#disgusted and lost when i take even the smallest second to think about how i'm stuck like this until i can get through the long as fuck

[fulminare-art]

*guy who has put his entire life on hold until he can physically transition because he can't do even the simplest task without being disgustingly conscious of his body voice* "yeah its really no big deal i can put stuff on hold for a few years ive been waiting this long right lol" < if he isn't ever able to have access to these surgeries for whatever reason he will sooner kill himself than figure out how to live with it

[jtrokujo]

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐇𝐘 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐎𝐗𝐈𝐂¿

paring: Mikaela Hyakuya x fem!Reader

(they’re 18+!!!)

word count: 4k

warning: this story contains sexual content

gerne: smut

summary: there are days when they get along well but there were also days when they hated each other like the plague and even though they love each other?

—

The weather is neutral, but I wish it got better.

The sun is obscured by the gray clouds, but it's not windy or anything.

You could even go out with a top.

However, y / n decided to take a seat in the four walls with a number of different books and a tall pile of books right next to them.

As she gently leafed through the pages of the somewhat older book, she felt a stab.

Of course it didn't hurt since no one was attacking her, but it felt like someone was watching her.

Without presenting her feelings, she took some books and put the rest where she got them.

Immediately after leaving the library, she stopped in the middle of the path and said with an annoyed sigh, "Bathory, I know you're here."

He stands grinning in front of y / n, but could hardly show a disappointed face.

With his head tilted to one side, he looked at his prey and smiled at her immediately. "I prefer you to call me by my first name, dear."

“I do what I want and not what you want, Bathory. Besides, I have better things to do than waste my precious time being influenced by you. "

When they told the vampire, she continued on her way, or at least intended to.

As quickly as he came, he grabbed her arm just as quickly. "But y / n, why is it in such a hurry?" asked the vampire, amused, pressing more and more on hers with every second, so slowly you could hear her bones. Y / n had to react immediately!

Without thinking for a second, she dropped all of the books on the white floor and immediately grabbed her gun. "You should let go of me!" y / n's voice rang out down the hall and immediately shot the vampire in the arm.

His blood spurted around her.

Y / n got his blood on her face as well as on her clothes - it was the same with Bathory, also the wall and especially the floor got his blood.

"Disgusting." mumbled y / n and wiped the blood on her face, although she knew herself that it would be of no use.

"What's going on here?" Everyone but not him.

"Hello Mika!" said Ferid with delight and turned to get a better look at him.

"Have you lost your nerve again?" he asked me annoyed, but he only looked at me for a few seconds and immediately saw Ferid's blood spatter.

"What do you mean 'again'?"

Even if we've known each other for a long time, we both have to admit that one and the other have diverged. Sometimes it was his fault, sometimes it was me. There were of course moments when we got along really well, but in the end they weren't enough in my opinion.

"Since you've lived with us, at least one vampire must have got something from your weapon."

Said the blond-haired vampire while his eyes stared at me.

I'm not understating when I say that his eyes alone make me feel naked.

Mika only manages to control me through his eyes, even though I should be the one who should control every vampire or the various books I spend most of my time on just one more bad joke.

It was enough for vampires to exist and more than hundreds of people took their own lives just to be able to enjoy themselves. To this day I cannot forgive any of the vampires for what they did to me or those around me. I know myself that there are bad ones, but what is their goal?

Or do you have a goal?

"Y / n." I heard his voice.

Awakened from my trance, I see his eyes again. However, they do not have this previous aura, no, they are a little stricter this time. When I gave him a sign of his attention, the lecture immediately came, "You are old enough to know how to behave and with whom to behave. If you show this behavior to someone else, I'll let that person do it . " and do what they want, because I haven't had the nerve for someone like you for a long time. So finally know your limits before I use my weapon against you! "

Impressive. From sentence to sentence his voice grew louder and louder. Seriously, I never expected or even had the idea of ​​this side of Mika in my life, but here it is. Wonderful y / n, now you have managed to sink deeply with Mika, which is actually the very last thing I ever wanted to achieve in my life, but life has never been a paradise.

With a chuckle, Bathory put his arm and my shoulders and spoke to Mika.

"But, but Mika shouldn't be so strict with her. She's just a little girl again, not even now, is she?" "If I were that little girl, you would surely have two arms instead of one." After saying my sentence, I picked up the books that were still on the floor and didn't say goodbye to anyone, why should I?

Bathory is nothing more than an idiot who uses his satisfaction to see others suffer rather than provoke them too.

While Mika nudges both children like a father, although the other is to blame for everything.

When I got to my room, I put the books on my table and sat on my bed, thinking about the old days. However, I don't think of the days with loved ones that I lost, but of those that I spent with Mika before he gave me a “better life”.

I could leave it all behind at any time and either not start an old or a new life, but I love to have him in my heart for it.

Sighing at my thoughts, I give up and stood in front of my closet for the next minute.

While the lukewarm water felt the white bathtub, my clothes landed on the floor.

This life is more of a calling expected of others than a life of its own. A break does no harm to anyone.

I said to myself and after a few seconds I closed my eyes.

After my bath or a break from the real world, I'm just choosing which book to read.

As I was about to start the new book, someone knocked on my door.

Hesitantly, I said the door was open and waited for the person behind it to appear. Please leave it all but Bathory.

Sighing, I immediately put my hand on my left breast and saw him, Mika.

To be honest, I'm happy to see him, but I'm not, but I don't need an explanation. "Good evening." he said in his usual tone. Without making a big head out of it, I repeated it myself, but added if he needed anything from me.

Shivering, I answered my question in the negative and came up to me with slow steps.

The only thing I could do was do nothing. I stopped. When our faces are a few centimeters away, his arm came slowly towards my body, until he reached for something, when he had this in his hand, he came back with a few steps and immediately held a book in my face.

"I really recommend it, I have to say, you have pretty good taste when it comes to books. I've read it several times because these stories, the writing style, the plot and most of all the characters are up to me." uniquely well written down to the smallest detail. "

I looked at the vampire in amazement. "You read that too?" "Y / n, if I hadn't read it, I wouldn't have a clue either."

A little ashamed of my oh-so-intelligent question, I also looked at the floor.

The whole time there was nothing to be heard, neither a little intoxication, nor even breathing. But after a few seconds, Mika also broke the embarrassing silence by taking a few steps and holding out his arm to me. I don't understand it about myself. When Mika is around, I either act annoyed or neutral. However, countless butterflies gather in my stomach when I think of him alone!

"Y / n ... y / n?!" Mika looked up, gave me a neutral look and at the same time held a few strands of my hair and asked me if he should tie my hair up with a towel. I gently took the wet strands of hair from his hand and began to giggle at my discomfort and nervousness. The thought of me being weird was always out of the question.

"I think I'll blow dry my hair. I'll see you at dinner or tomorrow."

"I'll see you at dinner or tomorrow." repeated Mika before she disappeared from my room.

Locked in the room and caught in his deepest thoughts, he stared over the ceiling.

The reviews of that day haunted him to this day when he also dreamed them.

Sleeping now wouldn't be for him, even though it is shortly before 2 o'clock.

But what can you do about it?

The vampire rose from the bed, stretched out, and decided to go for a walk immediately.

As he walked through the empty corridors, he always hoped not to meet anyone.

Whatever stays that way.

Bored and hands in his pockets, the floor caught his attention. It didn't take long, however, because he was amazed to get up when he saw the light coming from someone's room.

He was more than sure whose room, or rather chamber, it was.

It was Y / n's.

He stopped in front of it, thinking, held out his hand and wanted to knock on the door. At the same time he quickly put his hand in his pocket. This scenario takes about 3 minutes. But it wasn't the vampire's nervousness that was unusual, no, why should he be at y / n's door? This is funny.

Doesn't he often seem annoyed or stern in your presence?

Well, he doesn't even know what's going on in his head.

After an eternity, the vampire finally knocked on the human's door and immediately heard "Come in" from the other side.

Without telling himself twice, he opened the door and saw her. He saw her spread out on the large bed with several notes and books.

Stressed out. You can't see it from the outside, but even Mika can confess that he thinks it is strange to see y / n at this time.

"Do you need something?" she asked him and fixed him with her gaze.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping long ago?" he asked and at the same time crossed his arms over his chest.

"Mika, I could ask you that too, don't you think?" sigh y / n and slowly start piling up her notes and books together.

When Mika offered her help, she politely declined and slowly and carefully put the things on her desk.

"If you have nothing special to do, you can always keep me company, you know?"

Yes, even if there is an argument between the two, they still get along well. However, they don't seem to be as close as they used to be. Without saying anything, Mika accepted the offer and sat next to y / n.

Was that really wise?

The smell of y / n gets over his head, but he's not as easy to lose control as other vampires.

Breathing hard, Mika rubbed her eyes and hoped that this unbearable smell would go away any moment.

Easier said than done.

If only I had drunk blood in the last few days. The vampire cursed.

Y / n noticed his unusual behavior and tried to communicate with him, but to no avail. She called his name several times, tapped him on the shoulder, and shook him a little. He seems trapped in his own world. For the first time she seemed to see someone so trapped in his own world. When will he regain his senses?

Annoyed, she hit his skull with her fist, which led to a groan of pain from Mika's mouth. "What does this mean?!"

“If you are tired, please go to your room and sleep there.

Both rolled their eyes in annoyance.

"You have nothing to say to me, human."

"Oh really? What are you going to do about it, vampire?" It wasn't a mistake by y / n, but rather Mika's mistake. If he hadn't called her a human, she wouldn't have called him a vampire. Nobody except Mika knows right now how much he hates vampires and yet he is one himself, but you have to remember that he never wanted to be one. Not everyone is lucky in life.

As I said, even if it was his own fault that she reminded him, he completely lost his nerve. Slowly she approached y / n, she already felt the dark aura coming towards her. However, y / n did not want to show the fear that is in her and slowly rising above her head. She will regret it. "Repeat when you have the pity." "What is the problem? You called me human and I called you a vampire, but you know what makes me be silly, get out of here, vampire. ”Without further ulterior motives, Mika grabbed her wrist and squeezed the bones with her hand listened from print to print. When she wanted to reach for her gun, which is under her top, Mika was a second faster and threw it directly to the end of the room. When Mika immediately released his hand from Y / n's wrist, she saw an emotion in his eyes, sadness.

He was hurt, but shouldn't he care? What should a little person who plays with little guns do against a vampire, ask him about a game? However, he saw her more as a person, he saw her as someone he can love, with whom he can laugh, of course he had had these people before in his life, but they have long since disappeared. Oh how much he loves her.

If only she knew how many letters he wrote her, but never gave them to her, but hid them in his room.

"I'm really stupid." Mika muttered trembling to herself. Y / n heard it and slowly walked up to him "Mika, that was very childish of me and, to be honest, I'm sorry." When she tried to touch his shoulder, he knocked her away and looked into her eyes, it was their fault.

“I don't want your decisions! I never wanted to be a vampire! If you don't know anything about me, please be quiet and think twice before you open your door! ”The whole room went quiet, pretty quiet. It was rather uncomfortably quiet for y / n, but she preferred to keep her mouth shut because it looked like Mika was looking for the right words. "Why do I love you? Tell me Y / N, how can I love you when you hate me so much?" His voice was fragile and it was tormented to hear it that way. "Mika, I had never hated you before." Exhausted, Mika sat down on the floor and looked at the gun at the other end of the room. "Every time I see a gun like that, I hate myself even more." “Even if it sounds a bit clichéd, for example because of the current situation, I have to and want to admit that I love you Mika. You are in such pain and apparently you have torn old wounds. You didn't deserve that, nobody deserved that. ”Y / n sat like Mika on the floor and hugged him. Her warm body against his cold one. As if in slow motion, their faces stood a few inches apart until their lips met.

𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐏

With my hands on the back of his neck and my tongue seeking his, his fingertips dance from my thigh under my top.

Only he managed to make me shiver everywhere in a few seconds with the help of his touch. Not through his ice-cold skin, no, only through him. In keeping with the mood, the cold raindrops hit my window pane. "Waiting." he whispered to me.

Not a second later it was pitch black in my room. The butterflies in my stomach just like Mika don't know when to stop, but I love it, never let it stop! His lips kissed every inch of my skin and whispered to me how divine my body was. His hands slide up my top until it finally brushes over my head. The first item of clothing is already on the floor. My legs were around his waist so he could pick me up and lay me on my bed. When he did that, his lips were still on my skin.

As I lay down comfortably, I watched his clothes land piece by piece on the floor. His belly is built like that of a Greek god and although it is dark the moon shines on him. One could have immediately thought it was a godsend. The boxer shorts were the only items of clothing that remained. While I was about to take off my pants, Mika took my hands and indicated that he could do it himself. When my pants peeled off my skin, he looked at my legs in admiration and immediately threw my pants on the floor. Now stand half-naked in front of my bed. The red cheeks on his cheeks were clearly visible. "Are we really supposed to pull this off?" I asked Mika and looked him in the eye. His lips approached my ear and he breathed softly, "Y / n, the question is not, we should, but we can. A human and a vampire, is that a good chemistry?"

"Why don't we want to find out?" I whispered and kissed his shoulder in time. Now he looked at me again, but with clearly red cheeks you could have thought he had a fever, but I can't blame him, because even when his ice-cold body is on top of mine, my body manages to have a hot temperature.

As our tongues played with each other again, our hands explored each other's bodies. While one hand pinches my buttocks, the other is right on my bra clasp.

Moaning slightly, I also pinched his buttocks and felt my muscles tense. A low gasp left his delicate lips, which made me even weaker. My temperature rises more and more with each of his touches.

I can not stand it anymore!

He knows very well that he has the upper hand!

When my bra, like the rest of the clothes, landed on the floor, his ice-cold hands brushed my arms up to my hips and brushed the last piece of clothing across the floor.

I was breathing hard down in my zone.

His hands were on each thigh so I couldn't pinch my legs together. Apart from the horniness, I could hardly move my legs because of his strength, you can not say that he is so strong. The horniness in me is going like crazy! With every breath Mika takes against my area, the butterflies in my stomach fly crazier.

When his tongue brushed my cervix for less than a second, I let out a gasp. Immediately afterwards he pressed his tongue against it and danced with it at the same time. That I'm getting wetter is not only clear to me, but also to Mika, when he was his tongue in my entrance, she explored every single inch inside.

Overwhelmed by shame and lust, I pressed one hand against my mouth so as not to make a noise from you, and the other on his white-blonde hair.

Every time his tongue penetrated deeper and he spread my thighs wider and wider, it honestly hurt, but I don't care about that at the moment because as good as he makes me feel no one is going to do it and I want it too nobody does it because I just want them. Because I just want Mika.

When I thought it couldn't get better, I was wrong. When he started sucking, I was done. My lustful moans got louder every time I sucked, but I do my best that nobody but Mika can hear it. When he freed his tongue from the entrance again, he stuck his middle and ring finger in the next second and didn't give me a second to get used to it. The speed of his fingers is unique!

No matter how much I press my hand against my mouth, my moans stay louder.

Several times his name groaned, which only drove him to increase the speed. My orgasm is nourishing. When I groaned and said I was about to be there, he didn't stop but continued. His tongue dances on my cervix and his fingers successfully hit the G-spot every time, it's just breathtaking!

When my orgasm came, I screamed his name with relish and breathed heavily as I stared at the ceiling.

His beautiful face approached mine, but he devoted his lips to my ears and whispered, "A second round won't hurt you." Aren't my trembling legs enough for him? In the middle of the kiss, I slowly felt his member inside me, but my nails clawed behind his back in pain, we continued the kiss. Now it was Mika who groaned in the middle of the kiss. He closed his eyes and kissed my chest as his hips began to dance. Is it still normal for him to make me feel this way? Because on the one hand I can no longer, on the other hand I want more! Mika's one hand is on my thigh while the other is on my chest. The way he plays sensitive nipples is superb.

I don't know how he makes me feel so good, but I want him to never stop. "Mika, don't stop." I moaned in his ear and wrapped my legs around his waist. When he saw me, I didn't know how to feel. Because his eyes are blood red! He slowly approached my neck. That cold breath worried me even more. He didn't bite me, however, but instead scratched his designated spot with his fangs as the blood flowed from the wound, so it propelled him and made him much faster than before. The clap of our skin was just as loud as the satisfying moans from our mouths. "Y / n." he groaned my name and immediately turned me around. Now my back was visible to him. With both hands on our hips, our bodies clapped together. When I moaned his name one last time, the orgasm came, Mika pulled his member out of me and rubbed it with his hand until finally the white sperm speared out of his body.

𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐏

After Mika helped me cleanse my body, we are back in bed naked. "Do you think we can do it?" Mika asked out of nowhere. “I don't think so, I know, Mika. And I think you should too. "The vampire looked at me lovingly and finally kissed me on the lips and immediately afterwards whispered" Good night, y / n. " "Good night, Mika."

[nysus-temple]

[ Mother's Day - I'm their mother for a reason ]

"Ares!" exclaimed Hera, separating him from Hephaestus. "What did I told you about hitting your brother?" She looked behind, running to her youngest daughter. "Ilytia, don't bite that! Damn it, Hephaestus, will you please pick up your tools off the ground? Can't you see your sister starts playing with them... ? Oh by Mother Gaia, Hebe! Stop dragging you on the floor!"

Hera sighed as she watched Athena take her youngest daughter, Ilytia, in her arms, while she single-handedly held the tools of her stepbrother, Hephaestus.

"Thank you, little one."

The goddess picked up the tools, putting them away.

"I'll take care of Ilytia, My Lady," she offered, holding the smallest, "I'll take care of Hebe as well, if you wish."

Hera stared at the young goddess for a few seconds before answering.

"No, child, it's not necessary, I'll be able to manage on my own."

Athena fixed her owlish eyes on the eldest, then shook her head.

"I have my father's permission, My Lady."

She went to the garden with the two younger ones, thus calling the attention of the older ones, who followed her curiously.

Meanwhile, the queen of the gods let out a long sigh.

"Call me by my name, please, little one," she said out loud, but between whispers, so that no one heard her.

She raised her head in surprise.

“Ah… Forgive the mess, Demeter."

The newcomer shook her head with a smile.

"You shouldn't apologize, Hera; I can imagine how tiring it is to be watching these tadpoles all the time."

" Well… Athena does help me a lot."

Demeter arched an eyebrow.

"Athena?" she asked, surprised. "As young as she is… She's only a few years older than Hephaestus."

Her sister put her hands on her hips, looking down.

"Despite the names she calls me, those eyes of hers… Those owl eyes... Ugh, I feel like I'm being judged constantly."

"Hera, you shouldn't torture yourself like that-"

"It's… It's just that the girl is so similar to Metis…" she murmured, ignoring her, "even her firmness is the same."

The brown-haired one crossed her arms in annoyance.

"Sister, that's bullshit of yours," she clarified, "the last thing Metis would want now is to see you this way, so... Down."

Demeter pointed to the side of her.

"Isn't that your grandson?"

" He's Persephone's son, yes"

"The kid... He never says a word"

"Don't take it into account, let's suppose it's something hereditary… My daughter was the same when she was his age."

Hera frowned after hearing that last answer, looking at the aforementioned with curiosity.

Her gaze was the same as Persephone's when she was younger, just as Athena's eyes were nailed to those of the well-known Metis.

"It's hard to know what he thinks with that lost look he always brings," Demeter affirmed, looking at his sister again, "but considering who his mother is…

"Who his mother is…" Hera repeated, clenching her fists; "Oh, the poor Athena…" she cried, then "she surely is so distant from me because of how different I am from her mother... Dear Mother Gaia, my presence must disgust her."

"Zagreus, come here, come!"

The aforementioned ran towards the goddess who called him, holding her hand quickly.

"I prefer that you refer to me with my second name."

"Dionysus, you say? Oh no, your mother won't be very happy to hear that you think the name Zeus gave you is prettier than the one she gave you…"

The boy frowned as he puffed out his cheeks.

"It is just a lack of habit."

The woman looked at the queen of the gods with a smile.

"Say goodbye politely, come on."

Dionysus looked at Hera carefully.

"See you, My Queen."

"You can simply call me 'Hera', little one."

He arched an eyebrow with a mischievous smile.

"I'll see you later, then, sister" added Demeter, "my daughter will arrive soon and you know how she gets if she doesn't see this little brat!"

She left, leaving her companion in a sea of ​​doubts.

"My Lady?"

Hera ducked her head, looking at whoever was tugging at her dress.

"This necklace was made by Ares and Hephaestus as an apology for breaking the one you were wearing the other day" she held out the object, bowing as an apology afterwards.

"And this other detail is from my mother."

She lifted the corners of her lips with both hands, Hera chuckled at her seeing her like that.

"Don't force yourself to smile now, little one, I'm sure that when the time comes, you will show me a smile just like your mother's."

[ Because, you are her daughter for a reason. ]

The youngest nodded, leaving for the garden again.

"What a pair of smartasses they are, those two…" she said to herself, holding the necklace "just like me; since I'm their mother for a reason."

[catzula]

tell me where you are, honey

So, I should tell you that that this is not my fiction, its heavily based on real life. If you want to check it out, the mentioned band is a Turkish band called 'Duman'.

Genre and warnings: hey guys? This is pure angst. Just angst. Heavy heavy angst. First of all, major character death (not Suna), tw: mentions of suicide, tw: mentions of death, tw: mentions of depression and anxiety, mentions of alcohol, if there's anything else please tell me!

Suna closes his eyes as he sings the words, trying to forget the uneasy feeling stirring in his chest. 

He feels the sweat drip from the sides of his face, making him glisten under the blueish lights of the bar. 

A chilly wind makes his overheated body shiver. Your face comes before his eyes, and Suna can't help the bitter smile finding its way on his lips. He stopped taking song requests a long time ago, so instead, he leans to the mic and asks how's the night going with a broken but charming smile that makes the crowd excited.

It has been a while. Suna shouldn't feel a lump in his throat, a stinging in his eyes. But he does. He can't help it when a fan calls out to him, asking for the song. 

Reminding the rest of his fans of the song, they start chanting the name of it like it's a prayer, holding a rhythm and hoping for him to sing it.

The song he hasn't sang in a long, long time.

The choking feeling is instant, the heaviness pressuring his chest, making it impossible for him to breathe in the foggy room. Atsumu interjects, telling the fans to cut it out, that they are well aware Suna won't, can't sing it.

Osamu sends a glimpse at the lead singer's direction, not surprised to see his fox-like, almost lifeless-looking eyes already damp. Suna runs a hand through his hair frustratedly, Osamu can't tell what he's thinking, but it appears hard on him. 

Atsumu cocks his head when Suna backs away from the mic. "It's okay," he grits his teeth, he looks like he's in pain. "I think- I think I can sing it this once."

The truth is, Suna missed you this song. Suna missed the song he knew that you loved so much. So he sends a smile to the crowd, picking the mic and biting his lip. It was a song he promised he would never sing again, never again after that last time.

But here he is, hoping you could hear it.

"Darling, you are my honey," Suna sings, and it comes out as choked and strained, but the fans are just surprised he actually did sing it.

It's the first familiar chords that cause him to choke on his breath. Suna's already crying, and if the fans looked closely, they could see the others are, too.

Suna's mind wanders off to the last time he sang the song, the last time he spoke those words. 

It's the first big concert his band was going to do. Suna had been trying to make it happen for months now, and if it went well, it would be a big turn point in their careers. 

"Can't you- can't you come a little earlier today?"

"Rin, where are you?" He heard you say from the other side of the line, making him sigh in annoyance. "I've been texting you all day!" Suna pinched the bridge of his nose. He was already aware you were texting him every five fucking minutes, and that was the very reason he hadn't opened one of them. "I'll be home in a few hours." He grumbled, almost inaudible, but you managed to hear him.

He didn't think much about the few seconds of silence that followed his answer.

Your voice was a mere whisper, and you sounded so sad, almost desperate, and Suna closed his eyes. "We have a fucking concert today. We're doing the last cheks." He sighed when you stay silent. "I'll try to come a little earlier."

"Okay, I love you, Rin." He heard you smile, and it made the weight on his chest feel a little lighter. "Love ya too, honey."

Honey. 

It wasn't a word anyone would expect Suna to speak, but it was what he always called you. He always said it with so much emotion, so much thought and love, and it never failed to make your heart skip a beat.

"You taste like honey." He once told you when you asked him, leaning in with a smile and stealing a kiss.

It was your favorite song.

"My soul is already addicted to your taste," Suna sighs the words. The fans are surprisingly silent, watching their favorite singer shake with wtiholded sobs at the lyrics and the love he lost. It's obvious he's out of it, lost in the memories, holding the mic so tight that his knuckles turn white. 

Your love story was one of the most famous ones at the time, more than Suna himself, and was known by almost everyone.

But lately, you had started to feel like it was dying. 

It wasn't, of course. Suna loved you more than he did anything else, and you loved him more than life itself. It wasn't anything in particular that made you feel that way, too. Many little things combined, the depression you were falling into, the stress he was under, the more than often fights happening lately.

Your relationship wasn't the best lately, that, you admitted. Suna was rarely at home. You only saw him a few minutes each day, and that if you were lucky. Even when he was at home, all you ever did was to fight. Not even about anything worth fighting, but they always caused broken hearts on both sides. 

Despite all the stress building over him, Suna was trying to make it better, too. Making compromises of himself, agreeing with you in fights despite your nonsense arguments, not saying anything about you blowing up on the smallest things. 

"Where are you...love..." He cries. He should've thought more, cared more. Suna was guilty of not thinking why you were acting like this instead of how to stop it. He was busy with the upcoming concerts, their band was about to turn the corner, but that couldn't be an excuse.

Suna had gone home after his band practice that day. The apartment was dark, so silent, it scared him until he opened the lights and found you lying on the couch. 

You weren't sleeping, he thought it was because you wanted to see him, but it was because of the anxious thoughts roaming in your mind. Suna should've seen the trembling of your hands, how cold you felt, how limp and numb you seemed. 

"You stink." Those were the first words you told him, your face souring when you took note of the alcohol and cigarettes clinging on him like a second skin. "Did you drink?" You sounded suspicious.

"No, I already told you we were practicing."

"Then why do you smell like this?" Suna gritted his teeth when yiur voice raised, resembling a shout.

"Because we work at a fucking bar? You know all this, why the fuck are you acting like this?" Suna sneered, it was only for a second he had lost control, but it was enough for your face to contort with hurt. 

You felt guilty when he sighed, seemingly admitting defeat. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? But I'm already stressed enough for the concert, and I can't deal with this shit right now." You watched your boyfriend run his fingers through his hair, his words hurting you more than they should. You were acting nonsensible, you knew, but you couldn't stop.

"This shit? You mean me?" Your voice was now a little higher, making him flinch. "Y/N, for fucks sake! You know I didn't mean that!"

"Tell me where are you, honey,"  There were things you were dealing with, shit he didn't know, you hadn't told. He couldn't have known, he couldn't have known, but he should've. If he had, Suna would never have told you all those that day. He wouldn't have made you cry, sob in the room, dark and by yourself. 

He would've stayed with you, told you he was there, that he loved you, everything would be fine. Honey, he would call you. But he hadn't. Instead, he chose to act selfishly.

"Stop being so fucking pushy." He had told you when you asked where they practiced, who else was there but the Miya's, who was that girl you saw in a picture with him, which was taken months ago, why were they standing so close? It was an argument you had gone over five times already, he had told you it was Atsumu's friend and nothing else, but you kept bringing it up.

"Just give me some space, goddammit! You're suffocating me!" Suna shouted. It was rare to see Suna raise his voice, and it made you freeze in your place. You looked in his slitted eyes, only seeing hate, disgust swimming in those greens. 

You didn't say it, but Suna noticed something was wrong, and you were crying too hard, so hard he feared you were going to pass out. "Hey, hey- I'm sorry." He muttered, acting quickly to wrap his arms around your shaking body like he was the only thing holding you together.

You were wrong, and all Suna was feeling was distress, and he could never look at you with anything but love, but your anxiety told you otherwise.

Do you hate me? The question is on the tip of your tongue. It feels like everyone, everything hates you lately, hell, you yourself do, too. You only need an answer, yes or no, since you can't tell by the foggy depression blurring your thoughts.

Do you? Do you hate me? Please don't hate me, I'm sorry, please don't look at me like that.

(he was)

It felt like hours as you cried between his arms, and Suna pressed an occasional kiss to your hair. Neither of you talked, the heaviness of the fight still lingering in the air, and Suna decided to talk about it after the concert. So you just stood there between each other's arms. Maybe you would've told him you felt broken, and you couldn't take it anymore, you didn't-

It was on the tip of your tongue as he pulled back from you, pressing one last kiss on your hair. "I have to go, honey." He told you, checking the time on his phone. "I'm going to be late for the concert."

Suna didn't notice how you flinched when he pulled back, how tears gathered in your eyes, how you couldn't look him in the eyes. "Okay." He heard you whisper. Watching you smile at him, he smiled back when you leaned in to press a kiss on his lips. 

Wrapping your arms around his neck, you pressed your body closer to him, surprising and making him chuckle. It was a kiss that screamed goodbye, but he was too nervous to notice. 

"A good luck kiss, I presume?" He laughed when you pulled back. "I'll see you there, yeah? Let's talk about this after."

"You are with me from now on, honey," Suna should've noticed your lack of response. If he had, maybe he wouldn't be sobbing on the stage now. He feels Atsumu pat his back, Suna's holding on his mic like it's the one thing holding him alive, sobs breaking his words, making him shake.

His fans watch him as he wipes the tears off his face with the back of his hand, the rings adorning his fingers sparkling under the dim light. 

"Tell me where you are, honey,

All the members are crying, not just him. They all loved you, and you were a part of their lives, such a lively, kind person. At the very least, you had managed to tie Suna down.

Its impossible not to cry as people who had heard his cries echoing out of your apartment that night.

You are with me from now on, honey," 

Something was different with Suna's performance that day, and all the others had noticed it. The tired-looking and feeling boy was pumped up that day. He sounded energetic, and Suna gave the best performance he ever had before.

It was all for you, Suna thought. He was singing just for you that day, something he hadn't done in a while. Picking all the songs he ever wrote for you, the ones you liked, just for you, hoping you would feel a little less angry when the concert ended. 

He was smiling the whole time he was singing, but his smile was dropping each time he gazed at the crowd and couldn't find your face, smiling back at him. Were you sitting in the back? Were you that angry with him?

The night proceeded, and the whole band knew it was a success. 

A few songs time left, Suna was frowning since he still couldn't have spotted you. There was no way you hadn't come, but you might have been hiding still. 

Deciding to pull out the big guns, Suna gave the sign to Osamu. They could tell what he had in mind, and Suna smiled with the first hearing of chords. He sang it, sang with a bitter smile, looking at the crowd to finally spot you. 

"You are my soul from now on,

You are my only part that remains alive," 

The concert came to a halt. You weren't in the crowd, and Suna was already in the middle of the song. "Suna- Suna, stop!" Osamu and Atsumu stopped playing, Suna sang the last word alone.

"What the-" He was about to shout at them for making him stop so abruptly, but the terrified look on Osamu's face made him stop. All the blood had left both their faces, and both the twins were shaking, but why were they crying?

It was hard to tell him what happened, and it might've been a mistake, too. 

Wrong time. 

You can't tell a man the love of his life died, she took her own life, right in the middle of the song dedicated just to her.  

What happened after that was a blur. 

Atsumu and Osamu tried to stop Suna from rushing back to the apartment, but he was quick. Suna had no idea how he drove back home, but he was standing in front of the door of your apartment, knocking on the door like a madman, praying you would open it for him. he would see your smiling face, greeting him, or maybe angry with him, crying, screaming- whatever. All he wanted to do was to- to-

He was punching, kicking the door, shouting and crying, crying and crying, and as more seconds that pass, Suna thought he could go crazy. 

It's a miracle when the door opened, and for a split second, Suna thought it was a lie, a cruel joke, a misunderstanding. You were here, you opened the door for him-

It wasn't you. 

You weren't the one who opened the door, but your sister. Her face was damp with tears, and Suna's eyes locked on the figure that stood behind her. 

It was the hardest thing to try and make Suna let go of you, try and calm him, stop him from pulling you back to between his arms, and never let go. 

Osamu arrived right after him. 

He arrived at a scene he would never be able to forget.

His best friend was on the floor, your body limp between his arms. Osamu couldn't hold back his cries when he heard Suna's loud cries, begging and begging for you to wake up, holding your hand, trying to warm you, he was shouting, the pain so raw in his voice, people around him feel tears pricking in their eyes.

"Please, honey, please-" He sobbed brokenly, his body was shaking like a leaf.

He sat there, sobbing in his hands, his agonizing screams audible even from the outside, sending chills down everyone nearby. They think they never in their lives heard pure pain like this in someone's voice.

Osamu and Atsumu were crying with Suna as he finally let you go. He couldn't watch as they took you away, out of the room. 

But they don't hear him crying out your name, instead, it's a sweet pet name they hear. It makes the twins shake with more cries.

honey honey honey

He figured too late, how you were battling with severe depression, how your personal life was a mess, how you needed him to be there for you. He was too late. 

Suna hadn't left the apartment for 15 days straight after that day. He didn't want to speak or see anyone, barely ate and drank. 

He refused to see his family, the twins visiting him.

No one knew what happened in those 15 days, but when he came back out, they could tell by a look he had changed. Not only physically (even though he looked like he was starving and sick), but also mentally.

It was his fault. If he had been more attentive, more at home to see you, ask you if anything was wrong, "honey, are you okay?" maybe it would've been fine. It was his fault.

Even after he left the apartment, even after he started smiling, it was evident Suna was never the same. How could he be? He had lost a part of him, no, he had lost all of him. And all that left was the shell that merely resembled him. 

Suna had tried to sing it more than he could count, but the moment he heard the first chord, he broke down crying. This was the one day he succeeded, and even though it was barely audible, it sounded like agonizing cries instead, he was singing it. 

For you. 

Can you hear me, honey?

honey, honey, honey.

[chimtaesty]

Moonlit Destiny Part One

pairing: princess!reader x king!jin / 2.8k words

warnings: angst, violence, anxiety, strong language, trauma

plot: marrying a king of a far away country seemed to be your biggest problem, but gradually falling in love with a man who is deeply hurt and isn't able to control his rage turns out to be more troublesome.

A/N: hi! I'm really sorry that the first part of this series wasn't uploaded at the planned date. I had to replan and arrange thigs because my exams were delayed and moved and everything was a mess. I hope you enjoy this opener and you'll stay tuned for more of this series.

comment down below if you want to be added to the taglist!

masterlist / story masterlist / PROLOGUE

“His first wife, Eunbi, was a traitor....”

“W-What do you mean?” The information he’s giving you doesn’t seem to get processed. His wife betrayed him, causing him pain. “She tried to poison him, almost killing his youngest brother in the process. She aimed for his crown, she wanted to be the sole ruler. The emperor had her hung publicly” Your brain doesn’t work.

Your mouth opens to question Yonghee further, but in that very moment Seokjin walks towards you two, aiming for you. “I’m sorry for breaking up the conversation between you two, but i would like to talk to my fiance” He states with a small smile, making you question what Yonghee said a minute ago. How on earth was the man that stands in front of you able to hang his wife. To execute the woman he loved, or maybe he didn’t. It may have been easier to kill her for treason because he didn’t actually love her. Would he be able to execute you when you made a mistake? Would he ever be able to kill you?

“Y/N, I wanted to elaborate the cause of my anger towards you. I realised that it was unfair to be angry at you for mentioning my first wife without actually knowing what happened.” You don’t say anything while he sways on the heels of his feet. You know what happened, yet you let him explain to see things through his perspective.

“My first wife, Eunbi, was a wonderful woman. We loved each other truly and I would've given her everything. I made her queen because she desired to be my wife. I allowed her to learn whatever she wanted, because I loved her. She made me the happiest man alive. But she betrayed me, she used me, tried to kill me for her biggest desire. She wanted to be in my position, be king. She tried to kill me, but she poisoned my youngest brother, Jungkook, instead. It was an accident since the poisoned cup of wine was meant for me. My brother survived, barely, he still has problems with speaking. When it was revealed that she had poisoned my brother's drink she showed her real face.

She admitted that what I had given her wasn’t enough. She wanted to be the sole ruler of my kingdom and she was ready to do whatever it took to accomplish that. Although I loved her, dearly, I had to execute her. I would’ve forgiven her, I would've let her go because I loved her. My brother, Yoongi, took care of her execution. I couldn’t be present. I couldn’t watch the woman I loved being hung like a criminal.” he finishes with tears in his eyes.

His eyes are red and his cheeks pink. You can’t even imagine what he felt, the pain that must torture him every single day. “How many brothers do you have?” you don’t realise what leaves your mouth until it’s too late. A small chuckle leaves his plump lips. “That’s what busies your mind? How many brothers I have?” you chuckle as well. “I’m curious, I now know what happened to Eunbi and I understand that it must be unimaginably painful to execute someone you love but since you don’t want to talk about it too much, I won’t bring it up again. Thank you for telling me” you nudge his arm slightly “Now tell me how many brothers you have”

xxxxx

He has six brothers, Namjoon, the army commander of the south. He takes care of the safety in the kingdoms south. He’s very tall and likes to read, in his free time he likes to take care of the animals which live at the royal court. Yoongi, who takes care of the local prisons. He is excellent at getting people to talk, through torture, to your displeasure. He’s smaller than his brothers and likes to listen to concerts on his free evenings.

Hoseok is the army commander of the north. He shares his work with his brother, Namjoon, and takes care of the safety in the kingdom's north. He is a ray of sunshine. Seokjin said he was surprised when Hoseok asked to be a commander since he imagined him to become an artist like Taehyung, but he assured his brother of his professionalism. He likes to help Jimin with the local orphanages in his free time, remarkable.

Jimin is the third youngest of the bunch. He is a famous warrior, known as the white shadow. He fought in several great wars and always came back as the winner. Even though he’s a scary and very skilled warrior, he has a very sensible personality. He likes to help out at the local orphanages, showing the children how to defend themselves. A secret ,Seokjin pleaded with me to never ever talk about, is that Jimin likes to be read to. He often asks his older Brother, Namjoon, to read to him.

Taehyung is the second youngest, making him the second family's baby. He’s the only one who strayed from the genre of professions among the brothers. He decided to become an artist, painting the most beautiful paintings and writing the loveliest poems, having quite the clan of female admirers. He does know how to fight, though. Growing up with six brothers who like to train for future purposes made him learn how to fight as well. He might not be as skilled as Jimin or Jungkook, but he would survive in war.

Jungkook is the youngest of them all. He’s a warrior like Jimin, known as black shadow. He is the best fighter out of the seven, no one has ever succeeded in having him land on his back. He seems really scary, almost terrifying, said Seokjin. But he’s a nice boy, kind and cautious. He told Seokjin that he would like an older sister in law because Eunbi was younger than him, calling him Oppa, which he strongly disliked.

When he was poisoned, he lost almost all possibility to speak, he has trouble eating and dislikes having to talk to people. He’s embarrassed people would feel disgusted by his raspy and rough sounding voice.

His family sounds fun, complicated but fun.

xxxxx

The maids helped you put the traditional clothes on called “Hanbok”. “Ow!” you shout, startling the maids in the process. “We are deeply sorry, your majesty. We have to tighten this part a slight bit.” Moving in this big thing seems impossible as there’s so much fabric. “You’re almost done, your majesty.” you can’t believe that Seokjin wants you to wear such a hideous amount of clothing.

“You’re done, your majesty! The only thing you will have to put on is the head piece” the smaller girl in front of you instructs. She holds a big golden something in her hands. You’ve never seen something as astonishing and beautiful as this golden thing.

She places the headpiece on your head, securing it in your hair. It’s heavy, feels like they’ve placed a child on top of your head, yet you like it. “You look beautiful, your majesty” you smile at her “Thank you very-“Is she done yet?” An impatient voice wanders through the walls. “Yes, your majesty. Your fiancé is done being dressed” a maid informs him.

“Good, come outside, my dear. Let me have a look at you” he pushes. You’re not sure how you’re supposed to get up. There’s jewelry as heavy as a newborn on your head and ridiculous big clothing on your body. “I’ll try my best.” he chuckles.

The maid helps you up, you’re sure she’s trying to not laugh herself. If the women in his country wear this stuff without a problem?

“Wow, Y/N. You look stunning. Come here, my love” he opens his arms wide. You let go of the maid, focused on making your way over to him. The headpiece weighs down on your already exhausted neck. “Thank you, the headpiece is quite heavy though” your nose crunches up at your small complaint.

He stifles a laugh “That’s alright, you won’t have to wear it all the time. Such big jewelry should only be worn at special occasions” you nod your head, or at least you try to. “Y/N, could you do me a favor?” you hum “Of course” “Please take care of Jungkook, he needs someone to talk to. His brothers don’t seem fit for that job” you nod. “I’ll try”

xxxxx

So here you are, in front of his parents and his six brothers, well not all six. Two are missing. All of them are way taller than you imagined them to be. His mother is the smallest, smaller than you. And his father is a tad bit smaller than the boys behind him, yet he looks like a king. The posture and the way he introduces himself to you makes it obvious that he was king a while ago.

“My name is Y/N, it’s nice to meet you, your majesty” you bow lowly, as low as Yonghee had shown you. “Oh dear, you don’t have to bow to us. I’m not king anymore” you shake your head in disagreement. “I have to, you are Seokjin's family.” You try in their language.

Yonghee taught you the best he could during your months-long trip back to Seokjin’s land. “That’s very kind of you, Y/N. This is my wife Juhyun, and my name is Hyunsuk. I’m pleased to take you in as my daughter-in-law” you bow once again, making sure to bow to his mother once again. You catch her look, the hatred in her eyes.

His brothers introduce themselves as well before Seokjin snatches you away, taking you to his bedchambers. “She hates me” you sigh. “What are you talking about?” You sit yourself on the bed, trying to wiggle the big head piece out of your hair. “Your mother, she despises me and I can’t get this thing out of my hair” you cry out in frustration.

“Don’t think about her too much. She’s just cautious, after what happened with Eunbi. Let me help you” he tries to calm you. “But you didn’t see her eyes. She would’ve stabbed me right then and there if she had the chance to” you sigh.

His big hand finds its way onto your cheek. “Y/N, stop. She won’t ever hurt you. As long as you’ll stay loyal to me, you won’t be in danger.” His words calm you, to some extent.The fact that he’s willing to protect you even though he’s not in love with you is nice, it feels very nice.

xxxxx

“Why do I have to meet her?” You sigh as a maid helps you into a lighter piece of clothing. “Because she wants to get to know her daughter-in-law. Just drink some tea, answer her questions and you’re good to go.” Your nose crunches up in displeasure. Meeting his mother for tea or rather for interrogation is the cherry on top. She might just kill you and call it an accident.

“You won’t have to stay too long, I want you to meet my youngest brothers. Jimin and Jungkook are coming home from war and Taehyung will present his newest paintings tonight. I want you to be on good terms with them.” You nod and squeeze his hand.

He rubs your palm “You’ll be fine”

Two very friendly guards escort you to the small pavilion on the other side of the palace.

“There you are, take a seat” his mother, Juhyun smiles at you. It’s a fake smile, you’re sure. “I prepared some green tea, it helps your metabolism. You should slim down a little, right” you blink in irritation.

It’s not even been two minutes and this woman is testing your patience. “You won’t want Seokjin to fall back on his concubines, right?” She smiles, once again making you puke deep inside. “Ah, yes.” You huff.

Why is she so keen on making you upset, god. “How old are you, child?” She asks after she pours you some tea. “I’m twenty one” she nods her head, her eyebrows twitching slightly “You’re quite young, dear. You’ll have to give birth to a lot of sons.” You nod your head. “I’ll try my best to reward Seokjin with sons”

She gives you a small smile “Of course you will” she mumbles, clear for your ears to hear. “So, how much do you know about our disappointment of a former queen?” your head shoots up. “Seokjin told me about her, tragic.” her eyebrows furrow and she places the cup of tea down. “He told you himself?” you nod, trying not to chuckle because of her obvious irritation. “He did, he wanted me to know what happened to her.” she hums, making you more uncomfortable than before.

“I’m really sorry about what happened. Having to lose someone a part of the family is horrible.” you place your cup down as well. “Oh don’t act like you care, Eunbi has always been and would have always been the wrong pick for my son. I’m quite glad she got herself killed. I would have hung her myself if my youngest son wouldn’t have survived.” she chuckles and you divert your gaze from the woman in front of you. The water lilies swim peacefully in the crystal clear water, wanting you to be a part of them. Having all the time in the world to relax and be left alone. You would like this woman to leave you alone.

“Child, did you hear me?” your eyes wander to her again. Of course you didn’t hear her. “Excuse me, I didn’t, I’m sorry” you sigh. This tea party is taking way too long, where are you, Seokjin? In your mind you plead for Seokjin to show up and snatch you away. “Great, you aren’t a good listener either. You know, when you want to be the queen of this land, you have to be good at listening to peopl-”Mother, excuse me”

Your eyes widen at the voice you waited so patiently to fill this pavilion. “I’m sorry that i have to break your conversation apart, but i would like to take my fiance with me” he smiles at his mother and you’re quick to get up. A quick bow and you almost drag Seokjin with you.

“Slow down, my love. You look as if you’re trying to escape something” he chuckles. He’s playing with you. Of course he knows that you wanted to escape from his mother as soon as possible. “Oh you don’t know, she’s horrible.” he frowns slightly as he takes your hand in his.

“I know, she didn’t treat Eunbi nice either. I’m sorry that she criticised you. Meeting her has to happen out of decency.” you nod and lower your head. “What did she say?” he asks.

His face looks concerned, your cheeks heat up. “Well, nothing serious” you mumble. He stops walking, pulling you towards him. You look up at him as his features grow angry “As my wife you have to be honest with me, weather i like what you have to tell me or not”

A small sigh leaves your lips as you flutter your eyelashes. “She told me to lose weight or you’ll leave me for one of your concubines.” “What else?” You can’t meet his eyes, you’re too embarrassed. “She doubted my ability to give birth to sons. She acted dismissive as i assured her that i’ll try my best to give birth to your sons.” now it is his turn to sigh.

His big hand finds its way to the back of your neck. “Listen to me, you aren’t too heavy in any way. You’re the right size, you match me perfectly. And you don’t have to worry about not being able to give birth to sons. I’m very much able to put perfect children in there” his hand rests on your stomach. “Don’t doubt me, Y/N” he breathes.

You feel hot, so damn hot you might melt. “I would never” you mumble. His lips are so close. Your eyes move from his lips to his eyes as he moves closer. And in a matter of seconds your lips meet his, igniting a firework in the pits of your stomach. They are so soft as your lips move against his, something you never felt.

“Emper-excuse me” a guard stumbles back around the corner as he sees what is happening. Seokjin pulls away, making you close your eyes and replaying the moment he kissed you. “What, I can't have a moment of peace in this palace.” he grasps your waist as the guard comes back around. “Prince Jimin and Prince Jungkook have arrived-”Good, tell them to come to the crown hall.” he bows his head once more. “That’s the issue, Emperor. Prince Jungkook is greatly injured. Prince Jimin brought him to the nobel healer.” Seokjin tenses up and you are quick to grasp his hand.

“He fights in my war and comes home half dead, this boy.” Seokjin squeezes your hand and sighs once more as he pulls you along.

“Let’s meet my brothers”

taglist: @teamtardis-notdead @little7bitchh

[a-blue-secret]

CHAPTER XXIII

BACK TO MASTERLIST

Chapter XXII | Chapter XXIII | Chapter XXIV

GENRES: royal au; fantasy au; magic au; friends-to-enemies-to-lovers; king!beomgyu, vizier!taehyun

PAIRING: taegyu

WARNINGS: (as always) swearing

WORD COUNT: 6.5k+

AN: On a scale of 'Filler Chapter' to 'A Shit Ton Happens Here', this is a firm 'Without This Chapter, Nothing Would Make Sense'. Fun fact, this chapter was the whole reason I wanted to write Court of Lies in the first place! Enjoy :)

SUMMARY: Best friends turned enemies, Kang Taehyun has managed to trick Choi Beomgyu into his service, and to rule for a year and a day, until his youngest brother would be old enough to take the throne. Choi Beomgyu has no intention of being obedient however, and tries to thwart Taehyun’s orders at every turn. With a growing amount of distrust and lies within the court, will Taehyun manage to keep the kingdom of Gojongja from falling apart?

The voice laughed. "You are all so entertaining! I've been watching you, you know. Some of your spy techniques are, I'm afraid, a little shabby. Climbing the palace ledges? Please. I'm surprised no one woke up from the racket you created."

Yeonjun snarled. "Stop mocking us and show yourself!"

"Fine." The voice sounded amused by Yeonjun's authoritative tone. “Allow me to reveal myself.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-

The three boys had formed a circle, all positioned to fight. Then a tall, lithe figure nimbly landed in front of them, as silent and as poised as a cat. He raised his head, ever so slowly, and stared at Taehyun. A tall frame, slender shoulders, familiar dimples and twinkling eyes… Taehyun, Yeonjun and Hueningkai all gasped at once, unintentionally lowering their guard.

Taehyun stared in shock. His eyes were purple .

“Soobin?” Taehyun said, at the same time that Yeonjun and Hueningkai both said, “Wolfsbane?”

The man (Soobin? Wolfsbane?) chuckled. “I see our dear little Kang Taehyun recognises me.”

Yeonjun glared at the man. “So it was you! I saw you in the palace!”

The man bowed mockingly, violet eyes twinkling maleficently. “Indeed you did,” he said. “And so did Hueningkai, when you all went down to the basement of the library.” He gave a small laugh. “I’m afraid I scared you a little, didn’t I?”

Hueningkai didn’t answer the man. Yeonjun didn’t say a word, either. Both of them glared at the man, tension evident in their muscles, while on the other hand the man looked completely relaxed.

Soobin’s lips formed a mocking pout. “Why, I thought you spies would be delighted to see me! After all, I am a legendary spy, aren’t I?”

Yeonjun bared his teeth. “You and your clan are infamous for bringing down royals and corrupting Kingdoms,” he said darkly. “I’m afraid you’re not welcome.”

Soobin pouted again. “Oh that’s not very nice! And I thought you found me cute.”

“That’s before you showed who you truly were,” Yeonjun glowered. “Now you’re anything but cute.”

“Oh, that is a shame,” Soobin laughed. “I would have been more than happy to give you a kiss, but it seems that it is not wanted.”

Yeonjun only scoffed in disgust, crossing his arms.

Hueningkai hadn’t said anything. His eyes never left the stranger, but he spoke to Taehyun. “Taehyun, how do you know him?”

“Lord Soobin’s a member of our court,” Taehyun replied in a confused tone, eyes fixed on the man’s crystalline eyes. “But… he didn’t look like this. I don’t know who this person is.”

“I’m still Soobin, don’t you worry. I am a member of your court, in a way,” he chuckled. “And indeed, I didn’t look like this! Ugh, I hate wearing contacts. They hurt my eyes.” His violet eyes sparkled. “But it was all worth it, if it utterly deceived you.”

Taehyun blinked, confused. “But, you… you’re good? You told me you were the good guy!”

Soobin sighed sympathetically. “Dear me, you’re so naive. And here I thought you were smart. Kang Taehyun, did it not strike you odd that I entered the scene at the exact moment you needed me? Did it not seem a little strange how I was coincidentally there at the same time as Beomgyu when he was lost in town? Did you not become even a little suspicious of me when it were my cakes which made you sick?”

“You did that on purpose?” Taehyun asked, shocked.

“Oh, no, no!” Soobin chuckled. “God, no. My intended target was someone different. But your interference caused a little… setback regarding your health.”

Taehyun blinked, at a loss for words. No one spoke. The two spies regarded Soobin carefully, as if he were a dangerous explosive which could kill them any second. Soobin on the other hand, looked at ease, hands behind his back as he rocked on his heels carelessly, watching them. It was almost as if he were waiting for someone to speak. Taehyun narrowed his eyes, tilting his head to the side. He was the only one who had no idea who Soobin really was, and it was frustrating him. What he did know, however, was that Soobin was now Bad™, and he needed to know how and why.

“Are purple eyes a trademark of your clan? I don’t remember any clans having purple eyes,” Taehyun finally said to break the silence.

“Indeed,” Soobin said in an amused tone. “My eyes are a trademark, which is why I had to disguise them. Your eyes, also… they too are infamous. So piercing, and striking. And when you spoke… it sounded like you knew everything in the world.” He sighed sympathetically. “What a shame that you were barely educated in the history of spies.”

Taehyun raised his dagger point. “You’ll be surprised to know that my knowledge on spies is actually not that bad, despite what you may think.”

“Oh, you’re even more adorable when you’re acting scary,” Soobin laughed. “And I assure you, if you do not know me, you do not know spies at all.”

Hueningkai twirled a crystal ball on the tip of his finger, the rugged edges catching the light of the lamps. “Quit talking. How did you get in? Why did you get in?”

Soobin turned his purple gaze to the youngest spy. “Oh, I almost forgot! Since you spoke, I now get the chance to say the ‘stupid thing about you being mixed’. How has life in Aruyeo been for you, young Kamal?” Hueningkai flushed with rage.

“I left that name behind years ago,” he said, shaking with fury. “My surname is not Kamal anymore. How dare you bring it up!”

“You left it behind, hmm? Well you didn’t do a very good job, I have to say. Isn’t it your middle name now?”

“Shut. Up,” Hueningkai seethed. His grip tightened on the glass in his hand. “I’ll ask you again. How did you get in? ”

Soobin strolled around the three, seemingly at ease. He walked a full circle around them, before coming to a stop in front of Taehyun again. A small smile played on his lips.

“Oh, with great difficulty, I assure you,” he said. “That’s quite a power you have there Kamal,” Soobin added. “Matter manipulation. Fancy.”

“ Stop. Calling. Me. Kamal. ”

Soobin ignored him. “But why am I here? Now that is a more interesting question. I suppose I am here to… merely provoke you. For you see, I have already won.”

“Stop with the cryptic messages, you asshole,” Taehyun said. “What are you talking about?”

Soobin smiled wider, clearly delighted by their ignorance. “Why, His Royal Greatness Beomgyu, of course.”

Taehyun flared up, eyes sparking at the mention of Beomgyu’s name. “If you’ve so much as harmed a hair on his head, then I swear that I will kill you,” he seethed, gripping his dagger fiercely.

“Oh my, that’s a rather bold statement,” Soobin commented amusedly. “For these past months, I have been a trusted friend and ally, but I make one wrong move and suddenly I’m receiving threats? How very odd.”

“If Yeonjun and Hueningkai don’t like you, then I don’t like you either,” Taehyun replied coldly. “I trust their judgement.”

“You trust two seasoned spies over me?” Soobin said, widening his eyes and blinking them innocently. “Me, Lord Soobin? The Lord that you have been conversing with quite closely for some time now?” He leaned forward, eyes twinkling maleficently. “You should never trust spies like them, you know,” he said in an almost confiding manner. “You never know when they may stab you in the back. Figuratively and even literally.”

Taehyun hesitated, glancing at Yeonjun. Taehyun was closed off and hesitant to trust by nature, and the Aruyeonan could only imagine the doubts running through his mind at that moment.

“Don’t listen to him,” Yeonjun said insistently. “He’s a spy too, remember? He’s a much more seasoned spy than we are. Besides, you’ve known us for longer. We’d never betray you.”

“I know,” Taehyun said, and his eyes hardened. He turned back to Soobin. “You’ll have to do a lot more than that if you want me to turn against Yeonjun and Hueningkai. I trust them with my life.”

Soobin hummed, shrugging carelessly. “I like games,” was all he said. “I like entertainment. What I say is not always a basis for a manipulative scheme, no matter what you may think. Even the smallest game is of utmost interest to me.” His eyes sparked, as if he’d remembered something. “Speaking of games, I suppose now is time to tell you about my grand scheme. The one in which your King’s life is, unfortunately, something which I have no use for.”

Now. Taehyun was not an emotional person: far from it. He knew how to handle his emotions, and to keep his cool in the face of smug Lords and vile foreigners. But Soobin managed to rub him up the wrong way, getting on his nerves and making him feel increasingly more irritated. It was strange: he was never an outwardly emotional person, but when it came to be about Beomgyu, he couldn’t control it.

Letting out an outraged yell, Taehyun threw his dagger at Soobin, blinded by momentary anger. Soobin smoothly leaned to the side, and the blade missed him completely, hitting the metal wall before clattering onto the floor.

“Well, someone cares about the king a lot,” Soobin commented amusedly. “A great deal, I would say.”

“You have no idea,” Taehyun said darkly. He drew another dagger from one of the many hidden pockets of his uniform, raising it in the air. “And you’d better explain what you mean right this second before I throw this dagger at you. This time, I definitely won’t miss.”

Soobin raised an eyebrow, as if Taehyun’s statement amused him. “A nice threat, Kang Taehyun. You certainly have a considerably intimidating glare. And to answer your question, you might want to turn to your little spy friends. They would probably know. Am I right, Yeonjunie?”

Yeonjun hissed at the mocking nickname, but it was weak. His face had grown pale.

“You fucking monster, ” he spat at Soobin. The violet-eyed male only laughed.

“Oh, no, I’m not the monster here.”

Even Hueningkai had gone white. The hand holding the explosive trembled, and he quickly tucked the ball away before it fell from his grip and smashed on the floor.

“You… Why?” Hueningkai whispered. “Why Beomgyu?”

“Oh, I’d forgotten how fond all of you were of the king,” Soobin said casually. “Whoops. And why? Because it had to be done.”

“Not to Beomgyu, it didn’t,” Hueningkai said, voice wobbling. Soobin sighed condescendingly.

“Of course to Beomgyu, you idiots,” he explained. “He’s the start of a new line. He’s weak. When they’re young, and inexperienced, it’s so much easier. That’s why it has to be Beomgyu.” No one said a word. Soobin raised an eyebrow in amusement. He strolled around the bare steel room, taking in the rusty oil lamps and shelves of explosives which took up the whole of one wall, from top to bottom. He noted the tiny greenhouse in the corner which held rare and common herbs, acknowledged the small furnace and bags of sand which were used to make glass, glanced at the lead box filled with ancient books. Soobin sauntered over to the shelves of glass bombs, delicately tracing the veins of each of the handmade crystal balls.

“If you break them, this whole room will explode or set on fire, and then everyone will know you’re here,” Hueningkai called out.

“Oh, I know,” Soobin dismissed. “As dear Yeonjunie said, I am a seasoned spy. I can recognise explosives when I see them.”

Again, Yeonjun hissed at the mockingly affectionate tone, its degrading quality jarring against his nerves.

No one spoke as Soobin leisurely walked around the room, running his finger along the dusty shelves and rolling some of the smaller marbles in his hand.

Throughout the whole time, Taehyun had been growing increasingly frustrated. He still had no clue what was going on, and it was making him more and more infuriated.

“Will someone please enlighten me as to what the hell is going on?” he exclaimed finally, frustration and irritation bursting out of him. Soobin turned his violet eyes to the vizier, and laughed aloud with delight.

“You really don’t know who I am?” he asked rhetorically. “Gosh, they truly didn’t teach you, did they?” He stalked towards Taehyun and leaned down so they were eye-to-eye, purple irises sparkling with mirth. “For all the rumours and tales of your wisdom, you really are just a clueless young boy, aren’t you?” Taehyun growled and punched Soobin in the stomach. The elder let out a small ‘oof’ and doubled over slightly, chuckling. “For a young boy, you still pack quite a punch.”

“It’ll be more than just a punch in a minute,” he snarled.

“Easy there, pet,” Soobin chuckled. When Taehyun growled again, he mockingly growled back. “You don’t even know my clan, do you?” he asked, eyes twinkling. “My, you are indeed clueless!” Before Taehyun could make some cutting statement, Soobin carried on, still smiling. “And think, my dear Kang Taehyun. Does ‘Wolfsbane’ really mean nothing to you? Think. If Wolfsbane is hard to think of, consider the flower it is the nickname for. Think Aconitum. Think bedtime stories. Think flowers. Think poisons. I’m sure if you use your brain you’ll figure it out.”

Taehyun opened his mouth to snark back, eyes fierce, but Soobin’s eyes flashed warningly. It was obvious he would only play nice for so long. Taehyun glared, closing his mouth. He cast his mind back.

“The maids told me stories about a beautiful yet deadly Queen called Aconita,” he bit out, still staring at Soobin with suspicion.

Soobin smiled. “Ah yes, Queen Aconita of the Four Kingdoms. The Queen of Poisons. An intriguing story. Sadly, Aconita was never even a person. What about flowers?”

Taehyun hesitated, beginning to actually think about what Soobin might be getting at. “Flowers… The poisonous purple-blue flower called wolfsbane, whose Latin name is Aconitum .”

The violet-eyed male chuckled. “Now we’re getting somewhere. They're the reason I make flowers for a living, by the way. It's almost like a homage to my spy name, Wolfsbane. Now, what about poisons?”

“Um, poisons…  there’s this one poison named after the wolfsbane flower, Aconitum, which Hueningkai thought I’d had when I’d been sick.”

Soobin nodded amusedly. “Yes, but what about ‘wolfsbane’?” When Taehyun looked unsure, he turned to Hueningkai. “Would you care to help Taehyun out?”

“The potion ‘Wolfbairn’, which renders people insane, is of most similar spelling to wolfsbane. Wolfbairn is an extremely old potion which has gradually stopped being used overtime, since the effects of the potion only drive the person into insanity, rather than kill them. People have had no use of an insanity potion, so its uses have eventually died out.” Hueningkai spoke quietly, as if the words were being forced out of him. Even now, while sharing information he did not want to say, Hueningkai still spoke about everything he knew. It was almost like an instinct: ingrained into him from such a young age. “It is often described as having… werewolf fever,” Hueningkai said, still rather pale. “And they call it werewolf fever because it’s similar to the state of insanity werewolves go into just before the full moon.”

“Very good,” Soobin said. “And now Taehyun, does ‘Jeju Choi clan’ ring any bells to you? Specifically, alarm bells?”

Taehyun paused. “They– they refused to teach us about that clan,” he said. “I even looked, but no records held any mention of the clan, so I assumed they died out.”

“We have almost died out,” Soobin sighed regretfully. “As of now, it is just myself and my sister left. And the reason why you could never find anything about my clan is because I took it out.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled ball of parchment. He tossed it to Taehyun, who caught it in one hand. Taehyun unfurled the ball to find the parchments were all ripped-out pages of textbooks.

“These… these are all pages from the books the scholars use to teach us about clans,” Taehyun said, confused.

“Indeed they are,” Soobin said, folding his arms casually. “I had to take them from Beomgyu’s cottage, you know. For some reason he had the books at his house, and I needed to take these pages out before he found them.”

Taehyun glared at him. “You broke into Beomgyu’s house?”

Soobin gave a lazy chuckle. “This was after he’d been crowned. Don’t worry.” Taehyun continued to glare at him, before Soobin gestured to the pages. “Go on, read them.”

Taehyun hissed angrily, before turning his attention back to the textbook pages in his hands. His eyes widened as he scanned through the pages. “Your clan is so old… you have two abilities?”

“My sister, rather,” Soobin said. “Only a rare few have both. Most have one or the other. Mine is to curse.”

“You… you curse people?” Taehyun said, eyes wide.

Soobin almost laughed at Taehyun’s dumbfounded expression. “Dear me, you really are adorable. Yes, Taehyun, I do.”

“How so?”

“Well…” Soobin shrugged carelessly. “I make people unlike themselves. Turn them angry when they should be happy, or insane when they should be sane.”

“So was it you who turned the public so suddenly against Beomgyu when he announced the alliance?” Taehyun demanded, eyes turning fierce. He threw the papers at Soobin’s feet, the crumpled-up ball rolling pitifully. “Do you know how many days Beomgyu hid himself away after that? Do you know how guilty he felt?”

This time, Soobin really did let out an amused laugh. “Taehyun, dear, do you know what a curse is? It is something of supernatural power which is used with the intent of harming or punishing something.” He paused. “Well, if I put it that way, it does sound like I cursed the people, but I did not! I simply… convinced another Lord to do it in my stead.”

“Ah, so Lord Namjae’s son must be the spell-caster,” Taehyun said, scrunching his nose in disgust. “So when he said, ‘It was Lord Soobin’s idea’, he really meant it.”

Soobin laughed again, violet eyes sparkling with malevolent mirth. “My, you have a good memory! Indeed, it was my idea. I even suggested the explosives in the chandeliers. I held the triggers in my hand, you know. That Lord really did trust me.”

“I don’t know why anyone would trust you,” Taehyun said, glaring. “Did you have everything planned out? Did you orchestrate everything from that day?”

“Oh, way before that.” Soobin grinned maliciously. “Whose father do you think came up with this plan? Whose sister do you think holds a considerable amount of power in Aruyeo, and ordered the sending out of ambassadors to Gojongja? Who do you think talked to Beomgyu in an abandoned hallway under the guise of an apology? And…” He bent down in front of Taehyun, until they were practically nose-to-nose. “Who do you think cursed the King?”

Taehyun gave an outraged cry, punching Soobin across the jaw. Soobin’s head jerked back, and he clutched the side of his face, chuckling.

“I’m going to fucking kill you!” he yelled, launching himself at the taller male. Hueningkai and Yeonjun quickly grabbed his arms to stop him from punching Soobin again, holding the furious vizier back. “Hueningkai– Yeonjun– let me go!”

“Taehyun, no, he could literally curse you in the blink of an eye,” Yeonjun hissed as Taehyun continued to struggle.

Soobin had taken a step back, rubbing at the reddening spot on his jawline with an amused smile still on his face. “Yeonjun’s right, Taehyun dear,” he said. “Besides, you need me to tell you what’s going to happen to Beomgyu.”

Taehyun snarled, but stopped resisting and let the two Aruyeonan spies pull him back. “Go on then,” he spat. “What’s your plan? What do you want? Tell me.”

Soobin grinned. “Not with that attitude I won’t. Here, sit down.” He gestured to the velvet carpet. Taehyun scrunched up his nose, crossing his arms defiantly.

“Just hurry up and fucking say it.”

“Hmm, should I?” Soobin mused. He folded his hands behind his back, and began to walk around the room again. He inspected his reflection in one of the larger marbles, sighing. “Oh, that’s annoying. I will most definitely have a bruise on my cheek tomorrow.”

By this time, all three of them were glaring daggers at the famous spy. Soobin looked back at them, raising an eyebrow. He chuckled again, walking back up to them.

“Let me tell you, then. The Jeju Choi clan dates back several hundred thousand years. Though we are not as old as some clans, we are old enough to be known for two abilities. However, one person can only ever have one ability. Though some rare ones, like my sister, have two.”

“I didn’t want to know your clan’s history,” Taehyun interrupted. “What’s your plan?”

Soobin tsked. “Patience is a virtue, dear vizier. Be patient.”

Taehyun bared his teeth. “Fine. I’ll entertain you. What does your sister do?”

Soobin paused, before chuckling. “Well, I suppose there is no harm in telling you. Even if you did figure it out, it would be too late.” He leaned forward, eyes sparkling with mirth. “Her abilities are to curse and to transform. She can transform herself into any shape or person she likes.” Taehyun frowned, about to speak again, but Soobin was already moving on.

Soobin folded his hands together, nudging his foot against the ball of papers on the floor. “These papers will tell you all about the history of our clan in relation to royal families. Over the centuries, we have accumulated a vast amount of wealth from our times in court, all of which my sister and I now own. Which is a lot, I assure you–” he spread his arms, revealing the several silver rings adorning his long fingers– “as you can see. My sister is busy gaining more wealth, and I’m here to complete the most important part of the plan.”

“What’s your plan, then?” Taehyun scoffed. “World domination?”

Soobin’s eyes flashed. “Domination over all the Four Kingdoms.” He leaned forward, violet eyes practically glowing in determination. “Do you know? Each of the crowns hold power. The reason the Four Kingdoms work in harmony is because each Kingdom has their own power. However, being the oldest and most successful, the Gojongja crown is more powerful, which is why its monarch remains at a higher position than the monarchs of the other Kingdoms.” He gave a grin. “If one person were to potentially gain access to all of these crowns… well, they’d be invincible.”

“Well, you’ll never be able to take the Gojongja crown,” Taehyun said, crossing his arms. “You need someone of royal blood to crown you, and you need to be of royal blood yourself to be able to be crowned.”

Soobin stared at him, before laughing. “Dear, Taehyun, please read through your facts before you start to try and find holes in my plan.” The smile dropped from his face, and his eyes flashed maliciously. “I am of royal blood, idiot,” he said. “Why do you think I was only a rank below Beomgyu, in court? My ancestor was the son of one of Gojongja’s Kings.”

Soobin gave a dramatic sigh, staring into the distance. “My clan used to be a favourite in court. We were favourites in all of the courts, once. But then Gojongja turned on us, calling us witches because they thought we had cursed the late King.” Soobin paused, giving a chuckle. “We had cursed him, but that was not the point. We were banished from Gojongja after that. Even the King – my ancestor – was murdered by the citizens, simply for being one of us. But even with this banishment in place, we managed to live in Gojongja still, patiently waiting to strike back.”

“Let me guess, you were resentful for having been banished and vowed to take over everyone?” Taehyun snarked, raising an eyebrow, unimpressed. “That’s a shit reason, by the way.”

Soobin chuckled to himself. “Why, you…” He suddenly leaned downwards, until he was nose-to-nose with the vizier, who didn’t even flinch. His face was hard and cold, completely unlike the smiley, warm Soobin that Taehyun had once thought him to be.

“Look down on my family again and I may have to get rid of you,” Soobin said in a low, dangerous voice. “You’re of no use to me. The only reason you’re still alive is because I want to see you be destroyed as Beomgyu is taken away from you.” He leaned closer, cold breath tickling Taehyun’s ear. “Imagine how much fun that would be, hm? He’ll crumble away, slowly forgetting who you are, and you’ll be powerless to do anything about it. And it won’t matter to me, at all. It’s just one little game within this grand scheme of mine. You’ll be insignificant. To me, and to Beomgyu.”

Taehyun flinched, breathing in sharply. Soobin smiled darkly, leaning away. Yeonjun and Hueningkai looked at him worriedly, neither of them having heard what Soobin said. Judging by Taehyun’s shaken expression, however, they knew it was something bad. Hueningkai reached out to Taehyun, concerned, but the vizier brushed off his hand.

“I’m fine,” he said quietly. “I’m fine.”

Yeonjun glanced at Taehyun, still slightly worried, before glaring at the elder spy.

“Why Gojongja first? Why didn’t you go after one of the smaller Kingdoms, like the Barumin Kingdom or Yeojing Kingdom? Those would have been easier. Why come to Gojongja first?” Yeonjun demanded.

Soobin stared at him for a few moments, eyes twinkling maliciously. “Wow,” he said, in disbelief. “You truly didn’t know?” He laughed to himself. “You're a spy for Aruyeo, but you didn’t notice what happened in…” he trailed off, waving a hand. “Oh, nevermind, nevermind. You don’t need to know.”

“What? What happened in where?” Yeonjun said, narrowing his eyes.

“Oh, it doesn’t matter. You’ll find out later. And to answer your question, Gojongja is the largest, most powerful Kingdom. If I can take this Kingdom, it’ll be a breeze with the others.”

“What about Aruyeo, then? They’re almost as powerful as Gojongja.”

Soobin grinned, violet eyes triumphant and mocking. “What about Aruyeo indeed. I wonder how I would have been able to take over such a Kingdom all by myself. Unless, of course, I had help.” His eyes flashed. “It would be difficult, unless I could transform their mindset.”

Yeonjun narrowed his eyes further. Suddenly he gasped.

Soobin leaned back, pleased. “So you finally understood.”

“You! I can’t believe you– argh!” Yeonjun jabbed his finger in Soobin’s direction angrily, before running his hand through his hair.

"Don't worry. When you and Hueningkai were recruited, it was under good intentions," Soobin said, smiling maliciously. "It's only after your recruitment that things... transformed."

Yeonjun growled, stalking up to Soobin. Though he didn't quite meet Soobin's height, his rage made up for those few last inches. "I swear, I will fucking kill you."

Soobin just gave him a dimpled smile, unruffled by the Aruyeonan's close proximity. “Please try to calm down, Junie. I’m just getting to the best part.” Soobin grinned, violet eyes flashing in the light of the oil lamps. “This is the part where I tell you what my curse is going to do to Beomgyu.”

Yeonjun glared at him, muttering a string of curses under his breath, but stepped away from Soobin.

“Ah, you’re right. Say it, before I cut your leg off,” Taehyun glared, spinning his dagger in his hand.

Soobin ignored him, eyes crinkling. “But if I think about it, I’m not the only one who knows what will happen. Yeonjun here knows what curse I’m talking about, as does Hueningkai. Which brings about the question: should I explain it to you myself? Or…” He tapped a slender finger against his chin, eyes alight with cruel mirth. “Or am I evil enough to make one of the spies say it? How about you, Hueningkai? You’re fond of the King, aren’t you? It would most likely break some part of you to have to detail Beomgyu’s demise.”

At that, Hueningkai looked up at him, gaze sharp. “Don’t you dare make me. If you do, I swear...” He showed Soobin a small glass marble. “This will just kill you, and not any of us. You don’t want to die, do you?”

“Alright, alright, I won’t,” Soobin chuckled. “It’ll sound more dramatic if I tell you, anyway.”

He leaned down in a confidential manner. He paused, and leaned back teasingly. “Hang on, should I tell you or should I not?”

Taehyun’s hand tightened around his dagger, and thorny vines began to appear on the metal floor around Soobin’s feet, growing and snaking up around him, threatening to strike. “Fucking say it before I have to force you to,” he snapped. “And I will force you, you know.” The thorns on the vines thickened, becoming more gnarled and vicious. A threat.

Soobin smirked amusedly. “Fine, I will. Put away your thorns, Jeo.”

Taehyun barely flinched from the use of his surname. “Hurry up with it then, Choi.”

“Alright, calm down. I’m getting to it.” His eyes sparkled, clearly delighted with how irritated Taehyun was getting. He leaned forward again, and Taehyun almost instinctively leaned towards him.

Soobin paused, smiling. “You really want to know, don’t you?”

Taehyun gritted his teeth. “Get on with it.”

“As you wish. There have only been five known cases of this curse throughout the whole of the Four Kingdoms’ history. There’s no official name for it, so most people call it the ‘Beast Curse’, because, well, I’ll get to that later.” Soobin grinned as Taehyun snarled at him again. “Once the curse fully takes place, he will rapidly lose his strength. The symptoms can often be misdiagnosed as Aconitum – which is partly why I took up the name Wolfsbane, by the way – and this misdiagnosis can become fatal for the person. But the one thing which differentiates the original symptoms from Aconitum are his feral days.”

Soobin leaned back, folding his arms. Taehyun almost punched him again, thinking the spy was done speaking, but Soobin continued to talk, this time addressing the Aruyeonans.

“You all know what happens next, don’t you? Would anyone else like to take over the storytelling?”

Yeonjun was white in the face, but he still spat at Soobin viciously. “You already said you’re going to say it,” he said, glaring. “So go ahead and fucking say it. Stop stalling.”

Soobin grinned. “Very well.” Then, the tone of his voice changed, becoming more sinister as his smug grin darkened into something scarier.

“From this point onwards, he’ll become weaker, at an even faster rate than he is right now. He’ll barely be able to speak. There will be no wild outbreaks, but he’ll become so weak he can do nothing but lie down. Breathing can even become difficult for him. This will go on for a few days, and then…” Soobin gave a grin, dimples doing little to soften the malicious edges of his smile. “There’s a reason this is called the Beast Curse. One day, he’ll change. You all know the unexplained monster which is always present in the tales of the Four Kingdoms’ histories, right? That’s the product of our curse. He’ll become that monster. He’ll slowly become insane, losing all parts of himself, until he’s just a beast: a crazy, destructive monster who you can’t stop. And then, his own people kill him. With you, Taehyun,  at the head, giving out this order.”

Taehyun didn’t get angry easily, nor did he get scared easily. But what Soobin said made him the most terrified he’d ever felt. He stared at the spy, eyes wide, as Soobin leaned back, grinning maliciously.

“You…” It was only a single word, but his voice shook.

“After that, you’ll be too broken to do anything. Yeonjun and Hueningkai will be killed by my sister, and I can take over Gojongja. Then…” Soobin shrugged, looking smug. “Yeojing and Barumin will be a breeze.”

Yeonjun cracked his whip angrily. “There’s no way in hell that Hueningkai and I are going to be killed by your stupid sister,” he hissed. “We’ll kill her first.”

Soobin stared at him, eyebrow raised, before slowly bending down in front of Yeonjun, their noses inches apart. “Talk like that about my sister and I might kill you right this second,” he hissed. “No one talks about my sister like that.”

Yeonjun, undeterred, raised an eyebrow. “Ooh, looks like I hit a nerve there. You must care about your sister a lot.”

Soobin rolled his eyes, leaning away. “I could say the same thing about you. You care about your brother a lot, don’t you? You wouldn’t want something to happen to your poor brother, would you?”

In a flash, he was lunging for Hueningkai, but the younger managed to spin out of the way, pinning Soobin against the wall, arm on his throat.

“I can fend for myself,” Hueningkai glared. “And try to threaten my brother like that again and I might kill you right this second.”

Soobin stared at him, before laughing. “Alright, alright. I yield. For now.”

Hueningkai slowly released Soobin, still glaring at him.

“You might want to start saying your goodbyes to Beomgyu, you know, instead of messing around threatening me,” Soobin said, rubbing his neck. “He doesn’t have a lot of time before he turns. And what’s up with you lot harassing me? Along with a bruised jaw, I’ll most likely have marks on my collarbone too.”

“Shut the fuck up, you deserve it,” Yeonjun said.

“Whatever you say,” Soobin grinned. “But I’m going to go now.”

“What? You’re leaving?” Yeonjun scoffed. “Why did you come for a chit-chat if you’re going to leave not even an hour later?”

Soobin smirked, stepping into the shadows. His eyes sparkled bright purple. “Why, to waste more of your time! Your king now has less than five days left!” he called gleefully. “And time is precious, you know!”

Yeonjun let out a yell. “Come back here, you son of a–” he rushed towards the darkened corner, trying to find Soobin and drag him back. But he was only met with an empty wall, the infuriating purple gaze and mocking silvery voice having already disappeared with their owner. Nevertheless, he punched the wall angrily, still muttering curses.

“Yeonjun, just stop,” Hueningkai sighed. “He’ll only show himself if he wants to.”

“That prick,” Yeonjun snarled. “He’s been deceiving us this whole fucking time. I can’t believe he was Wolfsbane.”

“I know right? I– wait Taehyun, are you okay?”

Taehyun had collapsed onto his knees, feeling too weak to stand any longer. Hueningkai rushed over to him, shaking his shoulders. Taehyun moved with the action limply, eyes glazed with fear. He had gone pale, and was shaking.

“Beomgyu…” he whispered, voice thin and wobbly. A tear spilled from the corner of his eye. “Beomgyu…”

It was only a single tear, but Hueningkai’s eyes widened. The Taehyun he knew was calm, and the Taehyun he knew was collected: but this Taehyun was crying. This Taehyun looked so scared and vulnerable that Hueningkai felt like crying himself.

Yeonjun also came up to them, putting his arm around Taehyun. “It’s okay, Taehyun,” he said softly. “It’s okay. It’ll be okay.”

Hueningkai nodded, handing Taehyun a handkerchief. “Things will be okay. They will.”

Taehyun smiled shakily, and the Aruyeonans smiled back.

“Yeah,” he whispered. “Things will be okay.”

All of them knew that things would not be okay, but no one wanted to admit it out loud.

“You’re okay, Taehyun, right?” Hueningkai asked, concerned.

Taehyun looked up and nodded weakly, smiling a weak smile. The smile on Taehyun’s face worried Hueningkai, because it spoke volumes about how decidedly not okay Taehyun was, but he decided not to push, talking to Yeonjun instead so that Taehyun could gather himself.

“Hey Yeonjun, why were you so mad at Soobin’s sister?”

“Oh, that.” Yeonjun sighed, clenching his fists. “Just thinking about it makes me so mad. Soobin’s sister is impersonating Queen Erajin.”

Hueningkai gaped at Yeonjun. “What?”

“Yeah. That’s why Soobin was going on and on about ‘transforming’, because his sister has transformed into Queen Erajin.”

Hueningkai blinked, mouth hanging open. “Wow. I can’t believe it.” He paused, furrowing his brows. “Actually, I can. That’s why your missions became weirder and weirder.”

“Yeah. I thought it was weird why she made me burn half of Barumin’s crops last year.”

Hueningkai blinked thoughtfully, arm still around Taehyun. Taehyun stared blankly at the floor, leaning against Hueningkai. When the spy began to jostle around, gesturing with his arms as he spoke, Taehyun’s body also moved with the action, the vizier’s expression blank and listless.

“But they can’t have killed Queen Erajin, could they?” Hueningkai asked. “That would have been too suspicious. They have to be keeping her captive somewhere. I don’t know much about the transforming ability, but the thing you are impersonating needs to be nearby, or at least alive, right? So if Soobin’s sister is simply dethroned, Queen Erajin can come back, can’t she?” Hueningkai’s eyes widened as he realised what he just said. Yeonjun stared back, eyes equally as wide.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Hueningkai said.

“I think I am,” Yeonjun said, grinning.

Hueningkai grinned back, and stood up onto his feet. With the sudden loss of his support, Taehyun almost fell onto his face, and Hueningkai quickly crouched back down before the vizier fell over. “Oh, Taehyun, sorry. Here.” He offered his hand to Taehyun, and was surprised when the vizier actually took it.

Once Taehyun was on his feet, Hueningkai placed his hands on his shoulders, trying to bring Taehyun back to the present. “Hey, Taehyun, do you think you’ll be okay getting back to your room yourself?”

“Hmm?” With some difficulty, Taehyun’s gaze focused on Hueningkai, and he nodded slowly. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

“That’s good. Yeonjun and I need to plan something so we can’t take you back to your room, if that’s okay.”

Taehyun gave a smile, properly engaged in the conversation now. “I’ll be fine,” he said, even though he still looked rather pale. “But what are you planning?”

“We’re going to get back our Kingdom,” Yeonjun said cryptically. “You’ll be fine, right?” he checked.

“Yeah, I will. You go on then.”

Hueningkai nodded, and followed Yeonjun out of the chamber’s door. Taehyun stood there in the middle of the room for a moment longer, staring at the steel wall opposite him.

Hueningkai popped his head into the chamber, tilting his head. “Taehyun? You coming?”

Taehyun snapped out of his trance, brushing away his tears. “Yeah, I’m coming. I’m coming.”

He stared down at his hands, with their barely healed scratches, before walking out of the room.

taglist: @my-moarmy-heart​ @arohabangtan​ @a-fragmented-world​

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

Scars That Heal || Eddie Kaspbrak x Reader Series

• Ch. 6: Friends Will Be Friends •

     Beverly dared not go to Y/n until her father had left for work. The minute he closed the door, she phoned each of the boys and told them her address and to come straight away. The second she was sure his truck had turned the corner, she rushed down the fire escape to the familiar apartment below. Beverly created a rapid series of knocks on the screen door of Y/n's apartment. Seconds later, Y/n approached the door. Beverly could make out the girl's appearance. The bags under her eyes were almost completely gone and she looked brighter than she had been in a while.

     Poor Y/n, Bev couldn't help but think. She seemed to have just begun to return to her old self, and now she was about to dump something else entirely into her lap.

     "Hey, Bev," Y/n leaned against the now open door, a crooked smile on her lips. "What's up?"

     Beverly met Y/n's eye, they were indeed brighter and well-rested, but they shifted slightly in concern. Her smirk began to fade. Bev's eyes flickered to the grated floor beneath her feet before returning to Y/n. A habit she had when she had something important, but very difficult to share with her.

     "Bev, what's wrong? What happened?"

     Without uttering a word, Beverly gestured for Y/n to follow her up the stairs. Confused, but nevertheless compliant, Y/n stepped out onto the fire escape, closing the door behind her before following Beverly up the steps.

     Y/n did not know what to expect when Beverly had taken her upstairs. Her first thought - her first fear - was that Beverly's dad had done something. That he had done something to Beverly, and now she was about to share with Y/n whatever thing the vile man must have done behind closed doors. On the way up and into Beverly's apartment, Y/n had mentally prepared herself for whatever horrible thing Bev had to share.

     But she certainly was not expecting to reach the end of the hallway only for Beverly to make a right turn. The bathroom? She looked to Beverly in confusion, her eyebrows raised.

     "I don't get it," she chuckled weakly.

     Beverly stifled an eye roll and gestured to the door.

     "Just," she shifted on her feet, watching the closed door distrustfully.

     Y/n gave her friend an odd look before something clicked in her head and she sighed stepping forward and reaching the closed door.

     "Oh, geez, Bev is it a spider or something? You know I hate them," She chuckled nervously, hand wrapped around the doorknob and she opened it, her gaze returning to the bathroom. "But you had me thinking something-"

     Y/n had lost the ability to speak when her eyes landed on the room, the words lodged in her throat. Beverly stepped forward and stood by Y/n's side. She looked from Y/n's shocked and horrified reaction back to the bathroom. The bloodied windows casting a red glow over the two young girls as they took in the ghastly sight.

     Y/n had never seen so much blood in her entire life. It covered every square inch of the bathroom, including the ceiling. It had made itself into every crevice, every nook, and every corner. Within a millisecond upon first glance, she thought it had been paint. But to her horror and great disgust, she knew it was blood. The only thing even remotely normal-looking was the inside of the tub, where someone had showered.

    "Thank fuck, you see it too." She sighed, running a hand through her shortened curls, still unused to the feeling of the new length.

    "Uh, yeah, well," Y/n was still struggling for words and for a brief moment, she figured this must be how Bill felt.

     She swallowed, finally finding her voice. "I-it's kinda hard not to, ya know?"

     She chuckled uncomfortably, and looked to Bev, trying to rid herself of her shock.

     "Okay, Bev, you know I love you, and you know I trust you, this is just something I have to ask," Beverly rolled her eyes at what came next. "But was anyone murdered here, cause honestly what the fuck else could have happened?"

     "Jesus, no, I-" Beverly looked at the bathroom, shaking her head exasperated. "I still don't know what happened, I-"

     A heavy sigh escaped Beverly and she buried her face in her hands, rubbing her eyes with her fingers. A vexatious moan was muffled in her palms, frustration and fear all bubbling back up to the top.

     Y/n watched in worry and returned her gaze to the bright red bathroom. She could feel bile climbing up her throat and her nose was scrunched up in disgust. The overwhelming stench was clogging up her senses and she could practically taste the blood on her tongue. Refusing to take another breath, she leaned on the side of the door frame for stability as she reached for the doorknob. She didn't dare cross the threshold, much too disgusted and wary of the blood that covered the tile.

     Y/n finally took a breath when the door closed. She only left it open a crack in the hopes it would air out in the slightest. She turned to Beverly, laying a hand on her friends back before guiding her back to the living room.

     "Let's step outside for a moment. I think you could use some air, I know I sure could."

     Beverly's hands fell to her side and she nodded, letting Y/n guide her out onto the fire escape. The pair sat on metal steps, and Beverly took out a hidden cigarette that had been lodged behind her ear. She retrieved the lighter she always carried in her pocket and lit the cigarette that hung from her lips.

     By the time Beverly had finished explaining the encounter she had the previous night, the cigarette was nearly out. It had grown quiet between the friends, Beverly soaking up every last breath of the addicting substance while Y/n processed everything. The silence was broken after Bev finally put out her cigarette, and Y/n's cheeks puffed out as she exhaled in thought.

     "Damn,"

      Beverly nodded, flicking the bud of the cigarette over the rails at the brick wall. Y/n, who had been leaning on her legs, her hands interlaced, turned to Beverly with a concerned glance.

     "Shit, we should really move, huh?"

     A pathetic but genuine chuckle vibrated through Beverly before silence settled back into the atmosphere. A quizzical look found its way onto Beverly's face and she looked at Y/n.

     "In all seriousness, what happened that night? You never did tell me."

     Y/n nodded, understanding her friend's curiosity. She had a feeling this was coming, and she took a deep breath, focusing her gaze on the trees in the distance. She relaxed slightly when she spotted three dots emerging from the treetops. It was a small flock of birds and she felt a sense of comfort in the tranquil scenery. It was such a small and simple sight that grounded her back to reality.

     "Well, I had just started to go back to sleep." She shook her head slightly and began gesturing her arms out of habit. "The television set was still on, so I got up to turn it off, and"

     Her furrowed brows had cemented into a frown, and absentmindedly her hand had traveled down her ankle. Her fingers were fiddling with a loose fray from the ace bandage.

     "I drifted off, and for a moment I thought you were trying to wake me up, or something. It felt like you were pulling on my leg, and..." she trailed off, shaking her head and scolding herself for allowing her nerves to return so soon. "Well, obviously it wasn't you..."

     Beverly, who had been hanging off of her every word, leaned forward. She was propping herself up on her legs much like Y/n was.

     "What was it, Y/n?" Her tone was gentle, a tone she rarely found herself using.

     Before Y/n could continue, the faint sound of several bicycle chains interrupted her. As it grew louder, they could hear a familiar boastful and cocky voice that was even louder. Richie Tozier.

     Beverly stood up, and looked to Y/n, annoyed at herself for not mentioning to Y/n she had called them.

     "I wasn't sure if you would be home or not, so I called the guys." She explained quickly.

     At that moment, Y/n recognized the familiar speedy voice and she felt the smallest flutter in her stomach. She nodded, standing to her feet and together the two girls sped down the steps just in time to meet the five boys rounding the corner.

     "You made it. I..." Beverly exhaled, looking to each of them. "I need to show you something."

     "What is it?" Ben asked.

     It was Beverly's turn to get cut off. Before she could form a coherent or vague answer, Richie jumped in.

     "More than we saw at the quarry?"

     "Fuck off, Richie."

     "Shut up, Richie!"

     Y/n and Eddie had snapped at Richie at the same time, and he scoffed.

     "What are you two, my parole officers or some shit?"

     "Might as well get used to having some" Y/n shot back.

     Richie opened his mouth to speak, but Beverly spoke up quickly. Letting the comments roll off her back.

     "My dad would kill me if he finds out, I had boys in the apartment."

     "T-t-then w-we'll leave a lookout." Bill offered. "R-Richie, s-stay here.

     "Why don't I stay?" Y/n offered, looking between the boys and to Bev. "He knows me, and that I live here. If he comes back I'll keep him distracted."

     "You sure?" Beverly asked carefully.

     She was worried about the possibility of Y/n being alone with her father. Not so much that he'd do anything, but Beverly was well aware of how Y/n felt about him. And she had a tendency to speak without thinking when it came to him. With the trouble she had biting her tongue, it was a miracle Beverly was still aloud around her and the reason why they usually stayed at her Y/n's. As much as Beverly secretly loved seeing him baffled at her best friend's remarks, she knew it only caused trouble. Beverly feared what he might do if Y/n went too far when she wasn't there.

     But again, it did make sense that if her father were to see anyone lurking around the apartment, it should be his daughter's friend, and not some teenage boy he knew didn't live there.

     "I'm sure," Y/n sighed lightly in annoyance and nodded. "And don't worry, I'll try to keep it reeled in as much as I can. And that's if he even gets back before you leave."

     Beverly nodded in thanks, relief in her eyes and her demeanor shifted to that of slight urgency. She gestured for the boys, who had been scolding Richie for his boastful remarks that he didn't have to stay. Beverly backed up slightly to the stairs, urging them to follow her. They parked their bikes and passed Y/n to follow Beverly up to the apartment. She felt a hand slap her lightly on the back in passing.

     "Thanks, toots" He winked, clicking his tongue.

     Y/n watched as Richie herded Eddie up the stairs, provoking the poor boy and Y/n sighed lightly. The group had reached Y/n's floor, and she tried ridding herself of the small flutter in her stomach that Eddie was outside her apartment. She shook her head, annoyed at the feeling and embarrassed the thought ever occurred. Y/n sighed, running her palm down her face in exasperation before she took a seat at the bottom of the steps.

     Up in the apartment, the boys followed Beverly through her apartment, and much like Y/n had, they all stopped hesitantly.

     "In there," She said quietly.

     "What is it?" Stan asked.

     Beverly, who was feeling slightly more confident that Y/n had seen it to, gestured weakly to the door. Now slightly worried that would be seeing it.

     "You'll see," she answered weakly.

     The five boys approached the door, and Eddie began mumbling nervously.

     "Are you taking us to your bathroom?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued in a shaky voice. "I just want you to know that eighty-nine percent of worst accidents in homes are caused in bathrooms and I mean that's where all the bacteria and fungi are and it's not a really sanitary place."

     "Oh, lighten up Eds. Don't tell me you're afraid of bathrooms, now are ya?"

     It was a very rare thing for Richie to regret his words, and it was even rarer for his jokes to be ill-timed. So naturally, it was a very strange feeling when Bill opened the door. Bright red light draped over the six figures, and they all gasped in silent fear. With the exception of Eddie, of course, who barely managed to speak above a whisper.

     "I knew it!" He collapsed into gags, never been more appalled in his life.

     "So you guys do see it," Bev nodded, her suspicions were confirmed. "Y/n saw it too. My dad couldn't, I thought I was crazy."

     Eddie chuckled nervously and had to turn away from the door for a breath of fresh air.

     "Well," Ben said gently. "If you're crazy, then we're all crazy,"

     Richie shifted slightly on his feet, finding his voice.

      "Jesus, I didn't know PMS was this bad," Richie winced when Eddie whacked him on the arm. "What?"

     "We c-c-can't leave it like this," Bill said finally.

     Bill stepped into the bathroom, careful not to slip. Though most of the blood had somewhat dried and was not as slippery as he was expecting. The rest followed, Beverly grabbed some cleaning supplies from under her kitchen sink. Handing out gloves for each of them, as well as rags and towels, they each got to work.

     It was Eddie, and he had stepped out onto the landing for some much needed fresh air. He was gagging, and for a moment she feared he would hurl. She retreated up the stairs, carefully keep an eye on the parking lot next door for Bev's dad as well as steer clear from the line of fire.

     Beverly focused on the mirror and the sink, Bill and Stan had worked out a system to clean the floor. Richie and Eddie - who had somehow found a mask and was still gagging - gathered trash bags and filled them with anything that was stained

     "Hey, you alright there?"

     Eddie, who had been grasping the railing, turned to Y/n, having not realized it was her that had journeyed up the steps. Collecting himself, he nodded while reaching into his fanny pack and pulling out the inhaler. He shook it several times before putting it to his lips, and Y/n kicked herself for choosing the worst possible time to speak.

     "What took you guys so long, I was worried something happened."

     Eddie's mouth was still closed and his eyes widened suddenly. He tried to gesture to his inhaler that he still had to hold his breath, but she had already connected the dots. She shook her head, laughing weakly.

     "Right. Sorry,"

     He smiled and an awkward silence hung in the air. The pair both felt a wave of relief when Eddie exhaled seconds later breaking the silence, and he capped the inhaler. He shook his head, a small shiver running down his spine.

     "Cleaning," he said so quickly Y/n almost didn't catch it.

     She had been leaning on the railing, overlooking the small plot next door, and she frowned in confusion.

     "Huh?"

     "Cleaning. We were cleaning. That's what- that's why we took so long." Eddie wasn't used to tripping over his words, and he hated it had to happen now of all places.

     Y/n nodded, mouthing a 'right' and another silence fell between them. They would never know, but at that moment each of them were screaming at themselves to say something, anything to disrupt the awkward tension. Both of their hearts had begun to flutter, painstakingly aware of the fact they were alone together and that had never happened before. But a small part of them was glad they were alone, though neither of them was confident enough to say or do anything.

     In silence, they remained, though it did not take long for it to melt into a peaceful ambiance. Y/n found herself looking at Eddie, he had become awfully squeamish like he wasn't used to sitting still for this long. She folded her lips in, trying to hide the small smile that had crept up and she quickly looked away. Eddie, who had felt a pair of eyes on him, hesitantly looked to the girl, fighting the blush on his cheeks. She was looking off in the distance and looked to be deep in thought. In reality, she had focused all her attention on one spot in the distance pretending she didn't know he was looking.

     The brief moment between the two children was not picture perfect, nor was it ideal, for either of them. But it was innocent, and it was real. Beneath all the tension and worry, was a sense of excitement. A giddiness that came with a sense of hope and mutuality that they were not alone in their feelings. And at that moment a small bond was formed between the pair that held promise for times to come.

×××

     The last remnants of the once bloody bathroom were dumped into one of the many plastic trash bags. Readjusting his rubber gloves on his wrists, Ben grabbed the large plastic bag, trying not to let it slip from his grasp. The blood that remained on his yellow gloves had not soaked in and it became an obstacle to hold the plastic bag without it slipping. He struggled to bring to carry it out into the hall and he found himself hesitating outside Beverly's open room, despite having made many trips past her open door already.

     A feeling tugged in his gut, the feeling one gets when the window of opportunity is closing. Beverly and Bill had their backs turned, currently standing over the tub, scrubbing the last of the blood from the tub. Richie and Stan could be heard bickering in the front room, and Ben didn't really know where Eddie was. He knew that no one was looking, no one would notice if he snuck an innocent peek at Beverly Marsh's room. So he did.

     He only allowed himself to pop his head in for a brief moment. He had no intention of rifling through her things, no desire to ever cross the threshold. Just a quick peek at the everyday life of Beverly Marsh and he was delightfully intrigued to see the keyboard set up on her desk. He could practically see her plucking away in the wee hours of the morning, a small concentrated frown on her face and the tip of her tongue peeking out of her lips while deep in focus. Her room was untidy, shirts, jackets and other pieces of her wardrobe spilling out of her open drawers and on the floor.

     Several books and journals were stacked in small piles in the corner of her room in an organized mess. Her bed was made and laid out across the bedding was a familiar blue dress that lay forgotten. Sprinkled across her faded lilac walls were polaroids and pictures from the photobooth at the Capitol Theater of her and Y/n, smiling and laughing. Some of them silly. And he almost missed the Derry postcard, the poem he had written for her, sitting on top of a leather journal. It filled him with glee that something he had given her was sitting on her bed with everything else she saw every day. Like his heart had the privilege of being another trinket amongst her things. And in a way, it was.

     Ben had only taken one glance around the room before pulling himself away. It was quick and he had not known what to expect, and yet every detail he managed to take in did not surprise him at all, it was all so... Beverly.

     He was surprised to see the room was unkempt and imperfect. Just like he was. It was a gentle reminder that she was just as human as he was, it made her all the more real and much to his surprise he felt himself relating to her. It was a giddy and warm feeling though it quickly evaporated when he saw Bill and Bev alone in the bathroom.

     They were no longer cleaning, they were talking. Giggling. Bill had made her laugh. She seemed as giddy as he had felt the day she signed his yearbook. She was giggly and flustered, and it was all because of Bill. Sparing himself the pain, Ben swallowed the lump forming in his throat and trudged down the hall, leaving the two with their privacy and reminding himself that she was never his.

     Beverly looked down the hall, dismissing the thought she had heard footsteps. Realistically, she knew she must still be jumpy and paranoid from her encounter. She shook it off and returned to Bill's side. He had been in the middle of finishing a thought, she realized, but she hadn't caught it. She had been thinking of the poem. While it was signed from her secret admirer, she had an inkling who it must be from. Regardless, she felt the need to clear the air.

     "It's not true, you know." She bit her lip fighting the small flutter I'm her stomach. "What they say about me."

     Beverly hated what people thought of her. And she hated talking about it almost as much. It was mortifying having to defend yourself of such things. Especially towards someone she might like. Or worse, to someone who might like her, and if they liked her, maybe it was because they heard such awful things. Thought she was easy. But if it was Bill, she thought, whoever wrote the poem wouldn't go to such trouble to write her something so beautiful and innocent.

     And she rarely thought about it, but she realized as she spoke of it out loud, Bill had been the one she had kissed all those years ago, in the play. Just a stupid play. She smiled weakly, shrugging her shoulders.

     "I was only ever kissed by one guy." A flicker of recognition flashed in Bill's eyes, and she continued. "It was a long time ago. It was a nice kiss though."

     Bill prayed he wasn't completely red. Of course, he remembered the kiss the two had shared. Of course, it didn't help that Richie brought it up every other day just to mess with him. Bill remained silent, but he nodded his head slightly.

     Beverly knew if she didn't speak now, she would never have the opportunity. And it was rare to have a moment alone with Bill, and it was especially rare Richie wasn't around to hear it and poke fun. But she had to know, and she was really starting to like him. Knowing there was no time like the present, Bev took a deep breath before reciting the words she had been replaying in her head.

     "'January embers'"

     Reluctantly she peaked at boy's reaction, expecting to see surprise or even a faint blush. But instead, his eyebrows twitched in confusion, before melting into a relaxed smile.

     "W-was that in the play?"

     She tried not to assume the worst, though it was hard to banish the creeping feeling of disappointment.

     "No, the poem."

     "Oh," Bill chuckled nervously, embarrassed not to know what she had been talking about. "Oh, I don't really know m-much p-poetry."

     Beverly felt her heart sink, and it took her a moment to recover. It had not been Bill, as she had hoped. Once again she was in the dark, and now she began to doubt the credibly of the poem itself.

     "Oh. I was just..." she shook her head, her voice blowing in an attempt not to break. "Never mind then."

     Perhaps it was all some sick joke someone played on her. How hilarious it was to make her think that she was capable of any genuine affection. Beverly cast the hideous thoughts from her mind, and a small silence fell between the two. Bill, who had sensed he had said the wrong thing nervously spoke up.

     "Um... Ju-Just so you know, I... I never believed any of those rumors. And none of us Losers do. We like hanging out with you."

     Bill was relieved to see the warm and relieved smile that stretched across her face. A smile big enough to squint her eyes ever so slightly.

     "Thanks."

     A grin of his own tugged at the end of his lips and he chuckled.

    "You shouldn't thank us too much. Hanging out with us makes you a Loser, too."

     She laughed, her shoulders moved and her head hung lazily off her shoulders mid chuckle. She looked Bill, grinning ear to ear and gave him a simple nod.

     "I can take that."

     Beverly could feel the weight of her previous sadness evaporate into the air. He might not have been the one to write the poem, but he still seemed to care for her, and he believed her, and that was enough for her in that moment.

×××

    Out on the fire escape, the unlikely duo had found themselves engrossed in a discussion about how much they had in common. Particularly, how they each found themselves as a target to the infamous Bowers gang. Every so often, Y/n would wince at the pounding of her heart when she heard a car go by. She was so encapsulated by her conversation with Eddie she worried she would miss Beverly's father.

     "I honestly think he has used every name in the book already. That is the only explanation I can think of that could possibly explain why Patrick fucking Hockstetter could come up with a name as trivial and weak as shrimp. Like, it's not even a slur, I'm like, ninety percent sure there's some type of shrimp that can like shoot these bubble bullets that are loud enough to burst a human eardrum or something like that, I do not see how that is an insult, I mean come on!"

     Y/n had thrown her head back in laughter at his odd ramblings and he could feel his insides to turn to jelly. Richie was always the one to make people ache with laughter, not him. With the exception of Richie himself, but that was banter. But with Y/n it was different, it was exciting and it gave him a blooming sense of pride in his chest. Eddie cleared his throat, a nervous tick of his, and he prayed to whatever all-knowing force in the universe that what he was about to say didn't make him sound anymore like a complete fool than he already had.

     "Ya know, we're all glad you came to the quarry with us. We had a lot of fun with you." Eddie cleared his throat once more. "I had a lot of fun with you."

     Y/n felt the swarm of butterflies in her stomach once more. She couldn't fight the smirk if she had tried. She chuckled and nudged him with her elbow.

     "I had fun hanging with you too, shrimp."

     Eddie found himself releasing a breath of laughter and shaking his head. His insides were absolutely liquid, he was sure of it and he knew if he wasn't careful his heart would burst right out of his chest. What the hell was this girl doing to him? And did he really just ramble about shrimp for two minutes? Fuck!

     Much like their match at the quarry, the pair found themselves to be quite compatible with one another. Each of them brought to the table a much-needed strength. However, this dynamic was interrupted by the screen door bursting open, hitting the wall with a sharp whack!

     The two jumped apart, unaware until that very moment that they had inched closer during their moment alone. Out of the apartment came Stan accompanied by Richie who stormed past him.

     "Where ya been Eddie Spaghetti, you sprout roots or somethin’?"

     Richie's playful demeanor fell for only the briefest of moments when he saw the pair as they were. They both blushing and shifting on their feet. Richie ignored the pang in his chest and smacked his lips throwing his arms around each of his friends. As it sometimes happened - usually, when he was most uncomfortable, like now - Richie opened his mouth and a completely different voice came out without him trying, in this instance, it was heavy southern drawl.

     "Come'awn lovebirds, times a tickin and I reckon none a y'all are achin tur answer ta the old man any time soon. Well hop to it, come'awn now, get!"

     The lovebirds in question rolled their eyes in near-perfect sync as they were ushered down the metal steps. Y/n cast a glance over her shoulder to Beverly hoping to catch her eye but she was too busy locking the apartment door behind her. The rest of the Losers were somewhere in between herself, Richie, and Eddie and Bev and Ben who held up the back. When they reached the floor below, Y/n gave a quick once over to the Losers and asked them to wait.

     Seeing Beverly lock up reminded her that she still had to so, herself. She would be in big trouble if she left the house unlocked again and she smiled weakly at her new friends before ducking inside for her key. Not unlike Ben, Eddie was faced with the temptation of a peek inside the everyday life of the girl that caught his eye. She had left the door open a crack, allowing him the option of poking his head inside though it felt wrong.

     Without his permission, his brain began accumulating several different excuses that could get him inside. Can I use your bathroom? Eddie shivered. No, no, no. Too soon. Do you have a tissue? Ech, no. That's lame, and it didn't guarantee an invite inside. Oh, I know! Can I have a small glass of water, I need to take my pills? It wasn't a lie, after all, it was getting close to his afternoon pill. But before he could work up the courage, or even finish his thought, Richie took it upon himself to waltz inside.

     Figures.

     "Richie!" Eddie hissed, cautiously entering to retrieve his obnoxious best friend. "What the fuck, man?"

     "What? She left the door open! Come on Ed's, don't you want to see your girlfriend's house? Or have you already had an exclusive tour?" Richie waggled his eyebrows with a cheeky grin.

     Eddie scoffed harshly and shook his head vigorously. "No, and you damn well know she's not my girlfriend, asshole. Come on, we weren't invited."

     Ignoring Eddie's pleas and the tug on his arm he finally got a good look around. Richie puckered his lips and a low whistle stretched out over the silence. It looked just like Beverly's apartment, only it was much less furnished and somehow it managed to look both new and old. He was shocked to see it so empty and bare. Aside from basic furnishings like the couch, small rug and lamp the place was somewhat barren. The walls were unpainted and somehow chipped, and everything was faded and was visibly touched by age. A battered and small television set sat across from the moth-eaten couch and it looked to be a couple of models older than what everyone else had.

     Eddie felt guilt burrow inside him at the sight. He had already felt guilty for stepping inside without her knowledge but now it just felt wrong. Y/n had just told him not five minutes ago about her family's financial struggles. Her shabby clothes and hand me down things were what gave her away to Bowers. And despite her ripped and frayed attire that earned her ridicule in the first place, Henry and Patrick had deemed it fitting to steal her jackets and on some occasions her shoes just for a laugh. They wouldn't even keep them, they throw them out of her reach, either in a high tree or into a nearby stream. Whichever was closest and most inconvenient.

     It only took one look around to see her home life rang true to this fact. Just about everything in here looked to be off the street or handed down - granted, most of it was. Eddie felt his stomach churn when he saw a large faded stain in the faded eggshell carpet. Upon first glance, he had thought it had been from a glass of wine or even a juice box but it was much too dark and it wasn't long before he connected the dots.

     A distant voice echoed from down the hall, followed by a thud and several grunts.

     "For fuck sake, I just saw it!" Y/n wasn't having much luck finding her key.

     Eddie's hand which had still been on Richie's arm tugged harder and he began ushering him towards the door.

     "Richie, come on!" He hissed through gritted teeth.

     "Jesus, keep your pants on, Eds"

     "Don't fucking call me that, now come on!" He grunted under his breath, trying to pull Richie out the front door, much to Richie's amusement.

     "I'm coming!" Eddie frowned when he realized the voice hadn't been Richie's.

     Much to their surprise, they saw Y/n emerge from the hallway, eyes focused on her fingers as they detangled her lanyard as she entered the living room. She was still shouting, under the impression that everyone was waiting for her outside.

     "I couldn't find my-" She flinched when she looked up and she stopped abruptly. "-key."

     A confused frown molded onto her face and her eyes flickered between Richie and Eddie. She gulped and consciously shifted on her feet so her sneakers hid the stain, knowing it would only repulse Eddie. She was still too shocked and off-put by the fact the boys where in her home, and they - specifically Eddie - seemed just as startled. The smaller boy's mouth opened and closed feverishly like a fish as he looked between her an amused Richie.

     Finally, he jabbed a finger at his best friend and shook his head defensively. "He did it. I came in here after him. To get him. Out."

     Y/n blinked a couple of times, processing the abnormality and unexpected turn of events. She stifled her instincts to be embarrassed and forced a shrug, wanting nothing more than to move on.

 are we not gonna talk about the elephant in the room?" Richie asked, circling the Losers in his bike as they walked theirs. "I say, we are all moving on from 'Bev's sink went all, Eddie's mom's vagina on Halloween', way too quickly!"

     "Alright, just shut up, Richie!" Eddie snapped.

     "Yeah, shut up, Richie!" Stan added, all too eagerly.

    "Oh, okay, trash the trash mouth, I get it! Look, all I'm saying is, there's got to be a better explanation cause there's no way in hell that happened. You ladies must have a gas leak or some shit, cause I'm willing to bet you good money - you heard it right toots, this thing called currency that gets ya stuff - that what we just spend a good half hour cleaning something that wasn't there."

     Y/n rolled her eyes at the side comment. Any other day she'd be offended, but she had known Richie long enough to know he made such jokes when he was uncomfortable and he had no problem with her financial struggles. But that didn't mean she appreciated the comment.

     "She didn't imagine it, Richie. Neither did we, and n-n-neither did you, and y-you know it." Bill said.

     Bill slowed to a stop, and everyone followed suit. He was lost in thought and he seemed displaced. He had everyone's full attention now and he gulped, trying to find his voice.

     "I... I saw something too."

     "You saw blood, too?" Stan asked, curiously.

     Bill looked to Stan and the rest of his friends. His hands were gripping his bike handles, nervously twisting his palms against the rubber.

     "Not blood." He took a deep and shaky breath, it was the first time since it happened he truly allowed himself to dwell on the memory. "I saw G-Georgie."

     Even Richie had quieted, and he stood still, standing over his bike and he could feel the tension in the air. He hated it. He hit his tongue for as long as he could, and Bill continued.

     "I-It seemed so real. I mean, it seemed like him but there was this…"

     "The clown." Eddie finished.

     Y/n flinched and she felt the horror settle back onto herself like it had never left. She stared at the ground, though her gaze was miles away. She fought the lump in her throat and she felt a coldness blanket her skin.

     Eddie looked around at his friends, a look of unease and discomfort. Apart from Y/n, who looked displaced and disconnected from the world. He felt another spark of guilt but it was easily drowned out in his own fears.

     "Yeah, I saw him, too."

     "Until Beverly," Y/n croaked, grabbing everyone's attention. "I thought it was just me."

     She looked up from the concrete and to each of the Losers. The look in her eyes unsettled them almost as much as the topic. She seemed cut off from reality like she wasn't all there. Like part of her was still back there, where it happened. And in a way she was.

     "That's what did this..." she gestured to her ankle and subconscious she shifted on her feet.

     The air became even thicker with tension, and everyone's stomachs dropped.

     "Holy shit," breathed Stan.

     "I saw a clown, too. At the library." Ben squeaked.

     "Can only virgin's see this stuff? Is that why I'm not seeing this shit?" Richie asked, breaking the tense silence.

     Before anyone could retort, a chorus of shouting brought the seven children's attention down the road.

     Eddie gulped. "Oh, shit, that's Belch Huggins' car."

    Y/n squinted, her eyes falling to a collapsed bike on the ground near the car.

     "We should probably get outta here."

     "But look someone's bike." Y/n pointed out. "They're probably tormenting some poor kid, we should help!"

     "Yeah, isn't that the homeschooled kid's bike?"

     "Yeah, that's Mike's" Eddie murmured.

     "Y/n's right, we gotta help him!" Beverly said firmly, looking to each of them.

     "We should?" Richie asked nervously.

     Y/n looked at him incredulously. "Yes!"

     Her bike dropped to the ground forgotten, and she ran in the direction of the bully's car, and Beverly soon followed. Eddie's heart dropped briefly when he saw her disappear through the ferns and he hesitantly dropped his bike, going after her.

     "Y/n!" He called.

     "Oh, for fuck's sake. Wait up, spaghetti!" Richie was close behind him, and the others followed.

     The only one to linger was Stan, who paused to park his bike rather than drop it.

×××

     "Come on!"

     Mike Hanlon fights the strength of the rubber boot pushing his head towards the unpacked meat. He had been in town for his delivery, only this time he wasn't so lucky. Bowers and his gang had cornered him and chased him off the road. He was laying on his stomach, pushing with all the strength he could muster to keep his head above the ground, but his strength waned.

     "Eat the meat!"

     "Eat it, bitch!"

     "You little fucker!"

     Mike winced when he felt his face sink into the slimy cold textures of the exposed packages of meat. The Bowers gang erupted in cheers and their laughter sounded like that of crazed hyenas.

     "Motherfucker!" Henry screamed with rage.

     "Eat shit!"

     The way they acted, it was as if Mike had murdered their entire family. They hated him with such blind disgusting passion. Not only did they not care what trauma they were inflicting upon him, but they were also excited by it.

     Of course, each of the bullies seemed to miss the lanky figure lurking in the bushes. It was a clown, It was smiling a wicked grin and It's face - particularly It's mouth - was covered with blood that was dripping from It's unhinged jaw. Any fear of the bullies above him was long gone, completely replaced by the demon in the bushes. Against his better judgment, Mike lifted his head - the boot now gone from above his neck - to get a better look. He had to be imagining it.

     But the image only got clearer. The voices of Henry Bowers, Belch Huggins, and Victor Criss were lost to him as he looked on in horror. The clown was chewing on something, Sweet Jesus, he was eating a human arm, he realized. If he wasn't nauseous at all before he was now. The clown was, in fact, chewing on the fingers of a severed arm, a child's arm by the looks of it. The clown made eye contact with Mike, a wild look in It's eye, a primitive, beastly look that no human could ever possess. The clown's smile grew and there was a glint of an almost childlike glee that only intensified Mike's fear.

     It took the severed arm out from between It's long and sharpened teeth and smiled once again in a childlike manner. As if mocking him, the clown waved the child's arm back and forth and the hand-rolled around, still connected by its joints making the child's hand wave at Mike. Mike could feel the icy grip of fear tightening in his chest and he could taste the vomit that had climbed up his throat.

     Mike's ears were ringing but through the high pitched hum, he could only just now hear the angry cries of Henry Bowers.

     "GET THE FUCK UP!"

     Mike pushed himself up, but before he could process what had happened, he lay on his back, his face bleeding and throbbing. One of the bullies, he didn't know which one, had kicked him right in the face. Mike was now struggling to keep a deranged Henry away from his face but the boy was just crazy enough to withstand or even register any signs of struggle. A deep and feral roar erupted from the deepest depths of his chest as he releases all his anger on the poor boy.

     He knew if he didn't fight back, Henry would kill him. He was just that crazy and he was damn well angry enough. Mike struggled to fend him off but he could only fight for so long. He grunted in a messy combination of fear, exhaustion, and pain when Henry managed to pin Mike's arms to the ground. One hand still pinning Mike's arm into the bed of rocks, he released the other as he retrieved the biggest rock within his reach. He held it high above Mike's head and snarled in victory knowing he had him right where he wanted. Just before he swung the rock down into Mike's skull, Henry felt pain explode in his own.

     He tumbled off Mike and into the bed of rocks, several jagged edges poking into his back and spine. Victor and Belch had jumped back in surprise and everyone looked on in surprise to see a seething [h/c] haired girl across the stream. She was dressed in her signature unkempt mismatched wardrobe that both hung off and clung to her [b/t] figure and it was visibly clear the clothes she wore were not originally hers and it was common most things didn't fit properly. She was glaring at Henry Bowers, fire in her eyes and completely repulsed at what she had found them doing.

     Six more figures emerged from the bushes, recognizable as Beverly, Stan, Eddie, Ben, Bill, and Richie. Stan looked between Y/n and Henry and smirked weakly.

     "Nice throw."

      "Thanks," Y/n said. "Felt pretty good."

     She could have sworn she heard a small voice behind her whisper. "Woah"

     Y/n saw the poor boy Henry had almost killed was struggling to cross the stream and immediately she stepped forward not caring about the risk of getting hurt by the Bowers gang. She could feel her shoes fill with water and her thin socks acted as a sponge bringing in the water to her skin. Y/n extended her hand to the boy who gladly took it and she helped him to the shore with the rest of the Losers.

     "Hey, are you okay?" She whispered, her eyes worriedly scanning the boy for any injuries.

     Mike would be lying if he had said he hadn't felt his pulse spike just the slightest at her kindness. He didn't even know this girl and she risked her life to save him, it was debt he worried he'd never be able to repay.

     "I'm okay." He cast a brief and cautious glance back at the bully before returning to her [e/c] eyes. "Thank you."

     She smiled weakly and nodded. She made sure he was back on his feet before she ushered him behind her with the rest of her friends. She knelt down and grabbed another rock out of precaution and glared at Henry. He was stumbling to his feet, eyes completely fixed on her in complete and utter shock.

     The other Losers, including their newest recruit, picked up a rock of their own.

     "Leave him alone, Henry," Beverly growled.

     Y/n didn't bother to hide the proud smirk on her face at her best friend's retaliation. She knew all too well of the horrible things he'd say about her and it was hard for her to stand up.

     Henry's eyes flickered to Bev and he zeroed in on her.

     "You Losers are trying too hard. She'll do you." Henry smirked, stepping forward. "You just gotta ask nicely, like I did."

     The Losers grimaced at Henry's perverted gesture. Stan even looked worriedly to Beverly for her reaction before looking at Henry in pure disgust and hatred. Y/n stepped forward, though she fought the urge to speak for Beverly. Instead, she traded Beverly's smaller rock for her own which was the size of her fist, giving her the opportunity to really hurt Henry is she so desired. Henry gestured to Y/n before his eyes fell back to Beverly.

     "After all, why settle for scraps when you can get the three-course meal for free?" He grinned maliciously and licked his lips.

     Beverly gripped the new rock tightly, though her newly discovered voice died in her throat. Ben was unable to restrain his anger and he roared at the boy in utter fury, while Eddie had grabbed a bigger rock as well.

     "Fuck off, Bowers!" Eddie gulped when he realized the words had come from his own mouth.

     Eddie was just as surprised as everyone else at his outburst and he fought a wince when he heard his voice echo down the stream. He felt a pair of hands on his arm, it was Richie who worriedly pulled him back out of the direct line of fire and by his side.

     Fortunately, everyone had been so distracted by Eddie they had failed to see the giant rock Ben had picked up and with every ounce of strength he could muster he chucked the rock at Henry. It grazed the top of his head and he winced, backing up into Victor and Belch.

     "What the fuck?" He murmured.

     Mike stood to his feet, still completely baffled at everything unfolding, though he didn't stop them from their sudden attack on Henry. Beverly was the next up to bat, the fist-sized rock Y/n had gifted to her had been big enough to knock Henry on his feet.

     Victor and Belch jumped at Henry's orders and they and scrambled for rocks of their own.

     Eddie jumped out of Richie's grip to the edge of the water to grab another rock. Y/n launched another over her shoulder and she smirked when it hit Henry in the crotch.

     "Sure you don't want some scraps, asshole?" She roared, chucking another rock at his face.

     It wasn't long before Richie's voice echoed down across the barrens as he released a battle cry of his own.

     "ROCK WAR-!" Richie was struck across the forehead before he could finish and he was knocked down.

     The barrens came alive at that moment and every ounce of hatred and loathing - from both sides - was released in a fiery passion of rage with every rock that was thrown.

     "Fuck you, motherfuckers!" Richie cried.

     "Get 'em, you fuckers!" Henry roared, scrambling to his feet and grabbing rocks of his own.

     Like all the Losers, Eddie was lost in the adrenaline of the moment and had it not been for Y/n's keen eye, he would have taken a blow to the head. He felt a shove on his shoulder and he nearly lost his balance on the unstable terrain, and he gasped when he saw the giant rock fly past his head. He nodded at her in thanks.

     Y/n had gotten quite a few strikes in before she yelped in pain. Taken aback by the cut of the shockingly jagged edge that had hooked into her skin. She hissed in pain, a hand covering the wound trying to stop the blood from pouring out. Y/n glared at Belch as she shook it off, grabbing more ammo. This did not go unnoticed by Eddie and he jumped into the creek, water splashing his ankles and soaking his feet but he didn't care. He stalked forward in the water getting as close as possible as he put all his anger into his throw.

     Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as she and Eddie chucked their ammunition at the perpetrator.

     Belch had been red in the face and spit was flying from his mouth as he glared daggers at Y/n.

     "Fuck you, bitch!"

     Much like Richie, his timing was unfortunate for him, as Y/n and Eddie's two large rocks struck him in the head and nose just as the words had left his mouth.

     "Get the fuck outta here!" Richie exclaimed.

     "Ah, shit!" Victor hissed as he was thrown to the ground from one of Ben's rocks.

     Henry was now back on the ground, having been hit in the head a second time, from one of Mike's rocks.

     In a mere matter of moments, the Losers had brought the Bowers gang to its knees, cowering in fear. Victor and Belch quickly retreated, leaving Henry whimpering in fear, hands covering his face and he was shaking like a leaf.

     The Losers had never seen the boy so afraid and they glared at him in hatred, each of them panting heavily. When he was sure the rocks had stopped, Henry risked a glance from behind his hands. They fell on Y/n who stalked forward next to Eddie, streaks of red running down her arm. She stood only feet away from him and looked down at him as if he was something she dragged in on her shoe.

     He looked up at her, not knowing what to expect. She cast one more angered glance before her head jerked in a swift movement, and spit flew from her mouth landing before him. He flinched at her sudden movement, still on edge from his attack and he slowly climbed to his feet. The Losers cast him one more glance before filing back into the brush one by one, grabbing Eddie's hand and ushering him out.

     Richie was the only one to remain, and he gave in to one last surge of anger. He looked to the defeated figure of Henry Bowers and said the words he had always ached to say.

     "Go blow your dad, you mullet-wearing asshole!"

    Richie gave into the satisfaction and gave Henry the double bird, before disappearing in the ferns after his friends.

×××

@seasidecrowbar​​ @bevxmarsh​​ @supernovavisionary​​ @readyforitbitch​​ @geniedocroe​​  @sivords​​​  @ravenclawsprincess​​ @pigwidgexn​​​ @kricketwritesstories​​​  @beep-beep-tozier​ @plum-duels​​​ @edmunds-torch​​​ @eddiegaykaspbrak​​​ @rosi3e​​​ @welcome-to-derry​​​ @beepbeep-pennywise​​​ @candycorntroll​ @bibliophilesquared​​​ @ongaku-ato-kakikomi​​​ @cocastyle​​​ @peachysinnermon​​​ @mochibarnes​​​ @captainshazamerica​​​ @kaitlynjones12​​​ @songbird-writes​​​ @traceylader​​​ @eggytozier​​​  @annimalq​​​ @lexylovesfandoms​​​ @russian-romanova​​​ @paigey-mcfreedomly​​​  @whitetrash12345  @witch-of-all-things-soft​ @thatsjoemazzellosbbg​​​ @blogforhoes​​​

[bigdaddyomega]

The Nunz: Chapter 1

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far, far, far, far away, there was a church. This church was far different from an ordinary church. If one were to pass by, they probably would have never expected it to be a church. The appearance of the building seemed very old and rundown. Most were surprised that there were people still living in it. Though it was still very active. The yard and the greenery was indeed a very beautiful sight to see. The pond was perfectly clean where fish and many other small creatures were able to swim freely. The grass was perfectly cut and the flowers began to bloom. Which meant that spring was beginning to come.

Despite the beautiful sight of everything, Alyssa Nelson hated this place. It made her sick to her stomach just to look at it. She despised the way that the building looked. She felt that she would be living under terrible conditions during her stay at this place. If she could go back in time, she would have tried to convince her mom to not even think about sending her to this place that she believed was so horrid. She observed who she assumed were humans wearing silver masks and all black outfits playing a game of football with one another. She believed that they looked intimidating and already decided that she wanted nothing to do with them.

"Mom, do I really have to do this?" Alyssa asked her mom as she turned to look at the older version of herself.

"Yes, it's for your own good." Mrs. Nelson replied to her eighteen year old daughter. Alyssa shook her head.

"But I'm eighteen years old. I shouldn't have to go to rehab." She disagreed.

"It's not rehab. It's an alternative program for you to better yourself. And I am sending you here because you are eighteen. I don't want you to go down the wrong path and end up dead when you're twenty. That's my worst fear." Mrs. Nelson explained. Alyssa could hear the worry in her mother's voice and that made her feel extrmely uneasy.

"They always say that one time won't hurt, but that could not be further from the truth. I want you to better yourself. Just give this place a chance, Alyssa." Her mom said. This was the last time she could convince her child that this was what was best for her. The only response that her daughter gave was to roll her eyes and get out of the vehicle. At this point she knew that she no longer had a choice. All hope was lost for her. She popped the trunk open and began to get all of her belongings out with the help of her mother. Luckily, Alyssa was able to carry it all with both of her hands.

Meanwhile, a girl the same age as Alyssa was still sitting in the car in front of them. She observes the entire area. She admires the beauty of it all. But hates the fact that she has to be here with a passion. Like Alyssa, she felt that she had done nothing wrong. Or at least nothing horrible to where she needs to be here. Her father stared at the spitting image of himself in disgust. He most definitely believed that she deserved to be here. He wanted her to change. He just didn't want the responsibility of helping her to change.

"I hope that you get something out of however long you need to be here. So that you will never do what you did again." He told his daughter in a stern tone. She didn't mind him talking to her in this tone at all. In fact, she wanted to get out of the car so that she could get the hell away from him.

"Alright, later dad." Were this girl's departing words from him. She stepped out of the car and slammed the door to the passenger seat just to spite her father. She opens the back seat of the car and starts to take out each trash bag containing her belongings one at a time. The attention of those who are outside is now on her. Not a single one of those ghouls could take their eyes off her. Some were admiring her beauty. Others were judging by the way that she carried herself. Fire, the smallest ghoul of them all, could not help but to laugh. He did his absolute best to hide it by pretending to cough, and clearly that did not work. His best friend Aether shook his head.

"Dew, Don't laugh, it's not funny." Aether criticized. However, Fire just could not find the strength to stop.

"I can't help it!" Fire almost screamed and began to become hysterical. Those around him could see the tears of laughter streaming down his eyes.

"I really don't get it. She couldn't just ask somebody if she could borrow a suitcase?" Rain commented.

"I bet you she's too poor!" Swiss said. All of the ghouls looked at each other and began to laugh in unison. Fire was right, it indeed was very comical.

The other girl made it to the front of the convent without her father. She wanted to do this alone. It was also too late to want her father with her, he had already driven off. There was no turning back from here. She was officially stuck. Both Alyssa and her mother stare at the girl. Regardless of them judging her, she gave them a smile. Before anybody could say anything, the door opened to reveal a petite aging woman who had long gray hair that was tied back. Though she was aging, she was still very pretty and presented herself very professionally.

"Hello. I'm Sister Imperator, and I'm the director of this institution." The older woman introduced herself. She held out her hand to Mrs. Nelson first. They both shook hands and Sister gave her a smile. This smile was almost too nice. It had the potential to be deceptive.

"Hi, I'm Adele and this is my daughter Alyssa." Mrs. Nelson introduced the two of them. Sister Imperator then shook Alyssa's hand giving her that same smile and turned to the other girl.

"I'm Star. Nice to meet you." The other girl was finally able to reveal the name that she had given to herself just before being here. Sister Imperator furrowed her brows.

"I'm sorry, there has to be a mistake of some sort. I didn't get the name of Star in anyone's paperwork." She stated out of confusion. Star had to think of an answer. She couldn't stand her real name and believed that now was her chance to get away from it.

"Ok, that's just my nickname. If you read my paperwork thoroughly, you would know that my real name is fucking awful. So please, just call me Star." The young girl practically begged. The only instant response that Sister could give was to nod after she shook her hand.

"I understand completely. My real name isn't all that great either. But anyways, it is nice to meet you all. We are so happy to have you join us. Come inside and I'll show you around the convent before we make any final decisions." She said and reentered into her own home. All three of the other women followed her inside. All of their expectations of what this place was going to be were now gone. The interior of this place was absolutely stunning. The entire place was brightly lit due to the row of crystal chandeliers. The pillars surrounding the second floor looked as if they were just built in. The checker printed tiled floor was probably just cleaned minutes before they entered.

Sister Imperator showed them every inch of the inside of the building. From the cafeteria that was empty at the moment, but it was a very clean place. She also showed them an example of the rooms which they are going to be staying in. The king sized beds made both girls tired just by the sight of them. They did not have to lay in them to know that they were extremely comfortable. Even their bathrooms were very luxurious. However, nothing could beat the chapel. This entire area of the large building was the most beautiful of them all. The stain glass windows reflected many colors into the room and behind the altar was a large cross. Alyssa and Star had never seen a crucifix so big in their lives.

"As you all can tell, we are a very Christian organization. We do our best to help late adolesence and young adults to better imporve themselves in order to go out into the real world in just under two years." Sister Imperator explained as she opened the back door which lead to the outside of this place. Everyone followed her. Alyssa and her mom seeming normal, and Star, her eyes were so wide due to thinking about how she may not get out of here until she's twenty. All three women enjoyed the sight of the outside. Mrs. Nelson was observing from a critical view. But the girls were more interested in the football game going on between the ghouls.

"One of the ways of improvement that we have observed throughout this entire program is having at least two hours of physical activity every single day." Sister added her commentary once again. All of them watched as a nameless ghoul named Mountain had the ball in his hands. He was trying to throw it, but another ghoul named Swiss was blocking him from doing so.

"Swiss, move!" Mountain yelled in a very annoyed tone. However, Swiss did not respect his request and actually did the exact opposite. Swiss made the wise decision to kick Mountain in the ballsack. This was the worst feeling in the world for ghouls and humans alike. Mountain held onto his crotch area as if he was holding on for dear life. The only female ghoul out there at the moment took notice of what had happened. Cumulus was probably one of the most caring individuals of anyone in this place. Not only that, but anyone who came into contact with her found her to be adorable.

"Blow the whistle! Blow the whistle!" Were the only words that Mountain could say at the moment. Cumulus did just that.

"Half time!" She called out. Everyone groaned out of annoyance because one of the two teams was on the verge of winning.

"Typical." Swiss shook his head. He kicked Mountain in that same area again. But this time the pain was a lot worse than the previous kick.

"Let me ask you something, if this is such a Christian envirionment, then how come all of them over there are wearing devil masks?" Mrs. Nelson inquired.

"Oh well, it's one of the forms of punishments that we have here. That would mean that they comitted a mortal sin." Sister replied. Mrs. Nelson nodded even though she may not have agreed with that. It seemed that this was the end of the entire tour, and it was now time to make the decision whether or not Alyssa would be staying there. Alyssa was hoping and praying to the god that she doesn't believe in, that her mother has changed her mind.

"So, the last thing that I need to go over with you is pricing. I have the bill right here for you to make the final decision." Sister went into her jacket to take out an average piece of paper. Mrs. Nelson took it and her eyes nearly came out of their sockets as a result of reading the price.

"So, this is the price per year, correct?" She asked.

"No. Actually per week." Sister replied. Mrs. Nelson turned to her daughter and then placed her signature on the bottom of the paper. At this moment, Alyssa was officially doomed. She hated this feeling more than anything. She felt that she was about to have a heart attack.

"I'll pay for it the best way that I can, even if that means me getting a loan. But please help my daughter to improve. That's really what I want for her." Alyssa's mother said. Sister Imperator placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about that, she's in good hands with us." Sister reassured her. Alyssa and her mother shared one last hug with each other. This was the last embrace that they would have with one another for a long time. Potentially two years if her mother could not afford another flight to come see her. Her mother told her that she loved her as they left each other's embrace. Alyssa didn't tell her mother that she loved her back. In fact, she wanted nothing to do with her at that moment. She wondered how her mother could say that she loved her but send her to a place like this.

Once her mother had driven away, Sister Imperator's smile completely disappeared. She was now completely serious. It was almost like she had mutated right before their eyes. It scared both girls because they had no idea what to expect next.

"Alright bitches, listen up. Almost everything that I had said was complete and utter bullshit. I really could care less about your well being. I only do this program because I love my money. So if you two can keep your goddamn mouths shut for two years, then maybe your life won't be so miserable here!" She explained in a very feisty tone.

"So, this isn't a church?" Star wanted clarification. Out of all the question to ask, she asked that one.

"It is, just not a Christian church." Sister Imperator answered. Star nodded and then she tried to figure out what kind of church it really was.

"Now, you two should be escorted to your rooms. Cardinal!" Sister Imperator directed. Now the girls had their hopes up. Only because they saw how comfortable the beds were and only wanted to get at least an hour of sleep at the moment. A young looking man appeared suddenly. He was wearing all black and his light brown hair was neatly in place while the hat was able to stay on top of his head. Both of the girls thought he was sort of odd looking.

"Cardinal, this is Alyssa and Star, they are new potential sacrifices. Could you please escort these ladies to their new rooms?" Sister Imperator requested.

"Of course." Cardinal Copia answered and motioned for the two young women to follow him. Copia lead them back inside along with all of their stuff. When he noticed all of the luggage that they had, he was reminded of what needs to be done.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I need you to leave your belongings right here." He said. Both girls gave him a confused stare.

"What? Why?" Alyssa questioned.

"You're not allowed to have anything personal here. Anything that you need we'll provide for you." He explained.

"So then what's going to happen to my shit?" Star asked.

"You'll get it back when you're released." He said. Both of the girls dropped their stuff on the floor and displayed as much attitude as they could.

"You're making this shit sound like a prison." Star commented.

"Shut up and follow me." Cardinal Copia ordered and continued walking. Both of the girls followed him and now felt empty without carrying all of their belongings. He leads them down to a dark stairway. For them it was very scary. Star was wondering what the hell they needed to go into the basement for. Because that was what this place was, a basement. The further down they went, the more spearated from the sunlight they became. It took them about five total minutes to make it to the floor. It was cold and made of pure concrete. Alyssa jumped as soon as she saw the pentogram spray painted red on the floor. She didn't really know why she was so scared of it. It was only a geometric shape. But to her, there was just something so eerie about it. Star looked down as well and the symbol did not even phase her on the outside. But on the inside she was just as scared.

"So creepy." Alyssa whispered. Star nodded agreeing with her. Cardinal Copia stopped at a door on the side wall and took out an entire ring of many keys. Somehow he was able to pick out the right one to unlock the door. When the door opened, he motioned for the two of them to go inside. When they stepped in, neither of the girls were impressed. There were just two rows of twelve beds on each side. The only light source that they have is a single lightbulb in the middle of the ceiling. They both looked extremely disappointed.

"You're not going to tell me that this is our room." Alyssa protested.

"Pick a bed." Cardinal Copia said and closed the door from there. Both Alyssa and Star heard the sound of a click before the footsteps leaving the basement. That one click scared both girls to death. Alyssa immediately sprinted over and tried to turn the knob of the door. She couldn't. Neither of them could even try to break the door down. Both turned to each other with anxiety taking over the both of them.

"Shit. I hate to break it to you, but we're locked in." Alyssa revealed.

Author’s Note: wasn’t that shitty as fuck? Yeah I agree. But this is the first chapter of my first Ghost fanfic. As I said in my previous post, this is on my Wattpad but I’m going to post it on here. Enjoy regardless and I love y’all.💀❤️