration than you knew was possible, but he never smiles. you slip gothic black rings onto each others fingers. he kisses your cheek. then the wedding is done.

afterwards, you and beomgyu take a walk in the garden again.

“how do you feel?” beomgyu asks you after a minute of silence.

“good,” you say, heading to a pomegranate tree.

“you look good,” beomgyu replies.

you smile over your shoulder at him. “thank you.”

“really,” he says. his eyes rake up your body. “not just the dress and everything, but your whole aura. you look alive again.”

you reach the tree and pick the closest fruit. “i suppose i’m allowed to eat this now, right?”

“if you’d like.”

“will you eat it with me?”

“okay.”

you find a bench to sit on. beomgyu picks a rock from the ground and, using a power you didn’t know he possessed, he transforms its shape to be sharp and pointed. he cuts the fruit with it and you eat in silence. you have to admit that it feels nice to be eating something other than ambrosia.

once the fruit is gone, you scoot a little closer to beomgyu and put your hand on his knee.

“you don’t seem happy, beomgyu,” you say. “what’s wrong?”

he sighs. “i don’t know. it’s just… i like you a lot. even more now then i did when i told my father about you. but i… i can’t be happy when you’re not.”

“who says i’m not happy.”

“well aren’t you?”

“i’m… unsure… i think i need some more time to fully process everything, but it could be worse.”

beomgyu scoffs quietly. “how could it be worse?”

“i might not be married to you.”

beomgyu almost flinches at your words, eyes going wide. “what?”

“like i said, i’m still a little conflicted but one thing that i’m certain about is my feelings for you.”

“and?”

you smile. “i like you.”

“r-really?"

"really. throughout this all, you’ve been so kind and gentle. you haven’t pressured me and you’ve made me feel as comfortable as possible. i really appreciate it and i can’t say that i haven’t grown to like you.”

amusingly, your words render beomgyu speechless so you add, “plus, being married to the son of hades is a bit of an ego boost, if i’m being honest.”

said son of hades smiles.

“you know, i’m pretty sure you didn’t kiss me properly earlier.”

“i didn’t think you’d want me to,” beomgyu admits sheepishly.

“well, i do, so…”

his smile turns to a cheeky grin as he cups your face in his hands. “may i kiss the bride?”

you grin too. “you may.”

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windflowerisa · 5 years

Text

— choi beomgyu, son of nike. goddess of speed, victory, and strength.

choi beomgyu have a thin figure, and he is just a 18 years old boy. however, nobody wants to get in a mess with him. his ability to knock down his opponent under two minutes is nothing new among the campers.

has a mother of the goddess of speed, victory and strength, beomgyu is gifted by unarguably impressive skill in swordmanship and hand combat. his thin figure gives him many advantage; he could slip easily from an opponent that is bigger than him and attack them before their eyes.

eventhough beomgyu is a lion inside the battle field, he's a sweetheart and cute tiger cub outside. his voice when he talks dan laughs are the mellifluous songs you've ever heard.

#beomgyu #choi beomgyu #beomgyu moodboard #beomgyu aesthetic #txt au #txt aesthetic #txt demigod #greek mythology #greek gods #choi yeonjun #choi soobin #kang taehyun #huening kai #tomorrowxtogether

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heecyon · 3 years

Text

𝐂𝐔𝐏𝐈𝐃, 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐀 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄; 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐆—chapter one

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄: soulmates au! greek gods au! demigods au! enemies to lovers au! fluff! angst!

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: son of hades!park jay x daughter of aphrodite!reader

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: explicit language, mentions of sexual harassment (no sexual abuse), nudity, y/n is a selfish brat, angst, mentions of food, and suggestive (no smut)

featuring. ive wonyoung, txt beomgyu, enhypen jake and enhypen sunghoon

mini series masterlist

chapter one — chapter two — finale

taglist: @sunshine-skz @sun6ooi @honeyevelvet @mei-vly @acciomylove @baekhyunstruly @papiibuprofen

People always tried to look for something more, except for Y/N’s pretty face.

Choi Y/N, daughter of Aphrodite. She obviously wasn’t the only child of the precious goddess, there was Wonyoung, Beomgyu, and Sunghoon. A very visual siblings group if you told me about it.

The young girl was now tapping her feet on the floor, nervousness taking over her body, her only way to relax was to let the wooden floor suffer for a little while. “You are gonna make a hole if you keep doing that.” Wonyoung said with a smirk on her lips.

“Sorry, just stressing.” the girl soon sat up straight, her feet slowing down their pace until they fully calmed down. She scratched her forehead when a sudden itch started to attack that place.

“I wonder who my soulmate is?”

“I wonder that as well.” Y/N responded.

“There you are, we’ve been looking for you guys.” A male voice became present near the girls, two males sat beside them. Sunghoon and Beomgyu, the other kids of Aphrodite, very famous around the school. “I’m really excited to know who your soulmates are.”

Y/N scoffed, a small smile on her lips. “Is that why you are here?”

Sunghoon looked at Beomgyu before letting out a snort.

“Isn’t that obvious?”

The oldest girl of the group soon realized that she had pending homework for tomorrow and Mrs. Kang wasn’t going to be happy if she didn’t turn it in. She was really lazy to do it after the ceremony, after all, she had other plans, her schedule would be really tight for a few hours.

She bit her lower lip just by the thought of it, she had a million men of her interest under her spell, just by using her beauty and charm she could get whatever she wanted, that was one of the many benefits of getting the powers of Aphrodite.

Y/N turned around to see Jake Shim, son of Demeter.

He was a really sweet guy, also in her class, he always sat in front of her, even though he was sweet and kind, he wouldn’t fall for her pleas that easily. So, as if she was snapping her fingers, she saw him straight in the eyes and got deep into his soul, letting her enchanting beauty manipulate his mind.

Jake’s eyes had a pink glow around his iris, meaning that her spell had worked perfectly. “Jakey, I want you to know that you are the most amazing person I’ve ever met and that it would be so sweet of you to make my greek mythology homework for tomorrow.” Shim had a smile creep from each corner of his lips, he couldn’t say no, everyone knew that after Choi’s enchantment, he wouldn’t be able to hold back.

“It would be an honor to do such an easy task, my dear.” Y/N just smiled, rolling her eyes as she went back to her original position, turning her back from the enchanted boy.

“You are wicked!” Wonyoung hit her older sister’s shoulder.

The chattering in the gym became nonexistent when the Principal, Mrs. Oh, finally stood up at the center of the court, she cleared her throat, the sound echoing through the wall because of the microphone in front of her.

“Good afternoon, students. It is good to have you back for another school year, as you know, it’s a very important tradition to let Eros tell us who our soulmate is, it may seem at first that you have very different concepts and personalities, but with time you will learn to be comfortable with each other.”

“Let the ceremony, start.” Those were her last words before Mr. Kim, walked in front of the room with well-decorated letters, each one of them decorated depending on the personality of the person’s soulmate.

“Jang Wonyoung.” The girl was the first one to be called, letting her feet guide her towards her teacher, she grabbed the letter and as she went back to her seat, she closed her eyes, shaking her head.

Y/N looked at her, her expression was far more than confused.

“Aren’t you gonna read it?” She asked.

“No. I’m way too nervous.”

A bunch of names escaped their teacher’s mouth, but the young Choi, couldn’t hear her name at all, she was still not called. That made her a little bit excited, for her, if she was one of the last ones that could mean that she would get the best soulmate ever.

“Choi Y/N.” The girl jumped on her feet, she accommodated her dark plaid skirt, walking down to her professor, coloured details forming on her cheeks out of excitement, she grabbed the letter, noticing that this one was plain black, lace decorating the corners of the paper.

She walked back to her place, curiosity taking over.

Y/N decided to open the piece of paper, she was determined to know who was her possible lover, her fingers trailed the black paper, gold cursive letters pasted in it.

Such a precious detail, she thought.

But what wasn’t precious was the actual name itself written on that paper.

“The hell?!” Most people in the gym heard her desperate and shocked shout.

It had to be a prank, she was convinced that it was a prank.

“What happened?” Beomgyu asked as he got close to her, but then snorted by seeing the name on his sister’s letter. “Your soulmate is that kid from the underworld?” He chuckled, giving a sign to his siblings for them to see what was causing such a scandal…

I can tell you that they all had the same reaction as Beomgyu, they all snorted.

Park Jongseong was more than furious, he was raging.

He thought he was an idiot by just thinking that his crush, Minki, would appear in his letter, but the boy was more than wrong.

Jay walked down the woods, the exact woods that were just behind the gigantic buildings that people called school. He wondered, what had he done to deserve such a person, he wasn’t an evil person, he was just following his father’s steps, just like the rest of his brothers. His father was never a villain, even though at first glance, people didn’t think that.

The boy kept walking through the deep of the forest, the sound of a body of water becoming closer. He was pretty sure that there was a river close by, as he saw that the path was becoming steep and full of white rocks just like chalk.

He followed the path of rocks, and it felt like he was running down a hill. Jay watched his steps closely, trying to be careful and beware of any dangers.

The view was more than gorgeous, pine trees surrounded the place, the water of the lake was more than crystalline, green grass sticking out of the pointy and chalky rocks. What a place to relax, he thought.

It had been hours since the ceremony had finished, and he thought that he was the only one not looking for his respective roommate, but he was wrong, there was a baby blue checkered backpack right close to the start of the lake, laying on the rocks.

He wasn’t alone at all…

What was more curious, was the pair of clothes neatly folded beside the backpack, including a pair of sneakers.

Shoot! I should turn around.

That’s what his mind was trying to scream at him.

Jay heard the sound of splashes close to him.

There was indeed someone skinny dipping at the lake, she was probably trying to follow her mother’s steps, just like Aphrodite, being born naked at coming to land from a body of water.

“Is it you, Sung-Ho?” The female asked.

“I know there’s someone there. You can come out now, I don’t bite.” Y/N giggled.

Jay felt like he was officially screwed, he couldn’t look at her like that.

But he still turned back around facing her, the lower part of her body submerged in the water, while her upper body was covered by her long dark hair, her back facing her.

“Sorry Choi, I was just walking around.” The boy said.

“Jay.” She whispered, now submerging almost all her body into the water, the parts of her clavicle to her head being the only thing visible.

“Were you waiting for someone? Sung-Ho?” Jay asked mischievously, it was his way of mocking her, he loved seeing her enraged, it gave him satisfaction. Just knowing that he was getting on her skin was really fun.

“It’s none of your business.” “That’s what you always say.”

This girl could feel the anger running down her veins, she hated Jay, she truly did and people always thought that their eternal rivalry was something really absurd, and maybe it was, but they didn’t know the deep of it.

“I can’t believe you are doing this!” Wonyoung saw how her sister slid a pastel pink letter inside one of the school’s lockers.

A year ago, sixteen, nearly seventeen-year-old Y/N, was trying to make her plan work.

She had never in her life experienced such a deep crush on someone, but Park Jongseong was the exception, not knowing exactly what she saw in him, but she wanted him to be hers, all for herself, although it sounded more than petty.

“Shush!” Y/N told her younger sister. She had poured her heart out on that letter, she truly did. Y/N expected to get a response soon, but it never came.

She played with the tips of her hair, curling it with her index finger, rounds, and rounds of curling. The girl felt pity for herself, how could someone as Jay, be her soulmate. He was a heartbreaker, she always believed that.

“You shouldn’t be caring about my personal life that much, you look like a creep when you do that!” Her legs commanded her to walk backwards, far away from the boy, where she felt more secure.

“I guess now I’m a creep.”

They both moved back to the building, looking for their respective rooms.

Jay was pretty much annoyed by her just walking close to him, what else could she do?

It was like Jay wanted her to disappear.

Sounds harsh, but right then that was very true.

Jay wished he was sucked by hell right there and then, when they both stopped in front of the same door.

#enhypennetwork #enhypenwriters #enhypen imagines #enhypen oneshots #enhypen #enhypen au #jay enhypen #jay enha #jay x reader #jay fluff #jake enhypen #enhypen ot7 #sunghoon enhypen #jungwon enhypen #heeseung enhypen #niki enhypen #sunoo enhypen #to the prince of the underworld (❁´◡`❁)

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stay-midnight · 3 years

Text

| Masterlist

Things to note:

Works are Male Reader, unless stated otherwise.

Works contains bottom/submissive reader, unless stated otherwise.

All works are posted and written by me, if you see any copy of my fics on other platforms, please inform me. - stay-midnight©

Stray Kids |

All Members°

• Reaction to making out in publicly and getting caught. (Suggestive, uses they/them pronouns)

• Smut Headcanons with skz (Very explicit, switch reader ig.)

Bang Chan°

• Fun through Harsh Times (Demigod AU, switch/verse m! reader, contains smut, ft. Seungmin.)

Lee Minho°

• Short Drabble about Thigh Riding (contains smut)

• Spark of Possessiveness (Post-Idol AU contains smut, ft. Jisung)

• Actions Deem Consequences (Explicit Smut, Subtop¡Lee know, Dom¡Bottom M.R)

Seo Changbin°

• Forward (Implied Smut, Changbin and Reader are Switches)

• Always Here (Contains smut but not too explicit)

• Maple Syrup (Contains smut and tooth-rotting fluff)

Hwang Hyunjin°

• Psycho (Serial Killer Hyunjin, contains smut)

• Royals (I, II) (Royalty AU, Prince Hyunjin, smut on the second part)

• Jealousy, Jealousy (Explicit Smut, Subtop Hyunjin and Dombottom reader)

Han Jisung°

• Who’s Dom? (Idol Jisung, contains smut)

• Spark of Possessiveness (Post-Idol AU, contains smut, ft. Minho)

• Bloody Birthday (Vampire AU, contains very explicit smut, ft. Seungmin & Felix)

Lee Felix°

• Foolish (Domestic AU/Non-Idol AU, contains smut)

• Ears N’ Tails (Non-Idol AU, Pet Play, contains smut)

• Bloody Birthday (Vampire AU, contains very explicit smut, ft. Seungmin & Jisung)

• Expectations Vs. Reality (College AU, contains explicit smut)

Kim Seungmin°

• Wrong Wishes were made~ or was it Wrong? (Elf Seungmin, contains smut)

• Fun through Harsh Times (Demigod AU, switch/verse m!reader contains smut, ft. Chan)

• Bloody Birthday (Vampire AU, contains very explicit smut, ft. Jisung & Felix)

• City Lights (CEO Seungmin, contains explicit smut)

• Crimes in the Sheets (Boyfriend Seungmin, contains explicit smut)

Yang Jeongin°

• Unlucky Angel (Horny Guardian Angel Jeongin, contains smut)

• His Present (Non-Idol AU, contains smut)

• Memorabilia (Non-Idol AU, contains explicit smut)

•°EVENT LISTS/SPECIALS/MISC°•

• Blog Anniversary MasterList (13 special drabbles) - only contains skz fics.

• Iridescence Index (Lee Know x Male Reader series)

TXT |

°Choi Soobin

• It’s not what you think it is (Office AU, Fluff and Angst, Gender neutral reader)

°Choi Yeonjun

• Nothing to see here... Come back later~

°Choi Beomgyu

• Nothing to see here... Come back later~

°Kang Taehyun

• Nothing to see here... Come back later~

°Huening Kai

• Nothing to see here... Come back later~

#new masterlist #kpop x male reader #stray kids x male reader #txt x male reader #skz smut #lgbtq

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copajay · 4 years

Text

library of love

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

masterlist

heyyy sorry for the wait, but here’s taehyun! i already introduced him in yeonjun’s story so i hope you have some idea of what his character is like! also a character from beomgyu’s story appears. edit: it’s finished and i hate it but enjoy

summary: kang taehyun, son of athena, is one of the smartest campers at camp halfblood. he’d stop at nothing to rise to the top and is willing to outwit anyone who dares get in his way. unfortunately for him, y/n, child of apollo, was just as adamant on getting the top spot. when they’re forced to spend an entire week together, they decide to convince the rest of the camp they’ve set aside their differences to avoid constant teasing, but what happens when their plan goes wrong? (gender neutral/not proofread)

date: 02/21/21

series: txt demigod series (located in masterlist)

scenario themes: enemies/rivals to lovers!au, percy jackson!au

idol: kang taehyun or taehyun of txt

concept: fluff, comedy

warnings: cursing, a lot of satire, main characters are both pretty shitty towards each other.

word count: 6.8k (these just keep getting longer)

kang taehyun. that name alone was enough to fill you with unprecedented rage. who does he even think he is? always bossing people around, acting like he was some superior being. yes you did that as well, but it’s more annoying when he does it.

since you first joined camp halfblood, you applied your love for the arts, literature, and history to anything that required it: projects, assemblies, murals, you had it all covered. it was no surprise your godly parent turned out to be apollo.

taehyun was quite the opposite. humanities and the arts bored him. he liked facts, rules, set answers. he was by far the most skilled camper when it came to anything math or science-related. writing an essay or painting was torture for him; the only form of art he could even somewhat partake in was music, he loved to sing. but he’d rather get an F on his calc test than admit it.

fortunately, you loved to sing and were damn proud of it too. you didn’t really have a single guilty pleasure when it came to stem. it was embarrassing, really, how you could go from excelling at writing, whipping up 5 pages about any subject in just an hour, to struggling with a 5th grade math problem.

and of course, neither of you would ever let the other live their weaknesses down. “aw, looks like you bombed another chem test.” taehyun jeered, feigning sympathy. “aw, looks like you wrote another paper with 3rd grade grammar” you mocked. he rolled his eyes muttering something along the lines of, “at least i can do basic division.”

your rivalry was possibly the most petty and pathetic thing on earth. the both of you relished in each other’s suffering, not once showing even an ounce of pity. in short, you loathed each other.

any camper that stepped foot in the library had to witness the two of you argue every single day. it would start off quiet, taehyun arriving before you, as he was always the more punctual one, and starting early on his calculus work. then you’d arrive, burying your nose in some fantasy novel.

aside from the occasional glares and scoffs, not much was heard from either of you. until one of you sent a more threatening look the other’s way which led to whoever was on the receiving end to yell about how immature and annoying the other was.

naturally, this led to a whisper-yell fight between the two of you. obviously not wanting to get kicked out of the library, but still yearning to give the other an earful.

it was safe to say that the majority of the camp was fed up with your antics, and made it a routine to tease the both of you whenever things got heated, claiming the both of you liked each other and would make a “cute couple”.

which, in turn, disgusted the both of you. neither of you could ever look at each other in a way that was even somewhat positive, let alone romantic.

nobody knows when your rivalry started, not even either of you, but everyone else knows for a fact that they want it to end. one person in particular being kai, taehyun’s best friend and your half-sibling.

“why don’t you just try being nice for once,” kai suggested, to which taehyun replied, “being nice is a concept that idiots made up to compensate for the fact that they’re braindead and will never get anywhere in life without kissing ass,” he paused for a moment, before continuing, “and i am not an ass-kisser.”

sighing, kai decided to drop it, knowing that there was no way he’d be able to get his point across to his obtuse and stubborn friend.

similarly, your friends were just as irritated, constantly begging you to stop cursing taehyun out every time you see him and embarrassing them in the process.

contrary to how the both of you acted towards each other, you weren’t really that bad. taehyun was always on the more empathetic side and loved helping people out, and you were surprisingly very nice, constantly making others feel welcomed and cherished.

it’s just that neither of you seemed to care about each other’s good qualities, only focusing on the bad. which was easy, considering you were both flaming narcissists. you couldn’t admit to your own faults if someone payed you, and neither could taehyun.

you once even reached a small breakthrough in recognizing how huge your egos are, just for it to end up in another argument; “you just don’t want to admit that you’re just as shitty as me.” taehyun scoffed. “ME? oh please, i know i’m not a saint but you’re the damn devil.” you argued. still keeping his composure, taehyun retorted, “oh really? you could never accept even the mere thought of someone disliking you.”

“isn’t that exactly your problem as well?” you spat. “um, no. i am perfectly situated with the fact that some people may not like me.” he replied with an irritating amount of calmness. “do you know why they don’t like you?” you interrogated, and it’s like he knew the exact words to piss you off, “duh. i’m better than them at practically everything, and they can’t stand it.” he chided.

“you’re just as bad as me!” you snapped, “no. i’m not. because when someone shows disinterest in me, i simply walk away and mind my business. but when it’s you, you stick to them like a goddamn parasite, and don’t leave them alone until they fake liking you enough to the point you’re satisfied.” he hissed.

you felt your face turn red with anger and shame, you knew he was right, but you’d rather off yourself than admit it. walking away, you weren’t about to give him the satisfaction of seeing you give him an emotional reaction.

and that was just one of the many intense arguments the two of you had shared throughout your never-ending rivalry.

the camp was doing a sort of partner program, in which you were assigned someone of a different cabin, and had to spend time with one another, teaching the other camper about your godly parent and how they’ve impacted your life.

you didn’t have a single reason to worry that you would get taehyun, as pretty much all the staff and even the gods themselves knew how horribly reckless the two of you were. the last time you were even somewhat forced to work together, during a game of capture the flag, the two of you argued and even got into a physical fight over who would be better at keeping your team’s flag safe.

the answer was neither of you, as you argued so much you missed a camper on the opposite team run right past you and snatch your flag.

but since this is a cliche fan-fiction written by an unoriginal teenager, the two of you get paired up. taehyun hates it, you hate it, and the rest of the camp absolutely dreads it. there’s no way to tell how this will end, but it definitely can’t be good.

chiron, the co-director of the camp, thoroughly believed that the two of you could manage to make amends and get over this foolish rivalry. and as much as you both hated to admit it, it was time you did anyways. you had both turned 18 in the past year, meaning you were officially legal adults.

squabbling like children over meaningless issues wasn’t exactly fit for your age. but neither of you could help it, it was like a drug. the rush that came from arguing and competing with one another was too much to give up.

----

the day the program began, taehyun and you had the biggest scowls on your faces. it was ironic, really, how similar the two of you were. all the campers were meeting near the front entrance of the camp, partnering up there. what was supposed to be a friendly and exciting exchange, was hell for the both of you.

if just the sight of him wasn’t enough to make you want to leave, the whispers and teasing that came from the other campers once you and taehyun sat besides each other was. no matter how used to it you were, you’d never be able to shake the feeling of disbelief and disgust that washed over you when the campers and mr. d (the literal greek god dionysus, and camp director) started chanting that irritable children’s song:

“taehyun and y/n sitting in a tree. k-i-s-s-i-n-g, first comes-”

“that’s enough.” chiron demanded. sneering, taehyun couldn’t help but laugh at the similarities between mr. d and his son yeonjun, both always taking any and every opportunity they can to tease others.

“alright, by the end of this week, i expect all of you to have gained a good grasp on your partner’s godly parent, as well as some knowledge on their every-day life. you don’t have to become best friends, but at least try to tolerate each other,” chiron pleaded, looking directly at you and taehyun during the last bit.

once you were dismissed, you realized you had to spend the rest of today, as well as the next 6 days, with taehyun. not that you didn’t already see him everyday, but it was more by chance than it was intentional.

and for the very first time, it was awkward between the two of you. neither of you knew what to say. thankfully, kai made his way over to your miserable duo. kai was a mutual friend, just much closer to taehyun, which didn’t bother you much as it usually would since he was an absolute angel. you honestly felt bad at times he had to pacify the both of you before one of your many small disputes turned into a flat out argument.

“wow, didn’t expect you guys to get paired up,” the younger boy awkwardly chuckled. sending an annoyed expression his way, taehyun responded, “yeah well it’s not exactly like we wanted to be.”

here he goes again. you sighed, knowing this was gonna be the longest week of your life. “well... i hope you guys resolve some stuff through this, i’ll see you later taehyun, bye y/n!” he smiled, waving.

you waved back with a polite smile, before turning to taehyun, “alright listen fuckhead, we both need to butter up chiron as much as possible to convince him we’re cool with each other and he never has to make us partners again.”

he seemed lost in thought for a second, before getting back to you, “you know for once, i think your pea-sized brain managed to come up with a good idea for once. it could also help with the teasing,”

you nodded, deciding to ignore his subtle insult for the sake of your sanity. “all we have to do is teach each other a little bit about each other’s godly parents. i mean we already know a good amount about each other’s day-to-day lives.” you announced.

the truth was you didn’t. you only knew what went on at the library, which, to be fair was where you guys spent most of your time anyway. the library, dubbed the “library of love” by those at aphrodite cabin, was said to be the place where most campers, specifically those of athena cabin, found love. of course this name was continuously pushed onto your and taehyun’s relationship, speculated to be the next victims of the library.

“look, no offense- actually i don’t really care if this offends you, but we know literally nothing about each other.” the boy confessed. “what are you talking about? of course we do! let’s see... your favorite color! it’s... it’s... um,” you stopped to think, “okay fine. maybe we don’t know much about each other, but we’ve spent like everyday together for years! so how?” you wondered.

“well, i know your stance on oxford commas, your extremely opinionated views on hawaiian pizza, and the fact that you prefer cookie dough over actual cookies, which is still really weird by the way.” he joked. you couldn’t help but laugh, the majority of your conversations were really just disagreements on trivial matters.

“fine. let’s start off with telling each other some basic information,” you began, “like?” he interrupted, “like, i usually get up around 8 am, and i spent pretty much the whole morning at the library, afterwards, i get something to eat, and in my free-time that follows, i write poetry, listen to music, paint or read.” you shared.

“alright then, i also get up around 8 am, and stay at the library, and then get breakfast... but afterwards, i like to spend time with kai or yeonjun, sometimes beomgyu and rarely soobin, try out new equipment, train, and maybe partake in some experiments, then knock out.” he revealed.

“damn. i guess we’re not all that different,” you suggested. the both of you burst into laughter, the statement alone seemed so ridiculous. yes you both had similar daily routines, somewhat similar personalities, and even similar friend groups, but when it came down to your opinions on anything and everything, you were like day and night. which is ironic considering you were more of a night owl while he was a fan of mornings.

“well, i guess we can skip the godly parent lectures, i mean, we both have pretty popular parents, and i know all there is to know about athena,” you bragged, showing off your extensive knowledge on the history of greek mythology.

“yeah, um, look y/n, i swear to god if you make fun of me for this, i’ll kill you. but, i don’t really know much about apollo, or even athena. honestly i don’t know anything about greek mythology aside from the fact that it’s real.” he stammered. your jaw dropped, how could the son of athena not know anything about greek mythology.

“what? i mean- we can work on that.” you claimed. “we’ve already got the daily life thing out of the way, so we can just spend the time we have together teaching you about the gods.” you added.

something about teaching taehyun something for once (instead of him having to explain basic math concepts to you at 6 in the morning at the library) gave you a ginormous ego boost. you felt superior, more intelligent, like you were in the position of authority for once, it was a total power trip.

taehyun, on the other hand, dreaded it. he was a much better teacher than you, and he wasn’t just saying that because he absolutely hated the thought of being inferior. you were impatient and bossy, there was no way anyone other than him would be able to withstand a single lesson from you, but even then, he was terrified.

the two of you decided that in order to preserve your new image, you wouldn’t talk to each other at the library in the mornings. you’d just sit beside each other in silence.

once you leaved, you’d eat together, and make sure to be extra kind to one another when chiron or mr. d passed by. afterwards, you’d make your way back to the library, give him a quick lesson on both your godly parents, and finally part ways sweetly at exactly 9:45, 9 and three quarters when chiron would be making his way back from the fields. you decided since your plan was so genius and foolproof, you could skip out on day one and enjoy yourselves. it was perfect.

----

day two (7:58 am)

it was horrible.

you had just arrived at the library and sat next to taehyun, and you already couldn’t bare the quiet. you were extra irritable in the mornings, mainly because you hated them so much, and you could barely read from your book without finding a problem with the boy sitting next to you, either he was breathing too loud or not breathing at all.

the rest of the library, even the staff, were beyond confused. not only at the fact that you were both quiet for once, but that you sat next to each other... willingly.

it wasn’t easy. if anything, it was hell on earth. three hours of you constantly hitting your elbows against each other, sending each other dirty looks, repressing the urge to curse one another out, and kicking each other under the table.

you had barely made any progress in your novel and taehyun hadn’t gotten any work done. surprisingly, the both of you seemed to be more productive when you were having screaming matches. once the clock struck 11, you were quick to pack up your stuff, and exit the library as fast as possible, not even checking to see if taehyun was behind you.

the rest of the campers in the library were left perplexed, no big scene? no crazy argument about who’s more politically correct? maybe their suspicions of the library of love working its charms on you were coming true.

once you reached the exit of the library, you felt free, liberated from the chains of having to tolerate your worst enemy. you took a deep breath before looking behind you. unfortunately, taehyun was right behind you, so close that his nose had collided with yours making it looked like the both of you had just shared a kiss. taking a step back, you gasped, before turning right back around and being greeted with the sight of at least a dozen campers with their eyes wide open.

expecting taehyun to come up with some snarky insult to get them off your backs, you waited just to see he was still shocked, starting to blush at the unexpected contact and attention he was receiving. you wanted to quip at everyone there, but alas, you were just as flustered.

the silence only lasted a couple of seconds, but it felt like an eternity before the mob started closing in on you, cackling and shouting phrases like “i knew it!” and “you guys are so cute together!”

you wanted to throw up, the thought of being seen by so many people “kissing” kang taehyun clouding your mind. thankfully, he was quick to snap out of it, and grabbed your hand while making a run for his cabin. which of course, only led to more teasing, but at least you were away from the other campers.

shutting the door behind you while panting, taehyun looked at you, disturbance still evident on his face. you looked down at your hands, still intertwined, to which he reacted by quickly pulling his own away and meekly apologizing. you dismissed his apology before sighing, “we can’t leave while it’s still light out.” you groaned. nodding, he sat down at a desk, patting the chair next to him, signaling you to join him.

you were both well aware that rumors travelled fast around here, and by tomorrow morning, practically the whole camp will have heard of your “kiss” and the fact that you held hands. so much for getting the jokes to stop.

“i’ll look for some books on mythology that my siblings may have. i know it’s not as ideal as the library, but you’re gonna have to teach me here, or else both of our reputations will be demolished.” he insisted.

you mumbled in agreement, before pulling out a notebook for the both of you to begin your lesson with.

surprisingly, it went quite well. taehyun was a very quick learner and you were pretty good at explaining things. he could tell you were very passionate about it considering you got excited every time he asked a question or made a new revelation. you managed to avoid arguing the entire session and even joked around with each other a bit. you almost felt like... friends. a part of you didn’t want to leave his cabin, knowing you’d go back to enemies in a flash.

but by sunset, you both decided it was time to go. you were satisfied with how much you taught him, choosing to focus on athena for this lesson. he seemed genuinely interested, and made a lot of effort to take in the information, deciding to set aside your differences to learn more about his mother.

it was admirable, cute almost... almost.

you headed out pretty late hoping your half-siblings wouldn’t notice but also hoping that the rest of the week with taehyun would be just as nice as today.

----

day three (8:03 am)

it was still horrible.

once you reached the library in the morning, you pitifully sat next to taehyun, all eyes in the library on you and him. as you expected, the rumors spread at the speed of light and now the entire library assumed you two had a thing going on. like yesterday, it was suffocating staying still and quiet, but for a completely different reason.

you both stayed completely rigid the entire time, knowing that if you moved a muscle, whether it was towards or away from the other, you’d be getting stares again. like usual, you spent around 3 hours there before craning your neck and getting up. he followed behind quickly but made sure to keep his distance this time.

once you had made it out of the library, you realized the two of you had to go eat together now as well. but thankfully the angel that is kai, approached you two. “hey, wanna get breakfast together?” he asked kindly, “yes!” you and taehyun chirped, taking the younger boy aback. “ooookay...” kai replied nervously.

once you had sat down at a nearby bench, kai started talking again, he was always known for being very hyper, he was hermes’ son after all. “so i heard the two of you kissed,” he smirked mischievously. choking on your water, you couldn’t help but stare at him wide-eyed. taehyun seemed to be just as appalled. “relax, knowing you two, there’s no way you actually did it.” he laughed lightly.

the rest of your break was spent talking to and laughing with taehyun and kai. the blond boy seemed to much happier and less temperamental when he was with his best friend, it was pretty cute. goddamn it y/n stop calling taehyun cute.

eventually, kai received a call from his partner and had to go. waving you both off, he left you and taehyun alone. “so... i’m not going back to that library.” you half-joked. he smiled, “don’t worry, i’ll go back and get some books i think would be helpful. do you think we could study at your cabin today?” he inquired. “sure.” you responded.

you were sure none of your half-siblings would be back anytime soon, so you made your way to your cabin while taehyun made a beeline for the library.

it didn’t take long for him to get the books and find your cabin, and once he did, you immediately settled down and got to work. a good 30 minutes passed until he had knocked over the glass of water on the table, the liquid spilling all over his shirt. cursing, he apologized, to which you quickly dismissed and ran to get a towel.

upon giving him the towel, he got a bit flustered, asking if you could look away as he needed to take off his shirt. nodding, you turned around immediately.

you heard some rustling behind you but that sound was quickly replaced by footsteps right outside your cabin door. panicking, you turned around, eyes shut per taehyun’s wishes.

you moved past him, opening up a closet, grabbing him from behind you and shoving him into it. you threw in his shirt along with a quick apology before slamming the door shut and sitting on your bed acting like nothing had happened.

your half-sibling nadia had arrived, looking upset. “what’s wrong?” you beckoned, secretly hoping she was so upset she’d want to be alone and go straight to the other side of the cabin. “just boy stuff” she muttered, sitting next to you.

shit.

“y’know y/n, i’m proud of you for sticking to your studies. don’t waste your time on romance, you’re better than that,” she yawned. you laughed awkwardly, nodding your head.

“y/n? is something wrong?” her forehead creased.

it was as if the gods had it out for you, because in that exact moment, taehyun came tumbling out of the closet, still not wearing a shirt. “what the fu-”

“whoops! this isn't athena cabin,” taehyun chuckled nervously, running out of your cabin, still shirtless.

internally face-palming, and also deciding you didn’t want to stick around to explain whatever had just happened to your half-sibling, you clumsily dashed out the door as well.

just your luck, multiple other campers were there to witness the spectacle that was a shirtless taehyun racing out of your cabin, and you following behind.

----

day four (7:59 am)

it just keeps getting worse.

like yesterday morning, you dreaded going to the library. not only did you “kiss” and hold hands with taehyun, he had ran from your cabin without a shirt on. you were embarrassed to say the least.

you opted for sitting down in the seat opposite of his instead of next to him today. he looked up at you quickly before looking back down just as you were about to look up. the rest of your time at the library consisted of stolen glances and awkward silence. as much as getting along with taehyun was starting to grow on you, you missed your mornings full of bickering.

as usual, the two of you left the library at 11, and met up with kai once again for breakfast. except this time, there was a lingering tension between the both of you, which even the oblivious kai could notice. he asked about yesterday’s events which taehyun cleared up quickly with an awkward cough.

it was obvious this plan was getting to the both of you, all you wanted was to convince others you were getting along, not dating.

you decided enough was enough, and you weren’t going to miss out on the library today. practically dragging him, you entered the library which thankfully didn’t seem to be too busy. sitting him down, you told him to wait as you looked through the vast amount of mythology books.

finally, you found one that seemed suitable for your lesson today, and surprisingly, it went quite well. there were some stares at first, but you went about the lesson normally, helping him out here and there, and before you knew it, it was 9:40.

as you walked side by side out of the library, fake smiles plastered on your face, you were delighted to see chiron about to walk past the two of you. simply smiling while walking with each other wasn’t going to be enough to make up for the past 3 days.

you abruptly stopped just as chiron was about to wave, awkwardly opening your arms. “what are you-” you hushed taehyun, “shut up and go with it.” you whispered.

you shared quite possibly the most uncomfortable, weird-looking, and socially incompetent excuse for a hug. but nonetheless, it was a hug, and that meant progress.

as you pulled away, you noticed chiron was watching your embarrassment of a hug. in that moment you couldn’t exactly tell if you wanted him to see or not, but he did, and that’s all that matters now.

“wow,” taehyun started, “that sucked.”

“shut the fuck up, it’s not my fault you don’t know where to put your damn hands when you hug someone-”

“MY hands? i’m not the one that went for a side-hug at first and then randomly decided to go full on bear hug.”

“you WISH i ‘bear-hugged’ you. you should be thanking the gods you got a partner as smart as me, or else chiron would think we still hate each other,”

“oh yeah because the most unnatural hug known to man is just sooo convincing we’re best friends.”

“you little shit-”

and just like that, your streak of a little over 4 days without arguing was over. unsurprisingly, you spent the next half hour mindlessly yelling at each other before storming off.

----

day five (8:15 am)

it felt just like old times... which still sucked.

you didn’t even bother going to the library this morning, not ready to face taehyun or the invasive campers gawking at your every move. you texted taehyun you were sick and would have to miss out on today. apologizing, you sent him a list of books in the library with a good amount of information on apollo as today was the day you were supposed to discuss your godly parent.

you couldn’t help but feel bad, but at the same time you could care less. last night was the first argument you had with taehyun in so long, and despite all the effort and time it took to push your rivalry aside, it all came crashing down within a matter of minutes.

putting down your phone, you decided to take a nap, hoping taehyun wasn’t too upset.

once taehyun received the string of texts apologizing and begging him not to question you further, he knew something was up. it’s not like you’ve never had a sick day before, and even then, you’d force yourself to get through the day boasting about how much better you are than him at everything even when you have a high fever.

he didn’t bother to respond, knowing you wouldn’t care for what he has to say anyway. the library seemed shockingly empty without you. despite the piles of students pouring in through the doors and seating themselves at the tables around him, he felt like he was all alone.

for someone he hated so much, he definitely depended on you a lot more than one would think. sighing, irritated at his inability to do literally anything without thinking of you, he left early, and headed straight for your cabin.

in order to avoid another nadia situation, he peered through the windows to make sure you were alone before straightening his back and realizing he probably looks like a total pervert.

he knocked on the door. no response. he knocked once again. no response.

eventually, he got tired of waiting and tried opening the door, which to his amusement, was unlocked. once he got in, he quietly called your name. he made his way around the cabin until he saw you, fast asleep in your bed.

they’re actually pretty cute when they’re asleep. wait. no. get it together taehyun.

shaking his head, he gently placed his palm on your forehead, feeling for a temperature. but you were actually fine, maybe it was just a headache or something.

he sat next to you, one of the books you recommended from the library in hand and read from it for about an hour until you started stirring awake. as you opened your eyes, you heard a familiar voice, “oh you’re finally awake,”

screaming, you kicked the stranger off the chair next to you, now fully awake. taking a closer look at the boy writhing in pain on the floor, you realized you had just kicked kang taehyun in the ribs. you didn’t know how to feel, on one hand you felt horrible, on the other, you’ve been wanting to do this since you first met.

helping him up, you assisted him to your bed. “i’m kind of proud of you y’know, at least you can handle yourself if there’s ever a break-in,” he joked, laughing a little before gasping in pain.

genuinely worried, you helped him sit up before apologizing over and over again. “i’m fine, y/n, trust me. you’re not that strong,” he chuckled. great. it’s nice to know he’s still an asshole even when he’s in pain.

ignoring his jokes, you looked at his hand gripping his side, “do you want to go to the infirmary?” you asked. “nah, i’ll be fine, i just need to sit down.” he replied cooly, which was immediately contradicted by the sharp inhale that left his lips afterwards.

“i think i have a healing pendant somewhere around here, i’ll be right back.” you assured. he simply nodded and smiled, holding back another whimper.

you were only gone for 3 minutes when your cabin door opened. please don’t let it be nadia, anyone but nadia. taehyun silently prayed. it’s not like the odds were ever in his favor so he didn’t depend too much on his prayers to work.

but thankfully... they did!

oh, wait, nevermind. they didn’t, it was nadia.

the second she made eye contact with the boy on your bed she screamed, and unfortunately for him, he was too hurt to run away again. “you!” she fumed. he shot her an awkward smile before confessing, “look it’s not what it looks like,”

you entered just as she was about to approach the bed, “oh! hey... nadia haha what are you doing here?” you uttered sheepishly. “look y/n, i know you’re a legal adult now and all, but i don’t think this is the right way to go about things...” she began.

“what?” you and taehyun practically screamed. “what? are you not having s-”

“oh my fucking god, gross! no!” you whined, shooing her. “we don’t even like each other!” taehyun commented. “oh,” she laughed, “well then... i guess i’ll leave you two alone.” she chuckled.

“but, um, stay safe, y’know... use protection,” she added awkwardly.

“please for the love of god get out.” you cried out.

once she was gone, you handed taehyun the pendant, which was surprisingly pretty fast at healing. you both agreed to never speak of anything that had just happened again and he left your cabin.

——

day six (8:01 am)

surprise! it’s still horrible.

at this point, you were positive the entire camp, and now your closest half-sibling were convinced you and taehyun were dating. it disgusted you to no end. in all honesty, you wouldn’t mind dating someone like taehyun... just not taehyun himself.

it felt illegal almost, and after being placed in multiple situations where you had to either convince others or accidentally convinced them that you were in any way romantically involved, the thought of it disturbed you greatly.

you assumed taehyun felt the same... except he didn’t. his brain was in overdrive, he’s never felt this many conflicting emotions at once before. your taunts, your laughter, the way you looked at him (whether it was a look of disgust or admiration), even your teaching methods. everything about you put him under a trance that he just couldn’t escape.

and even then, he still managed to harbor a huge dislike for you. how can one person make him feel butterflies in his stomach one second, and give him the biggest headache on earth in the next. he couldn’t decide if he wanted to be with you, or be as far away from you as possible.

taehyun was a man of logic. he needed facts, data, and calculations, but he couldn’t figure out a way to analyze his feelings for you. all he knew for sure was he enjoyed being in your presence, whether you were cursing at him like a sailor, or praising him for his newfound knowledge on your godly parents.

today was the last day you would be spending an entire day with each other, and unbeknownst to the other, both of you would miss each other dearly. however neither of you would ever admit it. thankfully, beomgyu, a close friend of both taehyun and your half-sister nadia, knew exactly what to do.

he was the son of aphrodite, so naturally, playing cupid would come easy to him... right? he decided he would find a way to trick both of you into meeting up at the library at nighttime. despite the both of you being total nerds, it would be hard to get you to break into the library outside of office hours, but he had just the plan to convince you to do it.

“what? a date? with who?” you questioned the older girl in front of you, “beomgyu told me not to tell anyone,” she shrugged. you had just gotten back from your last breakfast with taehyun and kai, and nadia greeted you with the unexpected news of taehyun supposedly going on a date.

“but... i did hear that it was at the library at exactly 12 am.” she admitted. so many questions were going through your head: how did taehyun even land a date? who was he going out with? why the library? and why at 12? isn’t that when it’s closed?

you would be lying if you said you didn’t feel a pang of jealousy, and taehyun seemed to be in a coincidentally similar state.

“why the library?” he asked, “y’know... those library of love rumors and all,” beomgyu stated. “who’s the guy?” the younger boy inquired. “why do you wanna know?” beomgyu smirked. quickly gaining his composure, taehyun replied, “i don’t. i was just curious.” smiling, beomgyu knew his plan would work.

it was now 11:49, and curiosity was getting the best of you. there’s no way i’m sneaking out and breaking the rules for taehyun of all people. you pondered the pros and cons of leaving and ultimately decided it would do you more harm than good to go,

so you went.

it took taehyun a little more self-convincing. finally, after a long process of opening the door just to run back inside and cower behind the door, he made up his mind and quietly headed to the library.

——

day seven (12:00 am)

it was still pretty bad.

you arrived first for once. noticing the lights were off, you carefully opened a window and snuck in, crashing down making a loud noise, which taehyun heard from outside.

thanking the gods no one was there to witness that humiliating fall, you got up speedily, and started to venture the dark library, praying you didn’t get caught.

upon hearing the noise, taehyun was convinced you really were in there with someone else. he knew what he was doing was wrong, but he couldn’t help it. tip-toeing to the window you previously fell from, he climbed into the building, making sure to be extra quiet.

he made his way past the tables, holding his breath, eventually moving backwards to make sure you weren’t behind him. as much as you both liked to deny how similar you were, you both happened to be doing the exact same thing, just in opposite directions.

neither of you bothering to look back once, you bumped into each other, panicking and falling to the ground.

“what are you doing here?” you accused, “what are you doing here?” he repeated. “i, well, um...” you stammered, “don’t you have a date or something?” he cut you off. “what?” you cried, puzzled, “i’m not the one on a date, you are.”

“but beomgyu said-” he started. “oh shit.” he sighed. you were both fairly smart people, and it surprised both of you that it took this long to finally understand you were set up. but that wasn’t your biggest concern at the moment.

“wait... why would you come here if i was on a date?” he interrogated. “i could say the same for you.” you retorted. “look. i don’t know what it is exactly, but i like you. i mean i still hate you but i like you.” he confessed, unsure.

“as dumb as that sounds, i have to agree.” you sighed. “cool... wanna kiss?” he suggested.

hitting his shoulder, you groaned, “are you kidding me taehyun?”

“what? it was a genuine question. not like we have anything better to do.” he rolled his eyes.

“fine.” you muttered.

you’d think the both of you were being forced with your attitudes.

but shockingly, your kiss wasn’t too bad. it was a bit awkward at first, but as you eased into it and situated your hands, it was actually quite nice.

pulling away, you stood up. “we should probably go... and also never speak of this again.” you half-joked. “that’s fair.” he grinned, following you out of the window.

once you made it outside, you were greeted with beomgyu and nadia smiling from ear to ear. you’d think they had just won the lottery.

“we heard everything.” nadia boasted. “gross.” taehyun groaned. laughing, beomgyu commented, “i guess the library of love does work after all.”

“yeah, no. no one said we’re in love.” you deadpanned. “didn’t you guys kiss?” nadia asked, exasperated. “yeah, but it was just a kiss.” taehyun responded.

leaving the older campers behind, you both silently walked back to your cabins, but not before saying one final goodbye.

“i know we technically don’t have to see each other anymore but... do you mind getting breakfast with me tomorrow? and i mean like, just me.” taehyun bashfully looked at the ground.

“sure,” you smiled before kissing his cheek. you could deny your feelings for each other all you wanted, but neither of you could deny the blush on both of your cheeks after that final goodbye.

#taehyun #kang taehyun #txt #tomorrow by together #tomorrow x together #soobin #beomgyu #yeonjun #hueningkai #txt imagines #taehyun imagine #taehyun x reader #txt scenarios #taehyun scenario #txt reactions #taehyun reaction #kpop #bighit

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lily-blue · 4 years

Text

In the name of love

☆ characters: hades’ son!beomgyu & oracle!you ☆ genre: college au, greek gods au, angst - inspired by the first verse of In the Name of Love by Bebe Rexha & Martin Garrix ☆ warnings: major character’s death, blood ☆ summary: despite your eager attempts to avoid your tragic fate, you do end up falling in love with Choi Beomgyu, the demigod who needs to get his heart broken to accept his own destiny ☆ words: 5,9k ☆ also: massive thank you to @dat-town for proofreading the story with the speed of light. You do spoil me, don’t even try to deny! ♥ belated happy birthday to this precious happy bean 🧁

You were standing in the middle of the flames before your legs gave out and you fell on your knees. In spite of the unbearably stuffy air and scorchingly hot temperature, your skin was dressed in goosebumps, limbs shivering in a light, almost peaceful manner. Staring ahead, you weren’t entirely sure what you were looking for or whether you were looking for anything in particular, but when your gaze eventually settled on a dirty face in the distance, your heart churned at the sight of the boy’s hazel eyes. He seemed sad, sorrowful even, but you failed to decipher the reason why. Because if anything, the feelings that settled in your chest were acceptance and gratitude. As though you had been exactly where you were meant to be and you had already made peace with your fate. So why was he mourning you? And who were you for him that your death made him so heartbroken?

Questions that you could never answer in the morning, because regardless of visiting you in your dreams whenever the gods up above were having a heated argument, he wasn’t present in your life. All you knew about the boy, you knew from your visions and those weren’t as informative and detailed as you wished them to be in spite of the poetic lines you murmured under your nose in your dreams. When you had still shared a room with your aunt, she had jotted down these prophecies for you, so that you could have given them a try and translated them to a less cryptic instruction for those demigods who might have stumbled upon your apartment in need of a helping hand and some useful advice, but usually they had already known what they had been supposed to do by the time you had encountered them.

On the first day of your very first week at Yonsei, you woke up with a start again, your body bathing in sweat and your messy hair sticking to your neck here and there. Fortunately, your assigned roommate had elective morning classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays hence you didn’t have to explain yourself just yet, but considering that no war between the ancient, Greek gods had come to an end in mere days before, you knew that you had to use your imagination next time the same, sad boy visited you at night. You didn’t want to ruin your chances to befriend the blonde girl or to at least maintain a bearable friendship with her for the next three years. You hated the thought of becoming an outcast again, the weird girl with the creepy nightmares and the dark circles under her eyes. The one haunted by monsters much worse than goblins and gumihos of old fairy tales.

You got out of bed with an annoyed growl and rushed to the communal bathroom with your vanity case and your fluffy towel, eager to get rid of the remains of your dreams once and for all along with the dirt on your skin. On most days, you had nothing against those hazel eyes and their owner looking at you as though you had been the most precious soul in the whole world, as though you had been his entire universe, but the first day of uni was obviously an acceptable exception. That day, standing under the shower head and clearing your mind, you didn’t want to understand what a necessary sacrifice meant. You didn’t want to think of your wounded body laying atop of small piles of ashes. You prefered the mundane concept of life burdened by assignments and groupworks. Just the usual stuff, ordinary uni students tended to complain about.

Yet, when you entered your seminar classroom on the second floor of the main building, you were once again reminded of how powerful the Moiras were and how one couldn’t run away from their fate. Frozen and an arm’s length from the black board, you recognized his face immediately despite his happiness and the obvious lack of dirt on his cheeks. When a lanky, blue haired boy rushed past you and took a seat on the boy’s right, his clumsiness gained the demigod’s attention and the moment your gazes meet by accident - or more likely due to your destiny -, your heart churned at the thought of what tragedies the future held for him. For the both of you, actually. So, swallowing hard, you marched towards an empty seat close to the windows without reciprocating his smile.

You learned that his name was Choi Beomgyu ten minutes later, when your professor put you into small groups of three or four, then asked you to quickly discuss which topic you would have liked to choose and work on during the rest of the semester. Since you didn’t want your group members to hate you so soon into your shared task, but you didn’t want to be overly friendly with the boy from your dreams, either, you kept your remarks to the bare minimum, only speaking when you had no other choice or when you were sure of your ideas. But your otherwise hyperactive ass hated every minute of the act hence not long after you agreed on your topic, you found yourself laughing at the demigod’s story about a bowl of instant ramen and an unlucky guy called Yeonjun. Forcing indifference on your features had never felt as difficult as it was after he unconsciously nudged you on your shoulder.

Always sprinting out of your shared classes and leaving your face to face group meetings on your own, you swore to Zeus, Hades and Poseidon that you did everything in your power to avoid Beomgyu in order to save both of you from the unnecessary heartache, but this was the funny thing with fate. It always found a way.

A dozen of bickering conversations, numerous rejections and even more mood swings later, you were on your way back to the dorm from the university library when two girls blocked your way on campus and stared at you with such distaste as though you had ever talked to them more than two words and you had managed to offend them even with that much interaction. After a few seconds of awkward silence, you realized that you had already seen them in your Tuesday English Lit classes - another seminar you shared with Beomgyu for your displeasure -, and decided to use your words instead of wasting precious minutes you could have saved for a short nap before your last period lecture.

‘Can I help you with something?’ you asked with a raised brow as you waited for either of their responses expectantly. You wondered whether they needed your notes from yesterday’s class and whether you had it in you to turn them down regardless of your inner urge to be surrounded with friends always and everywhere. Making up for the terrible high school years in Boseong, your social butterfly self thrived during the past few weeks, giving a chance and getting along with almost everyone except the cheerful demigod whose contagious laugh you simply couldn’t make yourself to destroy. Disappointment looked better on him than sorrow. No one could have told you otherwise or convinced you about the opposite.

‘Lovely,’ the brunette with her messy bun said, her honeyed tone implying hidden sarcasm. It tugged on your stomach in an uncomfortable way, but you knew better than to call her out on her behaviour. She reminded you of those queen bees in your high school who had loved to have their ways. She also reminded you of Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl, but you wouldn’t have admitted for the world that you had binge watched the first three seasons of the American series right before your uni years had started. ‘But you’re mistaken. It’s me who came to help you,’ she said after a few, likely intentional moments of silence and you held onto the strap of your bag more upon hearing her claim. Interesting.

‘With what exactly?’ you inquired and hated how unsure your voice came out. You weren’t a little girl anymore, bullied because of your aunt’s business and your crazy antics whenever a mythical creature appeared in your field of vision. So what if you had run past the schoolyard in your sophomore year, screaming like a maniac because of a scary cyclops? No one in your shoes would have acted differently. So you had acted exactly how any other ordinary teenager would have acted. You were completely normal.

‘With a piece of friendly advice, of course,’ she said and you swallowed back a nasty reply, doing everything in your power to not repeat her last words with spite lacing your voice. Why else would she have walked up to you? ‘Keep your shaman ass away from Kang Taehyun or else we’ll make sure that your university years are worse than hell,’ the brunette said and you furrowed your brows in confusion.

‘Who’s Kang Taehyun?’ you asked, trying to recall every boy you had exchanged more than a few words with on campus, but it was more difficult than one would think. There were at least three boys whose names you couldn’t put your finger on since your conversation had been more interesting than to bring up lame questions like which major they were studying or what their names were. Could he have been the guy from the canteen two days ago who had told you about his semester abroad in Germany? Or the one who had drawn you while you had been working on your assignment in the library?

‘Blonde, serious-looking, sarcastic, loaded as hell,’ she gave you a description and while it was true that more and more students started to dye their hair these days once they broke free from the restriction of school rules, it did decrease the number of candidates. Though, based on his rather simple order of iced americano, you wouldn’t have thought that he was that rich. ‘Don’t play dumb. I saw you together this morning at the organic coffee shop,’ the brunette’s retort proved a crucial part of your theory which made you laugh. Oh, so Tae’s full name was Kang Taehyun! You had never really cared too much to ask.

‘Is she possessed?’ the blonde girl asked from behind her friend’s back, her rounded nails digging into her plastic cup out of anxiety. She clearly didn’t want to drag this conversation out more than it was utterly necessary and the same went for you. You were too tired for their games and the useless drama. If it hadn’t been obvious, you had nothing going on with Tae. You just happened to have morning classes on the same day and you both liked to start your early days with a cup of coffee.

But some people should have clearly learned how not to be obsessed over others, especially if they weren’t close with them. So annoying.

‘I thought Tae was only joking when he mentioned his stalkers, but woah. You do exist, even outside those b-category movies we dissed, waiting in the line,’ you said, fighting the urge to roll your eyes. You might have been sleep deprived and frustrated because of the ridiculous situation you had found yourself in, but you didn’t want enemies. You had more than enough monsters in your closet, thank you very much. ‘Nice try, but I’m not stupid. You’re not that powerful, it’s not high school anymore,’ you added, radiating pseudo-confidence as you took a step right and walked away. In reality, however, your heart was threatening to explode. Had you just talked back to a queen bee wanna-be? Uni student you were indeed living her life to the fullest!

Not quite believing her own ears, the brunette took the latte out of her friend’s hand and lifted the plastic cup above her head without thinking too much into it. The only thing that held her back from throwing the drink at your back was a deep and surprisingly authoritative voice.

‘I wouldn’t have thought that you’re this low, Chaeryeong,’ he said and your steps came to a halt on instinct when you recognized Beomgyu’s dialect.

You told yourself that he did nothing special, that it wasn’t your business anymore and that you should have just left, but in the end, you turned around, frowning at the sight in front of you. The girl, who was head over heels for Tae in a rather unhealthy way, sent daggers in your direction with her icy glares, the blonde looked more shocked than two minutes before while Beomgyu held onto the latte, keeping it in one place, right above the brunette’s head. You wondered whether he would have poured its content on her hair by accident if she kept up with her nonsense, but you were relieved when he didn’t.

‘I am not!’ Chaeryeong exclaimed and to prove a point, she let the boy have the blonde girl’s drink. You would have found her kicked puppy pout cute if she hadn’t implied that you were possessed when you had been laughing at them. ‘I was just… we were just talking. That’s what friends do,’ the brunette said, looking at you expectantly as though you should have confirmed her statement which was ridiculous. Why would you have lied to the demigod to save her face? She should have been nicer.

So you scoffed which earned a dirty look from Chaeryeong. You would have found her funny if you had seen her character in a movie, but in reality, people like her were a headache. And you ran low on aspirin.

‘Whatever. Let’s go, Yuna,’ she called for the other girl who shot an apologetic smile towards you and Beomgyu before she rushed after her friend. You could have never understood why people submitted themselves for others willingly, especially in a friendship, but you tried not to jump onto quick conclusions. You knew nothing about these girls. They could have been friendly when it wasn’t about one of their hopeless love lives. Feelings were said to change people. And sadly, it wasn’t always for the better.

You pondered how it would affect you once you fell for the cheeky demigod right in front of you, how it would change him when he realized he loved you, but you weren’t ready to figure that out. Especially because deep down you knew that the answer was as clear as day. Love would make you reckless enough to die for him and your sacrifice would break him. This was your personal, Greek tragedy.

Fearing the consequences of staying, you took the girls’ exit as the end of the conversation and turned your back on Beomgyu, marching towards the dorm on the opposite side of the campus with determination in your steps. The way your bag swang back and forth on your shoulder made him crack a smile, already expecting something similar from you. After all, you liked leaving him hanging. And while in many other situations, it would have made him throw in the towel, for your misfortune, when it was you, he liked playing the stupid cat and mouse.

Not dwelling on your current rejection, he decided that he could have asked you whether you had wanted to grab something to eat with him next time and threw the latte into the closest trash bin on his way to his class.

You turned him down twice before you caught a glimpse of his running figure on your way to your favourite convenience store near campus. It was well past ten on a nice, Wednesday evening, however, you were craving cheap, cup ramen and yellow radish hence you grabbed your jacket and marched towards the store in your cute pj and flip flops, unbothered by others’ opinion. You were in the middle of your exam season and you needed to eat. If they had known the background story - your upcoming Economy test in two days -, they would have understood. But would they have understood the demigod as well if they had seen what you did? You had your doubts.

Relatively speaking, you were aware that it wasn’t your business, that the mythical creature wouldn’t have given a damn about you with a more delicious demigod in reach, but a part of you was worried about Beomgyu, not to mention that back in sophomore year, you would have been grateful if someone had given you a helping hand when you had been chased by a beast. Gaze shifted to the 7-Eleven on the corner then back to the alley where you had lost sight of the demigod, you blamed it on your past bad experience that you chose him and his safety over your grumpy stomach. Not to mention that knowing how things worked in your world, the Moiras must have had a good reason to let you witness him in action.

You weren’t a good fighter. Honestly, you weren’t even a bad fighter. But you had watched many American teenage dramas and if Stiles Stilinski could have survived in Beacon Hills for five seasons as a human being, you should have been able to manage, too. So you sprinted after the demigod and reached out for a random object atop of the small pile of trash at the mouth of the alley you arrived at. Looking down at the empty soju bottle in your hands, you gulped. You were definitely acting reckless enough to die for Beomgyu and you weren’t even in love with him. Should you have had a bit from the fun part too, all those kisses and hand holding before this moment? It didn’t feel fair.

The moment the fury noticed your presence, she showed her sharp teeth and launched at you - it disproved your theory about the preferences of these monsters in food -, and you did what you knew always worked in movies: you decided that attack was the best form of defence. So you lifted your weapon and threw it onto the monster before she could have reached you.

‘Stop right there!’ Beomgyu called out, voice firm and demanding which left you quite taken aback since you didn’t plan to run away in the first place despite your wobbly legs. Did the demigod really think that you were a coward? What other reasons could he have had to shout at you in a dim alley? Or were you in his way, annoying him with your layman attitude? That could have been a tad bit more accurate, but still. ‘I said stop!’ he repeated himself and you snapped your head in his direction, bewildered upon meeting his crimson eyes.

‘I’m not going anywh…’

‘You…’ the fury’s cry cut you off, gaining your attention that should have been on the beast from the very beginning, taking that the soju bottle had left no wound on her body. Only then you realized that she was frozen in an arm’s length from you, claws aimed at your throat that had you hissing at the phantom pain. You lifted your hand to your neck then stumbled a few steps backwards.

You closed your eyes when the boy stood between your trembling figure and the monster and pushed his sword through her body. She vanished in a matter of mere seconds, but her painful screams echoed in your ears for a while, dread creeping its way under your skin.

‘Are you feeling alright?’ Beomgyu asked and the fact that you were sitting on your heels with your back to the nearest brick wall hit you the moment the boy tentatively put his palm on your shoulder. You looked up at him, into his now hazel orbs and shot a faint smile in his way. You weren’t happy because of your growing urge to reassure him about your well being, but you were too shocked to feel anything else. Your rebellion against your cursed fate could have waited.

‘I… I’m good,’ you forced the words through your sealed lips and took a ragged breath to be able to put yourself together faster. It might not have been your first time seeing a mythical creature or their deaths, but you weren’t a trained demigod who spent their teenage summers in the Camp Half-Blood where they learned how to protect themselves or how to adjust to the horrible side of this hidden world. You had grown up with your aunt and had dealt with your visions on your own.

Liar. The word stuck in the boy’s throat as he gave you a free pass again, not calling you out on your shaking hands and pale cheeks. He didn’t question why you were there, either, in the alley in your pj which he couldn’t not find cute. He wondered whether you had been worried about him when you had seen him on the streets and whether you avoided him because you knew what he was, what kind of life he was forced to live. You didn’t seem like a demigod to him. More like a mortal who could see through the Mist. Though, he couldn’t have been sure. Judging a book by its cover was naivety and could mean grave danger when it came to people like him.

You could have almost seen the eager questions in his eyes, but you weren’t ready to answer them hence you did what you had done ever since you had met him: turned a blind eye on your nightmares and convinced yourself that you still had time. You stood up and watched as Beomgyu’s hand fell back by his side.

‘Thank you for… you know. But I gotta go. The shop, it closes at eleven,’ you rambled while you pointed behind your back, towards the mouth of the alley.

The boy wanted to ask you if you had wanted to eat with him at the convenience store or at the Chinese restaurant two corners from the campus, but you seemed distressed and Beomgyu preferred you sassy in his company. He liked your fun retorts that came off rather flirty in his humble opinion and the fact that you didn’t care about the benefits certain friendships could have given you. You befriended people you found up to your liking and treated them equally. Like how you did with Taehyun. So he just nodded, thinking that you deserved the space you needed.

‘Yeah, no problem,’ he said, letting his sword transform back into a silver bracelet before he scratched his nape with a subtle smile.

On cue, you bid your goodbye and turned your back on Beomgyu, sprinting towards the store as though that fury could have still caught you. Dishevelled - even though you had tried your best to fix your clothes before you had entered the building -, you waited for your instant noodles to become edible in the spicy water, pondering whether your demigod was the son of Hades and that was why the fury had bent under his will. They were known as the servants of the king of the Underworld, after all. Not to mention, that would have also explained the fire and the ashes in your reoccurring dreams.

From then on, discomfort was a constant third wheel during each one of your encounters with Beomgyu, even when you were a part of a smaller study group. And while you hated being awkward, you couldn’t deny how your heart skipped a beat whenever he chose to push aside his cocky self and gifted you with a glimpse of his caring one instead. For example, when he had shared his sour gummy sticks with you to calm your nerves during your elective seminar for the first time and had dissed your professor with you although you had been almost sure that neither of you had known more about Chinese trends than prof. Wong. Nevertheless, his actions coaxed an amused chuckle from your throat and seeing your dynamics, you couldn’t have helped but wondered whether your rebellion was absolutely useless. What could have a mere human being done against the wishes of the incarnations of destiny?

Apparently nothing.

Preparing for your last presentation of the semester, instead of enjoying the pleasant, spring weather, you were in the library again, biting your cheeks from the inside in frustration. You had already known about your assigned partner’s tendency to not respond to your messages as quickly as you would have liked him to, but his ignorance had reached another level. The boy was ten minutes late and your texts were still unread. It wasn’t exactly how you had pictured your work together, but it wasn’t as if you could have called him up and screamed his head off. Knowing each other’s kkt ID, exchanging phone numbers had never occured to either of you. Suddenly you wished that you had been smarter.

Not planning on wasting your time, you made up your mind with a resigned sigh and walked towards the Greek History section, determined to finish at least the research part of your project before you would have headed back to the dorm. You still had a whole ass week until the presentation, so relatively speaking, you still had time, but the thought of procrastination made you feel itchy. You knew yourself. If you had given in to the temptation, you would have ended up pulling an all-nighter the day before your English Lit seminar and you didn’t want that. Hence, working alone it was.

‘Are you looking for something?’ a familiar voice asked you when you were standing in front of the same bookcase for too long to know where to find what you were looking for, although you were almost certain that you couldn’t have looked as lost as if you didn’t know what you searched for in the first place. And the frustrated groan that escaped from Beomgyu’s mouth only proved your point. He wanted to punch himself in the face for asking such a ridiculous question. Of course, you were looking for something. Why else would you have been in the library? ‘I mean, maybe, I can help you with it. I’m quite an expert,’ he added, but you had to decline his offer with a shake of your head.

‘Thank you, but it’s fine. I’m just trying to find some useful books on the Trojan war before Hueningkai arrives,’ you explained so that he knew that your answer had nothing to do with him. You obviously didn’t avoid him like the plague anymore. You just weren’t in desperate need of his - or anyone else’s - help. ‘It has a good motif. It might give a little spice to our presentation for English Lit, you know,’ you said with a nonchalant shrug, reaching out for a book with a promising title. However, as soon as you took a look at its table of contents, you realized that it wasn’t the one.

‘Smart,’ Beomgyu said with a beaming smile and you blushed upon hearing the compliment. Desperate to not meet the demigod’s hazel eyes, you had to admit that books had never been as interesting before as they were then. Though, you had already checked their spines two or so times in the past minutes.

Exploring your face in depth, hyper aware of the smallest twitches even in the corner of your mouth, Beomgyu realized that he found you the cutest when you were flustered. But it wasn’t why he had walked up to you when he had noticed you in the periphery of his vision. So he willed himself to get to the point and blurt out the question that was in the back of his mind ever since your encounter in the alley.

‘Are you…’ he started, taking a step closer to your tense figure, lowering his voice. ‘Perhaps, just like me?’

You raised a brow in confusion when you slowly turned your head towards him. He was very close, too close, but you gulped down the lump in your throat and sucked it up. You couldn’t have possibly pushed him away or told him to get lost just because your silly heart was acting up due to his closeness. Your feelings were your responsibility, not his. Thus you shook your head.

‘I’m an oracle,’ you corrected the boy before you took a step sideway and forced yourself to focus on the task in hand. You had a presentation to prepare. You had to grab the right books, walk back to the table with your stuff on it and make notes on your laptop to spare some time for Hueningkai.

‘Really? So cool!’ Beomgyu exclaimed like an excited puppy and his reaction swept you off your feet. You had never received such a positive response before, not from mere mortals, not from demigods, not even from your mother. Hence you blamed everything on this pleasant unfamiliarity when, with the desired books pressed close to your chest, you let the boy help you with your research.

But as expected, after you explained to him in detail why you had thought that the Trojan war as a good argument for how love could have made a man blind, you ended up talking about the world you were both a part of and how he hated to be the son of Hades. He told you that he didn’t intend to be a part of his father’s endless fight with his brothers and that in spite of what you had seen in the alley, he usually avoided situations like that one with tooth and nail. Even when it was about monsters like that fury, killing another creature made him feel sick. If it hadn’t been necessary due to your safety, he would have tried to send her back to where it had come from with a clear command or something. It made you feel a tad bit guilty. But he eased these ugly feelings in your chest soon with childhood stories much more entertaining.

‘You ran away?’ you asked with a pseudo-scandalized gasp, holding back a chuckle. You found his flustered figure just as endearing as he found your crimson cheeks.

‘Not exactly. I just didn’t go back,’ Beomgyu corrected you half-sulky, half-embarrassed. You watched his pouty lips, his arms that he linked in front of his chest and you decided that it was alright. Even if the boy had ran away from the Camp Half-Blood, even if he had been too scared to be sent to another mission, it didn’t matter to you. You were simply glad that he was alive and that he had friends, real friends, who could make him feel accepted and appreciated.

So you put your hand on his shoulder and squeezed it a little to gain his attention - which you had already had, you just hadn’t been aware of it -, then reassured him that it was fine. That his decision wasn’t something he shouldn’t have been ashamed of because he had the right to decide what kind of person he wanted to be. If he would have rather attended a mundane uni with his mortal friends, that was alright. Not every demigod had to become the next Hercules.

The boy’s grateful smile melted you from the inside and while in the back of your head you knew it meant nothing good in the long run, at that moment, you couldn’t have cared less. He seemed so happy and the thought that it might have been because of your words, because of you, tugged on your heartstrings in a pleasant way.

‘Would you like to… grab something to eat wi…’ Beomgyu once again attempted to ask you out, but before he could have forced his mind to form a coherent question, someone loud and scared cut him off without even realizing what he walked into.

‘I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to be this late. I… I overslept, but I brought snacks. Please, don’t hate me!’ Hueningkai begged you as he put a huge bag of candies and chips on the table right in front of you and started to rub his palms against each other as though his life depended on your mercy. He was so extra, you almost couldn’t have believed it.

Needless to say, you weren’t angry with the younger anymore, not since Beomgyu had found you at the Greek History section, but it didn’t mean that you couldn’t have played with him just a little. Thus you crossed your arms under your breast, checked the content of the plastic bag solely from a distance and raised a brow at him, sceptical. How could anyone not have laughed at the terrified look on his face? His eyes were scanning the area at high speed like a yo-yo and you wondered: was he looking for the escape route?

Hence it took you by no surprise when the demigod on your right bursted in tiny fists of laughter, bombarding your stern mask and coaxing a laughter from you as well.

‘It’s okay. Beomgyu filled in for you during the research part,’ you smiled at the younger and encouraged him to take a seat with a few pats on the chair next to you. His happiness couldn’t have been more evident although his smile might have turned a little wider when you opened a bag of sour Harribo and shook it in front of him so that he knew he could eat from it, too.

‘Really? Thanks bro! Here, have some!’ Hueningkai exclaimed joyfully, pushing the half-full bag closer to the other boy so that he could have chosen some snacks for himself as well. Yet, he opted for the one that was in your hand. His playful attempt to steal it from you almost ended up forbidding all three of you from the library, but if anyone had asked him - or you -, he would have said that it was all worth it. Sour gummy sticks were the best.

This was how your story had started: with vivid nightmares that shook you up every single night while the gods up there were having a heated fight, and daydreams in which Beomgyu made you forget about your inevitable death with a single smile. But just because you ignored your fate, it didn’t mean the Moiras would change their minds.

Standing in the middle of the flames on a beach where you were supposed to celebrate your one year anniversary with Beomgyu, you couldn’t help but wondered: if you had been honest with him from the very beginning, would he have still been so keen to befriend you and made you fall for you a bit more day after day? Would he have accepted your distant behaviour and your rejections if you had explained to him that you were nothing but a trigger in his journey? That one collateral damage in the equalition that meant to push him towards his heroic deeds? You selfishly hoped that it wouldn’t have changed a thing, because if it had done, then the brokenness in his hazel eyes was on you and only you.

Bleeding from a wound caused by a manticore’s tail, your body felt lighter than ever before and soon your legs gave out and you fell on your knees. You almost cracked a stupid smile when you realized that what you had assumed was ash in your visions, was sand. Could you have avoided the unfortunate encounter with these monsters if you had chosen a park for your picnic instead of the beach? Did it matter now that your limbs started to shake despite the warm blood on your hands and the scorchingly hot temperature of mid July?

Staring ahead, at least now you knew that you were indeed looking for someone seconds before your last breath. You were looking for those beautiful, hazel orbs that you knew would long for you with the same fervor you would miss their owner from the Underworld. And when you found them, finally, they gave you courage to accept your destiny.

the end.

#beomgyu x reader #txt scenarios #beomgyu #greek gods au #txt angst #angst #ssbyme #college au #hades' son beomgyu

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