#fantasy features wc au

[nightly-ruse]

Fantasy warrior cats world where once a cat pledged their loyalty to a clan at their apprentice or acceptance a ritual is done and gives them features to match their clan.

Thunderclan has hooves and some have antlers (leaders have full antlers, deputies have half antlers, and healers have little small antlers)

Riverclan has webbed paws and little frills with some having full fins and even gills (leaders have gills and big fins, deputy’s have gills, and healers have fins)

Windclan has feathers and talons with some having wings or small beaks (leaders have wings big enough to glide plus a beak, deputies have small beaks, healers have smaller wings and a slight beak tooth)

Shadowclan has patches of plants growing from their pelt for camouflage and some have venomous features (leaders have bigger camouflage more for show and venomous claws, deputies have venomous fangs, healers have more flowery or herbal camouflage)

Skyclan has prehensile tails, wider more monkey like paws, and some have slight webbing that lets them swoop (leaders have longer fangs and webbing, deputies have longer tails and sharper fangs, healers have even more advanced paws and a little webbing just enough to let them slightly glide)

[neopuppy]

Gooner (M)

pairing. Jisung x female reader ft Jeno

genre. fubu AU(alternatively ‘I was half a virgin when I met you!’ AU), Jisung as Jeno’s younger brother/Jeno’s not the best sibling, M/F, filth.. yay👹

warnings. profanity, eavesdropping, incel vibes, y/n’s a bit mean, smut warnings under cut. minors DNI.

wc. 6.5k+

now playing. treat me like a slut//Kim Petras

smut warnings. masturbation, Jisung’s addicted to porn, switching, oral, hair pulling, choking, overstimulation, rough sex, unprotected sex

･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･

Sweet high-pitched moans resonate through the walls, loud enough to cancel out the ones emitting from overpriced computer speakers.

So loud. So God damn loud.

Jisung sighs, he’d heard your flirty giggles about an hour ago before his brother dragged you through the hallway and into his bedroom across from his. You’ve been here 3? 4 times? This week alone already. He tries to tune out the cracked whine in your tone, raise the volume on the video he’s been watching for five minutes, not really paying attention to what’s happening. How can he when you scream like your lifes being ripped from your body, crying out louder than a woman being chased to her death. 

He blinks to focus his gaze on the computer screen, reaching for the energy drink sat on his desk to sip at. This used to be more enjoyable, time to relax and unwind after school or work. That was before Jeno started hooking up with you. You’re just around all the damn time, always sprawled out on the couch, coming out of their shared bathroom with wet hair and one of his brothers oversized t-shirts. He doesn’t make an effort to talk to you at all, never has tried to get to know any of the random girls that come in and out of his brother's revolving bedroom door. 

Not that you make that easy, always greeting him when you run into each other, smiling and waving, even pinching his cheek when you stumbled out of his brother's room inebriated. You called him cute, a baby, a cute giant baby. It makes his skin crawl to think about it, softly petting his cheek with the back of his hand where you had tugged on his cheek roughly. He spent the rest of the day locked up in his room scouring the internet for videos showcasing girls that looked somewhat like you, your hair or lips, any minuscule feature close enough to yours to stroke himself to.

‘Look at you Sungie, you’re growing up right before my eyes.’ You said drunkenly, staggering back and forth on your feet as you trapped him in the hallway on his way to the bathroom. He didn’t know what to do or say, flinching away from your touch too slowly, he had to stand there gulping thick wads of saliva while you tugged on his cheek and reached up to smack the other side of his face. ‘What a cute giant baby.’

The fantasies brewing in his mind for the last few weeks spilled over as you tiptoed closer and blinked up at him blearily, a flirty smile pulling at your lips. 

He wanted to grip your wrists until they hurt, leave his fingerprints permanently etched on your daint limbs. One of his favorite videos came to mind, wishing to throw you down on all fours and shove the oversized band shirt up to unveil your bare ass, knowing damn well you walk around without bothering to cover yourself up after Jeno fucks your brain dry. He’s so lucky, always manages to pull girls like you, shameless easy sluts desperate to cry on his cock. 

That could be him if he had the balls to even look you in the eye and act out the various ways he imagines plowing through you. He was ready to say something, barely parting his lips open until Jeno blew his chances and dragged you back to his bedroom.

‘Your little brother’s so cute.’ You teased, poking at the olders chest. He scoffed and glared at you, slowly dragging his gaze over to Jisung standing frozen in the hallway before slamming his door shut.

‘Probably made his week talking to you, loser never leaves his room.’ 

Jeno’s such an asshole. He’s not wrong, but he doesn’t have to tell you shit about his younger brother’s life. He does leave his room, he has to eat, meet up with his friends every once in a while.

That’s not the worst part, the worst part is that you seem curious about him. Always subtly mentioning him when he’s in the living room or kitchen. His brother scoffs and mutters under his breath usually, snapping at you to quit asking about that virgin.

He’s not a fucking virgin.. technically. 

It doesn’t matter anyway, you’d probably never give him a chance. Not that he wants a chance, he’s just horny, just needs to actually leave his room and interact with real women like Jeno always says. 

But why would he do that when a few clicks can numb his brain without any hassle, without any effort or convincing. Why would he do that when he can mute the video, get up to press his ear against the door and watch a point of view shot of some whore getting her back blown out while listening to you beg for more.

Harder. Faster. More more more. 

You sound like such a slut, such a cock hungry eager slut. It’s easy to picture your face getting wrecked, he knows how rough Jeno can get after years of listening to the squeals and cries coming out of his room. Girls limping their way out with shame written across their face, they never lasted long, got their fill and moved on to the next. You stuck around, further cementing what a whore you must really be..

Jisung sighs, head dropping back against his door, sliding down to his knees to shove his hand past the waistband of his shorts. He hasn’t left his room today, only once to act like he needed to use the bathroom. He wanted to see you, wanted to catch a glimpse of your outfit and makeup before Jeno ruined everything. The amount of shirts and sweaters you’ve probably stolen by now must be taking up space in your closet. 

You’d look good in some of his clothes too, better than you look in his brothers. You’d look better naked though, laid out on his bed with your legs spread open. He’s been hard from the moment he caught a hint of your signature perfume in the air on his way to the bathroom, it’s enough to make his dick twitch. Enough to lick at his lips and imagine what your skin must taste like. He hates perfume, but you always smell so clean, so feminine and fresh..

“Fuck.” Lotion, he needs lotion. His palm feels extra rough today, calloused up from beating his meat relentlessly over the last few weeks. He can’t keep track anymore, losing count of how many times he’s tugged on his cock everyday, drowning out any hint of guilt that tells him that this is wrong. Besides, how wrong can it be when he cums within minutes picturing your face turning to look back at him as he pulls out to make a mess all over your ass.

“Hey, dipshit!” A loud bang against his door has him choking on his spit, coughing and yanking his hand out of his pants as if he’s been burnt. “Mom called, said to buy dinner.”

Jeno knocks again, throwing out another rude name until he gets up and races to turn off his computer, flustered as he wipes his sweaty palms on his shirt and opens the door. 

You’re standing behind him of course, slouching on his brother's back, peering over his bicep when the door opens. “What'dya want?”

His brother always looks annoyed, he can’t understand why, they’re not that different. 

“Pizza.” You whisper, dragging out your request cutely, fingernails running up and down Jeno’s sides. “Pizzzzzzzzzza.”

He chuckles, grabbing your hands to loop your fingers together and tighten your hold around him. “I could go for some pizza.”

Jisung nods, ducking his head to avoid the way you bat your eyes at him behind Jeno’s back. It’s probably all in his head anyway, the small things you do when his brother can’t see you..

“Alright, I have a package coming in soon. Make yourself useful and bring it in for me before someone snatches it, will you?” Jeno says, shoving at his shoulder before turning away with you still attached to his back. “Told you he was probably jerking off.”

The way you laugh at that comment makes his chest tingle, lifting his gaze to steal one more look at you before shutting his door. To his surprise, you’re already looking back, the corners of your mouth lifting up slightly before you step out of view and the front door shuts.

Whatever. He really isn’t hungry, not for food anyway, not when he can still pick up the lingering scent of your body wash permeating off your warm damp skin. He shoves that thought aside before pulling on some sweats, gingerly placing his length between the elastic waistband and his stomach. 

The door rings not even 5 minutes after the two of you have left, groaning as he opens it and finds a large box that looks too heavy to carry to Jeno’s bedroom. “Asshole.” He knew damn well Jisung wouldn’t want to lift this shit, and he told him to anyway. Fuming for a minute, he rolls his eyes and squats to hoist the package up against one of his thighs, grunting as he kicks the door shut and drops it haphazardly to kick down the hall. That’s what Jeno would do with his deliveries, he’s sure.

He contemplates for a moment on whether or not to leave the box outside of his brother's door, shifting back and noticing he didn’t close it all the way. Probably wants him to leave it inside of his room like some lacky, better he assumes that and does it to avoid hearing shit later. Pointing his toes, he nudges the door open lightly, kicking the box inside only to pause when the warm air touches his face. It still reeks of sex inside of here, it still reeks of you. It’s strong, hot, thick on his tongue. 

Jeno’s room faces the street, catching most of the sunlights heat while Jisung’s window has towering trees to keep that out. He glances to his brother’s bed, it’s still messy, the top blanket wrinkled in places you must have been fisting, damp streaks where your lower half must have been resting. 

He shouldn’t itch to touch, to get a closer look, to lower his face and drag his tongue across the wet patch, but he has to. This—this is what he’s been missing out on, this is what his videos can’t replicate. The smell of your arousal, the warmth rolling off your feverish flesh, the taste of your cunt pouring down his lips. 

Jeno would fucking kill him if he found out about this, he thinks, grazing the tips of his fingers over the bundled up chunks of fabric, dragging over a damp spot between. He probably had you on all fours, face down ass up. Jisung salivates picturing it, the exact way he always imagines you looking back at him over your shoulder as he mercilessly slams inside of you. The blanket pinched between your teeth, cunt dripping out past his plummeting length making a sloppy mess all over his bed. 

This is why you sound so muffled sometimes, making his ears strain to hear all of your sweet begging. He bets you look unreal in this light, always imagining you illuminated under the low blue and purple lights in his room, hair tousled on his black sheets. 

He has to drag his nose against the topper, has to clench it between his fist as he lowers to the spot that undoubtedly rivered down from between your thighs. It’s so raw, so real, instantly bolting electric nerves through his length as his lips lightly meet the half-dried area. There’s still too many hints of Jeno’s deeper musk entwined in the other areas, but this is all you. This is all your fucked open pussy, jerking his hips against the edge of his brother’s bed the more he wraps his lips around the material. Fuck, what he’d give to sit between your thighs for a day like a pathetic dog with his mouth hung open pleading for a taste.

He should stop, get out of here before he gets too worked up, circling his hips faster as his chest tightens and his breath comes out faster. He ruts harder, pulling at the blanket and burying his face in deeper. How wet must you get to leave a mess like this behind? Can you squirt? Do your legs shake when you cum? Each drag of his tongue opens up a new possibility, reinventing the ways he’s dreamt of fucking you. He really shouldn’t have done this, now he’ll never be able to stop his mind from running wild.

“Fuck, does that feel good? Pussy so damn tight for me.” He repeats the same shit he hears Jeno spewing while fucking you. The envy he feels nearly outweighs how pathetic he feels. It’d be harder to swallow if he wasn’t so God damn bricked up at the mere thought of you.

“All that bullshit about men being the worst—“ Jeno’s voice echoes down the hall, the front door slamming shut. “When you’re worse than me.”

Giggles play out loud, only halted by lips smacking together. Jisung sits up in a panic, pushing the blanket back to cover most of the mattress. Cursing under his breath he peers around fast, losing his balance as steps ascend down the hall heading his direction.

Shitshitshit, what the fuck! He can’t move fast enough, stumbling to the floor with his painfully erect cock aching as he drags across. 

“It’s your fault, can’t keep your hands to yourself for a minute!” You squeal, thumping against the bedroom door setting him off in a scurry toward the closet. Jeno will chew his head off if he finds him in here, he doesn’t even want to think about it. Why the fuck would the two of you come back in here so soon?! What about the food?!

“You like it.” Jeno murmurs, pushing open the door to his bedroom right as Jisung manages to shut the closet door as quietly as possible. It’s a mess in here, clothes thrown around everywhere. He has to crawl back on his knees slowly to make sure he doesn’t make a sound, taking long quiet breaths to not be heard.

There’s no way he’ll get caught in here, you’ll have to leave eventually, right? The shutter door does nothing to help his confidence, scooting back into what he hopes is too dark to be visible from the other side if either of you were to look over for some reason(like him breathing too loud). Of course you fall to your knees in front of the closet, his brother’s hand shoving you down by your shoulder as his other works to unbutton his jeans. 

“You look best on your knees.” He says, probably smirking judging off the way you smile up at him and reach for the tops of his thighs. “Let’s make this quick though, don’t want the food to get cold.”

“Pftt, I don’t have to suck your dick.” You bite back, digging your fingers into his jeans. “I’m sure your little brother wouldn’t give a fuck about eating if he had me like this.”

Jisung gulps, willing himself to look away when you reach inside of Jeno’s pants to draw his length free. He doesn’t want to see that, well, he does want to. He doesn’t want to watch you touch his brother though. Doesn’t want to ruin the fantasy world he’s built in his head with the harsh reality.

“You seriously wanna fuck him, don’t you?” Jeno sneers, fisting your hair as you begin to glide the tip of his length across your lips. “You never shut up about him, he wouldn’t even know what to do with you.”

Jisung wishes he could tell him off, glaring between the shutters at him. His lips twitch annoyed, fisting at the dirty pile of clothes under his ass. He’d know what to do with you, all he does is think about it, if only you’d let him practice..

“It’s cute, he always looks away when I catch him staring.” You tease, flicking your tongue out. “Never fucked brother’s before, bet it’d be fun.”

A gasp nearly gets sucked out of his throat, tightening his fist around the piles as a tremor runs up his spine. There’s no way you’re serious, right? Probably just messing with Jeno to piss him off. It works too, because he’s telling you to ‘shut the fuck up’ within the next second, probbing his dick past your lips until you’re forced to take it. 

You hardly even gag, making a quiet little sound as his cock disappears. Jisung can feel his thighs shaking before he realizes his hands are too, his bottom lip quivering. The way your lips stretch, the eye contact you manage to maintain despite his brother’s huge thick size struggling to fill your throat. It’s better than watching porn, you are better than watching porn. You’re the nasty perverse wet dream that’s made him wake up with sticky cum coated boxers come to life. 

He knows this is despicable, down right humiliating to watch you blow his older brother off and enjoy it, but between the cuts of vision he can pretend Jeno’s not there. Your lips are pulled back on his size, only he’d cup the back of your head and make you really gag, make your eyes well up with tears. He’d make sure to ruin your throat, have you raspy for days, making excuses for your scratchy voice. Nothing would please him more than knowing his cock punching your tonsils repeatedly had you sounding sick, clearing your throat and coughing. 

Instinctively his hand reaches for the prominent bulge tenting out from his groin. The tip of his cock wet enough to leak through his boxers making him grateful that he threw on sweats before leaving his room. Watching is one thing, but rubbing his cock to this would be too much, wouldn’t it? Does he even care at this point? 

The groans Jeno’s letting out are loud and throaty as usual, thick cock muffling your wet moans vibrating around his length. Jisung reaches inside of his underwear to stroke the precum pouring from his slit up and down his shaft. He curses under his breath, gripping the base tight as a moan rises up his chest.

With a wet pop you pull off, lips plump and debauched already, turning your gaze up as you take a firm hold on his length and expertly fist him. Jisung bites down on his tongue, pulling the small fabric tangled in his fingers up with his mouth to bite down on. A choked gasp breaks when he sees it, lacey red panties still stained along the seat with a creamy white film.

Fuck, these have to be yours. You’re the only girl that’s been around lately. They have to be the ones you had on today too. 

This couldn’t possibly get any nastier, not the typical scenario he imagines. Jeno’s never involved in those, it usually started in the hallway after you’ve showered. Dropping your towel with a sultry gaze locked on him, that’s how he knows this has to be real. You’re still dressed in one of his brother's shirts, and the panties he immediately shoves to his nose still smell ripe. Couldn’t have been stripped off your body longer than two hours ago. Between the wet sloppy sounds emitting from your throat and his hand stroking faster to match the pace, he takes deeper inhales. It’s stupid, envisioning a field covered in your used dirty underwear, falling from the sky even. 

“That’s it, get my balls too.” Jeno grunts, finally grabbing onto your head the way he would. He holds you in place and fucks against your pretty face, bursting tears out of your eyes that are working overtime to stay open. He’s full on fucking your face now, making Jisung’s hand sting from the burn of his slimey palm dragging against his throbbing cock again. He can’t cum like this, that would be mortifying. Especially because he never wants to forget this.

“Fuck, ah shit, swallow it.” Jeno demands, spilling down your throat and reaching down to pinch your nose. Make you choke and gag like a pro. He won’t cum from this, he’s seen this happen so many times, beat his cock to compilations, but it’s the lewd gargled moan you let out. It’s the way his brother rips his cock free from your lips and wads of spit soar out, painting your chin with the most disgusting vile mixture of thick nut and drool.

“Fuck!” Jisung shouts, wrapping your panties around his length as he tugs himself to completion.

“What the fuck?!” The closet doors flying open before he can even finish climaxing, furrowing his eyebrows and grabbing at another piece of clothing to cover his groin. “What the hell are you doing in here?!”

“Oh my God!” You squeak, scurrying to stand up and clean off your face. “You were in there the whole time!”

“Were you seriously fucking jerking off?!” Jeno shrieks, grabbing the younger by his arm to drag him out of the closet. “The hell is your problem pervert?!”

“N-no! I wasn’t!” Jisung panics, lifting his hands to defend himself.

“My panties!” You screech, bending over to snatch them away from his crotch, accidentally brushing his still sensitive twitching length.

“Ahh!” His hips chase your fleeting touch, face burning up as you scream again and drop your freshly soiled underwear.

“Oh my God, he came in them!”

“Ugh, told you he’s a fucking virgin that wouldn’t know what to do with you.” Jeno sneers annoyed, motioning at the younger. “Stand up man! You’re embarrassing me!”

“I’m not a virgin!” Jisung snaps, face on fire the longer he stays on his knees listening to this with two sets of judging eyes on him. 

“You came after only putting in the tip dude! That doesn’t count!” Jeno shouts, groaning and grabbing him to get up. “Why can’t you be normal!”

“You’re a virgin?” You interrupt, seeming intrigued, shyly lifting your thumb to your mouth to bite on.

“No!” He corrects, shoving at the older. 

“Don’t lie.” Jeno shoves him back. They go back and forth for a minute, Jisung frustratedly balling up his fists and standing straight.

“Fine! I’m like—half a virgin.” He says regretfully, lowering his gaze.

“He jerks off too much that’s why.” Jeno announces, spilling all his business. “Can’t hold his shit inside a real pussy, horny bastard.”

“Dude!”

“I’ve never been with a virgin.” You add, bouncing on your tiptoes. 

“He couldn’t handle you, I’ve already told you.” Jeno repeats, flicking your chin. “He doesn’t deserve a pity fuck from you anyway.”

Jisung wants to disagree, ready to grovel for a pity fuck if you’re really down for that. Keeping his gaze lowered, he tries to ignore the way his dick still reacts to the idea. He’d perform magic to erase that almost first time from his memory if it meant he’d have an actual chance to be inside of you.

“Wouldn’t be a pity fuck.” You mumble demurely, tucking your chin to your chest. “He’s cute.”

Jeno throws his hands up, breaking into a laugh. “He won’t last more than 3 minutes inside of you, you’re still tight even after I fuck you.”

Jisung swallows hard, gnawing at his bottom lip anxiously. “Bet I could..”

“Yeah!” You agree, smacking Jeno’s chest. “How much do you want to bet?”

Jeno laughs sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “Just say you wanna fuck him, we don’t need to bet shit.”

“Fine.” You respond, shrugging, trailing your gaze from Jeno to Jisung. He stares back wide-eyed in disbelief.. now this has to be a dream.

“Pittttttttty fuck.” Jeno sings, slapping your ass as he passes you on the way out. “Don’t forget who fucks you right just because you’re into this helpless loser shit my brother has going on.”

He shouts something about eating all of the pizza if the two of you take too long, leaving you to stand awkwardly shuffling across from Jisung. Clearing his throat, he nods and motions for you to exit the room. “Are you sure about this?”

“Are you not? I mean, you ruined my panties, I think you owe me one..” you say coyly, bumping into his side making red hues rise up the back of his neck. Jisung nods much too fast, leading you to his bedroom which is much different from Jeno’s. A lot more cluttered, dark, less of an inviting scent.

He scrambles to light a candle, spraying a bit of cologne when you step in and suck a long breath in through your nose. “Smells like..”

You trail off, dragging your fingers down his computer desk and eyeing the small trash can full of tissues underneath. “Fresh cum.”

Jisung pretends to laugh, shaking his head and waving his hands ‘no’, adding a few more sprays. “I guess it’s true, I mean you are always alone whenever I come over..”

Eyeing him suspiciously, you sit down on his bed, adjusting the shirt you borrowed from Jeno to cover your upper thighs. “But you like me, right?”

He wants to fall to his knees, grovel and perch his chin on your knee and beg you to stop making this even more humiliating for him. “Y-yes..”

“I know Sungie, you’re not good at hiding it..” you grin, leaning back and patting the space beside you. “Come here.”

Jisung listens, sitting down stiffly next to you. His nerves feel insane, burning through his veins, face on fire. He can’t even look at you, can’t even think about having to touch you.

“Look at me.”

You say that like it’s so easy, as if it’s simple enough to turn his face a centimeter to face you. He gulps, scratching at the cotton material stretched over his thighs, mentally pepping himself up to turn. “Ji, I said look at me.” 

And he has to now, with your fingers pinching his chin, sitting closer to him until your lips are only a breath away from his. The same mouth he just watched suck cock like a professional whore, lips still swollen from taking Jeno’s monstrous size. “You seem nervous.”

Shaking his head, he reaches for your throat, that’s usually how it goes in porn. Those girls always liked to be choked, get manhandled and fucked into the floor. Judging by the way you let Jeno treat you, he doubts you’re any different. His hand can practically wrap around your neck, surging a rush a thrill through his gut as he pushes you down on his bed and traps you with his fingers stretched around choking you. “Not nervous.” He grits, kicking your thighs open with his knees to mount you. 

“Are y-you sure—“ you struggle to ask, tugging on his wrist. 

“Shut the fuck up.” His brother had been stern with you before, you seemed to like it. Even now with wide surprised eyes he leans in and nips at your upper lip, hands beginning to tremble. “I should use a condom with an easy slut like you..” he whispers, pouty pink lips dragging against yours. “You let anyone fuck you.”

Confidence, he has to stay confident. Has to steer the control his way, make sure you know that he’s the one in charge here. His cocks thrumming incessantly, screaming to be set free, begging him to finally fuck something other than his poor useless hand. 

Gripping onto your jaw, he licks across your lips, digging his knee higher to prod your bare middle. Fuck, you’re soaking through the cotton material of his sweats. He knew it, you really are the most erotic dream, ripped straight from the most lust crazed filled thoughts. “You need to beg.”

His knee rubs against your core to emphasize his request, cupping your jaw and chin firmly to assault your mouth further. It’s all too good, stirring his aroused heat into a rapid inescapable fire. Every inch of his skin burns, desperate to remove his clothes and draw you into the depths of hell with him. He can’t stop licking between your lips, can’t stop nibbling on your juicy pout long enough to take anything off.

“Ji—s-slow down,” you whine, gripping his narrow hips to drag your cunt up his thigh. “You’re g-getting too worked u-up.”

He should listen, this is exactly what happened last time. Kissing felt too good to stop, dragging his free hand over your perky breasts shot off too many sparks of electricity throughout his system to slow down. The warmth spreading over his thigh just too damn good to do anything other than pull his length out quickly.

“C-can’t.” He mumbles breathily, wrapping around your neck again for leverage. Pushing your thigh open to direct the tip of his aching cock inside of you. He looks devastated, anguished by the pain visibly throbbing his size. He’s so hard, the tip of his length so red and ready to burst. Biting down on his lip he practically lets out a scream as his cockhead finally drags between your sticky wet folds. “A-ahh!”

“D-don’t!” You cough, slapping his hips. “D-don’t you d-dare cum!”

Fuck. Just listening to you angrily reprimand him makes his balls tighten up even more if possible. Tip not even penetrating your tight hole yet, he takes a few deep breaths, head hung between his shoulders watching his length dangle above your pussy. There’s no way he can let go this easily, too scared to even plunge an inch inside of you the more he psyches himself out and stares between your lower halves drunkenly. 

“‘Mm sorry, s-sorry.” He curses, jerking his hips lower until the fat cockhead gets sucked inside of your warm cunt. Chubbed velvety folds wrap around him as if to draw more in, twitching violently where he struggles to not move and keep control of this moment.

“N-no! You can’t, not y-yet!” You exclaim, reaching a hand up to ball up a chunk of his hair up and pull his head back. “Pull out! D-don’t you dare cum!” 

With all the force you can find, you push his hips hard enough to make him slip out, earning a loud guttural shout as he falls out to the side. Even the two inches he managed to get in leave your hole open, hungrily clenching to be fed again. “G-god.” Whining, you sit up and rip off Jeno’s shirt, stradling Jisung’s sturdy thighs.

“You seriously have to be beating off 10 times a day to be cumming from that.” You half-joke, pushing his shirt up to scratch your nails down his chest and slowly bring him back down. His cheeks light up in flames, ruddy bright even in the dark of his bedroom.

“S-sorry, I really wanted to.. make it good for you.” He says pathetically, sniffling and hiding his face in his shoulder.

“It’ll be good for me if you last longer than a minute baby.” You jeer lightly, scooting back to remove his sweats and get a real good look at the size of his long lean figure. Surprisingly fit for someone who hardly ever leaves his bedroom. “Forget all that shit you watch in porn for a second. Just focus on me, okay?”

It’s evident by the state of his trembling figure and sad wet eyes how badly he wants this. How badly he needs this. Slowly lowering your middle down on his hips, you gently position his girthy length between your wet folds, hands smoothing up his trim waist to his chest to hold on to. “S-slow, like this.”

The small amount of willpower you have helps you ease up and down his length to coat him in your wet slick. Jisung bares his teeth, reaching to circle your waist with his big hands, anything to feel your smooth skin. He has to shut his eyes for now, especially when he first looks up and sees your chest bouncing up and down almost like slow-motion.

This- this is better than porn. God, this is better than anything, the smell of desire clinging to the roof of his mouth, your sweaty bodies rubbing together. How the fuck is he not supposed to cum like this? How the fuck does he stop himself from the humiliation of premature ejaculation? He can go for hours falling down a hole of pornographic content, abusing his fleshlight until the batteries run dry. But this is too much, too good to squeeze the fleshy meat lining your hips, too fucking good to drag his hands back up and follow the shape leading up to your tight waist and heavy breasts.

“You’re doing so good.” You manage to say, losing yourself to the pleasure with each passing rub of your clit grinding against the lifted ridge of his cockhead. “Can you take more?”

Jisung nods rapidly, screaming for more, digging his fingers into your hips for more. He can’t, he really can’t, but he wants to so fucking bad. He wants to be inside of you already, wants to feel the tight clamp of your cunt gripping around him until he’s near death.

“Yes yes, p-please.” He has no idea how obscene he looks begging from your point of view above him, thick lips parting open dribbling saliva from the corners. He’s even prettier like this, helpless and powerless to your word.

“Stay put.” You say sternly, lifting your hips to wrap around the middle of his cock. “Let me move slow, okay?”

He can do nothing besides nod again, eyes blinking open needing to watch as you rub the tip against your hole and bite down to suppress a cry. He’s just as thick as Jeno, you think, maybe a little less, still long enough to leave your cervix bruised. “F-fuck you’re.. big.”

It’s the hardest test of strength to not slam his hips upward, to stay in place the way you told him to. His teeth clench as the last inch of his size disappears inside of you, the heat from your inner walls gripped around him makes his lower back arch, tears well up in his eyes.

You try to move slowly, try to circle your hips and stretch yourself open on his length. 

“F-fuck I’m—I can’t do it.” He cries, scratching your hips and upper thighs roughly. “Too wet, too warm.”

“You c-can baby,” linking your fingers through his, you move his hands to his chest and roll your hips faster. Keeping your hands held together as you build up speed and lift up and down a little faster until a burn scorches up your thighs. “You’re doing so good.”

“Ahh, p-please!” He begs, eyes and nose scrunching up the faster you ride his length. “N-need to!” 

“Do it,” encouraging him, you grab onto his neck firmly with both hands, forcing his face to look at you. “Fuck me.”

Jisung’s chest rises steadily, shoulders stiffening as his teeth grit and he reaches for your waist to toss you down on his bed. Without sliding out more than a few inches he thrusts erratically to chase after the release that’s been begging to be let out from the second he got an inch inside of you. Hard thrust rock your back up higher, still clawing at his neck and shoulders even as his weight drops down on you faster and faster. The entire floor feels like it’s shaking with each powerful collision of his hips clapping against the back of your thighs and ass.

“Y-yes yes!” You moan prettily, the same moans that have gotten him through 5 rounds of fisting his cock like no tomorrow. The same moans he wished would be for him finally singing from your lips for him, only him.

“My n-name,” he stutters, face red and sweaty, lips covered with spit. “P-please say m-my name.”

“Jisung,” you whine, that seductive sweet whine that can make him lose his mind. High-pitched and shattered, sending his hips into a furious pace the more you continue to repeat it. “Sungie, Jisung.. p-please don’t, d-don’t stop! Jisung!”

“Ahh f-fuckkk!” He can barely control his hips as he pulls out with the wettest pop, dripping wet cock slapping down on your stomach. It already hurts too much to even bother with stroking himself to finish, hips writhing forward leaving a slimy path of your own arousal lined up the middle of your stomach.

“Jisu—“ your palms swipes up from the base of his size, cock still fat and long even beneath your stretched fingers. It’s enough to empty his balls until they literally ache. Having to hunch forward and whimper through it. Forcing himself to tear his eyes away from the sight of your abdomen painted in the milky white cream jumping in rivulets out of his twitching dick.

“Holy shit..” you sigh out, catching your breath under the sticky weight of warm cum beginning to dry on your skin. “That’s— you came so much..”

“S-sorry..” he murmurs, moving to your side to lie down, head spinning too much as he blinks at the ceiling. “For all of that.”

“Why? It’s cute..” you say shyly, somehow pulling that soft shy tone out of some hidden bag of tricks you must have after all that. “Never a bad thing to like fucking that much..”

“Think I just like you that much.” He admits, eyes shifting to the side to gauge your reaction. He shouldn’t say that, given the reason you’re even here to begin with, but how can he not?

“I can tell,” you smirk, dragging two fingers through the mess painted on your stomach. “I’m sure we can figure something out.. I know how to work your brother if you haven’t noticed.”

Jisung hums, sitting up feeling strung out and exhausted. “I should clean you, right?”

“That’d be nice.” You nod, watching him get up to find a clean towel.

“How was it? I mean, like, how did I do?” He asks, sitting down and lightly dragging a small towel from your chest to your stomach.

A sneaky smile pulls at your lips, sighing and relaxing. “Not bad for a gooner.”

Jisung blows out a breath nervously, scratching his cheek and shrugging. “I don’t know you’re talking about.”

Sitting up, you reach for his right hand, lifting it up to your face to trace over all the rough calluses lined up and down his palm. “By the time I’m through with you, you’ll forget how your hand even felt.”

“What?”

“Jeno’s not my only fuck buddy.” You wink, shoving his hand away. “Let’s get dressed before he eats through everything.”

Jisung helps you get up, not wanting to further question what you mean by that. Instead he finds a clean shirt to hand you, confirming that he’s right, you do look better in his clothes.

“You’re not getting this shirt back by the way.” You say, pinching his cheek exactly the same way you had weeks ago. “Cutie.”

Dabbing at his blushing cheeks he watches you head out before following after you. Needing to calm himself for a minute. 

You can keep it.

･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･

[bluelockmaniac]

calling your friend a pet name in front of your boyfriend ITOSHI RIN

cw: jealous & clingy rin, fem!reader wc: 642 reo's version

you and rin were lost in your own world, cuddling on the couch, completely ignoring the gore film that played on the television screen. you sat comfortably on his lap, arms around his shoulders as he held your waist gently and smothered you with tender kisses, his lips pressing against every feature of your face. despite the horrifying soundtracks, blood curdling screams, and the desperate pleas of characters standing on death’s door, the two of you still paid them no mind, the gruesome sounds fading into the background as you focused on rin’s kisses. how romantic.

in that moment, a knock on the door of your apartment catches your attention, breaking what was about to be a makeout session, “oh, that must be…” your words trail off. rin reluctantly lets go of your waist, sinking back onto the couch with an exasperated sigh as he watches you head towards the front door.

“were you expecting someone?” he asks. the interruption irritated him considering the amount of effort he put to push aside his arrogance and finally approach you with the intent of kissing you until you couldn’t breathe.

you open the door, and your friend wastes no time, pressing a bag of your favourite sweets into your chest, pulling you into a tight hug, “babeee! thanks for lending me the textbook!” she chirps happily, “the teacher woulda given me an earful,” she pouts, planting a friendly kiss on your cheek.

you quickly reciprocate her hug, “aww, sweetheart, you really got these for me?” you laugh, placing your textbook and the candy bag on the foyer table, “you’re making me blush,” you add jokingly with a wink.

your boyfriend’s face contorted into one of confusion, his eyes narrowing as his fingers clenched the couch at his sides. he quickly moved towards you, grabbing your wrist and pulling you to his side with a frown.

“oh, rinnie, this is f/n, she’s one of my closest fr—” you try to speak, only to get cut off by rin, who was glaring daggers at the source of his frustration, the girl near the front door (and the bag of sweets).

“why is she so clingy?” despite his hardest efforts to appear unaffected by the affectionate pet names—and the kiss on your cheek— his voice betrayed his underlying jealousy and bitterness, “and ‘sweetheart’? seriously?”

you blink in both astonishment and shock, taken aback by rin’s uncharacteristic behaviour. this was a first. was he actually jealous? “rin, are you pouting?”

“hmph,” he glances away, “obviously not.”

“woahhh!! Is the itoshi rin jeal—” your friend was cut off mid-sentence by rin’s glare, warning her not to push her luck because his patience was wearing thin.

“ooh, w-well, i’m gonna leave now, haha– bye babe!”

you laugh, “sorry for his behaviour, swee— i mean, f/n,” you thank her for the gift and close the door behind her.

rin rolls his eyes, and then, without warning, he lifts you into his arms and carries you to your shared bedroom, “r-rin?” you softly gasp as you squirm against his chest.

“hm, you’re going to have to make it up to me,” he mumbles, gently laying you down on the bed as he snuggles closer to you. wrapping his arm around your waist, he pulls you so your back is pressed against his chest while his lips trail soft kisses along your neck, “alright?” he asks, though it’s evident he has no intention of stopping regardless of your response.

you relax your body as you allow him to decorate your neck with small hickies, “i’ve never seen you jealous before,” you smile teasingly, “funny how you called her clingy. who’s the clingy one now?”

he rolls his eyes, giving your waist a gentle squeeze as he buries his face in the crook of your neck, his cheeks slightly pink,

“shut up.”

-

comments appreciated!!

if you're interested in a royal/fantasy au story; wizard ness x princess y/n (no kaiser), click here!

[yikimiki]

Can I please request;

King eren who's been lusting after his personal maid for the longest time. Smut when he has her clean every inch of him during a bath and tells her to clean his cock with her mouth.

I LOVE fantasy aus, this was heaven-sent. Note! Eren is older here, around his early 30s, and I imagined reader to be around early/mid 20’s (though age isn’t specified). Also this is LONG! I don’t know WC Bc I wrote on tumblr but i guess around 4-5K!! 🪦

>> of marble and gold

⚠️ warnings: smut, obvious power imbalance/abuse (so dub-con), dark content because Eren is… obsessive, heavy objectification/degradation of reader (“whore” and such), oral, creampie, bruising/marking

—

The brown leaves twirl to the ground as a new season begins, and King Eren’s patience — and self-control — has reached its limit. After almost fifty years of the Jaeger family negotiating with the neighboring kingdom, the new ruler broke tradition like it was nothing more than a frail wax seal. The message is clear: no more commercial settlements, no more food trade, until they returned with the treasure they had stolen nearly a century ago. Until the vaults are full, and his people are once again able to enjoy their own crops, friendly conversations are off the table.

Surprisingly, it works. After panic has subsided and a tense meeting is scheduled, the threat of an upcoming war is larger than the power of negotiation — with that, a new system is at play, and the table dips a little more towards Eren’s kingdom.

It’s one of the easiest years in a long, long time — plates are full, the people are happy, and the small economy is finally blossoming into something more substancial. Eren is constantly surrounded by all types of people who seek to impress him (or take his newly found riches), little annoying flies buzzing around him during the day, then trying to enter his chambers at night.

But Eren is difficult to impress. He’s a serious man with serious goals, and a short dress skit or an inviting deal isn’t enough to make him pay attention. However, amidst all that calamity, you manage to make him double take.

The influx of people to his lands came with the news of a fruitful economy, so it isn’t a surprise that he doesn’t immediately recognize you. There are countless new servants in the castle, some of which are constantly out of his sight, so your random appearance is, in a way, expected. And, yet, amongst so many faces, his gaze stills in yours.

Once again, Eren is a serious man with serious goals — and with even more serious needs and desires. The switch of your position (from a kitchen servant to his personal maid) is swift and direct, leaving no room for objection. It’s not typical for women to assist royal men in such personal affairs such as bathing or clothing — not officially, at least — so he expects that the change with cause a little fuss. But no one has the guts to go against him.

The first time you see King Eren, he is a giant in front of you, watching closely as you kneel in front of his throne. There are dark shadows over his face and his green eyes shine with amusement, long brown hair falling like a cascade over his features. There’s a hint of a smile on his lips as he tells you to stand, and countless scars on his hand as he holds yours and orders you to be at his chamber at nightfall, so you can help him bathe. You agree and leave hurriedly, heartbeat booming in your ears.

Eren is a handsome man, that much you knew. But what you didn’t know is how massive and overtaking his very presence is — well, you suppose that is expected of any monarch, but it’s different when you witness it yourself. He is the center of the galaxy and everyone else, yourself included, is simply gravitating around him, moving aimlessly through life until he, even if briefly, gives meaning to it. To have someone so great, so respected, to personally chose you amongst so many to serve him… is strange.

You’re not naive — the years being both a commoner and a woman have taught you more than most maids in the castle would’ve dreamt of living. You know what men want, especially powerful ones like Eren, and you know your position is extremely delicate. Even if, now, you don’t wish to deny any of his advances, you know that the mere possibility would mean death to you. So you accept, even knowing you’re placing a noose around your neck. Even knowing you’re only getting out of this if he loses interest or, somberly, dead.

The first night you spend in Eren’s chambers you know that the first option is nearly impossible. He looks at you like you’re a mythical being, the finest piece of art, watching your movements closely as you help him bathe — your hands moving up and down on the water, keeping the circle of wetting the rag, cleaning his skin, and wetting it again. You’re strictly professional, never staring at his body, especially the parts beneath the water. From your peripheral vision, you see his defined muscles and deep battle scars, but don’t dare to look at it directly.

“Where did you come from?” He asks eventually, scaring you and making you drop the piece of soap in your hands. Eren’s voice is deep and commanding even in such intimate situation, and you feel yourself shrinking. “You’re not from here.”

The second part isn’t a question. “I came from the East, my king.”

Eren isn’t satisfied by your answer. “Why did you come?”

“My family’s farm was burnt down and I needed to work, my king,” you tell him, placing the dirty rag aside as you move to reach for the soap. Thankfully there is a layer of bubbles on the water now, and there is nothing else to see. “So I came here.”

He hums, laying back against the cool material. “Look at your king,” he orders. You blink, overwhelmed, and do as he says. His eyes are looking directly at your soul, one wet strand of hair glued to his forehead, and you squeeze the bar of soap so tightly that your nails dig to the surface. “Better. What is your name?”

You tell him.

“You’re beautiful,” he says. You gulp and sit back against your heels, watching as his hand moves closer to you, pushing your hair behind your ear. Shadows and candlelight reflects on his face like a dream. “It’s quite obvious you’re a foreigner. We don’t have women as beautiful as you.”

“T-Thank you, my king.” You look down. Your heart hammers like a caged bird against your ribcage, your lungs fight against expectation. His touch lingers. “I believe your bath is finished, your highness, do you wish for me to help you into—“

“Finished?” He raises one eyebrow, and you feel the noose around your neck tighten. “It is not. You forgot a place.”

You lower your head. “My deepest apologies, your highness.”

He hums, then startles you as he abruptly rises from the water. You use all your force not to look up at him. “Come. Dry me.”

You blink. “My king, what about…”

“Don’t argue, sweet girl. Your king commands you,” Eren says. There is poison dripping from his lips and you nod, getting up to your feet. “Dry me.”

You swallow. “Yes, my king.”

The pace in which you dry Eren’s body is torturous, your gaze glued to your own hands as you move the dry towel over his skin. First his face and hair, where he stares at you intently, then moving down to his chest, his arms.

Eren himself is enthralled, unable to cut his thoughts of you. Up close, you’re flawless, divine. Every movement you make is perfect, even the way you bite your lip and blink at him makes him dizzy with desire. He has never seen someone as beautiful as you, a young maiden with plump breasts and a delicate face; someone who listens to him so closely yet keeps their distance, respectful and fearful of their king — as all should be. He must have you. More than this, more than as a worker, he must have you, body and soul.

Your body arches as you move closer to his abdomen, touches becoming clearly more clumsy as your hands approach his private parts. The mere anticipation of having you so close makes Eren’s cock grow, thick and heavy, until it’s almost fully erect and you pause, startled.

“There, love. That’s where you missed a spot,” Eren says. You gulp and look up at him, wide eyes searching for something in his expression. He signals towards his erection with a movement of his head. “Clean it.”

“M-My king,” you speak, nervous. “Do you wish me to… clean you? There?”

He nods. “With your mouth. Be a good girl and clean it all up.,” he says. You lick your lips and look down at his large member — you knew it would come down to this and, yet, you are taken off guard. You didn’t think it would be this way. “And it’s Eren. These titles are making me mad with rage.”

You kneel in front of him — Eren realizes he is quite fond of that position. “Yes, my- Eren.” 

Your hand seems so small against his cock, now fully erect, barely taking him halfway before your lips touch his crown. Eren is both long and thick, throbbing in your hand as you suck on his head, humming around him before daring to go a little deeper. The size makes you choke up slightly, but you prevail. You want to pleasure your king, and if this is the way, so be it.

“Don’t be afraid to put it all inside, love.” He sighs. You do as you’re told, fighting against the tears as you push more of his size inside your mouth. It touches your throat and you gag, but you don’t stop. When Eren starts to moan, a deep groan in his throat, you start to set a rhythm. “There it is, there’s my obedient whore. Just as perfect as I had imagined.”

There’s wetness building between your thighs at his filthy words, a growing desire inside you as you look up at him. Eren is a god above you, made of marble and gold, looking down at you like you’re nothing but a hole for him to use. The defined muscles of his abdomen are contracting as you suck him harder, his eyes focused on your stretched-out lips as you struggle to take him.

“Fuck… what a perfect little mouth you have,” he breathes out. You close your eyes and take him even deeper, making a string of curses and threats fall from his mouth. His large hand meets the back of your head and pulls a handful of your hair, moving your face as he likes on his cock. “Good fucking whore,” Eren moans. “My fucking whore from now on. No one will fuck you. Only me.” You gag around his cock, but he doesn’t stop. Eren fucks your mouth until you’re sobbing, until he’s about to spill inside it — and then he pushes your head away. “Get on the fucking bed. I’m going to make you mine forever.”

You’re so overwhelmed that you barely process the walk between his bathroom and the large bed — in fact, you don’t even have time to think about how that is the single largest piece of furniture you’ve ever seen before you’re thrown on the bouncy mattress. One second you’re standing next to your king, and the next Eren is looming over you, kissing you like you’re the air that he breathes, like your mouth is made of honey. His hands are all over your body, literally tearing and ripping your dress in a desperate, animalistic attempt to get you undressed.

“Fuckin’ perfect,” he mumbles before he latches onto one of your breasts, sucking as his hand squeezes the other one. You’re fully naked now, lying in a bed of rags — rags that used to be your dress.

Eren marks you up with his hickeys, spanks the skin of your thighs until it’s bruised and you’re whining for him to stop. You sob and cry, but he shuts you up with another kiss just so he can tear those pretty sounds from you again.

“M-My king, please,” you beg. The wetness between your legs is embarrassing, and your body is all marked up by the time Eren is done with exploring it. He is lost in the mission of making — of marking — you his, barely even hears what you say. “I need…”

Then something clicks. He holds your face in his hand and pushes it closer to his, squeezing your cheeks together. There is fire burning at the bottom of his eyes, and you know you’ve said something wrong. “You don’t need anything, you don’t request anything. Understand? I’m your king, and you’re my whore. Act like it.”

You swallow — your throat hurts. “I’m sorry.”

“You will be.”

Eren is a serious man and a man of his word. You can’t even think about what to say to redeem yourself before he starts pushing his cock against your pussy, rubbing the tip against your folds once, twice, before slamming himself deep inside you. You sob at the feeling, walls fighting to adjust to his size, but he doesn’t even let the burning sensation subside before he starts fucking you.

“What is it? Did you not need this?” He coos. You half-nod half-shake your head, not even sure of it yourself. Eren sneers at your pathetic situation — all teary eyes and messy hair, holding onto his arms as he drills his cock in and out of your tight hole. And, yet, he still thinks you’re the most heavenly thing he has ever seen. “Your pussy feels so fucking… so fucking good.” He moans. “I’m going to fill it up every night. Get you all full with cock and cum every chance I get.”

Your eyes roll back at his words, as promise feels like a dream. You’d like that — after so many years of struggle and hard work, you would love to be a brainless little hole for your king to use and abuse whenever he wishes. You’d love to be dressed in the finest of silk and kissed with fervor, be treated like royalty, even if it isn’t true. You would love it with all your heart.

“Look at me when I fuck you, whore. Look at your king,” Eren brings you back to reality. You do as he says, meeting the savage look in his eyes as he fucks you harder, deeper, hitting all the sweet spots you didn’t even know you had. “Who do you belong to?” He asks, frowning. “Tell me.”

“Eren— I belong to you, Eren, my king,” you answer without hesitation. Your cunt squeezes him tightly as you cum hard, moaning loud and unashamed. You’d regret it in the morning but now… now you’re made of gold and marble too.

“You’re your king’s. Remember that,” he says. You nod, barely aware of the world around you as you dive deeper into pleasure. “Going to cum,” Eren strains. Forget that — now he looks like a god. Muscles tensing and jaw clenching as he uses your body however he pleases, plunging his cock inside you again and again until your wet pussy milks him dry; cock throbbing as he cums inside you. “Fuck, fuck,” he moans, hips faltering as his cock releases inside you again and again. “God, that’s so much fucking cum.”

A whine escapes your mouth as you feel it soak the sheets beneath you, but you say nothing. You dive into the moment like it’s your last one on earth: a moment in which you’re monarchy, loved and fucked into bliss, not a care in the world but the feeling dripping between your thighs. Though, the illusion never lasts long — you watch as Eren finishes and then rolls around next to you, staring at the ceiling with a sigh.

Even after everything, it feels wrong. Like you shouldn’t be here. “M-My king,” you speak after a second of silence, “should I go?”

He turns to you, somber as always. You can’t decipher his tone as he answers. “Not yet,” Eren speaks. “Only when the sun comes up. If I’m done with you by then.”

[bunnyreaper]

wc - 4.6k

warnings - 18+/nsfw (eventually), age gap (older male younger female), bodyguard!au, threat of violence.

notes - another visit to dilfville, a new series, because that's all we need, right? lol. hope you enjoy ♥

Friday nights meant one thing: unwinding after a long week of working in your home office, braving the outside world, and heading to the comfy flat belonging to your friend Jules.

While visiting her place was always a blast, Friday nights were for DnD. Leaving behind Earth for its fantasy counterpart and getting lost in the adventures of your group's merry band of do-gooders. 

Saturdays are usually spent drinking coffee, frequenting markets, and then rounding the night off with cocktails and dancing. (And Sunday's recuperating from being up on your feet all night, spending the day in bed reading whatever trashy romance novel is next on your reading list.) 

Your weekends are your sanctuary—your freedom from routine and work is your refuge. 

You dance around your bedroom, rocking your hips to the music as you pull on your clothes—a white blouse and black bustier to channel the vibes of your character Elora. 

When the doorbell rings, it's entirely unexpected. Anyone close to you knows you're just a few minutes away from heading out for the night—maybe it's a neighbour, you suppose to yourself as you head to the door. 

On the other side of your flat's door is an incredibly handsome man. Broad framed, ruggedly good-looking yet with a finely pressed white shirt and dress trousers. His features are striking, strong eyes and a brow slashed with a scar, stubble all over, and a neatly trimmed mohawk that strangely suits him. All in all, a sight for fucking sore eyes, standing so confidently and casually in your doorway like he belongs.

You hate how your eyes linger on his form far longer than they probably should, but the handsome stranger is just so enthralling.

"Hello?" You mumble, a little absent-mindedly, as you try to gather thoughts that aren't just lewd and dirty.

His stormy blue eyes meet yours, his cheek tugs into a half-smile that definitely doesn't meet his eyes, the faintest dimple appearing on his left cheek. "John MacTavish, ye maw sent me." 

"Oh, the bodyguard." You reply dumbly. Fuck. If you were opposed to the idea before, you certainly were now... or maybe you're not.

On one hand, you have to have a handsome stranger watching over you—on the other, you have to have a handsome stranger watching over you, while you act normal about the entire thing. 

You realise that you're acting completely the fool, so you snap out of your thoughts and step aside to allow the older man inside. "She didn't tell me to expect you... probably thought I'd run. Uh, come in." 

"Thanks." He nods as he steps through the threshold, ducking slightly as he does. 

Once inside, his eyes scan over the open-plan space of your living area, seemingly taking in every little detail. 

You watch him, sensing that his training and experience make him focus on the minute particulars of a room that others would completely skip over. 

Your mother had already clued you into the fact there might need to be security enhancements to the flat itself, and you assume those requests came at the behest of the man himself. He seems to be lost in evaluating what these might be. 

"So, what can I do for you?" You ask, filling the air with some sort of conversation starter. You have no idea what you're doing in this situation on the whole, but especially not when it comes to hiring, negotiating with, and retaining a bodyguard.

"It's what I can do fer you." He turns, taking you in now, and you start to feel self-conscious about having too many buttons undone, too much chest on show. 

Something tells you that MacTavish's gaze would make you squirm regardless—his eyes carrying a heaviness to them that seem like a fantastic attribute in a protector. Surely anyone who would even think about coming close to cause you harm would reconsider under his harsh look.

You start to wrack your brains for what he can actually do for you. Again, you have no familiarity in having personal protection, beyond what you've seen your mother undergo. Your work is fairly stable, you keep the same routine, and the biggest threat you ever seem to face is the creeps in the club. 

Well, apart from the online threats, but something about the anonymous, cowardly messages doesn't frighten you. 

"If I'm being honest,I don't exactly want a bodyguard. I don't see much of a point?" You admit, voice a little quiet. After all, you don't mean to upset or offend the man, but you're not sure he isn't just wasting his time with this job.

He squints, considering for a moment before he answers. "Yer maw sees things differently." 

She does, and that's probably the only reason you agreed to go through with this in the first place. You don't want to worry her, especially since her own security has had to be tightened due to said threats. 

"Yeah, she's really worried." 

John's brows furrow, a small frown appearing on his lips. "Aye, rightly so, considering everything." 

He seems serious and said severity gives you pause for thought. His job is to assess and protect against threats, so surely he wouldn't be here, acting the way he is were there not a valid reason for concern. The thought makes a lump form in your throat, makes your stomach twist in a way you'd rather not acknowledge. 

You try to cope with it the best way you know how—humour. 

"Eh, online threats are nothing new for a girl my age, you know? And it's not like I'm anyone important." You shrug it off, hoping that if you say the words aloud, they'll just come true. As you speak, your phone chimes with a notification from your group chat, reminding you of your upcoming plans—and the fact you're going to have to abandon this little meeting. "Uh, I'd offer you a cuppa, but I'm leaving soon." 

"Don't drink it anyway, but thanks." The man smiles slightly, before turning away once more and scanning the room. He cranes his neck to get a look down the hallway, leading to your bedroom and bathroom. "There's a difference between lads online, an' the kinda people that make up extremist groups like those targeting your maw and her party." 

"Really?" You laugh, a short, sharp sound that betrays your discomfort. You grab your jacket and keys by the door, desperate for something to fiddle with. "Thought they were all just sad loners, desperately searching for something to make them feel better." 

"Except some of them have connections, dangerous connections." 

There are a million and one reasons you don't want to go through with this, and very few urging you to. Though, removing a major worry from your mother's life is a big one—John MacTavish's gorgeous blues are another. The possible invasion of privacy lingers in your head, the worry that your father might be using this as an opportunity to have the inside track on your life, on all the things you don't tell your parents. Your mind also revolts at the idea of unnecessary restrictions to your plans, your friends being held under a magnifying glass. 

The thought of the threats being real is the only thing more startling. You sigh, resigning yourself to your fate. "If this is what will help her feel better, then I guess I better find a way to make this work." 

He nods firmly, joining you at where you hover nervously at the door. "I'd agree." 

"Unfortunately, you arrived at the worst possible time, because like I said, I'm just headed out. Can't miss the tube." You force a tight-lipped smile, making your excuse to leave—the thought of being late makes you jittery, the thought of being late continuing this difficult conversation makes you feel worse. 

"Where ye going?" He asks, head tilted. 

You know it's the first question of many. Where are you going? Who are you going with? The atmosphere already feels a little stifling, the relationship a little strained. You and John aren't friends, never will be friends. He's here to do a job, watch over you, and take your security very, very seriously. 

"This is how it's always going to be?" You ask, the question coming out a little snappier than you intend it to. 

John takes it in stride, unblinking in the face of your shortness, and yet unrelenting in his need for information. "Aye." 

Once more, you sigh. "Right... I'm going to my weekly DnD game at my friend's house, and please, I really don't wanna cancel." You plead, feeling like a child reasoning with their parents rather than two adults on equal footing. You hate the feeling, even if you know his intentions are pure. 

"How many friends?" He asks. 

"4." You answer instantly. 

"How long have ye known them?" His questioning continues, and his focus on the people you trust naturally drives you up the wall, even if again, you know it's just his job.

Your grasp on your keys tightens, your agitation growing. "I'll tell you whatever I can some other time, but please, I hate being late." You gesture to the door, indicating that it's time for him and you to leave. 

John grabs the door, opening it for you and allowing you to step through before he does. As you turn to lock the door, you expect him to arrange another time and to bid you farewell, but he doesn't. "I'll drive ye. Dinnae bother arguing, lass." 

His words have a finality to them that quiets you anyway, but the use of 'lass' renders you all but speechless. 

"Okay..." You mumble, leading the way down the stairs as his hand comes to ghost along your lower back.

MacTavish’s vehicle is parked out in the street, and as you approach the car, you can feel his eyes searching again. He beats you to the car, a sleek black Range Rover, opening the door for you before climbing inside himself.  

The action would be nice under any other circumstance, and such propriety is something you're probably going to have to get used to, but right now it just reinforces the annoying, infantilising feeling that you're currently suffering through. 

As you give your friend's address to John, he takes off without another word, flicking on the car stereo before he goes. The atmosphere is thick, stifling, and you can only hope that in time the feeling will lessen, especially if your mother makes him a permanent feature. 

On the way over, he picks up his questioning where he left off. "So, how long have you known this group?"

"A good few years, since uni." 

"We can go over names and details when you're ready." 

You take a deep breath, holding it in and then forcing yourself to calm a little. Instead, you try to focus on watching John, the diligent way he drives. "I'm assuming you have a long list of things we'll need to go over."

His eyes don't stray from you. "Aye, that we do." 

The two of you fall into tense silence for the rest of the drive, nothing but the music and the sound of the car to keep you company. In the quiet street your friend lives on, John pulls in to park on the opposite side of the road, killing the engine and the radio, making the silence almost deafening.

Your nerves are getting the better of you again, and yet John seems so comfortable, unperturbed by the awkwardness. You're unsure what comes next, what to say. 

"Not to be rude but, I'd prefer if you didn't come in." You utter, saying the first thing that springs to mind, despite it probably not being the best thing either. You flash the man an apologetic smile before you continue. "I don't know how to deal with all this, especially when we haven't agreed on how all this is gonna work?" 

You hope your earnest admission makes up for your temporary ill-manners. 

"Tha's fine, I'll stay here." He looks completely impassive. "Not ideal, but it'll do." 

He doesn't look bothered by the inconvenience, and you suppose you should assuage him of the idea it's going to be a quick visit.

"Really? I'll be gone for a few hours." 

His brow quirks. "Yer maw paid upfront, so as far as am concerned, my job's already started." Once more, his statement is absolute, and you don't bother trying to argue.

"Right then." 

John is out of the car first, headed straight to your side of the door, checking left and right before he opens to let you out. 

The action makes you both laugh and curse, perplexed by the deed as you climb out. "You're not my driver, you know you don't need to open the door for me?" 

He laughs too, derisive and short as he closes the door a little too sharply. "Not tae be rude, but I believe the words you're looking for are 'thank you'."  

"Gonna walk me to the door?" You ask, trying to shed yourself of your nerves and make the situation lighter. 

You can't stay tense and subdued for the entire duration of this relationship—besides, now you're moments away from reuniting with the others in Albion Vale and forgetting all about this mess for a few hours. That alone is enough to raise your spirits. 

John forces a cheeky, tight-lipped smile, the crow's feet at his eyes crinkling almost condescendingly. "Not feeling tha' gentlemanly anymore. I'm sure ye'll be fine." 

"I'm sure." You make your way halfway across the road, before coming to a realisation, stopping and turning. "Oh, what's your number, you know, make this whole thing easier?"  

John darts out, his arm falling just beside you as he ushers you across the road and onto the other side.

"Pass yer phone." He says, holding out a large, rough hand expectantly. 

"Right, yeah." You nod, probably more than is necessary, as you pass your phone over to the man. 

John takes the phone more softly than you expect, typing in his name and number before holding it back out for you to take. "I'll be here when yer done, to take ye home." 

"Uh, thank you." You take the phone, before walking away sheepishly heading into your friend's block of flats and toward her apartment. 

With each step you take, you try to push John and the threats and everything to do with the outside world far, far out of your brain. 

The night passes by in a flurry of laughter and fun, lost in the adventures of Albion Vale and the antics of your party. 

The session wraps up, and while you would usually be in no rush to head back—you know you can't sit around and leave John, however much a stranger he is, sitting in the car outside. 

You text him to let him know you're headed down in five, and when you make it to the street less than 3 minutes later, he is there, leaning against the car door waiting for you. 

"Thank you." You whisper, climbing inside. When John joins you in the car, he scrubs at his eyes before putting the key in the ignition. "Have you not been bored out of your mind?" 

"Nothing I'm not used to." He replies instantly, pulling away before you can ask any further. 

"What did you do before this?" You ask, curiosity getting the better of you. 

From your understanding, most bodyguards cut their teeth in the police or the armed forces, and have tonnes of experience under their belt.

John oozes an ex-forces demeanour–his perfect posture, constant alertness, and the scars littering his skin. 

It'd be hard not to notice, but becomes immediately obvious with the way your eyes seem to love settling upon him when they can. You have to force yourself to squash down the drunken, misguided lust that flares within you as you watch his large hands on the steering wheel and notice his veiny, hairy, and muscular forearms. 

"Army, Captain." He answers, pulling your attention back to him in a more professional manner properly. 

Something within the way he speaks makes you think there's more to the story—though you suppose with that kind of background, he has a cache of secrets and tales that he can never really share.

"Oh." You nod, feeling a little soothed. If you have to be protected, you suppose someone with his level of experience is the best man for the job. "I'm in good hands then." 

Once more, he flashes a forced half-smile. "Aye."

A moment passes, and you find more questions bubbling to the front of your brain. Naturally, you're curious about this man who is undoubtedly going to become a big part of your life from now on, but the fact that his nature is a little reserved makes your curiosity multiply. You've long been a sucker for closed-off older men—call it a character flaw. 

"Why did you leave the army? If you don't mind me asking."

There's a beat of silence where you think he might not answer, but eventually, he does, eyes still fixed on the road. 

"Medical reasons. Nothing that affects my ability to do this job." He rushes to add, a slight spark of defensiveness flashing through as his jaw visibly tightens.

You're no expert detective, and you haven't seen your protector in action, but your first guess is that whatever ailment made him leave isn't entirely physical. The fact he's been somewhat open about it puts your mind at ease, the fact that your mother has clearly vetted him even more so. 

You offer an empathetic smile that he likely doesn't see. "I don't doubt it." 

The drive home passes quicker and easier with a bit of mead in your veins, allowing you to loosen up enough to hum along to the music playing from John's speakers. The little buzz passing through you alleviates that sense of trepidation you felt earlier, luring you into a false sense of security. 

When the car pulls up and John lets you out, you know just what to say what needs to come next. "Well, I guess you should come in so we can formalise things." 

"I'd appreciate it." He nods, before turning back to the car to grab a bag and follow you into the building.

 *

You and John sit at your kitchen island, tea in your hand and coffee in John's—a neat, stapled stack of papers sits before you.

"Here's the contract I signed with ye maw, but she's given us some wiggle room." John says, tapping the top of the paper where the bold letters of CLOSE PROTECTION AGREEMENT — 141 SECURITY sit. 

"Nice of her to allow me a say, if I'm honest." You laugh dryly—you love your mother dearly, but you'd be lying if you said she wasn't overbearing. Your initial protests about this whole arrangement had been entirely shut down, and clearly, she didn't trust you to follow through considering she sprung John on you tonight, unannounced.

"I'm sure she just wants what's best for ye." John offers as you flick through the pages.

The contract outlines the agreement between the Guard and The Principal—with stipulations on activities, compensation, and conduct. 

It's weird seeing it all laid out on paper, seeing the hefty cost of John's services, and the fact you'll be giving this man free access to your home and life. All of this to keep you safe from some nebulous threats that have not even been acted upon.

"She does, but this is inconvenient, and frustrating to say the least." You purposefully choose not to include the words 'fucking annoying' and 'torturing me with a hot man I can't have', though your next conversation with your therapist will absolutely include such descriptions and more. 

"I can understand tha'." He nods understandingly, before raising his coffee and taking a sip—his gaze unwavering as he does. "You've never had close protection before?" 

You shake your head. "No, this is all new to me." 

"Okay. We'll start by discussing exactly what kind of protection you're looking for. Part of tha' will be dictated by what yer maw laid out, like I said, we can decide specifics." 

"Sounds like a plan." You lean back in your stool, tea in hand as you contemplate. Admittedly, you should have done some research before this, but in your defence, you did think you had more time. You're not entirely sure what boundaries you can set—but you hope that John can lead the process a little. "I don't think I can do something 24/7, and it's not like you can stay here, I guess."

You cringe internally thinking about how fucking awkward that would be—your tipsy brain supplies the image of the world's most uncomfortable sleepover. 

In your imagination, John looks grumpy and uncomfortable, still tucked up in bed in that stiff shirt with his boots still on. You are, of course, in little fluffy bunny pyjamas staring at him all gooey-eyed whilst he tries to pretend everything is normal. It takes conscious effort for you not to giggle at the mental image.

"I understand. I'd suggest I escort you anywhere outside these four walls, day or night, work and social events. Conduct security checks on your flat, vet close contacts, update your digital security, things like tha'." John supplies a rundown of potential actions like it's a grocery list, yet a very severe grocery list. His collected nature does put you more at ease.

"Sounds a tad invasive." 

"I'll try to make it as little as possible." 

"Thanks, I appreciate it." You smile slightly, truly thankful for his consideration and tact.

You give John a once over, thoughts once again ticking over. "If you're going to be with me everywhere, you can't walk around like that, outside of my work, that is. No offense, it's just, all my friends are gonna think I'm a self-important twat if I start showing up everywhere with some posh bodyguard." You stop abruptly, realising how much you're bloody rambling.

"Am far from posh. But, more casual look then, aye?" 

You smile a little nervously, hoping you haven't completely offended the man. "Please." 

This whole situation is beyond difficult to navigate—untreaded paths, forging new relationships, balancing existing ones. Your friends really are going to think this whole situation is beyond bizarre. They already find amusement in seeing your mother on the news. Having a bodyguard is going to leave you subject to endless teasing, relentless mocking, and attempts to make your and John's life a whole lot harder.

Your head falls into your hands as you rub at the sockets of your eyes, undoubtedly smearing your makeup and making a mess of your face. It'll get easier, you reassure yourself.

With your eyes closed and pressed into the heel of your hands, you don't see the way John's expression softens or the way he moves closer to comfort you before hesitating and stopping short. "Wha's the matter?" 

"I'm just... incredibly anxious about how this is going to play out with my friends, with work." 

John leaps into problem-solving mode, immediately pulling from his brain some words to soothe you, as well as making note of what bumps in the road to smooth out. "Ye mother said she already consulted yer work, and they're fine to make accommodations." 

Of course, she'd already talked to David about the whole thing. "So it'll be fine aside from all the gossip it will cause." 

"It's politics and I ken yer not naïve, everybody's talking anyway, no?" He offers, and yet you don't seem assuaged, so he tries a different tactic. "It's my job to blend in. They'll barely notice me." 

"With that haircut? Sorry." You giggle—surprisingly you find the mohawk suits his rugged look, but it certainly isn't something you've seen on a man that wasn't walking the streets of Camden. Though, even with a more fitting haircut, the man is so casually striking and ever so slightly imposing that he just naturally draws attention. "In general, you don't strike me as a man who does blending in well, not in civilian life anyway."

His eyes narrow for a moment, before he struggles to fight off a smirk. "Hmm, ye might have a point. Not changing ma hair though, sorry. Nae sure ye family has enough money for tha' one."  

His more playful side makes your heart soar, and gives you hope that everything might just be alright.

"I have a crazy idea." Okay, maybe you're more tipsy than you thought you were, as your brain supplies an outlandish plot and your mouth runs away with it. 

His eyebrow arches and his eyes sparkle with intrigue. John MacTavish seems like a man who likes crazy ideas. "Go oan." 

"I'll tell my friends that you're my boyfriend, and we're just so madly in love that you have to come everywhere with me. Means no real questions." 

Your proposition is met with deafening silence, despite the huge, encouraging grin on your face.

John laughs, just the once, before his expression hardens. "Not a chance, lass."

"Why? You don't have to really do anything. Besides, it'll save you sitting outside in the car, or staring from the shadows and making everyone feel uncomfortable." 

You realise now that while you noticed a distinct lack of a ring, there's the possibility that John is still attached, and what you're suggesting is wildly inappropriate—but it's not that point he argues on.

"Aye, so I just have to spend ma time socialising instead." He scoffs.

"Well, surely you're not brooding and mysterious all the time." You wager.

Once more, he finds a smirk tugging at his lips that he can't hold back. "No' at all, but it's been a long time since I was the life of the party, and something tells me that me an' your DnD friends don't have a lot in common." 

"They might surprise you, but you also might surprise yourself. Maybe you're a secret nerd." You wink, still being jovial before you shift back to your genuine pleas. "It'll make my life a whole lot easier and be one less thing for me to stress about. My friends wouldn't second guess the story much once they got past the shock of me bagging someone older, wiser, and oh-so-handsome. Please."  

You flash your softest, sweetest doe eyes and lay the compliments on extra thick in the hopes of swaying him. In the political world, you're used to using charm to try and get what you want, and know that without charisma you'd get nowhere. Perhaps it's a bit low of you to stoop to using flirtation on someone who could likely run rings around you when it comes to negotiation, but it's worked before, and at this point, you're desperate.

John straightens up in his seat, eyes you for a moment, and then lets out a heavy sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine." 

The fact he relents honestly takes you a little by surprise. You're relieved, but yes, surprised. "Huh?"

"Fine, I'll be whoever ye want me to be..." The look in his eyes shifts to something imperceptible, as he leans over the counter closer to you. "As long ye listen to what I say when it comes to yer safety and security. Deal?" 

He holds out his hand, and your own feels dwarfed when you reach out to take his calloused palm.

"You drive a hard bargain, John MacTavish. Deal." You shake, and neither of you makes a move to immediately let go.

"Aye, a know." He winks, and the action makes your heart skip a beat, your cheeks flood with heat.

Each second passes slowly, his touch feeling like too much and not enough all at once. You know at that moment that life from now on is going to be especially difficult as long as John is around.

What he says next is the final nail in that particular coffin. "Would've done it anyway, but glad I got ye to agree to ma terms, lass." 

[kairoot]

. ﹙★﹚THE COLOR VIOLET. | 희승

PAIRING : heeseung x f.reader ➖ GENRE : angst, 80s au, high school au ➖ REQUESTED : no ➖ WARNINGS : lowercase intended, pet names, break-up, no happy ending, swearing, let me know if I missed anything! ➖ WC : 1.6K

SECTION SONG: the color violet by tory lanez

.˚ *꒰ঌ ✦ ໒꒱ * ˚. —

apologizing was hard, but accepting an apology you didn’t believe in also proved to be difficult. there were not enough fingers on your hands to count how many times heeseung had apologized for causing you trouble.

whether he wasn’t communicating or distancing himself randomly. but his biggest issue was keeping his promises.

that was definitely something he lacked in your relationship and it was getting old. he’d fill your head with all these fantasies, sweet talking you until it was time to actually act on what he’s saying.

you used to believe him, getting your hopes high when he would tell you things but disappointed when they wouldn’t come true. now, you wouldn’t even bat a lash at anything he was saying. cause in the end it would never happen.

you sat on the bleachers in the gym, watching everyone dance around with friends or their partner. your chin rested in your hand as you thought to yourself. staying at home with a cola in your hand and watching full house play on the television screen seemed like a much better idea. you wondered why you didn’t go with that choice rather than believing heeseung when he said he’d be joining you that night.

a few guys had gave you glances, showing that they were interested and some even came up to you, but you were in no mood to move around. and even though you planned to end things with heeseung, that didn’t mean your loyalty wouldn’t remain.

before you could let your eyes wander anywhere else, one of the large double doors of the gym flew open. your eyes widened as your boyfriend entered the building, hair and suit soaked from what you assumed was rain.

his eyes hurriedly scanned through the huge crowd of high schoolers, hoping to spot you somewhere on the dance floor.

your feet had began to move down the bleachers before you could even think about it. you scrambled to the drink section hoping that he didn’t catch sight of you.

a sudden feeling of anxiousness washed over you as you poured the red beverage into the matching cup. you gulped it down, trying to rid the dryness in your mouth.

a hand on the small of your back was the reason your drink almost came back up, the sound of your coughing was heard in the small area.

“woah, take it easy on the ‘punch’, maybe?”

there he stood in front of you now, showing off his intoxicating grin. you would’ve fell all the way into his arms if you didn’t have morals.

you avoided his gaze, staring down at the empty cup. you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him and say those words all at once.

“hey,” the tip of his finger came to lift your chin, doe eyes looking back into yours.

“you okay?”

you nodded, still looking up at him, feeling a bit vulnerable under his stare.

“c’mon.” he smiled again, starting to lead you toward the dance floor.

“no.” you pulled your hand away from his, remaining in your spot at the drink table.

heeseung looked at you once more, a concerned expression spreading over his features.

“what?”

“i can’t do this, heeseung.” you placed your cup to the side, finally bringing yourself to look at him.

“what.. what do you mean?”

he’d hoped you didn’t mean what he thought you meant but you did. everything that heeseung had put you through caused you anything but happiness.

“you know what i mean.” you sighed.

“baby, you don’t really mean it.” he gave you a half-hearted smile, his hand coming to caress the side of your face.

“as much as i’d hate to admit it, hee.. i do. i mean it.”

for a moment, there was only the sound of music blaring and people cheering around you. heeseung seemed like he couldn’t bring himself to say anything so you continued.

“to be honest with you, this relationship hasn’t brought me much happiness and i think that should change.” you removed his hand from your cheek as it came to rest at his side.

his body tensed up as your words seeped into his brain. this was the talk he knew that was coming but never wanted to hear.

“and i.. i just can’t continue like this, hee. not when you can’t even keep your promises.” you tried to be transparent with him but careful not to hurt him either.

“y/n, i’ll do better i-“

“will you, though? or is that just what you’ve told me the last couple of hundred times?” you tilted your head slightly.

“you know, i had to get a ride from jen and her boyfriend because you clearly forgot about tonight.” your hand came up, gesturing to his damp appearance.

he sighed, shaking his head, “look, baby, you know i didn’t mean to..”

“you never do, do you, hee?” you asked, rhetorically.

once again, he couldn’t answer to your words and could barely look you in the eye.

you took one more glance at him before walking off to another corner of the gym.

heeseung felt his eyes burning as he took the cup you were drinking from and took a sip from it.

after realizing he couldn’t stand being in the same place he had his heart broken in and with all the love songs playing, he took long strides toward the double doors he came in, now exiting through them.

the rain still came down like pellets on him as he struggled to find his dark tinted car.

he stumbled toward the door, unlocking it and sliding in the drivers seat. the engine started as the key entered the ignition and he pulled out of the school parking lot, already doing 90 in the rain.

heeseung wasn’t angry at you, per se. actually, he was quite frustrated with himself. he didn’t blame you for breaking up with him. it was his own fault that his heart got broken and that you couldn’t have the happiness that you deserved.

★ ★

milan’s note: LOL no joke this sucks ik.. i havent had the chance to write a longer fic in a while and this clearly shows but i wanted to try something new! first sentence prompt by @creativepromptsforwriting

TAGLIST: @haechansbbg @contyynishimura @sasfransisco @kgneptun @jungwonderz — message or comment to be added

[astrae4]

MELTING POINT | shen quanrui | TEASER

IN WHICH Emperor Zhanghao uses the imperial command to wed both you and Prince Shen. Normally, one would be happy to be wedded to a prince and become one of the most powerful ladies in the Empire. However, the young master of the Ducal house of Shen is said to be a cold and indifferent man. Oh! And did I mention that your duchy and his are enemies? Right! The cherry on top—I almost forgot that you have a weak body too haha… How will you survive the harsh Northern lands? Will you get along well with your husband? Will you be treated alright in an unfamiliar environment? Shall you just return back to the comfort of your home?

FEATURING Zerobaseone’s Ricky as the son of Duke Shen, Prince Shen Quanrui and you as the daughter of Duke Han, Princess Han Y/N.

GENRE romance, angst, fluff | historical fantasy, supposed enemies to lovers, forced marriage, northern duke au

WARNINGS non-gender neutral reader (reader will be using female pronouns/titles), forced marriage, infidelity, mention of heart attack, mild swearing, and blatant favoritism.

NOTE wc: 1.4k | to be released on AFTER HIATUS, if you want to be tagged when the full oneshot is released, then either comment or send an ask regarding this post. Thank you!

MORE WORKS — navigation | zb1!masterlist

ACT ONE: THE IMPERIAL COMMAND

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN, all your life, you’ve been told to hate someone because they’re your family’s opponent and then all of a sudden (in a matter of five days), you need to act as if you’ve been on good terms with them? No guidebook or school course could have prepared you for what’s to happen right now.

Yes, of course you’re aware that you’d be married off to your father’s choice of family for all your life, you think you’ve accepted it already. I mean, one would think so after being reminded of it all your life right? It’s not like it’s uncommon anyways. Everyone in the nobility marries through convenience and then has flings with their lovers. It’s more common than you think. You’d know, since you caught one of your father’s friends with their mistress once.

Yet, who’d assume that you’d be married off to the Ducal House of Shen of all people? You don’t think you would have put that in your bingo (yes, bingo exists back then) list this year—or any year to be honest.

For a bit of background to the confused readers (breaking the fourth wall let’s gaurr), The Zerose Empire exists with four ducal houses: Park, which exists in the west; Kim, from the South; Han of the East, and Shen of the North. Your family, The Ducal house of Han, has always been in opposition with the Ducal house of Shen. It was a fact that everyone knew, and it was a dislike that stemmed from way back then. (one so long that you don’t even know the reason anymore, just that you weren’t supposed to like them.)

And yes, the dislike is still rooted to this day. You could imagine how tired the Emperor, other noble houses, and ministry workers were. By this point they were quite sick of the petty arguments from both the ducal households. So sick, in fact, that Emperor Zhanghao IV, used the imperial command and declared that “Duke Han shall bring forth his most beloved daughter to marry Duke Shen’s successor.”

Your father almost had a heart attack after the declaration, but it was of no use to bargain since the imperial command was used.

In your opinion, father was a pretty good man. Not perfect or clean of course, but good. Your mother was the first wife, and surprisingly, the only wife he truly loved. It was unfortunate that mother died a year after you were born because of her weak body, and even more unfortunate that her only child turned out to be pretty weak too. He had remarried once more since then, and has had a few mistresses and children out of wedlock in an attempt to cure his aching heart. Despite the new ladies, you were still the first in his heart considering you were the only child he had out of the wife he loves.

Having a big room beside your father’s in the second floor all to yourself when all the others had to be in the first floor spiked a few jealous hearts, but your father was persistent and only allowed you the best despite your not-so-healthy body. So it was to no one’s surprise that Emperor Zhanghao meant for your father to pick you to be married to the young master of the Shen Ducal house.

That was five days ago. Your father had begged for your understanding to comply with the Emperor’s words despite him not liking the command either. He had told you that it was for the unity of the Empire and that the Ducal house of Shen had promised to your father and the Emperor that they would treat you with utmost respect; and that if they break that promise, you would be sent back with ten times the alimony paid by your father. (and boy was the original alimony already a crazy amount)

You had told your father to not worry about it as you knew your father worried for you greatly. After all, in his eyes, you were still the weak baby that he held in his arms just last week. How could he send a weak child to the harsh northern lands where you were unfamiliar with everything? Of course, you had your own worries too. Different from your father’s, though. Mostly about your own soon to be husband.

Unlike your family, where many children reside, the Ducal house of Shen only had one heir. The young master of the North, Shen Quanrui, was said to be a cold man according to the rumors you’ve heard from your maids. He was quiet and reserved, only showing his face in high society once in a blue moon. Similar to you in that matter, except it was because you were often too sick to attend rather than introverted.

You too had only met him once, in the Empire’s founding anniversary ball. Though you didn’t have the best memory, you could easily recall that face of his. Blonde hair that seemed to be dyed and striking blue eyes, it was as if he stepped out of a fantasy storybook. You’re sure he wore colored contacts back then, considering that both the Duke and Duchess had dark eyes. Nevertheless it didn’t change the fact that he was probably the most handsome man you’ve ever seen. You remember exchanging eye contact with him for a bit longer than you should have, and you remember how he raked your appearance with his eyes as if he was the hunter and you were the prey. You rolled your eyes and left back then despite the butterflies you got.

The sound of your bedroom door opening strips you out of your imagination.

”Sister,” said the voice of a young boy, “can I come in?”

”Yes,” you answered, “come in, Yujin.”

Han Yujin, the son of your father and his second mistress, was the only half-sibling you deemed close to you. His mother had died early on due to the same sickness as yours did, leaving him alone to fend off all the jealous eyes around him. You had sympathized with him, so you decided to keep him close and make him untouchable as one of your people. The young boy has since then grown attached to you, listening attentively to everything you say. Now, the young boy had become strong and wise, making him one of the successor candidates.

”I heard from father that you’d be married to that damned man, Shen Quanrui or whatever,” Sulked Yujin.

”That damned man,” you sighed, “is still a respectable man who fended off the wild beasts and is a close aide of the Emperor, you shouldn’t speak of him with that tone.”

“But—sister! He’s our enemy, we’re not supposed to like him! And—and, I heard from the maids that he’s a cruel and heartless man. What if he treats you harshly and locks you up in a tower or something!? What if he’s an indifferent husband who never looks after his wife and just messes around with other women? You deserve someone who’d love you and treat you as the apple of their eye—someone like—”

”Yujin,” Your voice stopped his train of thoughts as you held his hand, “don’t worry too much, okay? It’s not like I’m going there alone. My personal maids and Dr. Seok would be with me in the North, and they would report to father if anything happened. If he ever treats me cruelly, then I’ll be back here before you know it.”

”But still…I don’t want you away from me..”

“AWEE is my baby brother worried for me~” you teased as you squished him into a hug, emitting a loud Hey! from him as he tried to get out of your tight grasp.

Whether your words were to reassure him or you; however, you don’t know.

Who would have known that you’d get married to that man two weeks from now? Who would have known that you’d have to pretend like you didn’t hate this man all your life because you’re supposed to marry him? Who would have known that the first time you’d exchange pleasantries with your soon to be husband would be in your wedding aisle? Who would have known that you’d be moving away from your father’s protection and into the cold and dangerous land in less than a month? Goodness, may the heavens spare you.

TAGLIST — @ja4hyvn @flwoie @sulkygyu @xiaoderrrr @ineedaherosavemeenow @lonewolfjinji @teddywonss

© astrae4 2024 | please don’t copy, translate, or plagiarize my works on all platforms!

[greycaelum]

What about vampire gojo and reader, when some aristocrats critized her for her weird/unique looks? And tell her he’s only with her cuz shes too pretty and she doesn’t deserve it.

Cursedtales Collections—La Luna Chapters: {Thoughts}

—Vampire Duke Gojo Satoru X Vampire Reader

❦︎ Précis:

"Please do not pout, your sulking is not good for my health." Your brow furrowed and your heart heavy from the indescribable feeling his upset face brings. Satoru frowns and pulls your waist to stand before him. Your back collided against his chest and in no split second, a pair of tempting fangs nibbled on your neck in an attempt of piercing your fragile skin where his mate mark is inked in your skin. His blue rose... His hand rested on your hips, running his hand in the curve of your waist. A shuddering sensation crawled by your spine at the boiling heat of anticipation in your belly. He doesn't bite but the friction of his sharp canines against your neck brings out the tingles in your spine.

❦︎ Genre: vampire, fantasy, royalty

❦︎ WC/CW/TW: (2.6k)/ bullying, racial profiling, light-heavy petting, obsessive bordering subtle yandere thoughts, feeding on blood, cuddling, use of power and authority over subordinates/ angst to comfort/ vampire Satoru is his own warning

❦︎ A/N: loved writing this ask, more thoughts about vampire au? I hope you liked this one too~

There are thoughts that you do not need to hear.

Like how no one fails to notice your appearance. Wherever you go, you receive long gazes that hold different thoughts.

Before Satoru turned you into a vampire, your lady-in-waiting had often mentioned how peculiar you look even as a human. Was it for your shining hair, your gleaming eyes that seems like the river of stars, or perhaps your skin that seem to sparkle in the moonlight? They often told you your features are closer to the nymphs residing in Soladrina—the floating plains of the gods and goddesses—than that of a human.

Satoru has never mentioned these and you never gave them attention. Surely, he never failed to tell you how beautiful you are but never did he make you feel that you are different from what you are supposed to be.

But your mate's normalcy to these so-called 'differences' doesn't apply to the eyes of society.

The Grand Duke has long foregone his social duties. Ever since the late Grand Duchess, it is known that the grand duchy has dropped all social appearances. With his father sick and bedridden; His Grace is often away for hunting or war there was no one to deal with such frivolous outings. And even if he was present, he has no interest. He's far more suited to the gore of war and the silence of his study than drinking tea and eating scones in the garden.

Then, there's you.

His butler mentioned starting to build relations with the other families. At first, you dropped the idea, with no title in your name it is unheard of to attend the banquets of the aristocrats. Moreso for a human turned vampire. The vast difference in status and race was quite a dilemma for you to suddenly step into the high society without looking as if you are using the Grand Duke's paramount reputation and influence.

But after Satoru brought you in the celebration of the winter solstice, conspicuously displaying his claim and palpable affection in public eyes, everyone just knew the wheels are turning. The very next day a mass of correspondence and invitations are pouring in.

Not for His Grace.

But for you.

It was no secret how the Grand Duke is devoted to the bone with his mate. It was just a matter of passing the mourning period of his father that he will name you his Grand Duchess. From his gestures, there is no question which fell hard between the two of you. All aristocrats are intrigued about what kind of lady captivated the cold-blooded warlord, for him to be so besotted to the bone. 

"Your Grace." You sighed at his pout, this petulant attitude has been going on for two days now. And from the looks of it, it will continue even more if you don't promise him something he likes. "I promised tomorrow, we'll go picnic with no more interruption."

The sight of your mate sulking isn't something to be underestimated.

"Please do not pout, your sulking is not good for my health." Your brow furrowed and your heart heavy from the indescribable feeling his upset face brings.

Satoru frowns and pulls your waist to stand before him. Your back collided against his chest and in no split second, a pair of tempting fangs nibbled on your neck in an attempt of piercing your fragile skin where his mate mark is inked in your skin. His blue rose...

His hand rested on your hips, running his hand in the curve of your waist. A shuddering sensation crawled by your spine at the boiling heat of anticipation in your belly. He doesn't bite but the friction of his sharp canines against your neck brings out the tingles in your spine.

"Get back here before twilight because you are not leaving my sight the day after tomorrow until you get tired of my face," Satoru growled in defeat. He was cursing the mailman who delivered the letter despite the rain. Running a hand over his hair in annoyance. You're his mate but it seems he's the one who least spends time with you. Where's the justice in that? Satoru muttered profanities in frustration.

"Is that a punishment, Your Grace?" You giggled, tapping the nose of your mate as he preys on your every move. "Because it sounds like a reward to me."

Satoru merely snorted and ever slowly let you withdraw from his arms to get ready. His eyes were glued to your figure as you put on your corset, pulling on the strings that confined the soft curves of your waist to the slenderness of your hips but the strings kept loosening.

A hand sneaks up to rub circles on your shoulder blade and the strings of the corset tug you making you stumble backward until you hit the familiar hard chest of your mate.

"I should just pull this, right?" Hot breath fanned your nape.

You faintly nodded. Despite how many times this moment repeats itself, it never fails to have you hold your breath feeling the strings tighten, forcing you to breathe out a sweet gasp and straighten up as Satoru hummed, knotting the strings into a bow and staring at the enticing curve of your pretty spine.

"Good girl." Satoru purred, his hand found your tights, caressing them as the two of you stare at the mirror, your unbearable flushed cheeks and legs clenched together whilst his devilish smirk as he nibbled your earlobe. "You're so sweet and soft to me Kitten," Satoru whispered as he toyingly bit the shell of your ears whilst keeping an arm around your waist to keep you from falling because of your knees wobbling from his caress.

"Milady? Can I come in?" A chamber keeper knocked hesitantly, trancing you out of a stupor.

If your mate's touch wasn't enough to drive you crazy, the embarrassment of the person outside hearing you and Satoru is sure enough to level you into a combusting mess.

"Are you alright Lady Y/n? For cold weather, your face is too flushed."

Lady Akari, one of the daughters of the nobles living within Albastru asked you. She's a quaint young lady who often keeps to herself unless spoken to. It just so happens she's standing close to you this time.

"Yes, I am alright. The layers of clothing are just a bit stuffy even for the cold weather." An amicable smile from you settled her and offered another cup of the chilled tea which you happily accepted and she talked to you about the new venture of her father that may interest you.

"If it isn't Lady Y/n. Are you alright Milady? You look pale, paler than a vampire usually is." A bratty voice came close from your back and a teenage girl with extravagant layers of expensive fur to keep her from the cold smiled at you but her foxy eyes spell trouble.

"Lady Minami... you look—" you paused and looked at her up and down before continuing. "—rather stuffy."

The lady frowned at your remark.

"Of course, Lady Y/n is paler. After all, she is still a newborn. For a banal human to adapt this fast in our nature, it must only be because of His Grace's venom." A cold voice emerged behind Minami. Lady Risa of the Kamo Clan looked at you with narrowed eyes. Her distaste for you was openly displayed. "Such an impure blood." The venom was dripping in the tone.

"That is not true! Lady Y/n has the most beautiful eyes than any of you." Lady Akari rushed to defend you but it only gathered much more attention in your corner thus you held her back and turned to the two girls picking on you.

It's not unusual for pure-blooded vampires to openly regard their distaste for turned ones like you. Vampires can be quite the purist when it comes to bloodlines. Seeing humans as nothing more than blood banks. Truly... It's a good thing Satoru isn't here or else you'll never hear the end of this.

Setting down your cup of tea you straightened your posture, looked at the two ladies, and tilted your head to the side with an unamused smile.

"What unrefined mouths you have. Is that how educated noble ladies behave? I would like to see the face of your tutors and show them their incompetence in teaching etiquette for raising brats like you who lack the class and decorum in a social gathering. Uncultured girls."

The surrounding spectators chuckled and the host immediately came to your corner asking about the problem.

"You dare run your mouth because you're His Grace's mate. You're just a figurehead no matter how you act like a noble lady." Lady Minami seethed. 

"It doesn't change I am the Lady of the Grand Duke you have been wanting over the years. I am the mate of the Grand Duke. If you have enough dignity and intelligence you will know how to behave around me. Future Countess."

Lady Risa glared at you with whole passion and turned her heel away.

"My Lady..." The host of the banquet looked troubled by the conflict and looked at you for leniency.

You nod and let the matter go. This is just but a scratch of how high society works. It is such a tiring thing to deal with calculations and machinations against each other. No wonder Satoru dislikes it to the core. You sat on the bench under the shade of a magnolia tree away from the party.

"Lady Risa was right. Doesn't Lady Y/n look too different from humans? I once visited the Eastern Continent and I've never seen a human that looks anything like her."

The girls gossiped behind your back, not knowing that you were listening behind the tree.

"His Grace, The Grand Duke must be blinded that's why he's so infatuated to her. Come to think of it, why would the Grand Duke even like a human? He's from the lineage of the Imperial Family with the purest royal blood. It must only be because of that bewitching face that he has fallen for her."

"Have you noticed? She came out of nowhere and the Grand Duke was totally in love with her. She must come from the race of witches and enchanted him."

A chuckle came from your side. Lady Mei-Mei swirled her red wine and looked at you.

"Gossiping won't bring gold in their pockets. Don't you think so Lady Y/n? Don't frown, unlike them, you're a rich woman. Money makes people sing and dance."

Your frown was relieved and replaced by a chuckle at her open greed for money.

If there is one thing about Lady Mei-Mei is that she's too attached to wealth. But that also makes her easier to hang out with. She is honest and efficient. The kind that will bring gold and information with every deal you make with her.

Satoru stared outside his window as your carriage entered the gates.

"Should I have the dinner served at the garden, Master?" Yuta noticed his Uncle's sudden interest in the window and surmised that you were back. His Uncle has no other interest aside from you so it has become easy for Yuta to know when you are around.

Satoru looked at the sky and saw the grey clouds brewing in. Promising a harsh thunderstorm for tonight. 

"Yuta." Satoru's eyes narrowed at the garden where different flowers are clashing on the blue roses flowers he specifically planted for his mate. Weeds. Satoru clicked his tongue.

"Yes, Master?" Yuta stiffened at the cold tone he was so familiar with.

"Some unsightly thorns are trying to prick what's mine..." Seems like there will be tongues that need discipline. Subordinates that dare to bite the hand of their master that feed them bring nothing but an omen. Seems like the garden needs some weeding.

The door to the study opened and your figure immediately diminished Satoru's dark thoughts. Yuta excused himself to prepare the dinner and left the two of you alone.

"Did you have fun?" Satoru started the fire in the hearth and sat on the couch, patting his lap for you to join him. Your sweet weight fitted perfectly on his lap as he bring the quilt up your belly ensuring you are snug and safe from the cold bite of the storm.

The drizzle of the rain started hitting the glass window but Satoru kept you cozy and warm near the fire, curled inside his arms. His lips rested on your head while your nose nuzzled against his chin. Preciously cradled away from problems and harm. Satoru brushed the stray hair on your forehead. No one would ever understand how much your existence means to his life. But that's alright, all he could ever truly care for is you and only you.

He could forget everything and just have you like this, satisfied and snuggled in his protective embrace. Everything fades in comparison in every moment he sees your smile.

"Lady Mei-Mei told me about a new business venture..." Your cheery voice dissipated the exhaustion in his mind. You talked and talked even while dinner is served in the room and everyone left for your privacy. Satoru kept you on his lap and took it upon himself to feed you while you told him about today's happenings.

"Mnnn, anything else you need to tell me, Kitten?" Satoru lazily drawled, watching you lick off the faint drops of blood after feeding a bit from his wrist. You're really like a kitten. He smirked darkly and waited for you to tell him what he's been waiting for. 

Your pretty eyes blinked in confusion and shook your head like an innocent lamb.

"Really?" So you're not gonna tell him? Too bad he saw everything with his eyes even if you do not tell him.

"Oh! I remembered." A pout formed on your lips. "We can't have a picnic tomorrow, the ground is wet from the rain. What should we do?"

"..." That's not what he wants to hear.

Satoru hummed and tucked you in his arms before standing up and walking to the connecting door leading to his bedroom chambers. Laying you on his bed and tucked you under the covers as he dropped a lingering kiss over your lips before closing the curtains to keep the lightning from startling you in your sleep.

"I will finish something and join you soon. Sleep for now. I'll think of something we can do tomorrow."

"Do you have to?" You brought the blanket higher to your nose until only your eyes are visible. "Can't we sleep already?"

If this is the usual matter Satoru would have foregone it and joined you in the bed, holding you in his arms as he stroke your head to sleep. but this is different. He smiled apologetically and kissed your forehead one last time before walking back to his study where Yuta was waiting, a stack of paper in the young man's hands.

"Master I have the list of ladies who offended the Lady during the tea party earlier." Yuta felt a little sorry for the date of these ladies. But his Master does not hold debts mercifully.

The lighting struck and the feral glint in Satoru's eyes glowed.

The weeds in the garden will have to suffer the torrential rain.

The quarterly gathering is a week away. Seems like their fathers will know what repercussions entail when they fail to discipline their daughters' mouths. Satoru never does light punishments. 

Only with pain, they will learn their lesson.

It's okay if you won't tell him how those women talked about you. But it doesn't mean he will let it go. No. He's not a gentleman nor is he a paragon. He is your mate and if anyone dares to prick or even hurt a strand of your hair means offence against him as well. 

Offence against him is the same as surrendering their head to the silver platter.

And you don't need to know about it. After all...

There are thoughts that you do not need to hear.

—GreyCaelum,

PLAGIARISM IS A CRIME

Check out more on La Luna Chapters and the Masterlist

All rights and credits of the Jujutsu Kaisen character(s) mentioned, image(s) and song(s) used belong to their respective owner(s).

General & Cursedtales Collection Taglist: @ice-icebaby @aeanya @saoney @tender-rosiey @lexiene @nevermoresworld

[matchabears]

notes on falling in love

pairing. alhaitham x reader (feat. kaveh) synopsis. it’s in the little things, really. wc. 1k themes. angst, unrequited pining, modern au(ish) because i barely give any description lmao, this is mostly about feelings, feelings tw, alhaitham is a robot science man allergic to the human spectrum of emotion now playing. hoax by taylor swift note. the way i’m shit at writing angst but am incapable of writing anything else

“you don’t like me very much, do you?”

alhaitham pauses, in the middle of shelving the stack of books in his arms. he doesn’t look down, but he can see you blinking curiously up at him in his peripheral. 

he’s relieved that he’s at the very top of the ladder, so you don’t notice the way his fingers tighten around the spine of the book and how he has to shift his weight so he doesn’t lose his balance. when he opens his mouth to respond, he draws in a shaky breath. 

“i have no reason to like or dislike you,” he responds curtly. “so long as you do your job properly.”

that’s right, he has no need for such useless sentiments; he’s a man of science after all. flowery language and cursory emotions are a waste of energy and all detract from his ultimate goal of pursuing concrete, infallible knowledge. 

so he steadies himself and climbs down the ladder, ignoring how tightly his heart constricts when he sees you smile. 

it’s just an organ. 

“i guess i walked right into that one,” you grin before nodding towards the stack of books in his arms. “need help with those?” 

“no,” he simply says, pulling the ladder to the other side of the shelf. with his back turned to you, he’s much more at ease. if he can’t see you, then he can’t find another attribute of yours to commit to memory.  

you don’t listen, though, because you never do. instead, you snatch the books from him and climb the ladder yourself before he can react. 

“what are you doing?” he furrows his brows.

“trying to get on your good side,” you hum.

“is this why you’ve been following me around all day?” he sighs. 

you wince sheepishly. “was it that obvious? i thought i was being pretty subtle.” 

alhaitham, with traitorous eyes trained to notice and analyze every little detail, follows the movement as if it had a magnetic pull, dragging his gaze across your features. he drinks in the color of your eyes, the slope of your nose, the flutter of your eyelashes, the glow of your skin, and the tinted sheen on your lips like he were studying a textbook on astrophysics.

but it would be amiss to compare you to any branch of science, he supposes. sciences produces results, logic, and answers.

you are loud and obnoxious, ironic for someone who works in a library. you are a hindrance more than help to most of the daily tasks, cutting down productivity by at least fifty percent with your chattering and penchant for distraction. you are person with a naturally alluring disposition that draws people in. you are able to speak to patrons of the library with a charm that seems mystical to him. you are a warmth that only exists in the confines of fantasy. you are everything he finds to be a waste of time in a person, and you are everything that he is not. 

you are the only anomaly he can’t solve.

“you are many things, but subtle is not one of them.”

that makes you laugh, and the ladder, as old and rickety as it is, trembles just like the stupid organ that is his heart. as if it were a reflex, alhaitham reaches out his hand and steadies the ladder. 

it’s a pointless gesture, really. him holding the ladder still doesn’t eliminate the risk of you falling. yet, he grips the wooden material so tightly that his knuckles turn white. 

“is it so wrong of me to want to be friends with my new boyfriend’s roommate and also my co-worker for way longer than that?” you whine. 

what ridiculous titles, he thinks to himself. he and you can barely even be regarded as acquaintances, but you’ve somehow found a way to establish a connection. alhaitham doesn’t even want to be acquaintances with you, most certainly not friends. 

he despises that you are almost nothing to him. why couldn’t you be something or just nothing? you’re almost. almost something and almost nothing all at the same time. that gray area makes him feel, feel, feel—that damn word—like he isn’t in control; it’s an ugly, dark sensation that coils in the pit of his stomach like a venomous snake.

“i don’t want to be friends with you,” he chokes out, a desperate tinge to his voice that he hopes you don’t notice. 

“well, i’m a lot more stubborn than you think, so just you wait,” you reply in a teasing manner. 

a muscle in his jaw spasms just as someone calls out your name, sparing him from having to respond. 

alhaitham watches as your face, the one he’s been enraptured with since the moment he’s laid eyes on you, lights up with an expression that he will never be able to bring out of you. 

you hurriedly climb down the ladder, your conversation with him long forgotten, and he doesn’t need to turn around to know who it is. 

“kaveh!” 

logically, it makes sense that you ended up with kaveh. he leads with his heart instead of his head, he lets his personal attachments get in the way of rationality, and he’s a person that will consider your feelings first and foremost. and above all, he has the capacity to love you. 

love, a mere chemical defect of the brain. love, needless self-sacrifice for a temporary high. love, a concept that alhaitham will never understand. 

the way you smooth out the non-existent wrinkles in your shirt,

the way you aimlessly fidget with your fingers and bounce on the balls of your feet,

the way you drink the can of black coffee he hands you even though you dump at least five spoonfuls of sugar in your normal cup, 

the way you suck on your bottom lip to hide the bitterness and smear away the lip gloss you put on especially for him,

the way your breath hitches when he laces your fingers through his and brings your knuckles to his lips,

the way you look at kaveh just like how alhaitham looks at you.

“you don’t like me very much, do you?”

no, he doesn’t.

[kwanisms]

The Library of Illusion — Arachnophobia

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➮ jorogumo!Wooyoung × sub!Reader wc: 8.1k summary: Deep in the Horror Section, Y/N finds herself descending into a dark cave where she meets a man who is not what he seems. genres/themes/au: angst, smut; fantasy, horror; non idol au, jorogumo!Wooyoung warnings: adult dialogue, female reader, CW: SPIDERS & SPIDER CREATURE!WOOYOUNG, graphic body horror, mentions of blood and viscera, sexual content (18+ mdni), smut tags under the cut! ‼️IF YOU ARE SEVERELY ARACHNOPHOBIC, DO NOT READ THIS‼️

permanent taglist: @yoonguurt @wonderfulshinee @candidupped @dejavernon @violagoth @tigermoonbiss @katsukis1wife @luvsooby @thesolarplanetarysystem @salty-for-suga @devilsmatches @dmnspiit

ateez taglist: @2hodefender @cixrosie @pyeonghongrie-main @flowerboykun @sanjoongie @anyamaris @stardragongalaxy @kpop-stories-21 @wooyoungmybelovedhusband @mlysalt @cinnamoon-belle @briannabk22 @is4b3ll3s @hyukssunflower @vampiirose @0325tiny

special tags: @thelargefrye

Strikethrough means I cannot tag you. join my taglist! MINORS WILL BE BLACKLISTED & BLOCKED.

a/n: this was interesting to write and I knew from the get-go I wanted to make Wooyoung a monster. I almost made him a werewolf but changed it to a jorogumo. Traditionally, jorogumo are female spiders that change into beautiful women but male spiders do exist so I thought maybe that might a cool idea and make a male jorogumo. I hope you enjoyed this part and as always, this is a work of fiction and all characters are not reflective of their respective irl counterparts. for entertainment purposes only. banner made by me. I do not allow reposts or translations of my works. All my works are ©️ kwanisms.

smut warnings: unprotected sex (use protection, especially if you're gonna bone a huge man-spider creature lmao), rope (web) bondage, monster genitalia, dirty talk, slight brat!Reader (it lasts for like .2 seconds lol), marking (f receiving), creampie/slight breeding kink (you have to squint for the last one tho), use of pet names (only sweetheart and darling one time but it's not entirely endearing) and i think that's everything but of course let me know if I missed anything!

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“How was your trip?” Seonghwa asked, clearly amused as you reached the desk and glared at him. “Don’t even ask,” you growled to which he merely chuckled.

“I trust you were successful?”

You raised your hand, opening it and letting the key fall to the desk with a metallic thud. Seonghwa’s eyes shifted from your face to look down at the key before a polite smile crossed his features. “Excellent,” he simply said, looking back up to meet your gaze.

“Where would you like to visit next?” He asked, getting up so effortlessly from the desk. You watched as he started to pace, circling you almost like a predator would circle his prey. “Only you can choose your next destination.

You turned to look around the room, noticing how the sign over the Science Fiction section had faded and all life from beyond the door disappeared, leaving nothing but blackness.

You tore your gaze from the door and peered around the others until your eyes landed on one. ‘Might as well get this over with,’ you told yourself as you turned to Seonghwa. “That one.”

Seonghwa followed your outstretched hand, pointing to the next entry in your story. As he read the sign he couldn’t help but feel a sense of amusement.

“The Horror Section,” he said softly as he turned to his desk, grabbing his key and leading you over to the door.

You watched as he unlocked the door and turned the old handle, ignoring the way it creaked and squeaked. He pushed the door open before turning to look at you. “Here you are,” he said, gesturing to the now open door.

Taking a deep breath, you took a cautious step into the hall. “Be wary of monsters,” Seonghwa warned as you stopped just past the door and turned to look at him. “Monsters?” You asked softly. He nodded.

“Yes, but sometimes they don’t look like monsters,” he added. You swallowed the lump in your throat. “What do they look like?” You whispered, eyes watching as he slowly closed the door until just his face peered in at you.

“Like you and me.”

And with that the door shut with a click, no doubt locked behind you.

“Is he always going to be so cryptic?”

You turned away and stared ahead. All you could see were the shelves on either side of you, even your flashlight did nothing to illuminate the black void that lay ahead of you.

Deciding it was much too late to turn back, you did the only thing you could and continued forward.

Each step on the creaky wooden floor echoed in the hall as your eyes darted around, searching for anything that would tell you where to look for the next key.

As you continued, the creaking of the wood was replaced with the tap of your boots against rock and you glanced down to see the wooden floor was now nothing but a rock and stone covered in dirt.

You glanced behind you where you could still see the door leading into the lobby and the wooden shelves full of books. ‘Just like the science fiction section,’ you noted internally before continuing down the tunnel and further into what appeared to be a cave system.

As you stepped down a small dip in the floor, the sound of rock scraping behind you caused you to freeze and turn slowly.

Behind you the tunnel had disappeared, a wall of rock now separating you from the only exit. “Great,” you murmured before turning back around and looking into the dark passage ahead.

You pulled out your flashlight and turned it on, the beam illuminating a small portion of the path in front of you.

Casting the light around gave you the chance to see the whole tunnel from side to side before you started walking forward, keeping your eyes open and ears straining to hear even the slightest shift.

You had only walked a few meters ahead when a rustling echoed through the passage. You froze in your steps, gripping the handle of your flashlight tighter as you braced yourself. The rustling faded just as quickly as it started but you saw nothing. ‘Maybe it’s just bats?’ You took a deep breath before continuing forward.

‘Yeah,’ you told yourself. ‘Just bats.’

Your feet carried you through the cave, footsteps echoing lightly as you moved. You kept your head and flashlight on a swivel, glancing around often to make sure nothing jumped out at you from the darkness.

You wondered just what could be down here, waiting for you.

This was the horror section after all.

Your mind wandered to all the horror movies you’d seen in your youth, especially the ones that took place in a cave. A shiver ran up your spine as you envisioned savage beasts that might be lying in wait to ambush you and eat your innards.

“Get a grip,” you whispered to yourself. “It can’t be that bad, can it?”

No sooner did the words leave your lips that another sound reached your ears. It was like the rustling from before but there was something else to it. Almost a like a hissing sound. You froze yet again and looked around, glancing towards the cave ceiling. You expected to see bats but what you saw was much worse.

Spiders.

Hundreds of thousands of spiders were crawling all over the ceiling. As soon as the light hit them, they scattered around, avoiding the beam. It was like a steady stream of spiders all crawling in one direction and away from the way you were heading.

Your heartbeat quickened, palms growing clammy as you watched the spectacle.

“That doesn’t seem good,” you whispered before turning your light away from the spiders and continued further into the cave.

As you went, webbing started to appear, growing thicker the deeper you went. Something in the air shifted and the temperature dropped, sending chills down your spine and bumps forming on your skin. The hairs on the back of your neck stood on end but you persevered.

You tried not to imagine what the spiders would be moving away from as you reached a large open cavern. The ceiling extended upwards, reaching maybe twenty feet. Thick stalactite grew from the chamber ceiling, pointing down at you from above. Large rocky formations blocked your view of the room, forcing you to walk around them.

You continued to walk, ducking under thick white strands of webbing as you delved deeper and deeper into the cavern.

As you rounded one of the many tall rocks, your eyes landed on something in the darkness, lying on the ground. You shined your light in the direction and let out a gasp, eyes widening.

Lying about ten feet from where you stood was a man.

He was lying on his side, his back facing you. You cleared your throat before whispering out to him.

“H-hello?”

Your whisper echoed around the cave and you glanced around quickly.

Since entering the chamber, the rustling had stopped. The spiders were far behind you now.

You quickly made your way over to the man and leaned over, hoping to catch sight of his face. Small bits of web adorned his clothes and hair. You knelt down, reaching a hand out slowly until it made contact with his shoulder.

“Sir?” you whispered, giving him a gentle shake. When he didn’t stir, you carefully pulled his shoulder towards you, rolling him onto his back.

His head lolled as he landed, eyes still shut. You leaned over, listening for any breathing and felt relief wash over you as you heard steady deep breaths coming from him. He was alive, just unconscious.

Sitting back up straight, you reached forward, hesitating momentarily before you pushed his black hair from his forehead and felt his skin. He was warm to the touch but not feverish. You continued to look over him until he made a small noise.

You pulled back quickly, watching as his face screwed up as he came to. His brow furrowed as he started to open his eyes. You scooted back, keeping the light trained on him as he slowly woke up.

As soon as his eyes opened, he started to look around, turning his head before his eyes landed on you. He raised his hand to shield his eyes. “Yo,” he croaked. “Stop shining that shit on me. I can’t fuckin’ see.”

You lowered the light, pointing at the ground instead. “Thank you,” he said as he lowered his hand and looked around again as he sat up carefully.

“Who are you?” you asked before you could stop yourself. He turned to look at you, squinting as if he couldn’t see past the bright light of your flashlight.

“Wooyoung,” he answered simply before nodding in your direction. “Who’re you?”

You hesitated before answering him.

“Y/N. My name is Y/N.”

He nodded slowly before slowly shifting and getting to his feet, you following suit but keeping the flashlight trained on his chest.

“What are you doing here?” you asked as Wooyoung looked around the cavern. He turned, looking at his surroundings before facing you again.

“I—” he hesitated, clearing his throat. “I don’t remember.”

Silence fell over you as he looked around and you studied him.

‘Maybe he’s the guardian?’ You wondered to yourself.

“Where are we?” he whispered, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

‘There went that idea.’

“Are you hurt?” you asked, drawing his attention. You raised the light to his face to which he immediately shielded his eyes. “Will you stop blinding me?” he grumbled exasperatedly.

You lowered the light with a soft apology. “Are you hurt?” you asked again.

He looked down at himself, looking over his extremities. “I don’t think so,” he replied, looking at his hands. He went to take a step and let out a whimper.

His ankle seemed to give out on him and he crumpled. You rushed forward, catching him with a groan as you tried to keep him from hitting the rocky floor.

You helped him back up, trying to help him balance as he looked up at you and let out an unsteady chuckle. “I guess I was wrong,” he admitted. You rolled your eyes before telling him to hold still and knelt down to look at his ankle. Handing the flashlight to him, you instructed him to hold it steady so you could see what you were doing.

You carefully rolled his pant leg up to expose the ankle and saw how bruised it was. “Holy shit,” you breathed. “How bad is it?” Wooyoung asked. You glanced up at him and then back down.

“How long have you been unconscious?” You asked, carefully prodding at the spot, taking note of how he winced and whimpered in pain.

“No idea,” he answered. “I don’t even know what day or time it is.”

You looked back up at him. “It’s…” you started as you checked your watch but trailed off when you noticed the hands weren’t moving. Not even the second hand.

“What the hell?” you whispered, bringing the device up to listen for the ticking but heard nothing. Wooyoung watched as you did this, keeping the light fixed on his foot.

“What is it?” he asked as you tapped the face of your watch. “It’s stopped working,” you answered. “This is brand new!”

You were starting to sound annoyed and exasperated before sighing in defeat. “Last I checked, it was ten in the morning on June eighth. Thursday,” you said as you went back to inspecting his ankle.

Wooyoung looked lost in thought when you glanced back up at him.

“That means I’ve been out for… a whole day?”

Your eyes widened, brows raising at his admission. “How long have you been down here?” you asked as you removed your pack and started to sift through it, looking for a bandage. “A week? No, two weeks,” he answered.

“My friends and I came—” he suddenly gasped, making you jump as you looked up quickly. “My friends!” he all but shouted. You shushed him quickly, glancing around. “Not so loud,” you replied, reaching back into your pack and pulling out the bandage you were looking for.

“I’m going to wrap your foot,” you announced as you carefully undid his shoe and pulled it off along with his sock. His entire foot was bruised, dark inky splotches covering his tanned skin tone. “This looks really bad,” you admitted as you looked over it. “Keep your foot straight,” you instructed as you started to wrap it carefully.

Wooyoung grimaced, wincing only a couple times as you wrapped his foot with as much expertise as you could before pulling his sock back on and easing his foot back into his shoe. “I’m not gonna tie this super tight,” you explained as you redid the laces on his shoes. “We just want it secure and not falling off.”

Wooyoung let you work, keeping the light pointed so you could see.

You finished tying his shoe on and let him place his foot back on the ground. He kept one hand on your shoulder as he slowly put his weight on his foot and winced but thankfully kept his balance.

“It hurts still,” he admitted. “But it feels steadier.”

You smiled up at him before packing your bag back up and slinging the strap over your shoulder.

You stood up, taking the flashlight from him and shining it around.

“So,” you said as you looked around. “Any idea on how to get out of here?”

You turned to look at Wooyoung who shook his head.

“Not really,” he answered before glancing around himself. “Just pick a direction and go?”

You nodded, shifting your backpack and putting your arm through the other strap.

“Can you walk?” you asked, turning to look at Wooyoung who took a shaky step forward. “Kind of,” he admitted. You switched your flashlight to the other hand and stepped forward. “You can put your arm around my neck,” you said. “I’ll help you.”

It was awkward, being this close to a man you just met but you’d already been fucked by an alien in the previous section so this was comparatively tame.

You helped support Wooyoung as the two of you continued further into the cavern, hoping to find some kind of exit or something.

“You’re awfully nice,” Wooyoung noted as the two of you stopped to let him rest. You were looking around, shining the light around the rock walls, trying to find an opening somewhere.

“I don’t think I know anyone who would help a stranger they found in a cave.”

You looked over your shoulder at him leaning against the rock wall opposite you.

You offered a kind smile. “I guess I’m just a big softie,” you answered, turning back around to look at the wall before you, not noticing the way Wooyoung’s smile fell, a serious expression taking over.

“That’s not always a good thing,” he replied softly.

You noticed the shift in his tone.

Turning back, you were met by his kind smile. “Some people might take advantage of your kindness,” he added. You chuckled. “Yeah,” you answered. “They usually do.” You walked back over to him. “I don’t think we’re gonna find anything here,” you explained. “Let’s keep going then,” Wooyoung replied.

You nodded as he stood back up, slinging an arm over your shoulder as your arm went around his waist and the two of you continued further until you reached a slim opening between the walls of the passage.

“You go first,” you offered but Wooyoung shook his head. “No, you go first. That way if I fall on the other side, you can catch me.” You let out a soft laugh.

“We’ve only known each other for about twenty minutes and you’re already admitting to falling for me?” You joked. A smile spread across Wooyoung’s face. “What can I say?” he asked with a shrug as he leaned against the rocks for support while you approached the narrow gap.

“I’m a sucker for a pretty girl,” he added with a wink. You rolled your eyes and turned to the side, starting to shimmy your way through the opening. It was fairly easy, even with your pack and soon you were on the other side.

You turned back to the gap. “Alright,” you called. “I’m through!”

Wooyoung didn’t answer. You peered through the rocks and saw him looking back behind him. “Wooyoung?” you called.

He turned his head slowly to look at you.

“Did you hear that?” he asked softly.

You shook your head, confusion taking over your expression as he turned his head back to look behind him. His eyes were wide when he looked back at you.

“You need to get out of here,” he said quickly. Now you were not only confused but also concerned. “Wooyoung, what are—”

“Go!” he shouted. “Get out of here! It’s not safe!”

Over the echo of his voice you heard another sound. The rustling was back.

“The spiders,” you whispered. “Wooyoung,” you said, drawing his attention. “Hurry up, come through the gap and we’ll leave together!”

He shook his head. “It’s too late,” he answered. “If you don’t go now, they’ll catch up to you too!”

You shined the light through the gap and noticed a thick wall closing in behind Wooyoung. Your throat constricted, tongue feeling dry as your stomach churned. “Come on, Wooyoung!” You yelled, stepping forward.

“I told you to run!”

The fear in his voice was audible. The panic on his face sent shivers throughout your entire body, chills working up your spine. It felt as if the spiders were on you. “Go,” he said softly as the wave of arachnids swept rapidly towards him.

“We can make it,” you urged, your eyes burning with unshed tears that started to blur your vision. You didn’t want to be alone again. He shook his head.

“It’s too late for me.”

You took several steps back as the blackness reached Wooyoung, tripping over a large broken bit of stalagmite and falling back, the flashlight flying from your hand as Wooyoung let out a shrill scream and the blackness swept him away.

You scrambled up, grabbing the light and shining it through the opening to find it empty.

“Wooyoung!” you screamed. The rustling and chittering started back up and you saw no other option but to turn tail and run. You scrambled over the rocky floor hastily as you headed for the only opening you saw.

Feet pounded the cavern floor as you sprinted through another passage, trying to use your flashlight to light your path. You heard another scream in the distance, echoing against the walls. You didn’t stop until you reached another room, tripping over another broken stalagmite.

You fell, the flashlight flying from your hand once more and clattering across the rocky floor as you fell hard, scraping your knees.

“Fuck!” You cursed, dust billowing from your breath as you shakily pushed yourself up, rolling over to assess the damage to your knees. Without the flashlight you couldn’t see much. Glancing around, you spotted it lying a few feet from you, pointing to an opening in the rock.

“Shit,” you hissed as you carefully got up and walked over, hands shaking as you neared the flashlight and leaned over to pick it up while dusting yourself off.

You shined the beam at your knees, clicking your tongue when you noticed light scrapes with minimal blood. “It could have been worse, I guess,” you whispered as you stood up straight.

You heard a soft scraping on the rock in front of you and snapped your head up to look forward. The gap before you was black and narrow. You could hear a soft breeze whistling as it blew through the gap.

Slowly, you raised the flashlight to shine into the opening.

Straining your ears, you heard the sound of pebbles crunching and the rustling from before only this time, much faster. It was approaching you rapidly.

You turned to continue running but ran straight into something.

Or rather, someone.

You shined the light up and exclaimed in shock and relief at Wooyoung standing before you.

“Oh my god! You’re alive!” you sobbed pulling him into a hug.

His arms went around you instinctively.

“We’ve gotta get out of here,” you said, pulling back to look at him. He nodded, following your lead as you pulled him along. “I thought you were dead,” you said as you helped him over a rocky hurdle. He shook his head.

“I thought I was too,” he admitted.

You continued through the passage until it opened up into a large chamber.

You gasped, looking around. “We’ve gone in a circle,” you said softly as you looked around. Wooyoung leaned against one of the large rock formations as you looked around for another passage.

“Fuck!” You cursed angrily, kicking a small rock as Wooyoung’s hands went to his abdomen.

“I don’t feel so good, Y/N,” Wooyoung said, his voice sounding strained.

You turned around to shine the light on him. He looked like he was about to be sick. “Let’s keep moving,” you said, moving to help him up.

You’d only taken a couple steps when Wooyoung screamed out in pain, doubling over as he clutched his stomach. You tried to ask him what the matter was but he only continued to groan and scream as he dropped to his knees.

You knelt by his side, one hand on his back. “Wooyoung, what’s wrong?”

“Get back,” Wooyoung warned. You leaned over, trying to get a look at his face only for him to push you away with much force than you expected. The flashlight tumbled from your hand, rolling away as the beam danced across the rock.

Wooyoung’s groans of pain morphed into deep growling as his body jerked violently. You tried to scoot away, kicking up dust as you watched in abject horror as Wooyoung writhed before you.

His screams turned primal as you heard what sounded like his bones breaking.

“Wooyoung!” you cried out as his body jerked violently, a loud ripping sound echoed around the cavern.

There was a sharp snapping and you screamed as Wooyoung’s back burst open forcefully, blood splattering the wall, the ground, and you. His screaming stopped almost instantly, and your ears were left ringing as long appendages unfurled from Wooyoung’s back.

You watched in terror, covered in his blood as the appendages, all eight of them, moved. Sharp cracking like knuckles rang around the chamber as the tips of the limbs reached towards the ground.

Clicking and rustling, much louder than before, sounded as Wooyoung’s lifeless body slowly raised off the ground.

Your eyes widened in fear, stomach churning and heart racing as the lower half of Wooyoung’s body detached and slumped to the ground, viscera spilling over the rock and staining it. The creature before you paused, blood dripping from its body.

You leaned forward slightly as you saw Wooyoung’s head twitch.

‘How the hell is he still alive?’

Wooyoung’s head slowly raised up before looking around, settling on your form.

“Wooyoung?” You whispered, gasping as the eight limbs moved simultaneously, turning to face you. Your breathing grew ragged as you realized what you were looking at. Wooyoung wasn’t dead. He wasn’t killed by this creature.

He was the creature.

“Wooyoung,” you whispered, your voice trembling as you looked at him, taking in the ripped clothing still hanging from his frame. His blank expression shifted, a menacing smile spreading across his face as he advanced on you sitting helpessly backed against the cavern wall.

You tried to press back further against the wall, trying to escape him and his wicked smile. Staring up at the creature, you realized the man was gone, well at least the lower half was.

Before you was only half of Wooyoung. From the head down to the torso was human, the tanned skin blending into the blackish purple of his carapace.

Your eyes took in the strong eight legs as he raised far above you, towering over your meek frame. “Stupid, foolish, human,” he said, his voice taking on an echo-y sound, like it was more than one person speaking at once.

“You should have run while you had the chance.”

Your heart hammering in your chest, you darted forward, ducking under his purplish black spider-like body and between the four sets of legs as you scrambled past him and towards what you hoped was the exit. You could hear the head thud of his feet, all eight of them against the rocky cavern floor as he gave chase.

You ducked around and between the rock formations that appeared in your path, trying to lose him as you wound around turn after turn.

You could hear the chittering and rustling of his legs as he followed you the best he could.

Glancing over your shoulder, you could see you’d lost sight of him and quickly ducked behind a rocky outcrop, covering your mouth to mask your breathing as you listened.

The chittering grew closer and closer until it stopped not far from where you were hiding. Resisting the urge to peek, you kept still and as quiet as you could, listening to the clicking of Wooyoung’s feet against the cave floor.

“Hiding won’t do any good, Y/N,” you heard him say, his voice echoing around the cavern. “I can smell you.”

Your heart pounded against your rib cage as you tried to force yourself to calm down. ‘He’s bluffing. There’s no way.’

The clicking grew closer and closer until you managed to catch sight of Wooyoung strolling past your hiding place. “I can smell your fear,” he continued, glancing around slowly, scanning the cave for any sight of you. “And let me tell you,” he continued.

“It smells delicious.”

Leaning back as far as you could into the shadows, you hoped he wouldn’t be able to see or sense your presence. As you leaned back, you were hit with a gentle breeze from the darkness behind you and turned your head to look further into the opening in the wall. A distance and dim light flickered at you.

You glanced back at Wooyoung who was continuing down the cave tunnel, still searching for you. Knowing he’d heard any sound you made at that moment, you decided to hold out for just a bit longer until you could safely scramble up and shimmy your way through the narrow opening.

You were so focused on formulating the plan that you failed to notice Wooyoung was slowly making his way back down the corridor. Your stomach dropped as he came back into view and you got a full view of his imposing stature.

‘It’s now or never,’ you told yourself as you glanced back to the flickering light in the distance. You waited until Wooyoung was facing the other direction before scrambling up. You ignored the sound of his laughter as you started to squeeze between the rock only to feel a hand wrap around your ankle.

You let out a scream as you felt Wooyoung tug on your leg, trying to pull you out of your hiding place. “I like it when you fight,” he chuckled, his strength coming to his advantage as he started to pull you from the sliver.

Your fingers dug into the dirt, trying to claw and grab at something to stop your path but you found nothing. Your screams echoed around the cavern as Wooyoung pulled you out of the dark and rolled you onto your back. As quickly as you could, you kicked your free foot, making contact with his jaw and knocking him back.

With him being stunned momentarily, you were able to scramble back up and squeeze back into the gap, soon squeezing out of his reach and further into the wall. “There’s no way out, Y/N,” he called, in a singsong voice, the sound echoing after you.

“I’ll find you eventually.”

You rushed yourself, squeezing between the gap in the rocks until you finally came out into a small room. There was a skeleton with remnants of clothing, an old tattered bag, a lantern, and a journal. You dropped to your knees and started sifting through the bag, hoping to find some sort of weapon.

You found a small knife and whispered a thanks to the dead traveler as you unsheathed it and looked it over. The handle was old and covered in dust but the blade was shiny and still very sharp. ‘This could come in handy.’

You replaced the sheath and stuck the knife in your pocket before searching through the rest of the bag. Most of it was old food rations, stale and molded. You threw the bag aside and picked up the journal, carefully opening the cover to read the contents.

The first entry spoke of an expedition into the cave system, hoping to find gold or some other rare mineral. The next entry of note was about a cave-in that left the miners trapped and forced them deeper into the caves to find a way out. The next entry spoke of a strange sound the miners heard and how one of the miners went missing.

With each passage, the entries became more sporadic, desperate, and unhinged until the last page was covered in splatters of blood and ink. You tossed the book aside, breathing heavily as you stared at the bloodstained pages.

As you tried to compose yourself, dust and small bits of rock fell from above you. Slowly, you glanced up to find a large round opening in the rocky ceiling. The blackness above you was haunting as more dust and pebbles fell onto your lap.

Before you had a chance to move, from the darkness a hand extended, fingers tangling into your hair and yanking you up to your feet, a yelp of pain escaping your lips.

You watched in horror as Wooyoung slowly descended from the black void, a terrifying smile etched on his face. “I told you I’d find you eventually,” he said with a dark amused tone. His grip on your hair tightened as he held you up, forcing you to stand on your tiptoes.

“What do you want?” You whispered, too afraid to speak any louder. “I told you before I’m hungry,” he answered, glancing briefly at the corpse on the ground by the lantern. “It’s been some time since a human wandered into my caves.”

Your eyes filled with unshed tears, breathing quickening. Wooyoung noticed and moved his free hand to wrap around your throat. “Oh, crying won’t get you anywhere, sweetheart,” he muttered, chuckling darkly. “But don’t worry,” he continued.

“I’m not going to kill you,” he said as leaned in, face inches from yours.

“I don’t kill everyone.”

You glanced at the skeleton before looking back up to meet his gaze. “Why him?” You asked, clearly referencing the dead man. Wooyoung’s eyes darted to the lifeless skeleton before looking back.

“Because he’s a man,” he answered.

You narrowed your eyes at the monstrous creature.

“And that’s why you killed him?” Wooyoung nodded slowly.

“I had no use for him,” he answered, leaning in, sniffing your skin.

“The fear coming from you is so potent,” he added. “It’s making me hungry.”

You whimpered, fingers wrapping around his wrist as he lifted you off the ground, your feet dangling. “Don’t eat me, please,” you squeaked. Wooyoung laughed in your ear. “Oh, I don’t want to eat you,” he answered.

“I don’t eat females,” he added. “I have a much better use for you.”

You opened your mouth to respond but were unable to do so as the hand in your hair pulled, tilting your head to the side and exposing part of your neck to him and just as quickly, you felt a sharp pain in your neck as he sank his teeth into your skin.

You struggled against him, trying to kick at him as your vision blurred.

“Keep fighting, darling,” he teased. “It’ll just speed up the process.”

“What p-process?” You slurred, feeling dizzy, your grip on his wrist slacking.

“The more you move and struggle, the faster my venom will spread through your tiny human body,” he answered, whispering in your ear.

“But don’t worry,” he added. “It won’t kill you. It’ll just knock you out for a while.”

“No,” you murmured feebly as your strength left you, your extremities starting to feel the effects, the tips of your fingers and toes going numb. “Stop.”

Wooyoung chuckled in your ear as your eyes started to slide shut and everything went black. “See you in a few hours, Y/N.”

When you came to, your eyes snapped open but failed to adjust to the darkness around you at first. You tried to move but found your limbs were locked in position. You tried to roll over but you couldn’t move.

Slowly, your eyes adjusted to the darkness around you and you could see you were suspended in the air at least ten feet off the cavern floor.

“What the fuck?” You whispered, struggling to move your hands. Your wrists were bound in some sort of white rope. The same rope was wrapped around your ankles, midsection and even some of it was around your neck, keeping you firmly immobilized.

“What the fuck is this?!”

Your voice echoed around the rock and you knew there was no way that Wooyoung hadn’t heard you. As if summoned, you heard the clicking as he started to approach. You watched as he rounded a large rock formation and came into view. He looked at you, a devilish smirk on his face.

“Good morning, sunshine,” he said teasingly as he slowly advanced. “Aren’t you a vision,” he added, walking around your form and eyeing you up.

“What a precarious position you’ve found yourself in,” he continued as he rounded to face you again. “You put me in this position,” you growled, glaring at him. He chuckled, reaching a hand up to cup his own cheek.

“You flatter me,” he said with feign embarrassment.

“Let me down!” You demanded but Wooyoung’s playful demeanor dropped. “And if I refuse?” he asked, taking a couple steps forward. Your eyes fell on a flash of something around his neck and you realized it was the key.

How had you not seen it before?

Wooyoung tilted his head, watching you before glancing down and seeing what had caught your attention. “Oh? This is what you came for, isn’t it?” He asked, looking back up to meet your gaze.

“You want this?” He asked.

You nodded, struggling against the bonds.

Wooyoung pulled the string off and held it out. “Go on then,” he smirked. “Take it.”

You struggled against the white ropes and growled in defeat when you couldn’t break it, nor make it budge.

You let out a defeated sigh, head hanging. “I can’t,” you whispered.

Wooyoung smirked as he watched your resolve crumble. “Of course not.”

You raised your head to glare at him. He laughed again as he replaced the string around his neck, the metal of the key resting against his chest.

“Tell you what,” he started, looking back up. “I’ll give you this key if you do something for me.”

You narrowed your eyes, wondering just what you could possibly do for him.

“And what is that?” you asked suspiciously. Wooyoung started to circle you again, ducking his head as he passed under the thick white ropes.

“I told you before, I don’t eat females that wander into my cave,” he started. “Only the men.” You nodded as he passed behind you, feeling a chill run up your spin as you felt the tips of his fingers graze the back of your calf muscle.

“There’s a reason for that,” he continued.

“I know,” you answered. “The men don’t have a purpose.”

Wooyoung chuckled, amused that you paid attention. “Precisely.”

“And the women do?” you asked as his fingertips continued to dance over your skin, moving up the back of your leg until he took a firm grip of the back of your thigh. “They do,” he answered, giving your thigh a firm squeeze before his hand continued up, running over the material of your khaki shorts.

“You know,” he said as his hand moved over your ass. “You should have hidden this better,” he continued, reaching into your pocket and removing the small knife you’d taken from the tattered bag earlier.

“Maybe then I wouldn’t have found it so easily,” he added, tossing it aside, the knife landing with a dull thud as it hit the rocky floor.

You struggled against your bonds as his hand continued up your backside, moving around to your hip. “What do you want with me?” You whispered as his other hand moved up your stomach, stopping just under your chest.

“I have a strange interest in human women,” Wooyoung answered. “My own kind have often ridiculed me for it and even going so far as to ostracize me for it.”

You swallowed the knot that had formed in your throat. “What kind of interest?”

Wooyoung chuckled unceremoniously as his hands made quick work of the bonds holding your ankle, cutting through the rope like it was nothing. Like it was made of—

“Wait,” you gasped as the realization dawned on you. “Is this spider web?!”

Wooyoung laughed. “Took you long enough but even then, most don’t ever figure it out,” he answered. “You’re a smart one, Y/N.”

You glanced back at him from behind you. “What kind of interest do you have in human women?” you asked, trying to gauge his reaction. He looked up from your backside, eyes meeting yours in a heated gaze.

“A sexual one.”

Your stomach dropped at the implications of his words at the same time a heat rushed to your core. ‘A sexual interest?’

“What does that mean? Like you want to study the human body?”

Wooyoung chuckled again, shaking his head. “I think you know exactly what it means, sweetheart,” he answered.

Your heart hammered in your chest.

“You want to…” you trailed off, unable to finish your sentence.

“I want to mate with them,” he finished the sentence for you.

Your cheeks burned, heat flooding your core and rushing between your thighs.

Wooyoung let out a soft laugh. “You’re a strange one,” he said softly, hands moving down to your thighs. “I mention sex one time and your scent changes.”

Your face flushed with heat, realizing he could smell your arousal.

“First you reeked of fear and now? Nothing but arousal,” he noted, leaning in to sniff again. “Seems I’m not the only one interested in cross species breeding,” he continued.

You felt his hands withdraw from your body and twisted to try and get a look at him but he was no longer behind you. You heard a scuttling and turned back around to find him in front of you, face inches from yours.

“So how about it?” he asked, tilting his head.

“I’ll even give you this key if you let me have my way with you.”

You gulped, staring back at him looking between his black eyes.

After a moment, you slowly nodded. “But,” you added. “Leave my ass alone.”

Wooyoung laughed loudly.

“Deal,” he answered, moving quickly behind you.

You felt his hands reach around to undo the button and zipper of your shorts before quickly discarding them along with your panties. “Wow, you waste no time,” you gasped as you felt his fingers spread your folds.

“There’s no need to,” he replied. “You seem to be properly lubricated,” he answered. “Could you possibly untie me, though?” you asked, sounding hopeful and trying to glance behind you.

“No,” he answered flatly. “I prefer this,” he added.

Silence fell between the two of you for a moment before he spoke up again.

“But I suppose I could make you more comfortable though.”

You sighed in relief as he cut through the bonds on your wrist and neck, moving your arms behind your back and quickly wrapping them in the same thick white ropes of webbing. “Is that too tight?” he asked, satisfied when you shook your head.

“Good,” he replied, reaching around to quickly unbutton your top, leaving it open and exposing your black lace bra. “This is pretty,” he noted, ducking his head to look under your body at the material.

“Are you going to fuck me or not?”

Wooyoung chuckled, rolling his eyes before grabbing your hips. “You sure you don’t want to see what you’re getting yourself into?” He asked.

You hesitated. Did you want to see it? Was it human or was it something else.

“Do you think I should?” you asked, not sure if you wanted to or not.

Part of you was curious while the rational part of you said no way.

Without answering you, Wooyoung’s hands left your hips and you heard him moving around your body, leaving your glistening cunt exposed to the cool air of the cave.

You waited in anticipation as he rounded in front of you and held your gaze with his black eyes.

Slowly, your eyes traveled down his chest and torso until you saw it.

Your eyes widened, lips parting in a soft gasp.

At the base of his torso was a slit, just past where the golden skin blended into the blackish purple. Protruding from the slit was what you would call his cock.

It was dark indigo at the base, close to the body, fading into a very pale lilac, the same color as his tongue. The head of the shaft was very bulbous, thinning as it neared the base.

The sides of the shaft were covered in rows of bumps. The entire thing curved back towards his body and allowed you to see the thick vein on the underside that ran the entire length. The pointed head was rounded at the tip with light ridges that rippled down to the glans.

Your eyes moved back up to meet his gaze. “Are you scared yet?” he asked.

You shook your head. If anything, you were more turned on by seeing exactly what he was about to put inside you. Wooyoung’s stoic expression morphed into amusement. “Is that so?”

You nodded. “Yes,” you answered him. “I’ve had bigger.”

You weren’t exactly certain where the sudden boldness came from but it seemed to do the trick. The smirk on Wooyoung’s face dropped and he quickly rounded back behind you. “We’ll see about that,” he retorted.

You felt his hands on your hips, tilting your body down as he positioned the tip of his cock at your entrance.

“Just to be certain,” he said, hesitating. “You are giving me permission to mate you?” You rolled your eyes with an annoyed groan. “Yes, just fuck me already!”

Without another word, Wooyoung pulled your hips back, pushing his cock past your folds and driving it deep into your wet pussy.

You let out an involuntary moan as he bottomed out, cock stretching your walls as they fluttered around him.

“Oh,” he murmured. “You’re much tighter than I expected.”

You let out a moan as he gave you a measured thrust, pushing and pulling your hips back, your ass meeting his own hips.

Another moan left your lips as you felt his cock throb inside your cunt.

“So warm and wet,” he noted with a shudder. “I’m going to enjoy this,” he added with a hint of amusement. “Just fuck me, damn it,” you hissed, regretting your words almost instantly as he set a merciless and unrestrained pace, ramming into you with a strength you’d never experienced.

“Oh holy shit,” you gasped, the sound of your skin hitting his reverberating off the walls and echoing around the cavern as he relentlessly drilled your pussy.

“I don’t think I’ll last long,” Wooyoung grunted, the tightness of your walls clearly affecting him more than he let on. “So quick?” You teased, the brat in you jumping out. “Keep teasing me,” he urged. “And I’ll make you regret it.”

You let out a whimper, your nails digging into your palms as you felt one of his hands make contact with your ass, your walls tightening around his cock. “You humans are so predictable,” he noted with a chuckle.

“Always like being spanked.”

You moaned loudly, ignoring the way the sound filled the cave along with the lewd wet sounds of his cock entering your soaked cunt repeatedly and the sound of your skin hitting his with each thrust.

“Was the last guardian this rough with you?” he asked, his grip on your hips tightening, fingers digging into your bare waist.

‘How did he know about that? Could he smell it?’

You shook your head, moan after moan leaving your lips as your head hung, unable to keep it up anymore.

“I can tell. He was too tame. Too soft on you.”

You raised your head to speak but let out a yelp as you felt a sharp pain in your back just above your hip. “What are you doing?” you yelled as you felt Wooyoung’s tongue run over the same spot.

“Marking you,” he answered. You whined, pulling against the restraints. “What about your venom? Isn’t that gonna make me pass out?”

Wooyoung let out another chuckle. “I didn’t inject any venom this time,” he answered. “Just teeth, sweetheart.”

You opened your mouth to respond but found yourself unable as one of his hands grabbed the bindings around your wrists, pulling back and pulling you into his thrusts. “Stop talking,” he growled. “You’re going to ruin this with your words.”

You obeyed his demand, simply moaning loudly, each thrust drawing whimpers and groans as you neared your peak. He wasn’t far behind, his thrust growing sloppier and more erratic told you he was about to blow any moment.

As your walls convulsed around him, you finally tumbled over the edge, coming with a loud, wanton moan, your cunt gripping him tightly.

Wooyoung wasn’t far behind, his grip on your hips tighter, his sharp nails digging into your flesh as he came with a growl, hips stilling as he flooded your abused hole with his sticky seed.

Each spurt inside you made his throbbing cock twitch until it subsided, thick strings of the viscous fluid leaking from you and spilling onto the cave floor.

Your chest heaved as you tried to catch your breath, your body shuddering as you came down from your high.

“That certainly was interesting,” Wooyoung said from behind you, slightly breathless. You winced as he pulled his cock free from your cunt, more of his seed spilling onto the floor. “And don’t worry about that,” he added as he moved to release your arms from their bonds.

“I’ve mated with enough human women to know we aren’t compatible.”

Your legs shook as Wooyoung lowered you to your feet, his strong hands holding you steady. “You alright?” he asked softly, watching you carefully. You nodded slowly. “Just a little wobbly,” you admitted. Wooyoung chuckled as he let go.

Your eyes landed on the knife he’d thrown away earlier, now laying at your feet.

“Well,” he said suddenly, drawing your attention. You looked up at him as he removed the key from around his neck. “A deal is a deal,” he added, holding out the string for you to take. You extended your hand and took the key from him.

“Here are your clothes,” he added, also holding out your shorts and panties.

You took them hesitantly and glanced up at him.

“You’re really going to let me go?” You asked softly.

He nodded. “Unless you’d prefer I eat you,” he answered with a devilish grin. “I’m being generous. Leave before I change my mind.”

With that, you hurried past him. “Take a left at the fork,” he called to you as he disappeared into the blackness behind you. You hurried down the tunnel, stopping briefly to pull your clothes back on, making sure to button your blouse and shorts back up before glancing at the key in your hand.

You heard a shift echo in the tunnel and quickly continued on, taking the left at the fork and noticed how the rock began to give way to wooden shelves, lined with books. The door came into view and you reached it, twisting the knob and throwing it open, slamming it shut behind you and leaning against it for support.

Glancing up you were met with the sight of Seonghwa looking at you from the desk.

“Welcome back,” he called, setting his quill down and bringing his hands together.

“I trust you were successful?”

[bangtanwritershq]

BangtanWritersHQ Presents: “Golden Works of Art" Masterlist

For November 2023, we assembled a masterlist collection of fics to showcase the number 7 for Bangtan and Jeon Jungkook, and the release of Golden, Jungkook’s first album! There are many different AUs, genres, and pairings featured! So, if you're in the mood for all things SEVEN & GOLDEN, this masterlist is for you! Note: All fics are OVER 7k in length, and many feature Jungkook as their focal point but are not limited to being Jungkook-centric

Browse at your leisure and ENJOY!

KEY:

🔞 - nsfw (mature themes) ✅ - sfw (no warnings) 💖 - smut ⚠️ - other warnings

SET UP - emojis: Title (if link is to another platform) | Author [parts] pairings, genre/aus, rating, word count

🔞💖⚠️ Promises, Promises (Ao3) | @downbad4yoongi [1/1] Pairing: Jimin x Jeongguk AU Type: Mail Order Husband, S2L | fluff, angst, mild smut Rating: MA WC: 11,280

🔞💖⚠️ Make You Mine | @colormepurplex2 [2/2] Pairing: Alpha!Jungkook x Omega!f.Reader AU Type: A/B/O, E2L | angst, smut Rating: MA WC: 11,231

🔞💖⚠️ Lights, Camera, Action | @colormepurplex2 [3/3] Pairing: Actor!Jungkook x Artist!Reader (ft. Director!Namjoon x Artist!Reader) AU Type: Poly/3way Relationship, Coworkers/Strangers to Lovers | smut, fluff Rating: MA WC: 22,484

🔞💖⚠️ Slow and Steady | @yoonia [1/1] Pairing: Jungkook x female reader/Jungkook x female OC AU Type: Art | smut, angst Rating: MA WC: 7,137

🔞💖⚠️ Mirrors: What Becomes of Us | @yoonia [1/1] Pairing: Jungkook x f.Reader AU Type: Friends w/Benefits to Lovers | smut, angst Rating: MA WC: 8,454

🔞💖⚠️ In Motion | @yoonia [14/14] Pairing: Jungkook x f.Reader AU Type: Sex Club | smut Rating: MA WC: 175,587

🔞💖⚠️ Song of You | @bethschamberoftales [1/1] Pairing: Jungkook x Reader AU Type: 1930-40s Romance | smut, angst, fluff Rating: MA WC: 8k

🔞💖⚠️ Let Me Heal You | @bethschamberoftales [1/1] Pairing: ex!bf Jungkook x reader x lawyer! Taehyung AU Type: Coming of Age, Infidelity, Crime, Thriller | angst, smut, fluff Rating: MA WC: 26k

🔞💖⚠️ I Put A Spell On You | @colormepurplex2 [2/2] Pairing: Demon!Jimin x Witch!f.Reader x Vampire!Jungkook AU Type: Demon/Witch/Vampire Halloween | angst, smut Rating: MA WC: 9,257

🔞💖⚠️ Chasing Shadows | @colormepurplex2 [4/4] Pairing: Sherlock!Jungkook x Journalist!f.Reader AU Type: Modern Day Sherlock Holmes | angst, smut, fluff Rating: MA WC: 21,511

🔞💖⚠️ Flowers of Fate | @colormepurplex2 [4/4] Pairing: UnseeliePrince!Yoongi x Human!f.Reader (ft. x UnseelieGuard!Jungkook x SeeliePrince!Jimin x WoodNymph!Namjoon) AU Type: Strangers to Bonded Mates | angst, smut, fluff Rating: MA WC: 56,072

🔞💖⚠️ On Wings of Mist & Memories | @colormepurplex2 [3/3] Pairing: DragonRider!Jungkook x FieldScribe!f.Reader AU Type: Enemies to Lovers, Exiled Royalty, Fantasy | angst, smut, fluff Rating: MA WC: 39,753

🔞💖⚠️ Seeds | @downbad4yoongi [1/1] Pairing: Persephone!Yoongi x Hades!Hoseok AU Type: Modern Greek Mythology, Strangers to Lovers, Mafia | angst, smut Rating: MA WC: 7,902

🔞💖⚠️ Lifeline | @downbad4yoongi [1/1] Pairing: Namjoon x Reader AU Type: First Responder | smut, light fluff Rating: MA WC: 7,157

🔞💖⚠️ The Agile Fox | @yoonia [1/1] Pairing: Jungkook x OC (named female character) x Yoongi AU Type: Shifters, Werewolf | fluff, angst, smut Rating: MA WC: 51,966

🔞💖⚠️ Bad For You | @yoonia [1/1] Pairing: Jungkook x f.Reader AU Type: Stripper | smut, angst Rating: MA WC: 11,340

🔞💖⚠️ To All The Men I’ve Fucked Before | @hisunshiine [1/1] Pairing: Jungkook x Reader AU Type: tatbilb!au fake dating!au | angst, smut, fluff Rating: MA WC: 30,586

🔞💖 Laundry Love | @hisunshiine [1/1] Pairing: Jungkook x Reader AU Type: s2l, non-idol au | smut, fluff Rating: MA WC: 9,983

🔞💖⚠️ Bangtan Scouts | @hisunshiine [20/20] Pairing: Jungkook x Reader AU Type: sailor moon au | angst, smut, fluff Rating: MA WC: 48,937

🔞💖⚠️ College Nights, Diner Fights | @hisunshiine [1/1] Pairing: Jungkook x Reader AU Type: e2l, diner au, college au | angst, smut, fluff Rating: MA WC: 9,841

🔞💖⚠️ Seven Days | @hisunshiine [7/7] Pairing: Jungkook x Reader AU Type: f2l au, fwb au | angst, smut, fluff Rating: MA WC: 34,607

All stories copywritten of the specified author. The authors provided consent for their stories to the network to be shared by submitting their stories. Stories posted in the order of submission to the event.

[hisunshiine]

camboy!tae mini series

→ series started streaming: nov 19 2022 → series ended streaming: jan 1 2023 [tentative] → series pairing: kim taehyung x reader → series genre/au: strangers2lovers, camboy!au, angst, smut, fluff → series rating: +18 / M for Mature

—daydreaming | part 1

→ wc: 2,585 → warnings: taehyung is too hot, mentions of his insta picture his rude ass posted that has us all feral, sexual talks via social media platform messaging, explicit smut in the form of: exhibitionism via internet, mutual masturbation, use of sex toys for masturbation, use of pet names, praise, reader is more of a sub type, but not full blown submissive. → summary: Give me all of your love, gimme something to dream about. KTH is your favorite camboy, and as a loyal subscriber, you are chosen to test out some new features on the platform he uses to go live. He’s really good at selling his viewers a dream, and as a thanks to a new milemark he’s hit on the platform, he’s choosing one winner to get their fantasy scene. 

—late night talking | part 2

→ wc: 4,059 → warnings: taehyung is still hot, sexual talks via social media platform messaging, exhibitionism via internet, mutual masturbation, fingering, use of sex toys for masturbation, syncing sex toys for long-distance sex, use of pet names, praise, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, begging, sex crying, minimal daddy/babygirl vibes, feelings.​ → summary: ‘we’ve been doing all this late-night talking about anything you want until the morning, now you’re in my life, i can’t get you off my mind.’ KTH is your favorite camboy, & you’ve just been chosen as the winner of his contest. The winner gets to have their fantasy play out, with a twist and a gift…the platform is testing a new ability to allow the content creators to also see their subscribers in real time. 

—cinema | part 3 FINAL 

→ wc: ~2.5k but tbd → warnings: very minor angst is introduced, taehyung is forever hot, misreading a situation, reader is jealous, use of pet names, light sexual punishment and praise, explicit sex, multiple orgasms, begging, if you squint there’s daddy/brattybabygirl vibes, aftercare, recording sex. → summary: i guess we’re in time, if you’re getting yourself wet for me. KTH is your favorite camboy, & after winning a contest, the two of you have grown closer and gotten to know each other after a one-on-one session. After realizing you live in the same city, he asks to meet you—IRL.

copywrite hisunshiine 2023

[matchadobo]

KIDD; beauty & the beast

wc: 10754 summary: a beauty & the beast inspired story where kidd is the beast and reader is the beauty. featuring killer, law, and luffy. tw: this is my first time writing a fully fleshed out fantasy story sO PROCEED WITH CAUTION, monster au, suggestive themes but no actual seggs, fem reader, if i miss any errors im sorrrryyyyy

in the quaint village, a seemingly quiet town busy to each their own. the arch that welcomes the entrance of the city has ambrosial vines snaking up to each side of its pillars up to its voussoir and keystones that had the townsmark engraved in it.  a fountain welcoming each soul that enters the village was riddled with swans, birds, and vociferous children chasing each other. 

a vast cobbled path with shops of varied provisions: empty antique bookstores, butcher shops with burly men, bakeries jam packed with patrons, and flower shops filled with gentlemen and swooning ladies. a town as old as time where everyone knows each other. and everyone knows you as that one eccentric lady who always got her face sunk in books and hasn't got herself a man yet. 

you had just finished buying a book that you've got your eye on. a leather-covered, raven book with gold linings in the spine. you hugged the piece tight to your chest as a joyous smile decorated your face. you opened the book excitedly, relishing the scent of newly pressed paper wafted into your nostrils. your eyes sparkled in delight when your eyes skimmed across the tiny letters of the paper, breezing through the pages as you fully immersed into the fictional world. yes, it has been your solace. your imagination could run miles upon miles across the globe, galaxy, and all existence. the beauty of each tale you got lost on, wandering around the dazzling dream fiction has to offer. 

more than anything, books have shaped you as a person. a knowledgeable woman, unlike the ladies who'd dumb themselves down to be someone's bride. a visionary, unlike the people that surround you and your scientist father, you have the initiative for change and have the intellect to do so. a refined lady, wanting a man because of your standards, not just because they're a man. you want to be courted, treasured, and loved by a man who is willing to stoop himself down to treat you just how you deserve it. 

"weird lady,"

"'s why she doesn't have any man yet. pft i mean, who wants a woman who reads?!"

"she should be bearing a child right now."

mocks, jeers, and insults. the all too familiar strings of slurs which you've grown to hate and ignore. you sauntered across the stone-carved path of the town while hearing those remarks. you huffed a disappointed sigh and carried onto your way home.

"i'm home! i brought the tools you were asking, papa!" you called out, shutting the door by your feet and putting your basket full of goods and hand tools on the wooden table draped in checkered red and white cloth.

your father welcomed you to a tight hug, an ear to ear grin when he saw the hand tools. "this is perfect, thank you dear! i can now carry on to my journey to showcase my experiment!" he placed a kiss on your forehead before grabbing the tools you brought to his satchel.

"always be careful, papa!" you farewelled, helping him up by the horse. you also bid the stallion goodbye, patting it lightly by its head. you sent them off and carried onto your day.

a couple of days had passed yet no signs of your father coming back, it was one drowsy morning when you heard philippe come back with a neigh of distress, only to find out that it was only philippe who had returned and your father missing. you surmised that the stallion was sending a message with the muddle of neighs and frantic movements so you opted to ride onto where he was pointing to after grabbing your coat and draping it on your head down to your body.

soon enough the agitated, cinnamon-colored clydesdale hesitated to enter the black forest. an eerie and desolate forest barren of trees and vegetation that had bright yellow eyes lurking, unbeknownst to you what creature it belonged to. the breeze of the frigid wind sent a chill down your spine. sharp, gnarled branches of the tree lured you into its peril as you slowly entered the forest. ignoring the hearsays that uttered horrors of not returning and the forest itself leading you astray and towards your demise, you ventured in full speed with too much desperation of getting to your father before it's too late. 

not too long after your chilling journey, you stumbled across a gothic castle with bats and crows settled on the peak of each pillar. the sky remained gloomy, and brought thunderous clouds despite the sunny weather back in your village. the castle was grim; pointy gargoyles were accentuating each apex of the roofs, its raven colored stones that make up the most of the building had numerous cracks from its age, ghastly branches and vines of withering plants almost blocked the flying buttresses and the pointy, arched iron gate you were facing. what surprised you and perked your eyebrow was the garden of tulips spread across the vast yard that was beside the cobbled path where the front of the house led to.

it piqued your curiosity, the contrast of the tulips and the arid aura of the place drew you even more to its mystery. that's why you couldn't help yourself but enter, despite the danger awaiting you. crows flew across the field at your arrival, you shielded yourself in return but they went over your head, the gust of wind raising goosebumps across your skin. you mused at the beautiful batch of flowers, well-tended, yet seem to be missing a few. there you saw in the middle of the grass, your father's hat. you immediately thought that maybe, your father got stuck here. so you rushed into the castle without thinking of the possible consequences.

you knocked at the double wooden doors with the labyrinth knockers settled on each knob just above your head, desperately calling for someone. no one answered and the silence killed you. so you pushed through the towering doors, using all your weight to enter the castle. the sound of the door creaking open echoed throughout who knows where, because goodness was the castle vast. it was phenomenally dark, it scared you. tall ceilings and wide rooms. a red, velvet carpet spanning across the checkered porcelain floors. countless mirrors lined with golden, intricate details decorating the walls. lofty stairs with delineated golden railings. broken yet glimmering chandeliers. colossal paintings of individuals poshly dressed in layers of clothing and heavily styled hair that curled in ways you could never imagine, yet each painting was harrowed by scratches on each portion where it seemed to be a place where a prince stood. you tilted your head in confusion and curiosity. 

swoosh!

you could've sworn seeing a shadow in one of the balconies in your peripherals, so you sharply turned your head to that direction. yet there was nothing but a gust of wind. 

you swallowed a huge lump in your throat, mustering up all the courage you had in you. you grabbed the candelabrum settled at the cabinet near the front door to have some light as you venture deeper in the castle, calling out to your father. your voice echoed.

you heard incessant whistles by your side. you turned your head and saw a man in one of the elongated mirrors, smiling and waving at you. 

"oi, you seem to be lost." he giggled, getting a good look at you. "are you the one finally for our master?" you tilted your head in confusion as you mused at the man inside the mirror. he was wearing a red suit with a black button up and a frilly, pink tie. he had round eyes and a tiny scar below the left one. but what's most remarkable in him was the straw hat resting on his disheveled, raven locks.

"a word of advice, leave at once. and straw hat-ya, stop humoring her." another voice spoke across from you, another ominous mirror  mounted in one of the pillars beside the stairs. "we shouldn't impose on our master, he'll get his love when he demands it." he had this composed aura, more earnest than the other one. dark, baggy eyes, arms adorned with ink of varied designs, yellow three-fourths button up perfectly hugging his lean torso, he had a goatee and prominent sideburns, and he also had a white, black-spotted northern-style fur hat.

"aaaw, you're no fun torao! don't you want to finally get out of these mirrors?! we haven't gotten on that date i asked you years ago!" the red one whined, jumping in his place with a pout on his face. you could see the other one, pulling his hat down in embarrassment as he stayed quiet. 

you on the other hand, couldn't muster up anything to say. completely trying to piece out whatever the fuck is unfolding in front of you. men flirting in mirrors are certainly not what you expected in this castle! in the silence of your overwrought, another voice emerged from the corner of the castle from what seemed to be a kitchen.

"but we have a deadline, don't we? it's steadily approaching." he calmly uttered as his features got illuminated , wiping his hands with a towel. the only normal you’ve seen in the flesh so far. his noticeably blonde hair was voluminous and almost masked the left side of his sculpted face, blue eyes glowing in the poorly lit manor, his charming face contrasting his burly build clad by a stygian three-piece suit. "allow me to introduce myself. address me as killer, the butler of this castle. that red one is luffy and the one wearing yellow is law. please, follow me to your qua-"

"no!" you immediately refused, suddenly all eyes of the three gentlemen were on you. "i-i'm sorry but, i came here to find my father...! i think he's in danger. can you please take me to where he is?" you desperately interjected, hopeful tone as you pleaded through your eyes.

"i told all of you, she'll come looking for him in an instant. forget the matchmaking." the earnest guy scoffed. you could see the butler sighing but he returned to you with a smile, gesturing for you to follow him. 

as you reached the basement where a dungeon appears to be, you could hear the meek coughs of your father from the corner cubicle. you hurriedly rushed to where he was. he was shivering. you touched his cold fingers from the small window of the cell, trying to warm them up as tears streamed down your face. "n-name! you should run! you're not safe here! hurry, before he comes!"

"i won't go, papa! not without you! are you hurt? you shouldn't stay here, you must be starving. but wait...before who comes?"

in a blink of an eye, you were met with a towering creature as thunder erupted. he was much, much bigger than you, bigger than anything you have ever encountered. he was covered in a red, fur hooded cape; dimming most of his features, a crimson, satin scarf mask covering his lower face and only showing his gleaming, golden eyes, his toned torso bare; the cape shielding the sides of his upper body, his pants were incongruously varied sizes of yellow dots with a black base, and his boots that reached his calves made him even more taller. looming over you, his aura filled with hostility. it's as if he's ready to kill you. 

he reeks of blood. his anonymity, the darkness, and his prodigious size terrified you to an extent that hazed your mind. the glint of his haughty gaze, how he looks at you as something so measly that could be destroyed eventually with little to no effort. he can crush you under him, spill your brain matter in mere seconds. you couldn’t move even if you wanted to. you wanted to run. scream. just fucking get away from your inevitable passing.

“you have the damn gall to enter my castle?! who do you fuckin' think you are?! " he furiously roared. bellowing across the layers of stone carved walls, the glass of the lanterns mounted on the wall cracking at the reverberations of his growl. you stood there, frozen from the fear rushing through you. your hands felt numb. your knees were jelly. the soles of your feet digging by the hard, cobbled floor. you looked up at him teary eyed. 

his bellowing came to a stop when he met your glassy eyes, you didn't miss the hint of hesitation in his eyes. he soon rolled his eyes and avoided your gaze, scoffing. "i'll have you know that the man you call father's been acting foul, woman." 

"w-what?"

"your father took tulips from the garden, our garden. without permission." killer retorted, leaning by the pillars of the jail cell. "the tulip garden is a very important asset to our master. even if permission was asked, our master would be downright enraged."

"damn right. to say the least, i was merciful enough to just detain him." he snarked, kicking the door of your father's cell and laughing to see him flinch. you glared at the towering man, almost punching him if you could just reach him. "tch, entitled humans."

"for flowers?! you detained him for picking flowers?! that's absurd!" you fumed, brows furrowed in indignance. you leaned slightly towards him, boiling in anger.

"insolent fuckin' lass!" he bellowed once more, leaning down at you. you leaned back yet he was still so close you could smell him. you got a good look at his eyes, it's almost as if fires were dancing on the yellows of his eyes. you could see him seething in anger at the mild translucence of his mask, you inhaled his musky scent that mixed with the aroma of freshly laundered garments. "know your place." he ordered, guttural voice rumbling from his chest. 

you shivered at the proximity, stiff beneath his gaze once more. killer stepped in and put a hand on his master's chest. "please! leave her be! she's my daughter!"

"quiet! i'll have your head by midnight!" he barked, your father shivering in cold fear. you stepped in amidst the shaking of your hands, instinctively protecting your father.

"no! s-stay away! please!" you defensively stood at the space between the creature and the door of your father's cell. "whatever it is you're planning to do to him, d-do it to me...! i'll be your prisoner!" 

each man in the dungeon, including your father, had their eyes staring daggers of horror at you. "no, name! please don't!" your father pleaded, tears streaming down his place.

"fine by me!" the creature responded, whirling his cape as he stormed out. "killer, take this man to the carriage and send him to their distasteful village. as for the woman, throw her in jail! she's my prisoner." and with that the door shut. 

it was a tear-filled goodbye. killer had a difficult time prying your father off of you as he was ignoring the pleads you two are giving. and all of it happened in a blur; now, you're crying in the same cell your father was in earlier. 

"oi." luffy called out to killer, preparing the dinner at the kitchen. ignored.

"oi~" no response.

"OII!!!"

"what is it, luffy?" killer returned to the boy in the mirror beside him, voice calmly pissed. his sleeves rolled up as he doused the tarte in brandy and flambéd the dough. it's the appetizer for this evening.

"aren't we gonna matchmake master and that pretty girl?" he pouted, examining and drooling at the tarte he was making. 

"we could but, master's furious right now." he tsked lightly, turning the stove off. "mind doing some...interventions?"

luffy immediately knew what he was talking about and traveled through the master's quarters, after forcing law to come with him of course.

the beast was pacing in his quarters, dour and grubby. curtains lopsidedly hanging on each window, disheveled by multiple scratches. the mattress had its stuffing rumpled and taken out angrily. furnitures broken and dilapidated, thrown across the room. carpet ruggedly clawed. the only light source in the room was a glowing, red tulip encased in a cylindrical glass. its petals slowly falling over time. 

"master!"

"what the fuck is it?"

"torao has a suggestion!"

"w-what?! i-i don't even kno-!" law smacked the smaller lad, the hint of panic at his shaky voice sent luffy snickering. law cleared his throat and uttered, "well. you seem to be perturbed, master. mind lending me an ear to help you feel better?"

"what idiocy are you two up to again?" he scornfully answered, snarling in his seat at the presence of two fellows in the mirror. 

"quite the contrary, my lord. it has something to do with...the guest down at the dungeon." his little pause caused the beast to turn his full attention to the two, luffy hiding behind law at the beast's sudden action.

"what about that damn woman?!"

"she might be the cure to your curse, our curse." law started, earnestly holding the beast's gaze. "we have a great inkling that she will get rid of your bane." the doctor's tone was careful and solemn as he studied the beast's expression, gradually considering his proposition.

after a few moments of silence, the beast huffed a deep breath. "fine. then what do you propose i do with her?"

"a dinner would be nice!" luffy butted in, a bright smile on his face as he emerged from behind law's back. 

"dinner?" the beast asked, puzzled at his suggestion. it has been so long since he shared a meal with someone.

"yes! it's the first step for every date nowadays." luffy rubbed his chin, trying to think back when he peeked at the newspapers killer brought in a few days ago. 

"but i presume giving her a room first would soothe this volatile situation, yes?" law urged.

the beast thought to himself for a moment before finally making up his mind and rushing down to the dungeon. he found you cooped up in the corner as you hugged your knees, biting your lips to try and stop yourself from crying.

"oi, woman!" he slammed the prison cell open.  you flinched at his arrival, nothing but terror mirrored your eyes. 

"i know you're brash as fuck but this is your soon to be bride. being more gentle is the wisest option, jesus christ." law shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. the beast looked a little embarrassed but maintained his brazen front. 

"w-what is it now" you shakily asked, trying to be brave despite your prickling skin.

"...follow me." he turned around, expecting for you to follow him. yet you don't find it in you to stand up and obey this monster. your life was taken away!

"why should i follow you?" you daringly asked, pulling yourself up from the cold, stone floor.

"i'll show you to your room, stop being a fucking pain in the neck before i change my mind." he snarked, looking at you over his shoulder. his aureated orbs flickering, perilously drawing you into him.

"i wouldn't expect manners to come from you but goddamn you are ill-bred." you bit back and he swiftly turned around, bending to your height as he got dangerously close. your heart galloping in your chest.

"irreverence won't help your situation, brat." you felt cold at the gravel of his voice, reaching the back of your throat. you almost choked at the ominous ambience he gave with his words but instead looked away and cleared your throat.

"g-get it over with then." you looked away, looking at him would suffocate you more.

you followed his tall figure, still not getting a good look at him. all you remember from his physical features was his toned torso, snowy skin, piercing golden eyes, and harrowing, gruff voice that never fails to make your heart race from unease. 

"stop boring holes at the back of my head, little mouse. i won't go anywhere." he cheekily teased, you could hear the smirk in his voice.

"stop your presumptuous thoughts, beast. as much as i would love to bore actual holes in your fucking boneheaded skull, a lady needs her beauty sleep." snarking, you crossed your arms and blew an air of irritation.

the beast found himself chuckling as he sauntered through the gothic concourse of his manor. "your derision is daring, perhaps you're not aware of your situation."

"i am. i'm just not scared of you." a lie. you're shivering. the tips of your fingers are cold. your mouth was dry. your knuckles were white, uncertain from anger or from fear. you are shaking. it shocked you how bold you are right now.

the beast stopped walking and the sudden urge to flee came to you but you couldn't move. even if he was glaring at you over his shoulder, sharp eyes digging into your soul. he scoffed after continuing his steps, "arrogant woman."

you opted to wisely shut the fuck up before you push yourself further to your demise. not too long after the suffocating silence, you have reached a tall, ivory door accentuated with golden roses. 

"there." he stepped aside, letting you enter. you stand before the door of your room. "don't get too lost in there, it's quite vast."

you twisted the knob in your sweaty palms and was met by an enchanting quarter. it seemed like it did not belong to the castle, it looked too serene.

milky walls generously embellished by medieval ornaments and paintings. high ceilings with exquisite glass chandeliers. a wide traditional canopy bed with upholstered headboards in ashen. a three-mirrored, mahogany vanity lateral to the bed. an arched, bay window at the far side of the room where snowy pillows settled and velvet curtains shielding the sun. it had somehow lulled you to sleep.

"once you're finished gawking, get ready for dinner. i'd like a date who doesn't smell like grime and shit." he stifled a laugh, walking past you.

your cheeks flushed, heart seemingly to fall out of your ass. you tried smelling yourself and goodness how you reek of hell. "h-hey, i didn't agree for a d-date?!"

"you are now." his deep voice echoed in the wide halls of the manor as his figure disappeared in the shadows. 

you sighed as you thought to yourself, what did i get myself into?! men speaking to you in mirrors, you were his prisoner earlier and now you're his dinner date?! what's next? are the appliances gonna move now?!

you almost shat yourself when the closet opened on its own, laying out all the clothes it had in its compartments. the vanity cabinets also sprung open, the variety of cosmetics sprawling out one by one on the desk. the bathroom door opening and the bath started running on its own. you were starting to think you were going off your fucking rocker until luffy spoke in the mirror.

"before you start crying, this is an enchanted palace." he said with both of his hands up, as if trying to stop the tears looming in your eyes. 

"i-it's not haunted?"

"in a way," law intruded, clearing his throat. "you'll know more about it when the master intends to disclose it to you." his tone was stern, it's as if he hadn't smiled in years. "for now, it'd be best to heed to his requests. the amenities in your quarters are doing the work for you. the least you could do is follow through."

"it's ludicrous that you lot think that i will easily agree to the farce you have set up. hah, i mean, how arrogant can you all be?!" you almost threw a fit, furious at the doctor inside the mirror. "unlike you servants, i don't follow that beast! i'd never! i volunteered to be a prisoner because of my father, not because i want to be his date or some other bullshit you lot imposed on me, fucking hell! i refuse to go out!" you crossed your arms, angrily sitting on your flocculent sheets.

"perhaps we might've gone too far and lacked briefing, my lady." a suave voice emanated from the balcony outside, the brawny man in a suit making his way to stand before you at a decent distance. "our master needs a bride quite badly and you appear to be a perfect candidate at a perfect time. the master has a...distinctive way of showing his affinity to particular things but i assure you, you are special to him. i mean, why else will he willingly give a mere prisoner a room himself and invite this prisoner to dinner if he wasn't keen on pursuing her?"

"why make me a prisoner in the first place?" you scoffed, leaning back in your arms and rolling your eyes. "your master's a brat."

"a brat?! she called me a fucking brat?! i'm gonna fucking kill he-"

"sure, kill the only way to save all of us in this damned castle." law blatantly retorted, his words returning all sense in the beast's head.

"i reckon that the situation is incorrigible. she refuses to get in the bath nor even look at some clothes. she's quite stubborn, much like you unfortunately." killer stifled a laughter, fixing his coat afterwards to politely brush off the informality. the beast threw him a glare so deadly common folks could shrivel up and die.

"she doesn't eat then. dinner with me or no dinner at all." he sulked, snarling once more in displeasure.

"pigheaded prince." law mumbled to himself, transferring to another mirror on a different room.

as the grandfather clock chimed across the echoey walls of the palace, the dead of the night came. your stomach was growling and you are longing for food, but boy was your pride strong.

"you and the master are stressing me out, how far do your prides go?! just fucking eat, woman!" law fumed from the vanity mirror as he looked at you in disgust.

"i don't want to see your dishonorable master." you plainly responded, still sulking. "but i can't help my stomach." and there came another growl of hunger.

after careful pacing and overthinking, you opted to make your way down the dining hall and looked for something to eat. in the far side of the room, a light was shining. a silhouette of a tall, broad build was looming at the kitchen illuminated by the fire of the stove.

"apologies for keeping you, here's your dinner." killer welcomed, setting down a bowl with a beef stew.  you thanked him, giving the beautiful man a smile after digging in. 

"you said you refused to go out, did you not?" that ominous and familiar aura sent the hairs on your neck standing, it was near to where the voice was. "funny to see you enjoying yourself here, aye?"

the spoon shook with the shivering of your hand. it's him again. "unless you'd want me dead, i'd stay there gladly. but it seems that you badly need me, as stated by your butler." you cockily retorted, munching on your food to swallow all the fear away.

"that spunk in you. wherever the fuck do you get courage to snark at me like that?" he slammed his hand on the space beside your tableware, the objects jumping at his force. 

"from something called, a mind of my own. something you appear to have none of." you answered, trying your best to maintain this nonchalant front you have. while deep inside, you have nothing but foreboding anxiety.

he laughed to himself, bellowing across the vast dining hall. "you interest me, dollface."

"i'm glad you find me annoying."

"quite the opposite." he sat on the seat across from you, not too far. "i find you amusing. a mere woman, snide enough to keep a conversation with me. you're one of a kind, huh? tell me your name."

"it's a two way street, big guy. i'll tell you mine, you tell me yours." you finally looked at him, setting aside the cutlery and holding his gaze. his eyes were so hypnotic, the swirls of his buttery orbs grew more prominent each time you see him. he contemplated for a while before taking his hood off. 

his thick and bouncy curls resembling flames sprung up at his gesture. he then combed through it with his fingers, pointy nails coated in dark crimson. chunky, curling ram horns were mounted on each side of the crown of his head. he looked devilish and ghastly; you grew more scared and more riveted. a prominent scar on his left eye that appears to be extending down somewhere, you couldn’t see since the mask obstructed his visage. "eustass kidd. the twenty-first generation prince of the eustass monarch." despite his gruff tone, his words managed to smoothly reach you. shit, he's pretty. you almost gawked seeing more parts of him but you restrained yourself.

"name. full name." you returned. "i have to say, for a prince like you, your vulgarity is unexpectedly natural." you went back to your meal, hearing a scoff from him.

"for a lowly townsfolk like you, you've got some damn nerve insulting me like that." you fell silent, his cavernous voice never fails to make the hairs on your back stand. "tell me little mouse, how are you not scared of me?"

"you're no different from the fools in my village." your response was blunt, eating a mouthful of the stew in indignance. "arrogant, selfish motherfuckers."

he clicked his tongue, anger starting to boil. he almost mauled you off of your seat but stopped when he saw a piece of food stuck in your cheek, snickering to himself when he knew how hungry you were.

"you have shit on your face." he blurted out, pointing at you. you stuck your tongue out, trying to reach over at where he was pointing at but with how he was laughing at you, you thought he was fucking with you. 

"whatever game you're playing, i'm not having it you stupid prince."

"oi, you're the stupid one. you really do have shit on your face, dumbass." he insisted. "here let me-" he reached over, you felt his sharp, dark-tinted nails prick lightly on your skin as he scooped the piece of food on your cheek. you got a good look at his scarlet tousled locks and its contrast on his white, porcelain skin. his chest and biceps gravely close to you. you almost recoiled but with the difference of his whetted nails and his velvety touch, you were uncharacteristically undaunted and drawn to it. so much so that it brought heat rushing in your cheeks and your heart hammering to your chest you could hear it going crazy.

what the fuck is going on with you?! why are you flustered?! you berated yourself. you sucked in a deep breath and downed the tall glass of water, swiftly excusing yourself and bolting to your room. man, you need to get some serious talk with yourself. 

kidd plopped down his wingback chair, bitter at your departure.  "why the fuck did she leave?!" he snarled at his servants, as if they could calm him down. 

"i can't deal with this dumbass." law had his head in his hands, agonizing over the moronic prince's thought process. 

"you did a good job, master." killer spoke from the kitchen, wiping the golden wares and storing them in the cabinets. "i presume she's hiding in her room to suppress her budding feelings for you."

"whatever the fuck do you mean?"

"she was blushing, my lord." the blond insinuated, finally looking at the prince who immediately flushed at his remark. a gratifying smile on the butler's lips at his master's realization. "the proximity between the two of you may have gotten to her. her frantic behavior is enough evidence for it."

you on the other hand felt like you were going to faint. you had your back pressed against the door as you had both of your hands at the sides of your face, trying to cool your burning cheeks and collect yourself. your fuzzy mind going places it shouldn't be. he just took food off your face, stop being thirsty! he's a beast for fuck's sake!

you've decided to sleep it off before it gets worse.

once morning came, you were awoken by the bright light outside and a gentle voice jolting you awake. "name, name. wake up, your breakfast is waiting for you."

"what?" you groggily responded, still trying to stomach the fact that you just awoken at the castle of a beast.

"a bath and a new set of clothes has been prepared for you as well, you may choose among the garments; whichever fancies you. i'd rather not hurry you but, the food master left for you might run cold." he said, turning off the faucet of the tub and pointing to the hanged clothes at the rack as he spoke.

you made your way to the dining hall and reveled on the aroma of pancakes, strawberry purée, and brewed coffee. you quickly feasted on the scrumptious food prepared just for you.

too consumed in eating, you didn't notice kidd watching you at the balcony from the second floor, an unseen smile in his lips at the sight of you happily stuffing yourself. 

"falling already?" kidd almost jumped at his butler's voice, almost cursing him out the castle. 

"shut the fuck up."

"why don't you join her, my lord? staring would only make you want for more." the blond teased, inducing the light tint in the prince's cheeks.

killer had been kidd's butler ever since the prince could remember. killer's family have been the butler of the eustass monarch for ten successive years, their families have been deep-rooted and became friends rather than master-servant. when kidd was a little boy, killer and he would always play by the yard and would spend most of the afternoon together doing whatever little boys do. up until kidd reached his adolescence, killer was his servant and confidante. even until the curse was cast upon the prince, the two remained close friends. fortunately, killer wasn’t present when the curse was brought upon the castle since he ran some deliveries but bearing the sight of his family, including the servants and the prince himself, being anathematized; he suffered the same loneliness as them.

“tell her to meet me at the garden afterwards, refusal is not an option.” he ordered, making his way to his quarters.

“what folly does that prince want?” you raised a brow. 

“he didn’t mention anything else other than that, my lady. although i have a hunch that what awaits you is something special.” he smiled, picking up your used wares.

you pondered and gazed over the garden. it does look pretty. what could possibly go wrong in the garden? it wouldn’t hurt to explore a little, right? as much as you don’t want anything to do with that beast, your curiosity at his peculiarity and mystery weighed more than your rationality. as someone who is imaginative, your affinity to books has honed this attitude of yours; sometimes benefiting you and often not. and so you listened to your heart rather than your head, such a rare occurrence.

as you pushed through the arched, glass double doors, you were met with the sun blinding you. you covered the top of your vision with your hand to take in the sight before you. you felt the damp soil under the soles of your sandals. the whistling of birds, skittering squirrels, and fluttering of butterflies across the viridescent bushes as they appear to be greeting you. the breeze of the wind rustled the leaves, soon blowing through your hair and soothing you. you inhaled the aroma of the pleasant tang of tulips, hydrangeas, sunflowers, camellias, amaryllises,  and berries. and at the far side of the garden you saw that all-knowing, fiery, currant hair, your heart hitching at the sight. you almost drummed your chest to calm it down but took a deep breath instead.

you sauntered across the dense fields of grass towards the gazebo where he was standing tall and gazing at the river. “saw anything you like?” he started, turning to you as you reached him. you somehow got lost in his eyes once more, the clarity of his features in the sun intoxicating you. 

“t-the tulips were…cute.” you rubbed your arms, avoiding his gaze.

“what’s wrong?” he furrowed his brows, leaning down at you to try and get a view of your expression. “saw anything you hate?” 

“other than you, no.” you mumbled under your breath, turning your back to him to try and get away from his stifling presence.

kidd chuckled.  there she is. he thought to himself. “tell you what, little mouse.” he leaned down closer to your ear, resting a hand on your shoulder. “i don’t normally do this but, pick whatever you like, it’s gonna be all yours.”

he was so close you thought he heard how fast your heartbeat thundered. you quickly pulled back, walking backwards to the field of tulips as you waved at him. she really does get flustered at the closeness. he mumbled grinning, pleased at himself.

he watched you as you strolled across his garden, heading straight for the pink tulips. you bent down to their height, smiling to yourself as you plucked out a handful. you take in delight the blossomy aroma of the garden and the pleasant singing of the birds surrounding you. what a sight to behold. how his heart won’t stop fluttering at the sight of you dear god. how peaceful you are, how he never seem to feel serenity before you arrived. never in his life, has he witnessed someone so delicate, so divine, and so feisty enough to measure up to his own pugnacious self. he’s pissed off at you, yes. at how daring you are and how sharp your insults are. yet he can’t get enough of it. the fire that doesn’t seem to falter even if he daunts you. he finds it annoyingly attractive.

“he’s completely under her spell, don’t you two think?” killer muttered to the two lads in the mirror. 

“he’s whipped as fuck if you ask me.”

“oi that’s how i look at you, torao.” luffy blurted out. the older lad intensely blushing and hitting the smaller at the remark.

“tulips, huh?” he abruptly spoke behind you. you almost jumped at his presence.

“yeah. they’re rather exquisite.” you smiled at the bouquet of tulips clutched close to your chest.  “a unique one out of the bunch.” you mused at the widespread flowers at the yard. 

“it means perfect and deep love in the language of flowers.” you continued. “it dates back to when two lovers fell in love and met a tragic end. much like romeo and juliet but… juliet actually died; driving the other one mad, he killed himself and the tulips grew where his blood was spilled.”

“s-sorry, that was witless. i-i just read about stupid shit like this a lot, i’ll shut u-”

“fuck no.” he interrupted. “go on with that thing you call stupidity then, i want to hear more.”

a shaky smile on your face starts to widen once his words had sunk in. you giggled, carrying on a tangent about flowers, its legends, and etymologies. while he sat down on the lawn with you, listening and remarking from time to time. admiring the way your eyes beam with genuine happiness and how you never ran out of things to say.

“ten years? you’ve been isolated for a whole fucking decade?!”

“damn right, no contact from the outside. drove me crazy for a while, but it grew on me. i wore insanity as a fuckin’ cape.” he laughed to himself, seemingly proud for reaching this far.

“how’d you last this long?”

“i’ll… show you somewhere.” he had hesitation in him but it was clear that he was eager to show wherever it is he wants to show you.

he took you to a place, not far from the garden. it was a little shack, quite dilapidated. built of planks as its walls and cobblestones as its roof. he entered first before opening the door for you. and you have to say, each time you enter a room in this castle, you are enchanted.

you couldn’t help but be enamored at the trinkets that filled the shelves that was mounted on the walls of the vast shack. they were all intricately done, meticulously built with torques, bolts, and metal scraps of varying sizes. a range of sculptures of animals, mythical creatures, abstract designs, body parts, and the like. a big, wooden workbench settled at the far side of the room where different knicknacks reside messily.

“done gawking?” he nervously laughed. “you don’t have to fucking like it, i know it’s not that mu-”

“shut up, kidd! this is breathtaking!” you clasped both of your hands together before your mouth. “the amount of patience, the creativity, the time it took, h-how did you…”

“y-you shut up.” he looked away, thankful for his mask which covered the flushing of his cheeks. 

“can i touch them?”

“can i hold them?”

“can i keep one?”

you were giddy and he found it adorable. he doesn’t understand what he was feeling and he hated it. he hated how he wants you to fawn over him and his works. he hated how he craves for your elation. he hated how he wanted to show off more of his aptitude to you. he hated how funny you make him feel. “j-just don’t break anything. i’ll make you do it all over again if you do, numbskull.”

“but if you’re gonna take something, take this.” he towered over you, reaching at one of the shelves above you. “‘s a necklace, nothing special.”

your heart melted at the sight of gold-lacquered jewelry in your hands, glimmering at the glowing afternoon. “when did you make this?”

“it was a long time ago, i was like…fuckin’ 12? ‘s my mom’s.”

you looked up, surprised. “hold up! 12?! and why are you giving me this if it’s your mom’s?”

“j-just fuckin’ take it and stop yammerin’ off, fuckin’ hell.” he stormed out the workshop, ears red. was he that angry that it reached his ears?

“h-hey!” you hesitantly called out, running out the shack into the field where he was standing. “thanks for… not treating me like shit. and this necklace too..!  you create… beautiful things.” you fiddled with the bundle of metal on your palms, not meeting his eyes because your cheeks are outright ablaze right now. your mouth is running dry. your head is fuzzy. the base of your fingers sweating waterfalls. and all you could hear was your wavering voice and the deafening pummels of your heartbeat.

there was a moment of silence. you tried and peek at his expression because christ does the complete absence of sound gnawed at you. you saw him covering the span of his upper cheek from the left side, across the bridge of his nose, into the right side with his palm. his eyes also refusing to meet yours. to your surprise, he was also brightly red; it was evident even if his scarf mask hid most of his face. 

“i-it’s fuckin’ nothing, s-shut the fuck up and let me fuckin’ breathe jesus christ.” he said in one breath, trying his best to not slur his words. “i-i need fuckin’... air.” he mumbled, not even looking at you as he sauntered far, far away.

he left in the middle of the field; dizzy at the events, flushed and bothered. you bent down and hugged your knees, burying your face in your palms as you screamed through your nose silently. resting both of your hands beside your face to regulate your temperature once more. cause fuckin’ hell has it been going wild ever since you arrived here. 

as days passed through, you had either spent most of your days doing chores or experimenting with food in the company of the three servants. you had managed to establish a camaraderie between the four of you. baking with killer has been delightful, he always has the most intriguing stories about the prince.

as for the prince, you almost never see him after that incident in the shack. whenever you find him in a room and it’s just the two of you or the other way around, he always leaves you and won’t say anything. absolute avoidance. 

so you’ve decided to take matters in your own hands and head to his quarters. they’ve told you it was forbidden, that he would be more than bent out of shape. as if that ever stopped you. 

you traversed the west wing. same high ceilings, aristocratic paintings, and golden chandeliers. in the far middle of the vast room, there lied a scraped up wooden door. you immediately knew that it was his.

you tried knocking a few times but was met with silence. so you entered and was met with an ominous, abraded room. frayed carpet, broken windows, scratched curtains, broken bed frames, rugged furniture stacked upon each other. it scared you, and made you want to call out to him. 

until you saw that tulip encased in a glass, emitting a soft glow. unlike any other tulips in his garden, this one looked distinct. you got closer to have a better look. tilting your head as you examine the glittering object.

“the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“i-i’m sorry you didn’t answer so-”

“you fuckin’ trespassed, is that it?! get out before i change my mind!”

“b-but i still have some ques-”

“out!” he growled, thunder erupting once more. for the first time, fear had completely taken over you from the force of his voice and his aura. minatory gaze chilling in your spine. you ran out his room, into the garden of tulips, trying to calm down and get some air.

“it seems you have made a wrong move, master.” killer spoke, as the both of them gaze out the window.

“i don’t care.” cold. but man, killer’s right and it’s painfully annoying.

a few hours after, you were with the men in the kitchen as you ranted your heart out. 

“what’s wrong with him?” you frowned, kneading the dough in your powdered hands. almost as if pouring all of your frustrations in the paste between your hands.

“everything.” law said in passing, rolling his eyes. 

“i suppose you’ve bewitched the master.” killer returned as he mixed the gouache for the dessert later at dinner. “your little thanks and gesture at the garden had sent him into a state of deep coma. he almost never eats too, says his stomach felt funny these days. ”

“i-i don’t understand…?”

“other than his late mother, he never felt anything remotely close to rapport to other women; only indifference. you see, the master is awfully confused. emotions are somewhat foreign to him. why don’t you help and make it clear to him?”

“make what clear?”

“that the feeling is mutual.”

“w-what feeling?!” you grew rather agitated, trying to piece out whatever killer was saying.

“ah. they’re both dumb.” luffy snickered, rubbing his nose. 

you could see the mild frustration in the butler’s eyes, he sighed softly before continuing. “nevermind that now, the master has prepared another something for you.”

the mention of him jolted you awake, “is he finally gonna come out of his fuckin’ cage?” it sounded bitter but boy were you hopeful to see him again, not like you’d admit that.

“as a matter of fact, he will. he is waiting right now.” he straightened up, gesturing at the yard leading to the riverside.

“h-huh?!” you tilted your head in confusion, “but it’s… dark out.”

“precisely.” a playful smile crept on the blond’s lips.

“how can you have a bonfire when it’s bloody bright out?” law’s tone was sardonic, crossing his arms.

“aww torao they’ll stargaze at the riverside! do you remember when we do that?!” the rubber boy shook the doctor in excitement, instigating the bright tint of pink in the taller lad’s cheeks.

“what took you so fuckin’ long?” the prince ‘greeted’ you with a frown. before him was a bonfire, not far from the riverside as water splashes against each other. he was sitting on a snowy, silk cloth spread across the silty ground. a woven basket, red and white checkered fabric blanketing the inside, a variety of sustenance ranging from loaves, finger fruits, packed sandwiches, and two bottles of exorbitant-looking rum. 

“that’s not the issue here, kidd.” you firmly started, brows furrowed and face red from fury. the scowl in his face got deeper since he expected you to be delighted, he was stunned at your tantrum.  “you’re baffling me! you shower me with all those romance, ignore me for seven days, and then have a bonfire, stargazing at the beach date after?! make one thing clear, eustass kid! what the fuck do you intend to do with me?! are you just doing these things on a whim?! are you having fun playing with my feelings?!”

he avoided your gaze. hands curlings into fists because he’s mad that you’re right. he doesn’t even know what’s going on with himself either. he always feel sick around you, feels like he’s gonna vomit fuckin’ glitter as he put it. his head is all fuzzy and full of the thought of you. 

“...sit down.” he said under his breath. you sighed and did so.

he took a deep breath before going on a tangent. “even i have no fuckin’ idea how this romance thing works! i thought the solitude in this castle will drive me crazy but no, you fuckin’ did!  i want to avoid how good i feel about you. i hate that you’re right about every little thing and i want to praise you for it. i hate how i always want to hear your voice. i hate how i always seem to fuckin’ look for you. in those seven days of avoidance, i stopped myself. because i know that if i didn’t i’ll be far too gone. i fuckin’ hated that i’m starting to fall deeper with you, goddamn it!  all these damn years i’ve been condemned to hell on earth, i lost all hope. and then your cute ass fuckin’ showed up.” 

your chest tightened as butterflies bloomed in your chest and your ears rang continuously. you were frozen. he repeats ‘hate’ a lot but it all sounds like love to you. the way he frolics in his seat as he tries to muster up his words. with the contrast of how red he is and how he ‘hates’ you so much, you couldn’t help but giggle to yourself and grow cocky.

“you think i’m cute, huh?”

“fuck off, little mouse.”

“if that’s your declaration of love i’m taking it.”

“it’s not.”

“really?”

“no.”

“‘cause i feel the same way.”

“fuck yo- wait really?!”

you hid your face in your palms, trying to regulate your heartbeat and temperature. after a long while of silence from getting tongue-tied at the confessions, you both faced each other and laughed it off.

“since you love me so much, fulfill a request for me.” you scooted closer. hands brushing by his sinewy arms, up to his broad shoulders, up to the thick column of his neck, to his half-clothed face. you could feel him going hot under your touch. “take it off for me. the mask.”

he hesitated for a while, before untying the knot behind his head. the satin material flowing graciously down his lap, revealing the lower part of his face. the canines of his lower teeth were prominent, both reaching up to his cheekbones. his scar that you noticed a few days ago, extended down the left side of his face down to his neck; seeming to be extending even further to his chest. 

he carefully watched how your face will contort. will it be fear? disgust? prejudice? he expected you to recoil from whatever grotesque visage you’re seeing but no. even you got shocked at your actions.

you reached over, cupping his cheeks with glassy eyes and a smile as you tried stifling your sobs. you then wrapped both of your arms around his neck and pulled him close. he grew awfully red at your embrace. “thank you for being brave enough to show me.”

his heart swelled in his chest, it seemed surreal that such words were uttered to a beast like him. how could you endear someone so inhuman and jarring like him? no one has thanked him for showing his face, only shrieks of fear and disgust yet here you are smiling before him.

as the night deepens, so was your warmth for each other. talking about all things possible. the moon scintillating, casting a soft glow on each other’s faces. 

in the quietness of the river and the tree branches you two were under, it was not too long after both of you started taking swigs of rum. the sweet yet bitter taste filling your being. you were settled between his legs, he was leaning back to the tree bark to support your and his’ weight, his heartbeat steady on your back, his thick fingers combing through your locks; his piercing nails giving your head little cozy scratches as it lulled you to drowsiness, while the other hand intertwined with yours. 

“you feel warm.” he lowly mumbled, placing his chin on top of your head. you snuggled closer to the juncture between his neck and shoulders. “it’s sweet.”

“am i?” you purred, hiccupping afterwards; obviously drunk as shit.

“that was just half a bottle, how are you drunk?”

“i don’t drink much.” you giggled uncontrollably. startled by your own actions, you suddenly straddled yourself on his lap. 

you held his face between your hands and placed a kiss on his forehead, holding it for a while. “never knew i’d fall with someone like you.”

“what, someone like a beast?” he scoffed.

“someone so out of everyone’s leagues yet i managed to draw you into mine. i like it. more than the fantasy of ideal men in fiction. more than the love stories i dreamed of being on. more than the written words i dreamed of hearing. more than the romance the books had taught me.” you declared. “you stand on top of all of them, my prince.” you rubbed your thumb on his tinted cheeks, tracing his horns with your fingers. you soon got lost in his eyes reflecting the rising sun from the east, falling deeper as you stare even further.

“why’re you gettin’ all fuckin’ sappy,” he tried looking away, quickly heating up. shortly after, you soon nestled in his arms and returned to the cuddle position you two had earlier where he was behind you. 

“do the books also tell you that,” his hand crept up under your shirt, immediately startling you as his cold hands stung in your warm skin. “couples do this.” he continued, hand rubbing on your stomach, precariously trailing up to your chest.

“w-what are you-” you tried stopping him but you couldn’t bring yourself to move, melting in his touch.“we’re not a fucking couple.”

“not yet.” his hands roamed even further inside, playing with the seams of your bra. “tell me little mouse, how does it feel?” 

“p-prick.” you should stop him before it escalates to something more yet you want him to keep going, even further. his breath is hot against your neck. his fangs brushing by your ear.  “i feel like throwing my fist in your stupid face.”

“mm.” he grinned, both hands running on your waist. he pressed his nose on your head, inhaling your scent before placing a kiss on your ear. “want me to keep going?”

“fuck you.”

he then unhooks the clip of your undergarment, you felt the peril creeping up in your neck together with his small hums. “never knew you were this hungry for me.” you added.

“oh, you’ll find out now.” he whispered in a low voice. “the sexual tension was too palpable, no?” his hands slid beneath your now loose undergarment, his serrated nails poking you from time to time as he kneaded your mounds in his massive palms.  

“degenerate.” you said it bitterly through half-lidded eyes. but you were just trying to mask the great amount of pleasure he’s arousing off of you.

“but you love it so much, aye?” he whispered, his fangs poking in your ear. “by the time dawn comes, you won’t be whining so much, i promise you.” his words spread electricity across your body, his smoky voice drying your throat and awakening something in you.

“go on then,” you turned around and slid your clothes off over your head, watching him fall completely red and crazy over you as his eyes scanned each curve and detail of your body. “do what you want with me.”

moments after, the alcohol soon had taken an effect and you had a hazy memory of whatever unfolded. but you know one thing for sure, you fell asleep in his arms after a long while of pleasure under the stars. 

the blinding sun jostled you two awake. you grumbled lightly as you nuzzled your face in his chest, where the minimal shading of the tree you two are under was prominent enough to hide from the light. he hugged you tighter, rubbing your bare shoulders. “oi, wake up and get a good look at your prince.”

it took you a while to register what he was saying, your mind was still cloudy from sleep. but you sprung up immediately and got a good look at his face, the daylight glow accentuating his sharp features.

“who the fuck are you?!” you instantly got on your feet, clutching the blanket wrapped around you and getting the most amount of distance from this dashing young man before you. 

he bellowed a laugh. but this time, it’s not chilling anymore, it’s dreamy enough to bloom flowers and spread butterflies on your stomach. 

“it’s me, the man you’re so crazy about.” he smugly retorted, opening his arms for you.

you narrowed your eyes before it all finally came back to you. you ran to his arms, hugging him so tight he fell on his back. he returned your hug. one arm spanning across the width of your back, getting tighter with each second while the other propped you both up. burying his nose in your neck, the absence of fangs makes it easier to plant kisses at the juncture between your neck and shoulders. brows furrowing as he inhaled your scent once more, relishing at the touch of you. 

“a little fuckin’ tight, mouse.” he complained, almost choking. 

you pulled away, scrutinizing him as you placed both hands at the sides of his face while you straddle his lap. you traced your fingers across his high cheekbones and hollow cheeks sculpted by the gods. mused at his intense, canary eyes reeling you in as you studied each feature in his face in the aurora. you run your fingers across his extremely defined and narrow nose bridge. down to his plump lips that kissed you all night until daybreak. “you’re fucking stunning, i can’t believe i got my hands on you.” 

despite his rose-tinted cheeks, he managed to plaster a cocky grin on his face. “i’m all yours, don’t worry.”

“NAAAMEE!!!” you hear your name being shouted from a distance, it grew closer each second. you furrowed your brows and looked back. there you see luffy and law, jogging by the vast fields. “we’re turned back! y’all did it!” you raised a brow in confusion. you assumed that since kidd turned back, they might as well too?

as luffy jumped in both of you two’s arms and rejoiced loudly, law and killer stayed back watching the two of you try and manage luffy’s embrace.

“who would’ve thought master would find love?” killer sighed in relief.

“they’re both crazy, of course it’d work out well.” the doctor responded, arms crossed.

after having a banquet for breakfast with the members of the manor, you and kidd have decided to bathe in his black, porcelain tub at his master’s bedroom. washing each other up, scrubbing each other’s backs, playing with the foamy bubbles, and rambling about all sorts of things. time seems to pass by but you couldn’t care less, you have all the time in the world to spend it with him.

subsequently after lunch, kidd decided to take you somewhere after blindfolding you. guiding you as he held your hand and shoulders to arrive at where he wants to take you.

“what is it?! stop pushing!”

“be fuckin’ patient, alright?”

as soon as he took off your blindfold, you were met with walls upon walls of books. two balconies with mahogany railings, extending to each side of the room. shiny, porcelain floors where you could almost see your reflection on. a reading nook on a tall window seat with pillows and linen sheets. books of all kinds filling all the shelves brought enormous bliss to you.  

“kidd this is…”

“yeah it’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he scanned the room, then back to you. “it’s all yours.”

you turned to him, smiling ear to ear. you wrapped your arms around his neck, jumping into his embrace. “it’s everything i ever dreamed of.”

he placed a kiss at the crown of your head, hugging you just as tight as you did. you spend the afternoon rummaging through the sets of books as he follows you around like a puppy, taking pleasure in your euphoria. once you’ve picked out books, you read it to him and he patiently listens and watches how your face always has that gleeful sheen when you’re around your books.  you even taught him how to read piece by piece, it was an intimate moment you’d want to relive over and over again.

shortly after, you got yourself fixed up for dinner. the servants had taken their time in applying cosmetics and perfume to you whilst preparing different sets of gowns. lines of dresses with shades of varied colors and unique designs. but what caught your eye was the voluminous, off-the-shoulder, dandelion ball gown. it was conically tiered as the ruffles of the silhouette extended down to the floor. there were matching creamy, yellow gloves and golden pearl earrings. 

finally getting dolled up, you made your way to the castle ball room. before you went down the stairs, you saw kidd waiting in a three-piece, blue and white suit with a tailcoat. you snorted at yourself because of how proper he looks, he furrowed his brows at you at your remark.

“the fuck you snickerin’ at?” he said, holding out his hand for you. 

“nothing,” you pressed your lips together to contain your laugh. “you just look too formal, ‘s not like you.” you took his hand and he grabbed your waist, eventually getting into position for the dance. 

soon, the melody of the classical orchestra resounded. 

“you’re a good dancer, not bad.” you praised him.

“‘s nothing, one of the few things they drilled into royals back then.” he bragged, “you suck, though.” he snorted, looking down at you.

you blushed in embarrassment at his remark. “shut up or i’ll step on you.” you said through gritted teeth.

“by all means,” he winked. “you look fuckin’ amazing.” he leaned closer, placing a kiss on your ear.

“how’ll you tell your father? he probably hates my guts.” he instigated, laughing bitterly.

“he’ll love you… soon. trust me.” you tried comforting him with a soft smile. “for now, let’s just have ourselves a good dance, yeah?”

you hugged him close, placing your chin on his shoulder as he rested atop your head. reveling in each other’s arms according to the tune of the music across the lofty ceilings, porcelain floors, and widely decorated walls. 

when the next day came, you two had visited your village. your father almost had a heart attack from the attractive man you’ve brought home. when you told him it was the beast, he almost threw all his tools at him but you explained it to him and he calmed down. it’ll take some warming up, but kidd is more than happy to go through all that for you.

BRO FINALLY PUTTING THIS OUT GODDAAAAAAAAMNNN this is actually my first time using writing guides and thorough description i hope it was immersive uwu

[atiny-piratequeen]

Against the Tide: Seventeenth Dal Segno (Ch.17)

Pairing: Poly OT8

•❥ Rating: Explicit (18+)

•❥ Genres: Heavy Angst, Action, Romance, Fluff, Smut, Fantasy

•❥ Series AU Tags: Demon Pirates, Supernatural, Poly Relationship (mxm), Past and Modern Day AU, Mythology Au, Slow Burn, Slice of Life, College Au, Rock Band Au, Happy Ending Endgame

•❥ Chapter Tws: Guilt, Mentions of Past Main Character Death, Reincarnation, Attempted Murder Mention, Exhaustion from Overworking, Blood, Injury, Panic Attack, PTSD

•❥ Chapter Sws: Intercurial Sex, Size Kink, Praise Kink, Pet Names, (Accidental) Flashing, Teasing, Dirty Talk, Many, Many Consent Checks, Mutual Masturbation, Consensual Penetrative Vine Sex, Consensual Aphrodisiac Nectar Use, BDSM Undertones, Protected Sex, Ruined Orgasms, Virginity Loss, Hints of Sub Space

•❥ WC: 12.7k+

•❥ A/N: I didn't intend for this to take a motherfucking YEAR to get out, but here we are. After several episodes(tm) and struggles later, we're here. Thank you for everyone who waited patiently or kept the excitement brewing through asks and the like. It means the world to me and I appreciate you all. Bonus points to anyone who reblogged and shared my work, yall are the realest mwah xoxo. Also, if you haven't yet, maybe check out my new universe Ataraxia while you wait for the next chapter?

•❥ Taglist moved to the bottom of the work. if you’d like to be added to the taglist for this or my other works, feel free to fill out the form here after reading the full post.

•❥AO3

•❥ ©atiny-piratequeen 2023. do not repost, translate, or use my works.

•❥Network Pings: @kwritersworld​ | @kdiarynet​ | @k-vanity​

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-Sunday, March 24th, 8am-

-228 Days Remain-

Hongjoong’s life was quickly becoming full of firsts. 

Of all of them, he found waking up pressed against Yunho was definitely at the top of that list of new developments.

Though…he supposed this wasn't the first time. 

This memory thing was going to be…complicated, he could tell.

With a frown, Hongjoong looked up, reaching to cup Yunho’s face gently. His breath came out in small, halted puffs, careful any given exhale would wake the taller man. 

Yunho’s face twitched for a brief moment before he pressed into Hongjoong’s small hands, humming quietly.

Hongjoong worried his lip between his teeth, gently rubbing Yunho’s cheeks. The events of last night rolled through his mind, his cheeks darkening as he remembered his state of undress.

His thoughts caught up to him, reminding him of how his bath had gone.

🧼

"It's okay if you fall asleep, I'll be watching over you."

Hongjoong tiredly looked up, curled up in a towel Yunho had fetched for him, taking in the handsome man's features for the umpteenth time that evening. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, there was a passing thought. One of the other men in the house could see him like this as Yunho walked down the hall. There wasn't any sense of urgency in the taller man's strides, and Hongjoong could imagine any moment one of the doors they were walking by would open and he'd have another pair of eyes on him. 

….

His brain was too tired to process the way that thought alone made his heart flutter and hiccup in his chest.

Yunho finally got to the bathroom, setting him on the toilet seat and pressing a kiss to his head before moving to run the bath water. Hongjoong watched his backside, hugging the towel around himself as a small draft made goosebumps rise on his skin.

"Oh, darling you're shivering. Hold on-" Yunho, who must have turned to address him at some point and noticed his shivering, rushed over to the door once more. 

"Yeosangie!"

Hongjoong’s eyes widened, his head snapping towards him as he heard the sound of rushing footsteps.

"Hm? Yu? What's wrong?" Yeosang’s gentle voice chimed in as he stood in front of the door. Yunho blocked the view of Hongjoong casually with his body as he smiled in greeting.

Yes, they had seen him naked countless times before, but this Hongjoong still had no clue about that and Yunho wanted to respect him as much as possible. 

"Hi baby, I know it's late, but do you mind turning the heat up in the house? It's cold." 

Yeosang smiled and nodded, cupping his cheeks and pulling him down for a chaste kiss. 

"Anything else you need, puppy?"

Yunho glanced behind him, locking eyes with Hongjoong. He nearly snorted at the deer-in-headlights expression on his face before he looked back towards a patiently waiting Yeosang. 

"Just some warm towels, if that's alright?"

Yeosang stole another kiss and nodded. 

"It'll be there when you get out. Call me if you need anything else. Have a good night’s sleep, my love." Yeosang looked towards Yunho’s shoulder for a moment, where he knew Hongjoong was just beyond view. A selfish part of him wanted to see him. See the flustered mess Yunho had left him in.

 The brunette doctor knew all of their bodies better than even they knew themselves. 

It had been…entirely too long since he’d been able to think about any of those types of expressions on Hongjoong’s face after they'd lost him. Yeosang had promised to never use his foxfire to create a double of any being they'd lost, and he took that very seriously. 

Though, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't tempted to split himself and make a Hongjoong copy on the particularly rough nights. 

His resolve remained strong, however. 

Hongjoong made him promise to never use his fire to "replace" the dead anymore and he'd be damned if he disrespected him and his memory like that by disobeying.

Guilt would swallow him whole if he did. Yeosang was sure of it.

He must have been clearly lost in his thoughts longer than expected, as a gentle kiss to his lips brought his focus back in front of him. 

The ex prince looked up and flushed slightly. 

"Sorry…zoned out. I'll get right on those things now." He once again glanced at Yunho’s shoulder before meeting his eyes.

"Give…give Cap a kiss for me please?" He whispered. Yunho nodded and smiled brightly. 

"I'll give him kisses for all of us. Soon you can give him kisses yourself." He responded softly before backing into the bathroom. 

Hongjoong looked up at him, flustered. 

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake anyone…"

"I called him. If anyone should be sorry, it's me. C’mon let's get you cleaned up." 

Hongjoong quietly watched Yunho strip down, frowning when he noticed the brunette man was still half hard. A small sense of guilt overcame him as he stared. 

"Joongie?"

"I'm sorry..you never..um..finished…" Hongjoong wished the floor could swallow him sooner than later at the surprised look Yunho gave him. 

"Oh? Please don't worry. I'm not bothered by it."

Somehow that made the pianist feel worse, his frown settling in his features. If only he hadn't gotten tired they could have-

"Hongjoong."

Apprehensive eyes met kind ones as the two stared at each other.

"If it bothers you that much, we can fix it."

That's how, ten minutes later, Hongjoong ended up bent over the tub, gripping the edge as Yunho thrust between his thighs, his cock sliding between them as Hongjoong squeezed them close together. 

Hongjoong’s head was spinning, once again finding himself really enjoying the size difference between the two of them. Yunho gripped his hips, balls slapping against his ass as he purred praises to Hongjoong 

"You have mmm..such a hold on me, even your thighs can make me cum~" 

Hongjoong’s thighs were probably red by now, his breath coming out in quick puffs as he held the tub. Yunho’s lips found their way to his neck again, kissing and nipping as he placed his palms over Hongjoong’s, holding his hands as his breathing began to come out irregularly.

Hongjoong looked behind him, catching and holding Yunho’s gaze as he rocked his hips back. Even while aroused, Yunho’s eyes held a warm and inviting gaze that made Hongjoong melt below him. 

“Will you cum for me, Yunho?” The words slipped from his lips before he could think twice, though he almost looked away in embarrassment. Yunho let out a noise that sounded like a cross between a groan and a whimper as he nodded his head, leaning closer and holding his hands a bit tighter. Hongjoong arched his back, his lips hovering below Yunho’s as he clenched his thighs tighter together. 

“Then cum for me, Puppy.” 

The oreo-haired pianist was grateful for Yunho’s firm hold on him. Had he not have had it, Hongjoong undoubtedly would have fallen over as Yunho’s hips worked faster, chasing the orgasm he’d gotten permission to have. 

Hongjoong’s cheeks ignited as Yunho finally came between his legs, making a mess of his thighs as he rocked his hips, milking his own cock with Hongjoong’s thighs. Once he was finished, he pressed kisses onto Hongjoong’s shoulder, hugging him close and keeping him upright as he took in a long, steadying breath. 

Hongjoong smiled and put his hands over Yunho’s, pride blooming in his chest that he could at least do this, since he’d ruined their previous endeavor in his mind. 

As if sensing Hongjoong’s mind wandering, Yunho picked him up, kissing his head as he lowered his voice to a familiar tone that made him melt. 

“C’mon. I promised you a bath. Let me give you one and we can get to bed.” 

Hongjoong smiled and nodded, turning to steal a kiss as Yunho guided him into the tub. 

🛁

While he was daydreaming, Hongjoong missed the signs of Yunho stirring. It made him startle when he finally focused back on the present and found Yunho’s tired eyes staring back at him. 

“Good morning.”

Hongjoong flushed at the tone of voice before blinking at the cadence. It was slightly off, an accent that didn't match up to Yunho’s usual one. It also tumbled deeper, and Hongjoong realized it wasn’t Yunho at all. 

“G..Geb?”

Icy eyes stared back at him as a kind smile stretched over the taller man’s face. 

“You remembered me, as well? I’m very flattered. Good morning, Hongjoong.” 

Hongjoong blushed, his fingers twitching on Geb’s cheek. He wondered if he should let go for a moment, before biting his lip. 

He still had so many questions

“You look like you have something on your mind.” 

“I…this is just a lot to take in.”  

“I can imagine. Is there anything I can do to ease your worries?”

Hongjoong wanted to ask questions. Get clarity. But part of him remembered the brain splitting headache he'd gotten last night. 

Just wait. Yunho said he'd help.

“Hongjoong.” 

His head snapped upwards and he looked into warm brown eyes, finding Yunho staring back at him in concern. 

Yunho was in control now, reaching to caress him gently. Hongjoong found himself pressing more into his touch, eyes closing. The ex doctor gently ran his thumb over the apple of his cheek. 

“How did you sleep?” 

Yunho hummed, eyes drifting up as if pondering it seriously. Hongjoong poked his cheek, arching a brow at him as Yunho began to laugh. 

“Yah, don’t make me anxious like that.” 

Yunho laughed and turned to kiss the tip of his finger. 

“I haven’t slept that well in a very long time. You could say I slept like a rock.” He beamed, mentally high 5ing the earthen god inside of him as Hongjoong stared at him, eyes squinted for a moment. 

“Did…did you just make a rock pun?”

The sound of Yunho’s joyous laughter and Hongjoong’s half-hearted complaints carried down the hall as Cheese slowly lifted his head, shaking himself out as he moved to sit by the back door. 

He didn't want to scare the new friend.

Outside, Mingi sat with his back to the home, fiddling with a leaf between his fingers. His mind swirled slightly, complex emotions mingling and tangling in his head, though outside, his face remained blank and neutral, counting the veins at the back of the leaf. 

A hand appeared before him, holding a cup of coffee. He looked up, his thoughts quieting for a brief moment as his eyes met steel grey. He looked at the coffee, lips pursed. 

“....”

“It’s cold out here and you’re up early. I made an extra cup for you.” 

“....”

Seonghwa’s eyes looked towards the pavement below both of them for a moment before he knelt down and set the coffee cup on a wooden box Mingi was using for his gardening equipment. 

Mingi’s eyes didn’t follow him. 

“....I’ll be out today. I let the others know. If you need me, please contact me.”

Mingi turned to look at him out of the corner of his eyes as Seonghwa stood once more, hesitating for the briefest of moments before he turned on his heel and walked away. 

Once the door was closed and Seonghwa’s form had disappeared from view, Mingi let his head thump back on the side of their home, looking up towards the sky. 

‘If you need me.’

There were many clouds in the sky today. 

-9am-

Hongjoong shuffled slightly as he sat at the kitchen table. Yunho had lent him one of his shirts, but he didn’t realize they would be eating out at the table with the other gentlemen of the house. 

He…he would’ve put pants on.

Instead, he was acutely aware of the fact he was in a pastel pink sweater that left all of his collar out and exposed, bite marks still bright red and dotting his skin.

And he was completely cock and ass out underneath this damn thing. 

At a time like this, Hongjoong was glad for his stature and that the size difference between him and Yunho had come in handy for something else other than his incredibly feral mind. 

“Here you go, Hyung!” 

Hongjoong looked up as Yeosang swooped into view, setting a plate in front of him. He looked down, eyes widening and his mouth watering as he noted the fluffy pancakes, scrambled eggs, and both bacon and sausage taking up the plate. Yeosang smiled at him, seemingly to the moon at the way Hongjoong’s face lit up when he took his first bite. 

“This is amazing!” 

A twinge of pink came to Yeosang’s cheeks as he bowed slightly, hiding his gaze with his bangs before he set the second plate beside Yunho. The tallest of the trio smiled as well, reaching to lace his fingers through Yeosang’s silky-looking brunette hair. He pulled him in, kissing him slowly. The ex-prince made a muffled surprised noise before melting into the kiss, holding the small platter he used to bring their plates over close to his chest. 

Hongjoong watched them out of the corner of his eyes, cheeks slightly bulging. 

He’d wondered between all of the heated touches yesterday with Yunho, if there would come a time when he felt jealous of the other men his new boyfriend was in a relationship with. He’d acknowledged how ridiculously selfish that came off as, him being the new person to suddenly start dating their boyfriend, and to get jealous over his time spent with them…

But something deep within him made him feel that wouldn’t be a problem. 

Instead, he felt a sense of relief wash over him. 

Aside from Wooyoung and San, he admittedly, hadn’t seen any of the eight men being overly affectionate with one another, at least not in front of him. While he was well aware some people just preferred to keep those things private-his sister with Chan or Changkyun with Jooheon, for example-something about the demeanor of the men seemed…strained and it made him quite sad. 

But now, for this kiss Hongjoong was realizing he had been staring at for way too long, the pianist felt happiness bloom. A small voice in his mind sighed in relief. 

‘They’re okay…’

Hongjoong blinked and sat up straighter, looking away with a deep blush. Regardless, he should stop staring. He’d hate to have to explain why he’s looking so hard at the two kissing beside him. Or, worse yet, come off as jealous when he’s just gotten into this relationship of his. 

He turned his gaze back up front and immediately choked. 

Ass. 

A very fine and very toned ass, he might add. 

God, is this it? Is this the day Hongjoong fucking dies?

He pounded on his chest, coughing as he realized it was Jongho. The pair of briefs he had on clung to his ass for dear life while he half turned to look in Hongjoong’s direction, arching a single brow. 

“You okay, Ca-Hyung?” He corrected himself, watching as Hongjoong wheezed, covering his mouth. Yunho immediately broke away from Yeosang, eyes wide as he flew over to get behind Hongjoong. 

Suddenly, his chair was pulled out and he felt himself get lifted as Yunho’s arms came around to pick him up. 

“Hold on, I got you!” 

Now, Hongjoong had been trained for a significant portion of his life on how to fight and defend himself. He had certain instincts that were in him. Including when being suddenly grabbed from behind. 

One of the said instincts is to immediately try and break free of said grab. 

The moment Yunho slightly lifted his bare feet from the ground, Hongjoong’s lower body immediately jolted, his hands flying up to grab onto Yunho’s hands. 

He instantly regretted the decision when he felt the ends of his shirt go up, completely flashing everyone in the room.

Of course, as soon as he had flashed everyone, Mingi stepped inside. 

Yunho paused, eyes wide as Hongjoong's feet dangled an inch above the floor. 

"U..uh…did I get it?" Yunho quietly inquired as Hongjoong went red to the tips of his ears. 

"YUNHO PUT ME DOWN."

Yunho set him down immediately, clearing his throat as Hongjoong plopped down in the chair, covering his face. 

Jongho tilted his head to the side before looking down at his state of undress, tā moko and scars adorning his muscular frame. 

Ah, was the Captain embarrassed by his nudity?

'If that's his reaction right now, maybe we should be naked next time and really give him something to look at.'

'SHUT UP.'

While Jongho didn't blush at the initial incident, his face darkened at the notion ever so slightly, thrown off at the idea.

'Are you fucking BLUSHING? Right in front of me? We're CONSTANTLY naked in front of our lovers.'

'I should have killed you holy shit shut up shut up-'

'.....'

The silence in Jongho’s mind immediately made him on edge and once he felt the fractured god inside of him smirk, he knew he was in for some bullshit. 

'Ah. I know what it is. How long has it been since the baby bear has felt the intimate touch of his lovers, hm? Does it make you flustered to think of their eyes on you? Wanting and needing your touch? I'm inside of you, Jongho. I know exactly how pent up you are. And the little Captain is just as loud as we always remember, maybe we should-’

“Oh my gods-”Jongho’s minor outburst startled Hongjoong before he excused himself, storming down the hall, cheeks darkened as he cursed Whiro out in Maori. 

Hongjoong peeked through his fingers, watching the youngest leave before deflating slightly, feeling like he was the cause. Mingi grabbed a plate quietly and thanked Yeosang before leaving, as well. He passed San without a word as he headed up to his room. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry-” Hongjoong mumbled into his palms, his face once again ignited. Yunho rubbed the back of his own neck, putting an arm over Hongjoong. 

“S-sorry I misunderstood and thought you were choking-”

Yeosang looked the two men over and laughed behind his hand. They still had a ways to go, but the chaos of the morning had reminded him of days since past. 

“Don’t worry, we’re a house full of men, it’s not like it's something we haven’t seen before.” He smiled as Hongjoong turned his gaze to him and from the stove, San turned and rose a brow. 

“Wh…what? What just happened?”

-12pm- 

Hongjoong fidgeted as he sat in the passenger’s side seat, Yunho had driven him home, but for the first time in his life, Hongjoong hesitated to go to his own home. 

He wanted to stay with Yunho longer. 

As if he’d picked up Hongjoong’s silent conflict, Yunho leaned down to lightly kiss his temple. 

“Do you want me to come inside? It's Sunday, so I don’t have to rush home. If you’d like me to stick around a bit.” 

Hongjoong shook his head, worrying his lip between his teeth. 

“N-no it's okay, I should probably let you go so you can spend time with the others…I’m still so sorry about this morning I didn’t mean to-”

Yunho looked into his eyes for a while before he chuckled and ruffled his hair. 

“I know it was a bit chaotic, but I doubt any of them actually mind. I’ll go for tonight but Hyung,” He lifted Hongjoong’s chin, kissing him slowly and slightly crowding him against the door. When they separated, Hongjoong’s face had once again turned a brilliant shade of pink. 

“I look forward to the next time I get to fall asleep with you in my arms.” He sent him a wink, followed by a smile that lit his face up, laughing as Hongjoong lightly swatted at his chest. 

“F-flirt!” He grabbed his bag and quickly exited the car, hugging the coat Yunho had lent him close to his chest. He looked up his driveway, slowly blinking when he found the front blinds pulled up and several pairs of eyes staring at them. He coughed and made his way up the driveway, barely able to reach the front door before it swung open and he was yanked inside by his friends. 

"AH FUCK-" he let out quite an undignified scream as his friends began to chatter around him.

“Okay spill.”

“Holy shit, who’s clothes are those?”

“Goodness he bit you the fuck up, didn’t he, I didn’t take him for that much of a biter-”

Hongjoong’s head spun as all of his friends began to chatter all at once. Eventually he raised his voice over the confusing babbel, making them all quiet down instantly. 

“Okay! Holy shit, one question at a time.” 

The group paused for a moment before Yeonjun cleared their throat. 

“When the hell did you start liking the puppy dude?” 

Hongjoong scratched the back of his neck. It wasn’t a complicated question. It had to have been in the last month or so.

But still…from those images…those…memories? It would make sense to say he’d liked him all along. 

Liked? Loved. He loved him. A lifetime’s worth of love.

Though Hongjoong was sure if he dropped suddenly he'd been in love with someone who, in the eyes of his best friends, he'd only met a month ago, he'd have a lot more chaos erupt in this foyer.

He still had to get to the bottom of what was happening.

The more he tried to rationalize those thoughts and fit them neatly in his mind under a certain label, the more he felt painful radio static crackle and pierce into his head. 

‘Not now. There’s too much missing.’

“I..um…I guess this past month or so? He’s really cool and I vibe with him well.” Hongjoong muttered, satisfied when the crackle in his mind subsided. It really did seem like he needed to wait before he could unravel more of…whatever this is. 

How frustrating. 

Chungha handed him a cup of white peach tea, gently nodding toward the living room. 

“Guys, you all like, swarmed him as soon as he opened the door, let him get inside and sit down before you start grilling him.” She lightly scolded them. Yeonjun, Felix, and Chan pouted ever so slightly while Changkyun gently put his hand on Hongjoong’s shoulder. 

“C’mon, you must be tired.” 

Hongjoong smiled and made his way into the living room, sitting down and taking a sip. A smile lit up his face and Chan looked at the marks all over his neck. 

“You didn’t get hurt, right? Everything was consensual?” His voice was even, though Hongjoong could tell by his body language he was in his ‘protective big brother’ mode. It brought a smile to his face as he nodded. 

“...Yeah. A little bit surprising but everything that happened was with consent. He was very sweet and careful about that.” 

Chan’s demeanor relaxed considerably and Felix let out an audible sigh from beside him. 

“Oh good, he’s not some tall ass, sex-hungry creep.” 

Hongjoong sent him an incredulous look as Chungha elbowed him. Yeonjun and Changkyun laughed at either side of him before the former stopped abruptly, grabbing Hongjoong’s hands and looking into his eyes. 

“Okay so. How was it?” 

Hongjoong stared.

“How…was…what?? Exactly?”

Yeonjun arched a brow. 

“His stroke game, Hongjoong.”

Hongjoong’s face ignited and he immediately swiped at Yeonjun’s head, letting out an indignant noise. 

“YOU CAN’T JUST ASK THAT.”

“I mean, I just did. Whether or not you feel comfortable disclosing is a different conversation.” They responded, yipping and rubbing their head when Chungha smacked them with the top of her house slipper. 

“Again, he just got in the house, stop interrogating him!” She scolded them before she looked at Hongjoong. 

“I’m just glad you’re okay. It came as a surprise, but you’re safe and happy and that’s all I could ever ask for. I meant what I said, though. If he hurts you, I’m going to break his dick. In half.” She smiled sweetly at the cold threat, all the others in the room shuddering visibly at the phantom pain of the threat. 

“It’s okay I’m actually…I need some…advice?” 

They all looked at him and he moved his gaze to the floor, fidgeting with his bracelet. He blinked, noticing his birthmark had gotten a bit darker. 

Huh. Had he gotten a bruise somewhere?

Anyway-

“I uh…we almost?? Had sex but I kind of..chickened out. Um..help?” Hongjoong liked to think he was pretty good at sorting his thoughts out, but he’d be lying if he said this entire situation hadn’t thrown him ass over head and left his thoughts in a spiral. 

All of his friends blinked owlishly at him before Chan stood. 

“This is weird, I’m gonna grab a water and I’ll be back.” He spoke quickly, ejecting himself from the conversation completely as Felix snorted beside him. Hongjoong’s cheeks, for the nth time that day, once again darkened in color. 

A fair response from Chan, to be honest. The older performer was basically his brother and he could imagine how weird and off-guard the question had taken him by. 

Changkyun rolled his eyes half-heartedly and hip checked Yeonjun out of the way from their position in front of Hongjoong on the floor. He sat with his legs pretzel style and sent him a kind, mature smile. 

“What exactly are you asking for help with? Initiation? Prep? Foreplay?” 

Hongjoong coughed and dodged the pillow Chungha had hurled over his head to hit Felix. 

“Stop laughing! He’s already flustered!” 

Hongjoong silently wished a hole would open up in the ground and swallow him. He’d had many conversations with his close friends and even his siblings that were downright embarrassing, but he’d never been the focus of any of them. 

Now that he thought about it…Hongjoong couldn’t recall a single time he had been romantically or sexually interested in anyone until now.

The revelation hit him like a sack of bricks, and his lips parted ever so slightly. 

“Holy shit.” 

Changkyun blinked before gently nudging his knee to bring him back down to earth. Hongjoong jolted ever so slightly before clearing his throat. 

“Sorry, erm….all of it? We came close last night but…he took the lead and guided me through all of it. I feel…a bit bad because I stopped right before we’d gone all the way and even though he was super nice and patient with me I-”

The laughter around him died and he felt a gentle hand comb through his mismatched hair. Yeonjun moved to sit beside him and continued petting him slowly, the teasing glint in their eyes completely gone. 

“Honey, do you want advice because you want to have sex with him or are you trying just because you feel bad it didn’t happen?” They inquired, searching Hongjoong’s eyes as he turned his head. 

While he did feel bad that he hadn’t done nearly as much for Yunho as he’d felt the taller man had done for him, Hongjoong couldn’t help but to roll those images through his head. 

Of a time before this. A time when they had laid together, entangled in each other, body and soul. Melded together so close it was hard to tell where one began and the other ended.

He didn’t want that feeling to stay in his dreams.

“I want it. I just don’t know what the hell I’m doing.” He admitted. Seemingly, his friends breathed a collective sigh of relief before Changkyun grabbed his attention. 

“Okay, so I’m gonna explain some things, it’s going to be traumatizing for all of us, and we’re gonna come out of this with some confidence.” 

A smile came to his face as his comment ripped a laugh from Hongjoong’s throat. The others soon followed suit as he rolled out of his position on the floor and stomped into the kitchen. 

“Christopher Bang Chan you get in here and help us with the communal suffering or so help me-”

The peels of laughter increased in volume at the faux shriek Chan let out when Changkyun came for him. Slowly, Hongjoong’s anxiety ebbed away. 

He wished Siyeon was here to help him with the rest of his close friends, but for now, he’d take the help wherever he could get it. 

-1pm-

-Namsan Mountain Park-

“Thank you for meeting with me. I hope I didn’t inconvenience you.” 

The sound of a can opening fills the small break in conversation before a small laugh followed it. 

“Hardly. It was only a matter of time before one of you asked me to talk to you. I’m sure you have a lot of questions.” 

Seonghwa looked at the tattooed hand that had stretched out to him before taking the melon-flavored carbonated drink offered to him. Across from him, sat the Ishihara patriarch himself, not at all uncomfortable by the sudden summon from the ex prince. 

That probably made things a lot easier. 

“Excuse my bluntness, but I want as many answers as possible.” Seonghwa continued, taking a small sip of the drink. His brows went up for a moment before he took a bigger one, drawing a laugh from the man across from him. 

“I’ll answer what I can. Do understand I won’t be able to answer some of them just yet.” 

Seonghwa’s lips pursed in disapproval for a moment before he sighed and looked him in the eyes. 

“Who are you?” 

“Apollo, god of the sun, amongst other things.” Miyavi shrugged a shoulder, as if that had been the simplest thing in the world. 

Seonghwa slow blinked, staring at him for a beat of silence before he took another thoughtful sip of his drink. 

“Please don’t think I don’t appreciate it, but how is it that the God of the Sun came to be the adoptive father of our Captain?” 

Miyavi tapped his chin ever so slightly before he smiled. 

“Your little pirate captain approached me centuries ago in Delphi. Something about him moved me, and I felt the urge to make his time there enjoyable. I wonder, do you all remember the hidden orchid you found? The wolf that led you deeper? That was me. I’m glad you enjoyed your time, by the way, I don’t let just anyone in there, you know.” he adjusted some of the rings on his fingers, letting the words sink and click into place in Seonghwa’s mind. Thankfully, it didn’t take long before he was continuing, his eyes never leaving the god’s face. 

“That’s not all of it, surely.” 

“Not at all. I suppose you can call her my…cousin? Of sorts? The daughters of Poseidon, Charybdis and Scylla were disturbed by you all, it seems. Something about a stolen object. I did my best that night, I truly did, but was stopped up in Olympus from intervening. An offense had taken place and the girls had, technically, every right to be enraged. Especially after the slaying of Charybdis.” 

Seonghwa’s expression soured. 

“Are you saying we’re at fault?” 

“The one who took the rod, mostly. But still. That’s beside the point now. I spent time trying to locate his soul, and it wasn’t easy. Siyeon had ended up being the catalyst piece here. She’s a witch and began worshiping the Sun. I heard her. Well, so did some others. Had to call in a few favors and almost got stabbed by Amaterasu, but I attuned myself to her worship because I saw her in an old prophecy. She led me right to Hongjoong, but unfortunately, time had already run out before I could make any significant moves into figuring out how to reverse the curse. I made a deal with my…step mother, I suppose I can call her, and was able to pin down where this latest Hongjoong had been reborn and Melody and I decided the best thing to do was to insert ourselves into his life to guide and protect him as best we can. This is…the only chance I have to assist you.” he looked away, and Seonghwa knew there was something else. 

Across from them, a bird faltered as it took flight.

“,,,,Your step mother…I assume you mean Hera?” he inquired.

Miyavi nodded, downing the rest of his own drink before he tossed the can into a bin a good distance from where they sat. 

“....doesn’t she hate you?”

“With a burning passion. Tried to kill me and my sister Artemis as soon as we were born.” 

Seonghwa had an ever growing pit in his stomach. Part of him wanted to stop asking questions, just leave it be, there’s no need or reason to probe any deeper, just leave it. Focus on Hongjoong focus on the pace they're working at, it's chaotic enough just LEAVE it-

“It’s not as easy as it should be anymore, is it?” 

Miyavi chuckled and looked at him out of the corner of his eye, a small glint in his eye confirming more than any words ever could. Seonghwa’s brows furrowed and he let his shoulders drop. 

“Don’t do that. No matter how bad it gets, don’t ever let yourself feel defeated before you’ve fought. You’ve searched high and low for him and now he’s in front of you. You have a literal god helping you. Well, several, if you count the Egyptian and Māori ones tagging along with your group. I would say the odds are in your favor. I’ll continue to help as much as I can.” Miyavi offered kindly, looking at Seonghwa like he did his own children. Seonghwa’s brows remained furrowed. 

“What am I supposed to do? This is far beyond what I can handle.”

“You used to be a tactician, right? You’re now the captain of the crew while Hongjoong remains unawake. You can think of something. Besides, you’re not alone. From what Siyeon reported, you all have learned and attempted Mnemosyne’s trials.” 

Seonghwa nodded, tapping his bottom lip before he blinked. 

Right. 

The Trials. 

“Siyeon told us your children have come close to completing the Trials before. How?” 

Miyavi hummed and leaned back in his seat, laughing. 

“Those three are probably just as determined as you all are to help their brother. I feel…a bit like a bad father for having my children grow up learning such violent things, but it’s for the best that they know how to fight and defend themselves if things go south.” 

“...so they’re not human.” 

“No, not at all. No one in the family is. Is that really much of a surprise?” 

Seonghwa thought back to the first time he’d encountered Yuta and the overwhelming killing intent behind his movements. 

How he nearly missed the knife against his throat and hadn’t seen or felt the man come in the room at all. 

Miyavi watched the look on his face before standing, putting his hands in his pockets. 

“We’re approaching territory that I cannot go into now. Ideally, I’d like you not to look at my children maliciously. They’re all doing their best too, seeing as mommy dearest upstairs drug them into this mess as a condition against me.” he began walking down a grassy path, not looking back. 

The rustle of clothes behind him assured him Seonghwa was following anyway. 

“....against you. That doesn’t sound like allies.”

Miyavi sent him a look. 

“They’re my children, First Mate Seonghwa.” 

“I’m just reading into what you said, Apollo, God of the Sun.” 

Miyavi ran a hand through his hair, shattered pieces of a prophecy not fully foretold flashing through his mind. 

Scales, broken chains, a full moon, bloodied feathers. 

“Let’s put it this way. Should you fail, a bit more is at stake than just Hongjoong’s reincarnation.” 

He heard Seonghwa’s footsteps slow behind him before they hastened once more, the tall ex pirate appearing right beside him. 

".....do I want to know what that means?"

Miyavi hummed, watching the clouds above them. 

"The end of the world. Probably."

".....I'm sorry, what?"

-🐺-

"Achoo."

"Ah, bless you, Sis."

Suzuka quietly thanked Hongjoong as she walked over, touching his forehead. 

"....feeling better?"

Hongjoong laughed and scratched his head. When his siblings had returned, they were met with the sound of flustered squabbling and banter. 

The eldest Ishihara sibling watched her youngest brother sit with his face in his hands, cheeks bright red as his shoulders shook with laughter as Yeonjun and Chan yelled above his head.

"I'M SAYING HE NEEDS A POLE, CHRIS."

"HE'S LOSING HIS VIRGINITY, NOT LEARNING TO BE A POLE DANCER, YEONJUN. HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO POLE DANCE"

"WE CAN TAKE LESSONS."

"We? Are you suddenly French?! Who is we?!"

Changkyun held his sides, wiping away a tear as he looked at the two. 

"I'm not driving anyone to the hospital, by the way." He added playfully as the two continued their outlandish discourse. 

"HE NEEDS TO KNOW HOW TO THROW HIS ASS BACK, CHRIS. HE DOESN'T HAVE MUCH TO WORK WITH."

"I DON'T NEED THESE VISUALS, YEONJUN. I REALLY DON'T NEED THE VISUALS OF ANY OF YOU ON A POLE!"

".....Just for that, I'm buying a pole and I'm gonna learn a routine for your birthday and you have to support me unless you suck eggs."

"I hope you bust your ass, I truly do."

Yeonjun let out a scandalized gasp. 

"Excuuuuuse you?!"

Yuta slow blinked at them, hands in his pockets while Moa shrugged and set down the bags of takeout food they'd brought home with them. 

The scent of food made the bickering come to an abrupt and comical end, both Chan and Yeonjun stopped mid-playful shouting match once the aroma wafted past them. 

Suzuka’s lips quirked up as they promptly gravitated towards the table, peeking into the boxes while Chungha grabbed plates. 

"Oh good, you got something to shut these two loveable idiots up." She let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. Both of them huffed indignantly while Felix made his way into the kitchen first, grateful for the break in the bickering around him. 

Hongjoong joined him, looking out of the window and smiling as he noticed a few snowflakes falling from the sky. Felix looked at him out of the corner of his eye, gently touching his shoulder. 

"I'm not really good at this compared to them, but whatever you do, make sure you do it safely. Above all else, you come first. Uh. Emotionally. You're coming emotionally. First. Um. That was phrased really weirdly, ew-" he shuddered and Hongjoong snorted, covering his mouth to stifle the rest of his laughter as he looked at Felix with an understanding twinkle in his eyes.

"I got you. I feel a bit better after talking to everyone, don't worry." He smiled. Felix relaxed and moved to go to sit at the table. 

Hongjoong looked out of the window, noticing a lone blue bird fly by before he turned to get dinner.

-❄️-

"You look pale, Hwa."

Seonghwa’s head snapped up, the ink from his pen bleeding as he held it in place on the paper in front of him. He looked at the ruined formation he had been drawing out before sighing, lifting his gaze up to meet Wooyoung’s. 

"A-are you okay? You look really intense." He muttered. Seonghwa ran his hand through his hair, the words escaping him. 

It took him much longer than Wooyoung had ever seen him take to finally find the words, a frustrated sigh leaving his lips first. 

"I just…I want everyone to be okay." It wasn't the most elegant statement, but the tired tone in his voice made Wooyoung’s heart sink into his shoes. 

"I'm sorry." He muttered softly. 

Seonghwa shook his head, putting the pen down as he stood. 

"It's my fault. I'll figure something out. I have to." He moved past Wooyoung, kissing the top of his head and sending him a small smile. 

"I love you."

Wooyoung stared back, worried.

"I love you too…" 

Seonghwa kissed him once before he turned and left him alone in the room to make tea. 

Wooyoung looked down at the crumpled pieces of paper littering the floor for a while, turning and leaving quietly.

-🐉-

Drip…drip….drip…

Joong stared as the dragon before him rumbled, blood dribbling from his massive head. 

He'd done it. It was small, nearly inconsequential, but he had finally done it. 

There was a crack.

The beast's chest rose and fell harshly as he rested. The blood was from a spot on the center of his forehead where he'd begun bashing it against the crystal in a frenzy out of nowhere. 

Joong had been through a lot of shit in his life. He'd had motorcyclists hold him up, felt the chill of blades against his throat and been followed home by unhappy riders with big egos who didn't appreciate his brand of snark.

Never once in his life did he feel as terrified as he did right now. 

He wanted to run. Something told him he didn't want to know where this was going. He didn't know when this began and wanted to be nowhere near it when it ended. 

But on another hand, he was frozen in place. 

It was him. Inside that crystal was undoubtedly him. He wasn't sure if this was some kind of hell he was in. Every depiction he'd heard about purgatory was vastly different than this. Joong couldn't even tell if he was in hell.

Drip…drip…

The dragon shifted, opening its eyes once more. His lip curled up as he looked at the crystal. 

"You can't keep me out forever. This is all YOUR fault. All you had to do was be a good little pawn and obey me. But no. Instead, you defy me and get BOTH of us trapped in this hell. When I free myself, there will be hell to pay."

He shook his head, droplets of shimmering blood landing on the crystal as he curled up, seemingly tired out. Joong kept deathly still, heart thundering in his chest as he felt his bangs shift with every exhale of the resting dragon. 

Idly, he wondered where the other beast had slinked off to and what the full story behind the three of them was. 

He looked up once more, waiting until the dragon was asleep-or at least he hoped to whatever higher power would listen that he was-before he slowly crawled out of the silk of his tail for the first time. He kept his steps quiet as he stood in front of the crystal, gently extending a hand and placing it over the outside. 

He definitely was some kind of sailor, given his tattered attire. Joong scanned as much as he could, not liking the idea of him being out in the open in front of the mad dragon behind him for too long. 

His eyes wandered downwards and he cringed at the wounds littered all over the man's arms, torso, and legs. 

They were deep, like the fangs of a rabid beast. 

All at once, he felt like something had slammed into his temple, images flooding his mind.

"Protect our crew….find me later."

Joong held his head, nearly screaming at the splitting feeling that coursed through him 

"I love you all….so much."

He snapped his head up, looking up at the face of his double in the crystal. 

Had his eyes always been cracked open like that?

Joong panted, staring at the motionless man, more questions emerging in his head. Behind him, the dragon shifted and he quickly made his way back into his hiding place, heart thundering once more. 

From within the crystal, The Captain watched him rush out of his line of sight.

'I'm…so tired of being alone.'

-Monday, March 25th, 11am-

-227 Days Remain-

"Are your friends…okay today?" Yunho inquired, looking down at Hongjoong in amusement. The pianist looked around his frame, brow twitching slightly at the sight of his friends not so subtly playing hooky in lieu of watching over them.

"What the hell do they expect us to do? Fuck in an elevator or something?" Hongjoong hissed, tapping his foot. Yunho blinked owlishly before tapping his cheek.

"I feel like that's a really familiar concept…I'm keeping condoms on me so we can try it if you want." 

Hongjoong nearly tripped as he whirled his head around to look at him.

"Yunho?!"

"What? I'll happily receive, if you're nervous." 

Hongjoong did a double take, staring at the unbothered doctor as he walked beside him. He lowered his voice to a whisper. 

"You're not…at all flustered by any of this?"

Yunho hummed, pausing and rubbing his chin for a moment. 

"Mm…no, not really. I never have been. But that's just me." Yunho placed a hand over Hongjoong’s head, smiling softly. 

"Really, it's fine if you're nervous or unsure. We don't have to do anything. I'm just happy you're here and you remember Geb and I." He spoke honestly, placing a hand in front of Hongjoong’s chest and summoning a rose so the others couldn't see. It had no thorns and Yunho carefully tucked it behind his ear. 

Hongjoong smiled and smiled as they ducked into the library. 

Maybe with the continued reassurance, he could finally calm his chaotic thoughts and focus on preparing himself. 

Except. That isn't at all what happened. 

In fact, a different chain of thoughts weasel their way into his brain as he reads the same paragraph over and over again for the third time.

Yunho, lips curled up in that kind way, rose pink dusting his cheeks as his thighs fell open like a flower blooming. 

The arch of his back, the strain of the sheets below his palm as he tugged at them, the groans and breathless keens of Hongjoong’s name. 

"Right there, you know how we like it, don't you~? Keep moving your hips just-ngh!-just like that. Hongjoong~ Hongjoong!"

"Hongjoong?"

The musician startled, looking up at Yunho with wide eyes. The doctor blinked at him before his eyes travel down. 

The evidence of Hongjoong’s wandering thoughts is obvious. 

Hongjoong feels shame and embarrassment wash over him, but Yunho only let out a gentle exhale, a soft fruit-scented sigh as he leaned over and pressed his lips to Hongjoong’s. 

It wasn't demanding or frantic, just a slow connection that somehow made him feel grounded once again. Yunho didn't escalate it further, cautious of their setting as he peppered Hongjoong’s lips in kisses. 

"I can't properly articulate how damn good it feels to know you can't get us out of your mind."

Hongjoong flushed. 

Us.

His brain was especially traitorous today. Imagining rough calloused hands running down his spine, pressing down, the pop and crack of his back nearly making him moan more than the cock nestled deep inside of him, a voice speaking in his ear in a language he didn't know but it sent goosebumps down his spine, nonetheless. 

"Geb," Hongjoong muttered under his breath. Another chuckle slipped from Yunho’s lips, though it was different, deeper. 

Hongjoong shuddered.

"Do not strain yourself. We're not going anywhere."

Hongjoong cleared his throat, beet red, and looked at Geb’s ice blue eye, the other one remaining Yunho’s usual kind brown color. 

That's right. They shared. They were exceptional at it. 

Compared to…? 

Were there any others Hongjoong knew about that had…well, a whole separate entity living inside of them?

Warm hands cupped his cheek and drew his focus in once more. 

"How about you come home with us again? Let's try something a bit different tonight." Yunho hummed, smiling softly as he leaned in for a kiss. Hongjoong’s eyes nearly closed fully before Yunho’s lips brushed past his cheek as he leaned into his ear.

"I'll be using my powers a bit tonight. I hope that's alright." He whispered before pulling away. Hongjoong nearly chased after his lips before he caught himself, clearing his throat. 

Yunho smiled, satisfied, and leaned away from him, going back to the book in front of him. 

Neither of them were really reading a damn thing on those pages. 

🎕┈┈┈┈

When Hongjoong stepped into Yunho’s home after they’d gotten finished studying, he was met with the smell of simmering meat. 

He instinctively turned towards the kitchen, hearing sizzling. 

It was…so familiar, this scent. 

Yunho put his hand at the small of his back and smiled down at him. 

“Do you want to go see what Mingi and Yeosang are cooking, or do you want to go straight upstairs?” He inquired. Hongjoong glanced again before he rubbed his neck. 

“Is it okay? I don’t want to intrude.” He admitted. Yunho nearly told him ‘of course you can’ without hesitation, but he caught himself. He’d seen the occasional concerned glances. 

Hongjoong definitely knew Mingi was cautious around him. 

Respecting that, Yunho told him to wait, striding into the kitchen and beaming at the ex prince and boatswain that darted around each other. Yeosang’s tails were out on full display, occasionally brushing along the exposed skin of Mingi’s abdomen or back as the shirtless man measured spices. 

That being said, the kitsune currently had a one-track-mind, as evidenced by the shriek that he let out when he turned and saw Yunho looming just a few feet from him. 

Mingi tensed in an instant, a white knuckled grip on a knife and his eyes flashing purple before he paused, blinking at Yunho in realization as Yeosang held his chest. 

“Oh my god, Yunho what the fu-”

“Are you okay?!” Hongjoong rushed in after the scream, blinking in surprise when his eyes landed on Yeosang. 

All four men stared at each other like deer in headlights. Yeosang stood slowly, unable to hide the fact his massive, silken tails had been visible to the pianist. 

He still dispelled them, though.

“Uh…hi?” He sheepishly greeted, hoping Hongjoong wouldn’t have another painful headache because of him.  

Hongjoong slow blinked, looking from him, to Mingi, and finally, Yunho. 

“....is everyone alright?” He questioned slowly. Yeosang nodded, wondering if he was going to ask. Hongjoong’s shoulders relaxed, and he looked towards Yeosang once more. 

“....they were really pretty.” He complimented. Yeosang blushed and opened his mouth to ask him if he remembered anything, but he stopped short, watching as Hongjoong went rigid. 

“Cheese smells food! Cheese would like to taste test the food now!”

Anything Yeosang had to say was gone the moment Cheese came bounding into the room, barking excitedly. Hongjoong’s eyes went wide as Cheese jumped up, putting his paws on Mingi’s chest. 

“Cheese has been a very good Cheese! Cheese would now like some of your quality spiced meats now!” 

To Hongjoong, all he could hear was barking. 

Barking and the ocean. 

-It’s so loud. The splashing. 

He can almost feel it, fangs biting into him. 

When he inhales water fills his lungs-

Yunho took his hand and sent an apologetic look to Yeosang and Mingi, tugging Hongjoong away before he could have a panic attack. He could feel the pianist’s hand getting clammy in his own. 

“Hongjoong, look at me, hey.” 

Yunho turned, gently cupping his forearms. Hongjoong looked up at him, mouth opening, but nothing came out. It broke the doctor’s heart, but he didn’t show it, instead pressing a kiss to his forehead. 

“Breathe with me. Take your time.” 

He instructed him gently, and once Hongjoong had gathered his bearings, he realized he was seated in Yunho’s room, his head nestled in the crook of the doctor’s neck. 

“I…I’m okay. Sorry.” He muttered. Yunho kissed his head and pulled back, smiling softly at him. 

“It’s alright. How about we take it easy tonight? I’ll check up on dinner in a bit and maybe we watch a movie?”

Hongjoong frowned. It was clearly obvious Yunho intended to try initiating something intimate when he invited him over after the library and Hongjoong felt like once again, he’d let the taller man down. 

“I-..we can still…”He hated how clammy he felt, frustrated with himself over his phobia and ‘ruining’ his and Yunho’s moment for the second time. Yunho looked at his expression and shook his head. 

“I’m not here to force or pressure you, Hongjoong. Ever. I know you’re afraid of dogs and I should have checked to see where Cheese was before we came in.” Yunho quietly took responsibility, but Hongjoong’s brow only furrowed deeper. 

“He shouldn’t be locked up in a room in his own house because I’m over.” He muttered, eyes fixed on his own hands. 

He felt the beginnings of a headache coming on, a split-like feeling right in the center of his forehead, but he grit his teeth, anger spiking. 

He was…unreasonably angry, and spot on his chest, out of sight, shimmered for a moment.

What the hell does he have to be so afraid of?

Yunho startled when Hongjoong stood abruptly, jaw set. He cast him a worried look and Hongjoong marched out of the room, heading back downstairs with Yunho hot on his heels. 

“Hongjoong? Cap-Uh-wait!” Yunho stumbled, missing a step as Hongjoong stormed back into the kitchen, Mingi looked up, a spoon in hand and a curious look on his face as Hongjoong looked about. 

“....you good?” He inquired, arching a brow. Hongjoong glanced around the room once more before pursing his lips. His gaze drifted over to the canine on the floor and Cheese perked. 

“Oh, Cheese did not know Captain would come back, Cheese will leave-oh there is a hand in Cheese’s face.” 

Cheese blinked and sniffed as Hongjoong put a shaky hand before Cheese’s nose. Yunho finally caught up, blinking in surprise before he put his hand at the small of Hongjong’s back. 

“Cheese, wanna make a friend? Can you be nice and give kisses?” Yunho inquired. Cheese perked and sat up on his haunches, sniffing Hongjoong’s hand more. 

“Of course Cheese can be nice! Cheese is a valuable member of the crew-oh. Oh! The Captain smells of many souls. This confuses Cheese.” Cheese gently licked his hand, pressing his head into Hongjoong’s palm shortly after. Mingi and Yunho’s eyebrows rose as Hongjoong shakily cooed to the dog. 

“G-good boy…such a handsome boy…” Hongjoong stuttered, slowly relaxing thanks to Cheese’s surprising calmness. 

Yeosang came back into the kitchen, blinking in surprise at the return of the pianist. He looked at Yunho and Mingi, tilting his head at them both and the perplexed looks on their faces. 

“Definately….He smells of blood…lotus…some kind of leather…fire…? And the ocean. He smells a lot like the ocean. Oh, and amber. Its an interesting combination for Cheese. Cheese smells at least three…nnn..no, four souls.” 

All of them stared at the Jindo in shock as he gruffawed and keened, lifting his head to accept scratches from Hongjoong. The young man had slowly relaxed, smiling and pressing his head together with the dog’s once Cheese gave him a lick to the cheek. 

“Thank you…sorry, I just…I hate feeling so afraid. There’s no need to be. Not of this little guy, right Cheese?” Hongjoong beamed, smiling as Cheese let out a small, mini howl in delight and wagged his tail. 

“No problem…are you feeling alright?” Yeosang inquired, looking down at Hongjoong. He hadn’t the slightest clue on where to begin when it came to unpacking what the dog had told them, but he’d save that brain crunch for later, instead wanting to focus on the matter at hand. 

“I feel…a lot better than I did before. I really appreciate you all being so patient with me in these moments of weakness.” 

The three of them stared at him. Such a simple phrase, but they’d heard it before, knew it well. 

When their Captain thrashed in his sleep, when he reached blindly and cried for his fallen mother. When the hooks of nightmarish slumber pushed down on his lungs and made it hard to breathe, they’d be there. He always said the same thing, wiping away his tears in frustration. 

“Ah…what kind of Capt’n am I? Making my crew worry about me like that. I’m sorry, it was a moment of weakness. Thank you for pullin’ me out of it.” 

Mingi looked away, his fingers tapping against the counter in front of him while Yunho gently put his arm around him, pulling Hongjoong close to him and kissing his head. Yeosang gently came closer and reached, taking Hongjoong’s hands. He brought them to his lips, kissing his knuckles softly. 

“You can lean on us, Hongjoong. We all could use an attitude adjustment, but I promise, we’re a lot more reliable than we look.” Yeosang spoke against the skin of his hands. Slowly, he lifted his gaze up to Hongjoong’s, taking in the flustered flush that crept up the man’s neck. He stared at him, lips parted in surprise. 

“I- Oh, Thank you, Yeosang.”

Yeosang let his hands go and smiled, motioning for the two to leave the kitchen. 

“Now shoo. Dinner won’t be done for a while. Find something more interesting to occupy your time with.” He urged. 

Yunho mouthed a ‘thank you’ over Hongjoong’s head, leaning to kiss Mingi’s cheek and Yeosang’s birthmark before he picked the pianist up. 

“C’mon, you nearly gave me a heart attack running out so suddenly.” He lightly scolded, taking Hongjoong back upstairs. 

Hongjoong flushed, rubbing his neck in embarrassment, but Yunho simply pulled him in for a kiss, pressing their heads together. 

“Do you want to continue?” 

“Yes.” 

“Do you want to continue because you want to?”

“Yes.”

Hongjoong was frustrated with everyone treating him like he’d break, but he understood well the position he was in. As much as he got flustered and even embarrassed by the coddling, at least he knew both his friends and his boyfriend cared about his comfort. 

Yunho smiled and stole another kiss, cupping both of Hongjoong’s cheeks and teasing his piercing with his own tongue, lightly tugging at the ball. Hongjoong whimpered into his lips, pressing himself against him, his hips twitching as he felt himself grow harder in his loose-fitting pants. 

When Yunho broke the kiss, there was a completely different look in his eyes, one that made Hongjoong shudder in need as the taller man took a step back, pulling his shirt over his head. He tossed it aside and worked on the button of his jeans, smiling at Hongjoong as he followed his every move with his eyes. 

“Have a seat there,” He pointed to the rolling chair he had near a desk adorned with plants and notes. Hongjoong sat himself down, his eyes locking onto the scar on Yunho’s abdomen before he bit his lip lightly, noticing Yunho tugging the waistband of his pants down, his cock springing out moments later. 

Hongjoong was proud of himself for not letting out any of the noises of want that so desperately wanted to slip free from his mouth. 

He was not, however, able to keep back the gasp of surprise when Yunho wrapped a vine around the chair and pulled him in closer, until he was at the end of the bed staring doe eyed as the doctor situated himself in the middle. 

“What…what exactly are we doing, aga-...”Hongjoong trailed off, eyes drifting between Yunho’s legs as the doctor spread them apart, fully on display in front of him. Everything he had in mind died in his throat as he eyed Yunho with a want that made his fingers twitch. 

“I want you to watch me, watch us, if that’s alright?” He instructed, running a hand down his torso before wrapping it around his cock. Hongjoong didn’t brave trying to speak again, worried he’d sound like a fool as he followed every stroke and upward curve of Yunho’s hand. 

“Geb, it’s okay. I don’t think he minds.” Yunho moaned, smiling as he felt the fractured god take over part of his body, smooth vines wrapping around his legs, pulling them wider apart so he couldn’t close them and hide anything from the view of their Captain. 

“Hongjoong, I think you’ll delight in knowing we’ve gotten quite sensitive. Look here,” Geb rumbled, thin vines curling around and rolling Yunho’s nipples until they hardened into buds. Yunho shuddered and moaned, bucking into his own hand. 

“I wonder if you recall how needy we can get when it comes to this. It’s been many moons and we’ve even perfected the right mix for our nectar. Isn’t that right, Yunho? Should we show him?” 

Yunho whimpered, nearly closing his eyes in pleasure. Both of them turned ice blue and Geb tutted as he opened them back fully. 

“Come, now, Yunho. Don’t look away from him.” Geb scolded.  Yunho groaned and lifted his hips, clenching on nothing at the mere thought of what was to come. 

Hongjoong pushed his own pants down past his thigh, laughing in disbelief as he watched a vine thicker and smoother than the one teasing Yunho’s nipples appeared, dribbling something translucent and sweet-smelling over Yunho’s asshole. 

“How often do you play with yourself like this, Yunho? If you two have perfected it, how many nights did it take?” He asked without thinking, smiling at the way Yunho’s hips twitched. 

“I-nn-I’ve lost count…I just let Geb guide and feel around for what’s best-ah!” He choked on his own voice as he bucked, feeling his own vine push into him, coated in the aphrodisiac-like nectar. 

Hongjoong bit his lip, grabbing his own cock and pumping in time with Yunho’s as Geb chuckled and growled into the room. 

“My, it’s been too long. We’ve been neglecting ourselves. He’s tight, Hongjoong. Practically sucking in our vines and it’s still not enough, is it?” He let out a faux sympathetic sigh, more vines wrapping around Yunho’s thick thighs, kneading and gripping them as he fucked himself. The god wasn’t sure if the doctor even knew he’d given up control of their vines a few minutes ago, letting him control his (well, technically their) pleasure. 

Hongjoong kicked his pants off and away from himself, moaning as he watched Yunho arch and stroke himself faster, softly moaning Hongjoong’s name. 

The bed dipped, and the two-toned man joined him, crawling up on his hands and knees and licking up Yunho’s balls, past the length of his cock, over his fingers, before kissing the head of his weeping cock. 

“H-Hongjoong-”

“Don’t stop. You wanted to show me, right?” He whispered, putting his head on Yunho’s thigh, his breath fanning over Yunho’s cock and his stuffed hole. 

Yunho sucked his lip in and trembled, making the vine thicker inside of himself, mirroring the size he knew his smaller lover was. He moaned and arched his back, eyes nearly rolling back as he felt thick, warm nectar electrify his very being. 

“That’s it, pretty boy. I’m here. Show me up close how beautiful you look when you cum.” Hongjoong sighed lovingly, reaching to rub around Yunho’s stuffed rim, smiling when he jolted upwards. 

“Fuck! Ngh-!”

Hongjoong was honestly curious, and clearly was thinking with the head between his legs instead of the one between his shoulders as he leaned down and ran his tongue over both the vine as it pulled out, and the rim of Yunho’s hole, catching some of the nectar on his tongue. 

Yunho’s thighs flexed, and had it not have been for the vines and Geb’s quiet monitoring of their play, he might have snapped them shut. His body trembled, a mixture of several languages spilling from his lips as he chased his orgasm, eyes blown wide with lust as he watched Hongjoong. 

He found his mouth running far faster than his brain could catch up with. 

“Hongjoong, please-” He whimpered, eyes rolling as he felt his own vine push against his prostate. Hongjoong looked up at his face, tilting his head. 

“What is it, baby? What’s wrong?” 

Yunho didn’t have an ounce of embarrassment in his body, looking at him with his lips swollen from self biting, panting like he’d ran a marathon, reaching to run a hand through Hongjoong’s hair. 

“I want…mmmnn…I want you…please? I’ll even wait for you I just- please-” He groaned, his hand speeding up on his cock before he stopped abruptly, stilling the vine in his ass and ruining his orgasm. Hongjoong bit his lip and sat up, watching as veins throbbed on Yunho’s cock, thighs, hands, neck, and temple, straining as he tried to force himself down from his ruined ecstasy. 

“Where’s the condoms you bought?” Hongjoong whispered. Excitement and a flicker of anxiety ran through him, but he found the former beating out the latter as Yunho shakily sent a vine to grab one of the two boxes he’d bought yesterday. Hongjoong took it, tearing the package and rolling it down his cock. 

He crawled up until they could press their foreheads together, his palms splayed out on the bed sheets at either side of Yunho’s ribs. They held each other’s gaze, and Yunho simply smiled, guiding Hongjoong’s cock down to his hole after sliding the messy vine out of himself. 

Hongjoong looked down between them, slowly pressing his hips down and gasping softly as he felt Yunho’s tight and slick walls grip him. 

Both men groaned into the plant-filled room. Yunho gripped his cock tight, forcing down another orgasm as he looked at where they were joined, a dazed and joyful curl of his lips making Hongjoong growl above him. 

“Y-Yunho, don’t clench so tight, baby. I can b-barely move-” Hongjoong moaned, pressing biting kisses down Yunho’s neck. The doctor groaned and let his head roll to the side, his cock making a mess of his abs. 

“I…mmm I can’t help it, you don’t have to go slow.” He urged, trying to rock his hips. Hongjoong opened his mouth to tell him he didn’t want to hurt him, but Yunho leaned into his ear, running his hand through his hair. 

“I like the stretch. Go faster.” He purred, moaning in delight when Hongjoong kissed him with fervor, working up a steady pace. Yunho sucked on his tongue and moaned in approval, stroking himself at an off-beat tempo.

Hongjoong was hyperaware of every sound once more.

Every slap of their hips together, every slick sound of Yunho’s cock in his hand, every filthy smack of their lips in their kiss, all of it made Hongjoong’s body feel like sparks were trailing through his veins. 

“That’s it~ Mmn, you’re so eager, I think you remember our body well, Hongjoong. You’re making such a…mmm…delightful expression, does it feel that good?” Geb moaned, the triangle covering Yunho’s eye once more as they both looked up at Hongjoong. 

The pianist sucked in a breath and rolled his hips down and to the left, smiling as his memory served right, listening as both of them let out a swear of surprise. His lips quirked as he slowed his hips down immediately afterwards. Yunho looked at him in surprise, opening his mouth, but Hongjoong cut him off.

“I want to try the vine, too. At the same time.”  

Even the god was caught off guard, but they recovered quickly, with a vine dribbling sweet nectar between the musician’s cheeks. 

Yunho smiled and reached around his frame, holding his cheeks open as Hongjoong resumed his thrusts. Hongjoong sighed against Yunho’s skin as he felt the tip of it press into his hole. 

“Nice and slow, Joongie.” 

Hongjoong’s hips stuttered for only a moment as the slick tip pushed into him, a groan of surprise spilling from his lips. It certainly was bigger than Yunho’s fingers, but not enough to knock the wind out of him, and soon he found his rhythm again, grinding into Yunho at a deep, slow pace. 

“Right there, right there yes nngh!” Yunho arched, nearly covering his mouth at the shaky gasp that spilled from his lips, catching himself off guard. Hongjoong noticed and grit his teeth, sweat rolling down his brow as he took his hand and pulled it away, lacing their fingers together and staring down into his eyes. 

Yunho looked up, holding his gaze as he gradually thickened and curved the vine inside of Hongjoong, smiling as Hongjoong let out his own cry of delight, feeling it rub right against his prostate. 

Hongjoong looked down, and like before, felt that phantom feeling of rocking on a boat as he rolled his hips downwards, his bangs sticking to his forehead. 

Yunho…felt as good as he’d always did. 

He always stared at him with those big brown eyes, deep with love and eager for more. 

Always…

“I love you.” Hongjoong panted, grabbing handfuls of the sheets as he looked down at Yunho. The doctor’s lips parted in surprise and he opened his mouth to respond, but Hongjoong kissed him feverishly, swallowing his moans as he sped up, reaching between them to stroke Yunho. The doctor’s hand had halted in surprise, but now it wrapped around the bars of the bed above his head as he arched his back, pretty notes falling past his lips as he looked up at Hongjoong. 

“C’mon, cum with me baby, I’m so close, please I need it I was good, I was good, please-” He slipped up, his mind melting as he sped up the vine in Hongjoong, wanting him to join him in the climbing ecstasy. 

Hongjoong’s eyes widened before he smiled, leaning into his ear. 

“You’re so good, Yunho. You’re so good for me, for us.” He cooed, biting the shell of his ear when he heard Yunho’s breath hitch. He stroked him faster, surprised at himself and the strong need to make the doctor fall apart first. 

“You and Geb are so good. Is this what I missed? Hm? You look beautiful like this. I-I don’t think I can hold back, baby. Hold me, go faster, we’re gonna cum together.” He groaned, feeling his hips ache in a way he was familiar with from performing, but with a blanket of pleasure running up and down his spine as the nectar ran down his rim and his balls. 

“Thank you, thank you, I love you, right there-AH!”

Yunho arched his back and forced himself to keep his eyes open, biting his lip as Hongjoong’s expression matched his. Stars dotted his vision and he clenched tight, his body taught as he finally came with a loud cry, thick splurts making a mess of his and Hongjoong’s abs. Hongjoong smiled and kissed him, rocking back and forth desperately. 

Between the tightness of Yunho’s trembling body and the dizzying pleasure of the vine in his ass, Hongjoong didn’t stand a chance, hugging Yunho and moaning into the heated skin of his neck as he came inside of the condom. 

“Y-Yunho-”

He shuddered, staying in his arms and holding him as both of them tried to force air back into their lungs. The vine retreated, and Hongjoong flushed, feeling thick pearls of nectar roll out. Did he need that much lubrication? Probably not, but it gave him a hungry feeling for the real thing that made his heart skip. 

Good thing both of them were already blushing from head to toe. 

Yunho groaned, muscles sore as he wrapped his arms around Hongjoong, sending him a thousand watt smile. 

“You did…phenomenally. I hope I feel it for days.” He mused, closing his eyes and letting his head thump against the pillow, a blissed smile on his face. Hongjoong blushed and looked down between them. 

“Yunho, we should clean up. We’re covered in sweat, cum, and nectar.”

“Mmm. Gimme a moment. I’m basking.”

Hongjoong sent him a flat look before he playfully rolled his eyes, putting his head on Yunho’s chest. 

He supposed it wasn’t too bad to rest for a bit more.

Just a little.

̶̶̶̶  «̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ «̶ ̶̶̶ 　Meanwhile, Downstairs　 ̶ ̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ »̶ ̶̶̶  

Once they were out of earshot, Yeosang sighed softly, shoulders slumping. Mingi looked at him out of the corner of his eye before looking down at Cheese. 

“You said you smelled four souls inside of him?” 

Cheese looked up and nodded, letting out a big yawn before sprawling onto the cool tile of the kitchen floor. 

“One is his. The scents Cheese told you about are the ones Cheese smelled in them. Amber-Cheese thinks that is his soul, it is the strongest smelling. Then bloody lotus, fire and leather, and the ocean. The ocean scent is the faintest. Like it’s fading.” 

Both of their eyes widened and Mingi clenched his fists so hard, he had crescents in his palms. 

“Captain…are you…are you still in there?” He whispered without thinking. Yeosang tapped his lip and paced the room, eyes fixed on the tiles as he tried to process the gravity of their findings. 

He shook his head, ruffling his hair, and turned to Mingi instead, walking over to gently tuck himself in the taller immortal's arms.

"Are you okay, Mingi?"

Mingi wrapped his arms around him, conflict swirling in his mind. 

"I…I don't know."

Yeosang gave him a squeeze and looked into his eyes. 

"It's okay not to know right now. We can navigate through this together. It's confusing as all hell. But, what matters to me right now," he gently kissed Mingi and leaned back so he could stare into his eyes. 

"Is that all of my loves are full and taken care of. Do you want dessert made? I can start." He offered, rubbing Mingi’s cheeks. Mingi looked at him for a long time before putting his hands over Yeosang’s. 

"Would…would you still love me if I wasn't the same me you've always known?"

Yeosang pressed his lips together before he exhaled softly.

"I would."

"How do you know?"

"The you in front of me isn't the you from centuries ago. The me in front of you isn't the me from centuries ago. None of us have escaped the touch of pain and time. Just because we do not deteriorate or change physically doesn't mean we haven't changed emotionally and mentally." Yeosang closed his eyes and hummed. 

"It's…been hard and there's an awful rift between us that hurts so much…but I still love you. I still love everyone. Mingi," he pulled the taller man into a hug.

"If…if you don't still love me…or us…that's within your right. I'm not going to force you. I just…I'll do everything in my power to help you and everyone smile again. I can do that."

Mingi felt his heart clench in pain, hugging him tight. 

"I do love you!” He spoke hurriedly, worried he’d offended the ex prince by his venting. Yeosang didn’t say a word, gently petting his hair and smiling softly, waiting for him to continue after he gave him a small, encouraging nod. Mingi worried his lip between his teeth. 

“I…I want things to go back to before. I want everyone back. I'm so tired." He whispered, his eyes cast at the ground. 

Yeosang rubbed his back, gently kissing his cheek. He felt his heart squeeze. 

He was also to blame for this, he knew inaction and fear spoke just as loud as action and hostility. 

His upbringing taught him better than to be a bystander, and still he let the others and Mingi down. 

"I'm…sorry I haven't done enough to protect you. Is…is there anything I can do? Or…is it too late? It's just us, you can be honest with me." Yeosang felt his own tears well up as he looked at Mingi. The taller man sucked in a breath and looked at him for a long time. 

"I…I have a lot I need to get off my chest…right now, I need someone to talk to. If…if it's alright?" He whispered. Yeosang smiled and kissed his knuckles. 

"I'll turn the fire off and we can take a walk so no one interrupts. Is that alright? We can bring Cheese." He offered. Mingi looked at him and then the dog and nodded once. 

"Thank you, Yeosang. I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry, Mingi. Here, I'll grab your coat."

Mingi cast a look at the kitchen before he took a breath and looked down at Cheese, smiling as the dog nudged his thigh. 

“Cheese does not know what happened, but Cheese loves his family and will provide excellent emotional support!” 

Mingi exhaled, laughing wetly before he heard Yeosang approach with his coat, handing it to him with a worried look settled in his brow. 

“Shall we go, Mingi?” He inquired. Mingi nodded, grabbing Cheese’s leash and grabbing Yeosang’s hand within his own shaking one. 

“I’m coming. I’ll lead the way.”

┍━☽【❖】☾━┑

T a g l i s t

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[beautifulchris]

of darkness and rainbows

pairing: demigod!lee felix x fem demigod!reader

featuring: han jisung, hwang hyunjin, sf9's dawon, golden child's bomin, nct's doyoung

summary: a demigod au in which you enter the camp after losing your mom, and you swear to yourself you'll avenge her no matter what

genres: demigod!au, s2f2l!au, mutual pining, slowburn, action, fantasy, adventure, greek mythology, romance, mild fluff, angst

tw: monsters, parental abandonment, death of a mother and a brother, murder, blood, physical injuries, use of weapons (swords, knives, bow and arrow), VIOLENCE, nightmares, grief and loss depiction, battle scenes, monster and creature slaying, mild language, fainting, magic, ghost

rating: +16

wc: 12,7k

notes: wow. this is my longest work yet and i'm proud of it, please let me know what you think!!

networks: @kflixnet @k-labels @whipped-kpop-creators

permanent tag list: @badwithten send an ask/dm/comment to be added!

one.

It was the end of June, and your mom said a trip to Long Island —you’d never heard of that place before— would be the greatest gift she could offer you for your twelfth birthday. You didn’t believe her after she gifted you an agate necklace, your favorite stone.

It was the end of June, and your mom said a trip to Long Island —you’d never heard of that place before— would be the greatest gift she could offer you for your twelfth birthday. You didn’t believe her after she gifted you an agate necklace, your favorite stone.

Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with the trip you’d imagined.

After getting to Montauk, and spending a few hours on the beach, she drove north. You then walked up what you thought was a random hill. When you were almost on top, you turned towards your mom to tell her you wanted to go back, that you’d rather go home and watch a movie. She was sobbing. It took you aback and broke your heart to see her that way. You wanted to hug her so badly.

She grabbed the backpack she had over her shoulders and put the handle in your hands.

“You must go further north, alright? You’ll find someone who can help you,” she instructed as she kneeled in front of you, stroking your face affectionately.

“What are you talking about, mom? I don’t want to go anywhere without you.”

“It’s going to be alright, sweetheart. You have to trust me. You’re so special, you don’t realize how much. You must go on your own path now. It’s time.” Her voice cracked a little. “Go, you’ll be safe there.”

“This doesn’t make any sense…” you mumbled and stood your ground.

“Maybe because your mommy failed to mention why you’re here,” an icy voice said, making you flinch. Your mom quickly got up and put a protective hand on your shoulder, “and why you’re both going to die today.”

“You’re too late. My daughter will live.”

A light yet threatening laugh left the woman’s throat. She was extremely beautiful, but there was something wrong with her. Not physically, it was more of a feeling.

“We’ll see about that.”

As the woman charged, your mom pushed you out of the way.

“Run!” she yelled as she shielded you with her whole body, turning her back on the woman. You didn’t want to leave her but what could you do? You ran as fast as you could to the top of the hill, still being able to hear what was happening behind you.

“I’m Keahi,” the woman said as she grasped your mom’s arm and forced her to spin so that they faced each other. “Might as well know my name, since I’m the last person you’ll ever see, mortal. You’re going to die knowing it was for nothing.”

You only turned around when you heard a sharp gasp.

You watched helplessly as your mom’s limp body fell to the ground with a loud thud. The woman had blood dripping from her hand— no, her claws. It dawned on you that she had murdered your mom and you were next. You turned around and resumed your sprint. Due to your fear and teary eyes, you realized too late that now that you were at the top, you’ll be going down.

You braced yourself as you could for the fall. Your body got scratches from a few low branches and brambles. When you arrived at the bottom of the hill, you looked up to see if the woman had followed.

It wasn’t the beautiful woman you saw earlier anymore, she had flaming hair, white skin and glowing red eyes. You could only see her head, but it was enough to get nightmares. She bared her fangs and turned around, like she couldn’t get to you anymore.

You tried to breathe but it came out ragged, hands shaking and lips trembling. The sun was heating up your skin. The birds were chirping happily while the despair you were feeling was starting to become unbearable as you clutched at your sides. Tears were streaming down your face, blurring your vision. Not that you had much to look at, anyway, except trees.

You closed your eyes and before you could register what was going on, a paradise appeared before them. There was grass, trees, farm animals, a waterfall and sky in different rainbow colors, plus a rainbow in the background. It obviously wasn’t real, but for some reason the colors perfectly matched. It made you feel at ease. A drastic change from the state you were in mere seconds ago. It momentarily made you forget about it, the sight filling you up with warmth and peace. It only lasted a couple minutes, although by now you breathed normally again, tears dried up.

When you opened your eyes and turned around, you could see a huge amphitheater in the distance, a volleyball court and… were these strawberry fields? Off the corner of your eye, you caught sight of a boy smiling sheepishly, seated a few meters away from you. Blinking a few times, you let out a long sigh.

“Are you okay?” the boy asked in a raspy voice.

It doesn’t match his angelic face, you thought.

He had freckles, a fair and soft skin, short blond hair and brown eyes. He was wearing an orange t-shirt, shorts and sneakers.

You nodded, getting up painfully. Your limbs felt sore, the cuts on your face and arms started to ache.

“I can bring you to the infirmary if you want.”

Maybe you shouldn’t have trusted him right away. Maybe he was with the monster. But he didn’t look evil. He didn’t feel evil, either. So, you followed.

“I hope my illusion helped you feel a tad better.”

“What I saw when I closed my eyes, you did this?”

“Yeah. I’ve been practicing.”

He had a peaceful aura that calmed you down instantly. He was so sweet with you, but all you could think of was: what did you do to deserve this kindness? You had just abandoned your mom to her death.

“Why?” You were trembling, and your voice was just above a whisper.

“Why what?”

“Why did you create this illusion?”

“Oh. You looked like you needed a cheer up.”

A surge of gratefulness engulfed you and you smiled.

“Thank you.”

“I heard voices over the hill and when I came, I saw you falling down. There was a monster at the top.”

Your smile disappeared. “I— she killed my mom.”

Eyes widening, the blond boy internally slapped himself for making you sad all over again after all his efforts to make you feel better. “I’m sorry.”

You arrived at the infirmary after a few minutes of awkward silence, and quiet amazement on your part at the amphitheater you could see more clearly, the pavilion full of white tables, more than twenty houses differently decorated and a hearth in the center, even an arena, with kids and teens from different ages all around.

A brown haired guy was tending to a sleeping kid around your age, bruises, cuts and burns all around their face and arms. They were wearing jean overalls with an orange t-shirt, all covered in soot from head to toe.

“Jisung!” the boy next to you called as soon as he spotted him.

“One sec,” he replied without looking up. He brought the teen’s head up with one hand and poured some amber liquid down their throat with the other. He rested their head back delicately on the mattress, got up and turned around to greet the newcomers.

“Hi F— Wow, hey there! Sit here,” he motioned toward an empty bed, “I’ll be right back.” He left through a door made of white sheets.

“Do I really look that bad?”

The blond boy chuckled, slowly shaking his head. “By the way, I didn’t give you my name. I’m Felix.”

You looked up at him, managing a side smile. “I’m Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N.”

You didn’t have time to answer that Jisung was back with medicine. He cautiously cleaned your wounds with the same yellowish liquid he used to treat the other kid. It felt like he was treating you like porcelain.

Then, he brought a golden cube up to your mouth.

“What is this?”

“A bit of ambrosia. It heals demigods, but too much can have bad side effects.”

Demigods??

“Eat it, you’ll feel better.”

Whatever.

With newfound trust in strangers, you chewed on the sweet food. It tasted like the mac’n’cheese your mom would make on rainy days. The memory comforted you, but also induced some pain within. Your wounds started to fade until they were completely healed.

“Thank you,” you murmured, in awe at the product. You definitely needed this stuff.

“Of course, it’s my job,” he beamed. “So, Felix,” he turned to his friend, “where did you find this stray kid? Tell me you didn’t go on a little quest on your own—”

“I found Y/N near the border, she’s new,” he interrupted him.

You were thankful he let out the details of your encounter.

“Oh, my bad! I guess you have to take her to the Big House, then.”

He nodded, extending his hand your way. You stared at it, then at the freckled boy, then back at it. Taking it slowly, he walked you to the Big House, which lived up to its name. You choked when you saw a centaur —an actual centaur?!— walking out of the front door.

“Greetings, Chiron!”

Chiron? From the legends??

“Felix. Welcome to the camp half-blood, young lady. I’m Chiron, activities director. Have you been claimed already?”

“Huh…”

“I didn’t see anything,” Felix answered. “I see. Perhaps we’ll know tonight at the campfire. Can you show our new recruit around? I’m off to archery class.”

“Sure.”

He thanked Felix, sent a smile your way and galloped away to the west. The realization you were still holding the boy’s hand made you blush, but before you could retract it, he pulled you with him to different places.

He explained the purpose of the strawberry fields and the society name —Delphi Strawberry Service— covering the camp. He showed you the climbing wall with lava, the dining pavilion, the forge full of Hephaestus kids, the armory —he tried to make you choose a weapon but you refused—, the Pegasus stables —with actual pegasi!—, the arena where demigods trained, the archery field where Chiron was teaching, the camp store —you could buy an orange t-shirt there later—, the arts & crafts center —you saw a beautiful black-haired boy painting there among other kids—, the canoe lake, the forest— you weren’t keen on entering after Felix told you what was in it. You finished the tour next to the hearth in the center of the houses you saw earlier. You could swear you saw a woman in the fire, but when you looked more closely, she was gone.

He explained everything except the reason why you were here in the first place. “This is all charming and interesting, but why am I here?”

“I was getting to that. These are the cabins of the major Greek gods and some of the minor ones. Here,” he gestured to the most colorful cabin out of the bunch, “is my mom’s, Iris, goddess of rainbows.”

It explained the illusion. The cabin looked like a huge trailer with a platform on the front and a little rainbow as antenna. It looked chill and welcoming.

Felix gave you the names of all the gods and goddesses’ cabins present on this camp, making hypotheses on who your dad might be.

“Do you like mechanics? Are you good at poetry or archery? Or swords? Do you enjoy grape juice? Maybe you’re a trickster? Do you enjoy sleeping? I mean, do you spend most of your time sleeping? Can you control light? If none of those… Maybe you’re a child of one of the Big Three.”

“Who are the Big Three?”

“Zeus —god of the sky—, Poseidon —god of the sea— and Hades —god of the dead and king of the Underworld.”

You pondered. “This is a dream. I’m gonna wake up.”

He chuckled —an endearing sound— and shook his head. “I think I’d know if it was one. No, you’re a demigod, Y/N. For real.”

When you didn’t respond, he glanced at you. You were lost in thought, wondering who your father could be, why you’ve never seen him before and why he never came to see you.

“Come on, there’s one more thing I’d like you to see.” He tugged at your hand and dragged you towards the beach.

The sun was setting. You sat on the sand, looking at the horizon. It was really pretty. But you couldn’t avoid reality for too long. A tear fell down your face thinking about how your mom would’ve loved coming here, looking at this scenery with an arm around your frame.

She was gone.

From this moment, you swore to yourself that, when you were ready, you would find the monster and avenge your mom, no matter what. Felix saw your determined eyes staring in the distance. It gave him an idea on who your father might be.

At the campfire, you realized a lot more campers than you initially thought were here. You’ve seen a bunch during the tour, but right now, when the whole camp was gathered around the fire, it felt like you were a couple hundred.

Some had musical instruments and were preparing for what you guessed was a concert. A dozen, more or less, were looking all dressed up and pretty, a few were playing with balls of energy —magic?—, others were dozing off wherever, from another kid’s shoulder to the floor. The rest looked somewhat normal, apart from the kids with hands partially tainted with soot. Might be tough to get rid of it when they spend so much time in the forges.

Some kids greeted Felix and welcomed you into the camp, which felt nice. Although you couldn’t remember every name, you were grateful for their kind words.

It seemed that the Apollo cabin was actually preparing for a singalong. Everyone sang, cheered and overall had a good time. Felix nudged you from time to time to check up on you and offer you bright smiles. So bright, in fact, that they were almost blinding. But you didn’t mind. His sole presence was enough to give you peace of mind. Maybe because looking at him reminded you of the illusion he created for you.

The campers were asking for an encore, when silence abruptly fell and every pair of eyes were on you. Or above you, to be precise, but it felt the same to you.

Exposed, vulnerable and embarrassed.

You glanced at Felix, who was looking up too. He lowered his gaze, locked eyes with you and motioned for you to look up as well. It was a glowing golden helm hologram suspended above your head.

“The bloodline is determined. Hades, king of the Underworld. Hail Y/N L/N, daughter of the dead and riches.”

Every camper kneeled, including Chiron and Felix, and you wanted to disappear from the Earth. Was it just because you ended up being a child of the Big Three? Or did every camper have the privilege of experiencing such a stressful moment?

At last, they all got up and resumed the singalong for a well-deserved encore.

An older guy walked to you from a corner. He was tall, had dark eyes and a harsh resting face. You recoiled in your seat, scared of what he might do. But then he showed a toothy smile with dimples and extended his hand for you to shake.

When you did, he said: “Welcome home, sis.”

Once alone in your bunk —you had slipped away before the end of the campfire— you sobbed, hugging the backpack your mom put in your hands earlier that day.

It smelled like her.

Calming down a bit, curiosity took over and you opened it. There was a pocket knife, pepper spray, a pack of matches, a flashlight, tissues, a sleeping bag, a water bottle and food.

It struck you. She knew what you were long before you did.

two.

Felix shouldn’t have laughed.

The whole scene was just so ridiculously funny, he had to.

You were training at the climbing wall like every other day, except today, someone had the good idea to change the mode from normal to full lava-and-earthquake while you were on it. Needless to say it took you by surprise. You fell to the bottom, earning smoking holes in your t-shirt and singed arms' hair.

Felix helped you get out of the lava floor, miserably trying to suppress his giggles. “Are you okay?”

“Who turned the climbing wall into a frenzy? I just wanna talk!”

Your eyes showed you were being serious, although a little smile appeared after looking at your best friend’s face.

Turns out it was a Hermes kid, obviously.

To get back at him, you created a hole under his feet. He screamed as he sank up to his ankles. He lost balance and fell on his butt. A few kids that fell off the climbing wall with you clapped their hands and laughed.

Oh yeah, my bad. I forgot to tell you you could do that, among other things.

Being at Camp Half-Blood year round was actually a great thing. Undeniably, between that and being with your mom, the choice was clear, but since she was gone… All you could do was train to be able to protect mortals like you should’ve protected your mom and avenge her as well.

I know what some may think. It wasn’t your fault (and it wasn’t. really.) but you couldn’t make peace with it just yet. Guilt still ate you up at night.

After understanding what it meant to be a kid of Hades, you tried to find and talk to your mom. A ghost appeared instead of her. It looked like a staff member, with greek armor and a formal look. He told you your mom was in Elysium, that ‘she wanted you to follow your own path’ and that ‘she didn’t want to see you until you were old and had a full life’. It felt so unfair. You tried to argue but the ghost didn’t stay to hear your complaints, leaving you in your grief.

You ended up entering the armory. Even if you were against violence, you came to terms with the fact that you couldn’t protect others by solely making holes on the ground. Felix showed you all the best pieces of celestial bronze weapons. He made you try on several, making you swing swords, throw knives, shoot arrows… It was unsure what would suit you best.

At last, your eyes caught sight of a dusty black metal in a corner, behind javelins. Dusting off the sword a bit, you felt like it belonged in your hand. It wasn’t too heavy, nor too light. It just felt right.

“It’s stygian iron,” Felix explained, “Hades’ own sword is made of it.”

Did you resent him? Probably… yeah. If he had been there, two years ago, he could’ve saved your mom. But you never saw him, ever. You often wondered if you were even worthy of his presence.

“Y/N?”

Your head shot up, “yeah?”

“You looked out of it. Are you okay? We can stop looking for weapons if you want.”

“No, I’m good. I’ll take this one.” It hasn’t left your side ever since.

Felix proposed to train together. It was fun, both of you ending up at the infirmary more often than not. Jisung was always there to treat your wounds while cracking jokes.

Dawon, the Hades’ cabin’s head counselor that scared you on your first night, was actually really cool. He showed you around the cabin, welcomed you like a true sibling. You enjoyed eating with your siblings at the dining pavilion, talking strategies and kicking ass during capture-the-flag and chariot races, chatting before bed and getting ready together in the mornings.

Other than that, you didn’t spend a lot of time with them. No, Felix was practically attached to your hip at this point. He has been a huge pillar to your recovery. If it wasn’t for him and his bright aura, you would’ve been morose and sad. He probably knew that too.

When you passed by the arts & crafts building, you often saw the pretty boy. The sun would often reflect on his face, making his skin glow. His stance was elegant, his features soft and flawless. He had sunlight in his shoulder-length black hair and his long fingers seemed to be working effortlessly against the canvas. In a way, watching him paint for a while was relaxing. Curiosity always got the best of you as you wanted to see his next art piece.

All you knew about him was that he was a child of Aphrodite and an amazing painter.

three. 

“I did not sign up for this!” you grunted, slashing your sword across monsters left and right.

“You didn’t sign anything,” Jisung recalled, twirling to avoid a clawed hand and slaying the monster with an arrow in its chest.

“It feels like, no matter how much we kill, there’s always more,” Felix puffed.

Hopefully he was pretty good with a sword, because he couldn’t rely on his mom’s powers in the darkness. After what felt like an eternity, the last monster was slayed by your sword.

“Alright, enough practice. Let’s head back before more monsters arrive,” you offered. They didn’t protest.

You were all worn out, sweating and breathing hard. The trip in the forest left very few monsters left to slay. Whoever took care of that would have some work to do. 

“We managed pretty well, didn’t we?” Jisung grinned, eyes half closed. You nodded while Felix agreed.

It was practically nightfall. At seventeen, you were more trained than ever and felt ready to face the world.

The next day, there was an emergency meeting with Chiron and the head counselors. Everyone saw them hastily leave the dining pavilion during breakfast after Argus came running to them.

A few dozen minutes later, you were summoned to the Big House. You entered the meeting room and sat next to Dawon around the ping-pong table. Chiron didn’t waste any time and recited the unprompted prophecy they had heard by the current Oracle.

Child of Underworld must retrieve their father’s accessory

Magnificent Mile holds a piece of the way back in its last breath

The King’s circle’s won by defeating an old vampire enemy

The last challenge in Yellowstone ends in half-blood death

Vampire. It was about an empousa. It was enough for you to want to come, even if the last sentence worried you a bit. You were about to speak up when Chiron raised his hand.

“The sole reason you’re here is because we think it’s about you.”

“Indeed, you’re the only one I know that has an empousa as an enemy,” added Dawon as he nudged you with a smile.

Yeah, the details of your arrival ended up being known around camp. It was apparently common to arrive while chased by a monster, but not every parent died at the same time.

“Oh.”

“If you need anything for the quest, we’re here to help,” proposed Bomin, head counselor of Poseidon’s cabin.

“To make sense of the prophecy, for example,” said Doyoung, the Athena cabin’s head.

“Do you know who you’re going to ask to join you?” Chiron asked.

The only thing you knew for sure was that you were going to get your revenge. And you only needed two friends for this.

“Yeah. All I need to know now is where to begin.”

Doyoung coughed and rearranged the glasses on his nose. “Well, my friend Johnny is from Chicago and last time we spoke about his hometown, he mentioned the Magnificent Mile. He said it was the most famous avenue. Now, I don’t know if the prophecy refers to the city globally or this place precisely… But, either way, I think you need to go there.”

“Thank you for your insight. Do I have a deadline?” you inquired, turning to Chiron.

“You have until the end of the month.”

It sounded like a lot of time, then you remembered the date. “We’re the 29th.”

“Indeed. You have three days, starting now.”

four.

And so began your journey. You had a backpack each, filled with medicine, spare clothes, food, water and money —drachmas and dollars.

Argus was driving you to New York on board the Delphi Strawberry Service van. Jisung kept fidgeting with the beads on his necklace.

“You’re thinking about them, aren’t you?” He squirmed uneasily. “You’ll get back alive, I promise you.”

A promise he knew you couldn’t keep, but it did reassure him a bit. He knew you were going to do everything you could so that you’ll all get back to camp alive.

Felix took your hand in his, squeezing it gently. The sudden contact brought warmth to both yours and Felix’s face and ears. Jisung chuckled at the exchange until he realized he was going to third wheel the whole trip. Then, his face dropped, a groan leaving his lips.

Before Felix could ask what was wrong, Argus pulled up in the train station’s parking. You thanked the camp’s chauffeur and entered the Pennsylvania station.

“I found a direct train,” you told them after talking with an employee, “it’ll take around nineteen hours and thirty minutes. Shall we?”

When you talked to them about the prophecy, they didn’t waste any time and said they’ll come with you. Trying to talk them out of it was useless.

As comfortably installed as possible, Felix and you in the direction of travel, Jisung in the opposite direction, the brown haired boy thought the prophecy over, again.

“Child of Underworld —that’s you, Y/N— must retrieve their father’s —Hades, obviously— accessory. What can it be? What are the known accessories he owns?”

You shrugged while the freckled boy answered his friend’s question.

“There is his bident, or staff, his sword, his helm of darkness, Cerberus, which we cannot call an accessory per say and his golden keys.”

“Is there anything more?”

“Yes, but those are the main attributes he possesses.”

“It can’t be Cerberus or the golden keys, because it’s specifically an accessory, singular,” you commented.

Felix nodded. Jisung continued, “so it’s either the staff, the sword or the helm. OK. Next line is ‘Magnificent Mile holds a piece of the way back in its last breath’. The only thing we know is that Magnificent Mile is an avenue in Chicago. I don’t like the sound of anyone’s last breath, honestly.”

“It’s probably a beast,” you proposed. “It says ‘its’.”

“That’s the most logical option we got,” Felix agreed.

“It better be. ‘The King’s circle’s won by defeating an old vampire enemy’.”

“‘Vampire’ means empousa. I guess we need whatever the King’s circle is for the rest of the quest,” you noted, “do you guys have any idea?”

They shook their heads in unison. “No, but we’ll get back to it. ‘The last challenge in Yellowstone ends in half-blood death’. Not gonna lie, I hate this one the most.”

“Yellowstone… If it’s a place, I don’t know it,” Felix said, thinking about it.

“There’s a Yellowstone national park in Wyoming, but I can’t tell for sure if it’s gonna be there,” you shared.

“It might be,” Jisung voiced and bit his lips, “but it’ll also be the last challenge, and, in case any of you forgot, it’ll end in death. Possibly one of ours.”

He was right. However, dwelling on it so soon would not help anyone.

“Let’s think about that part later, OK? Let’s focus on getting to Chicago safely.”

After four stops, the train passed over the Broadway bridge in Albany. The train weirdly shook.

“Of course,” you muttered, “this couldn’t be a nice, eventless trip.”

People started walking in our direction from the end of the train. They didn’t look particularly alarmed, like it was natural to change wagons while the train was in motion.

Felix looked up through the window and frowned. “I don’t see any—”

The train’s wheels shrieked against the rails, abruptly stopping it. Felix and you fell forward on Jisung, who grunted, obviously not enjoying the voyage so far. Then the sound of metal being crushed like a soda can filled the air. The brown haired boy looked at his friends and gulped loudly.

“Remind me why I was so eager to come?”

You tried to open the doors but they wouldn’t budge. You got closer to a window and unsheathed your sword.

“Get back.” The boys did as told, stepping back to the empty opposite seats.

You hit the glass with the pommel of your sword. It shattered, but before you could step over the wall, a glowing orange eye appeared, surrounded by glistening dark green flesh and a gigantic triangular red maw.

“What’s that smell?” Jisung gagged, closely followed by Felix.

You held your breath and stabbed the monster in the eye. It screeched in pain as it released the hold it had on the train, although not completely. Despite that, you all knew you had a few seconds before the beast would attack.

“I think I know what it is,” Felix said, “help me get on the train.”

“You already are,” Jisung retorted.

“I meant on the roof.”

“It’s too dangerous,” you cut in.

“Y/N, you were about to do it.”

“Yes, but—”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course, b—”

“We don’t have time.”

True enough, the serpent’s mouth flew inside the wagon, missing Felix’s head by a centimeter. You used this opportunity to pierce its other eye. It flew out of the train’s window in a cry. If it wasn’t trying to kill everyone, you would’ve felt bad for it. Although now it was blind and very, very angry.

Felix finally got to the roof with Jisung’s help while you covered them. The snake was so long —around thirty six meters— it wrapped itself around the train at least four times. It had flatten it with its strong hold. Felix wondered how the bridge hadn’t fallen into the river by now.

He silently prayed to his mom and concentrated on creating a rainbow. The sunny afternoon and the river’s reverberation helped greatly. When the serpent’s head was in front of him, he generated multicolored flames from the rainbow to destroy the monster. He felt dumb when he realized it didn’t do anything, its skin extinguishing the flames on contact.

How could he expect to kill a sea snake with fire?

Scolding himself could wait. He rolled over when the monster tried to swallow him up. He unleashed blasts of multicolored energy, penetrating and burning the monster’s skin in the process. Jisung was shooting arrows from the open window, while you were slashing at the monster’s body everywhere you had access to it through the broken windows.

Finally, with one last blast of energy on the serpent’s head, it disintegrated, leaving a damaged train and exhausted demigods. Felix was wondering if the train could get powered up again and carry them all the way to Chicago, but before he could finish his thought, he collapsed on the roof.

five.

Obviously it wouldn’t be a dreamless sleep.

Felix was at a train station. A sign read “Chicago”. He felt relieved. It probably meant they’d make it there.

His consolation was short-lived, however, as he saw a huge lion a few meters away. It seemed to be patiently waiting for them, laying down on the nearest park. The worst part was the 2,50 meters tall giants behind him. They were playing rock paper scissors and one of them didn’t like to lose. He stamped his foot on the ground so hard it felt like an earthquake.

The dream changed. He was outside in the dark, perhaps on a mountain. He could tell by the chilling breeze and the glowing stars. Felix saw a woman not too far, chanting in a language he wasn’t familiar with in front of a large cauldron. He found her beautiful and delicate until he caught a glimpse of the rest of her body. From her waist down was a serpentine body, which oddly resembled the Carthaginian serpent he killed earlier.

He shuddered. When she finished chanting, she turned to Felix, boring her glowing green eyes into his.

“Oh dear, I didn’t mean for you to see me like this,” she said in a seductive way.

She snapped her fingers and the snake part of her body disappeared, replaced by a regular woman's body, wearing a thin black dress.

“There. Better, isn’t it?”

Mist, he thought.

“If you survive your little journey, I’ll be glad to feed on your flesh, even if you’re not quite a child anymore.”

If Felix wasn’t terrified before, he surely was now. He tried to speak, but no sound would come out.

She walked over to him, whispering in his ear, “I’ll drink the Apollo’s kid’s blood and eat his flesh. Once I’m done with him, I’ll deal with you. I’ll take my sweet time. And then, precious Y/N will finally feel my wrath, and eventually die.”

His blood boiled, anger and fear filling his body to the brim. He couldn’t let that happen. Before the woman could sink her crocodile teeth into his neck, Felix woke up in a cold sweat, a few minutes before the Cleveland stop.

It was night, Jisung and you were munching on homemade sandwiches. You had retrieved Felix from the roof together and laid him on two seats in an empty wagon with windows intact. Jisung had fed Felix some nectar and let him sleep for about eight hours.

No matter what the mortals saw, they succeeded in making the train move again and the passengers were seated at the front of the convoy. There was a constant shrill metallic sound coming from the bottom of the train. It was low, but definitely annoying.

“Felix,” you called, “how are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve drained myself to the point of collapsing,” he groaned, sitting up.

“Do you need more nectar?” Jisung asked.

“No, thanks. Besides, we should keep our supplies for as long as possible.”

“Take that sandwich, then.” The brown haired boy tossed him a sandwich and they ate in silence, until Felix told both of you about his dream.

“So, the good news is we’re gonna make it to Chicago,” you said.

Jisung continued, “the bad news is, we’re gonna die in Chicago.”

“I have a few hours to think about a plan while you two sleep.”

You tried to protest but Jisung’s loud yawn put an end to the debate before it even started.

Your dreams were filled with nightmares, like every demigod ever.

It started like every other night. Your mom smiling down at you, her hand stroking your hair, then her being stabbed to death by Keahi. This time the woman smirked and whispered, “I’ll enjoy killing you more than I did your mother.” You were about to curse her when the dream changed.

It was night and in the open space, although a bonfire brightened Felix’s liveless body lying on the ground and Jisung’s limp corpse against a rock a few meters away. You wanted to scream, tears running down your cheeks. A triumphant laugh came from everywhere around you, cutting through the dead of night.

The next dream was so different, it shocked you. You were back on Half Blood Hill, except there was no sign of your mom or the empousa. Instead, there was a tall, shoulder length black haired man with fairly white skin and intense black eyes standing around ten meters away from you. What surprised you the most was the black flowing robes he was wearing, filled with evil souls threaded into it.

Despite his morbid appearance, he was looking at you with unexpected tenderness. You were wondering who this man might be when he spoke up.

“Y/N,” he called, “I’m sorry it took me so long to appear.”

Then it clicked. Of course. This intimidating man was Hades, your dad. A surge of hatred ran through your body beyond your control.

“Where were you? All this time, when I got kicked out of school every other year, when I was made fun of, when mom died? Where were you? Did you even love her?”

His eyes flared with purple fire for a second, his face hardening, but you were too furious to be afraid of the consequences. Just as fast, he calmed himself.

“I did love her, yes. But I couldn’t do anything, to protect you and because I can’t meddle with my children’s lives. You had to forge your own path for it to mean anything. You still do.”

You scoffed. “Bet you say that to all your kids.” The uneasy look he gave you proved you were right. “Gods, you do have a healthy way with kids, huh?”

“I understand your rage. But right now, you must focus on your quest.”

“Easy for you to say,” you muttered.

“You must not fall into a blind rage when you see her. You must control your thirst for revenge.”

“You sure love to tell me what to do for someone I just met.”

“Y/N… If you don’t control your powers, bad things could happen. Your friends might pay the price.”

“Oh so now you’re threatening my friends!”

He sighed, visibly tired. His form began to fade. “I have to go. Remember my words when you face the empousa.”

Before you could make a snarky remark, he vanished. You woke up feeling so angry your friends could practically see it.

“Usually we wake up confused, terrified, or determined, but as angry as you are, I’m afraid to ask about what you saw,” Jisung started joking, but then recoiled in his seat in front of you.

Felix gave you a worried look.

“I’m okay.” You were still fuming but they knew better than to push it.

When you sat up, the blond boy sat next to you and took your hand in his. It calmed you down more efficiently than you’d care to admit.

“We’re almost there. And I have a plan.”

six.

The Great Hall was majestic, with columns all around and a barrel-vaulted skylight bathing the room in soft light. It was giving Greek revival vibes, which comforted you if only for a moment.

You were firmly holding the grip of your sword, mentally preparing for the fight ahead. The lion was waiting for you three outside the station, but there was no giant in sight.

The fact that Felix had a plan didn’t ease your nerves that much, because plans rarely unfolded as expected. But he knew stuff about monsters and Greek mythology as a whole, so it was helping.

“He’s not that big,” Jisung shrugged, “just the size of a pick-up truck. We can totally get him.”

He nocked his arrow as the Iris kid and you unsheathed your swords.

Not two minutes into the fight, you realized that Felix was right. The lion’s pelt was deflecting all your weapons. It was pointless to attack from behind and by surprise. You tried to keep him occupied until Felix could find an opening.

“Guys, I’m no Hercules, so don’t expect me to asphyxiate him with my bare hands!” Jisung shouted. He tried to shoot an arrow into the lion’s eye, but he somehow saw it coming and protected himself.

“It would’ve been easier with a cornucopia but…” Felix threw his backpack into the lion’s maw. As he bellowed in disgust, your friend shouted, “now!”

Jisung fired arrows into his open mouth. He dissolved except for his pelt. “Great. I’ve always wanted to resemble a caveman.” The Apollo kid’s wry comment made you smile.

He somehow succeeded in putting it away in his bag, at the same moment the three giants decided to show up. They were coming from the park, their iron clubs laying low.

“Where is the lion? There was a lion, right?” one of them asked.

“Already defeated, useless scamp! And guess what? You’re next!” Jisung raised his arms wide, like he was waiting for a group hug. Then, he gestured to the giants with one hand. “What kind of ogres are you, anyway?”

Felix nudged him. “They’re Laistrygonian giants, dude. Muscular tattooed man eaters.”

“You look awfully smug for our next lunch, half-blood,” the tallest of the giants said.

“In your dreams, you witless gollumpus!” He didn’t waste any more time and shot arrows at them. They deflected the projectiles with ease except for the smallest giant, who apparently wasn’t paying much attention. He crumbled into dust. 

The other two roared in outrage and sprinted your way, brandishing their clubs high above their heads. Felix sidestepped when the giant swung his arm, rolled between his legs and stabbed him in the back.

Two down, one to go.

“You’ll pay for that, demigods!” the tallest giant bellowed before laying his arm down on Jisung.

You cut off his arm with a swirl of your sword. He yelled, turned and tried to crush your throat with his remaining hand. He was circling your neck with his huge fingers, but Felix thrusted his celestial bronze sword into his side. He disintegrated.

“Thank you,” you breathed with difficulty, locking eyes with Felix.

He dropped his blade and enveloped you in a comforting hug that lasted more than the average.

“Are you okay?” he inquired, cupping your face with his hands. He searched your face for any sign of hurt, sadness, fear… But there was only relief and tiredness. You nodded.

“You fought bravely.”

You turned, raising an eyebrow at the sight of a beautiful woman with black eyes and blond hair. She was wearing a black gown and carrying two old-fashioned reed torches. She was surrounded by green light and Mist was everywhere around her.

Felix let go of your face and unconsciously grabbed your hand instead. He studied the goddess, picking up on the details that showed who she might be. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure you could trust her.

“Why, thank you mysterious woman! So, which one are you?” Jisung questioned, a bit wary.

“Hecate,” Felix murmured.

“Well done, Iris kid. Before you ask, I’m here to offer guidance. You’re about to—”

“Sorry, but, um… You’re the goddess of magic, you created empousai. Why would you help us?” you asked. It didn’t make sense to you, knowing the prophecy, which you were sure she knew about too.

“As I was saying, daughter of Hades,” she continued with a neutral voice, “you’re about to face great danger.”

“What, more than the usual death threats? What a bummer,” Jisung snorted, crossing his arms.

“Your insolence isn’t helping your case, Apollo kid. My children —or creations, whatever— don’t always follow my orders. We’re not obliged to share the same faith. They’re free. Like my children back at camp half-blood.” You waited for her to continue.

“Jisung, joking around helps you hide your scars, but you need to embrace them to properly move forward. Sharing your burden might do the trick. You’re also worth more than you think.”

She then turned to your freckled friend. “Felix, you need to stop putting everyone before yourself. You cannot control everyone’s happiness. You’ll soon have to prove you can keep your distance, for your own sake.”

Finally, she set her eyes on you. “Y/N, I know you think you’re not worth being here, going on this journey. You feel helpless, because you haven’t slayed any monster yet. But do not worry, your time will come soon enough, and with that, your greatest challenge. You have so much more power within than you might believe. This power needs to be used wisely.”

A wave of uneasiness washed over the three of you, Hecate’s words touching some nerves. Her words echoed your father’s. You regretted your outburst in your latest dream because you could have used this opportunity to ask which one of his attributes was missing. That would have made one less question unanswered.

“Well.” She clapped her hands. “I should probably tell you, now that there’s no more ground means of transport to Wyoming —I mean, you’re not going to steal a car, are you?— you’ll need to use aerial transportation.”

“But how—” Felix started, but got cut off.

“Off I go. Remember, you have two days left to get back to camp safely. Good luck on your quest, demigods. I hope Tyche can lend you some.”

She disappeared in a cloud of Mist.

“If I didn’t feel good then, I definitely do now!” Jisung sarcastically smiled.

For the first time since you’ve known him, you realized Hecate was right about the guy. Behind all the jokes and smiles, he had a sadness in him that was hard to decipher. But you were aware now. Felix was visibly concentrating, eyes closed and face facing the sky.

“Do you want to talk about what Hecate said?” you suggested. “About sharing your—”

“Well, I’d love to, trust me, but I’m fine. But hey, it seems you were right. Yellowstone is a national park.”

Deciding prying wasn’t gonna help, you nodded and turned your head towards the sky. You noticed a faint dark form in the horizon. Squinting your eyes in an attempt to identify what was coming for you this time, Felix left out a relieved sigh, then a chuckle. You spotted the sweat on his forehead. A few seconds later, you recognized winged horses.

Three of them.

“Did you summon them?” you questioned Felix, who was grinning.

“One of my mom’s powers. I’m glad it worked.”

Two of them were white and one was brown. They came to a stop in front of you, the brown pegasus neighing, gently nuzzling Felix.

“Thank you for coming, guys,” he said as he scratched the horse’s head. He turned to Jisung and you. “Are you ready for a ride?”

After a few hours flying high in the sky, you could finally make out the mountain you had to go to. You were about fifty kilometers away from the destination when you heard screeching from behind.

Jisung whined. “Come on!”

“Dozens of Gryphons! We’ll have to fight!” Felix yelled.

He brandished his sword, turned around and lashed out at them. You followed, while Jisung kept his distance, shooting arrows at the dozens of enemies. Dusk was only a few minutes away. The sky’s colors —blue, purple, red, orange, yellow— looked peaceful and pretty compared to the fight that was breaking out under it.

Four monsters succumbed to your blade before another one planted its talons in your pegasus’ thigh as you slashed its right wing. You cursed under your breath when the winged horse squealed, pitching up while flapping his wings frantically. He was bleeding.

You almost fell, but managed to hang on his mane and kill the gryphon. Unfortunately, another one immediately took its place and pecked your mounting’s neck with its sharp beak. He was losing too much blood, the liquid staining his beautiful white coat.

As he was dropping altitude, you were slowly and painfully losing your grip on his mane. You were falling to your death together. But not without taking the monster with you.

You squeezed the pegasus’ flanks to keep balance and brought down your sword on the gryphon’s neck. It disintegrated. You thanked and apologized to your companion for a few hours, hugging his neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding and preparing yourself for the impact. However, he crumbled into dust a few hundred meters above the ground, leaving you free falling on your own.

Felix swooped your way on his brown pegasus and caught your waist. Your arms immediately wrapped around his torso. Jisung took down the last gryphon in your peripheral view. You started to smile, but the brown haired boy’s eyes widened. He shouted: “Look out!”

The actual last monster seized the pegasus’ gaskins with its claws and pulled them, making him go upside down. Felix and you fell face first off the winged horse, holding each other tightly. You couldn’t even see the gryphon butchering its prey. Jisung slayed the monster with a well-aimed arrow and sped up to catch you both.

He wasn’t quick enough. You were swallowed by the shadows, leaving the Apollo kid behind with a pegasus as confused and worried as he was.

seven.

Felix woke up in a cave with low light coming from torches dispersed on the walls. You were passed out on the floor but didn’t look injured, which was good.

He scanned his surroundings. It was a rectangular room with a door on the far left. It seemed like there was no one else with you. He sat on his legs, put down his sword and brought your head on his lap. He poured a little amount of nectar into your parted lips.

He felt a presence behind him, but was too late to act. The invisible form dragged him away from you, your head hitting the ground with a soft thud. He tried to fight back but got tossed head first in the dirt. With a grunt, he got on his knees and looked around, but there was no one. As he got up, he felt claws scratch his chest, ripping his orange shirt in the process. He yelped, took a knife out of his belt and aimlessly sliced through the air all around him.

He saw your body move. Thinking you were waking up, he let down his guard and ran to you. He tripped on something metallic and fell down. Looking behind him, there was just the muddy floor.

“Get on your knees,” a feminine voice ordered, her words resonating dangerously across the room. “Don’t move.”

He was now on his knees, facing you with a blank expression as if he wasn’t in control of his body anymore.

The first punch he received in the gut hurt like hell, but his face and body remained motionless like a doll. Then, he received blows on his ribs, his cheeks, his jawline. It was enough for him to faint. The pain was blinding him but he kept his eyes open. He watched, helpless, as you slowly stood up, glaring his way. No, you were looking somewhere above him.

“Show yourself, blood sucker, so I can make you pay,” your voice was calm yet threatening.

Keahi laughed, moving Felix’s face so you could see all the bruises she gave him. It was a bad idea on her part because you were now fully pissed. Seeing him like this… After what she did to your mom, you wanted to end her life so badly.

The ground blackened around you and the air dropped to freezing. A black flood of anger, pain, guilt and grief poured out of you in waves, hitting the monster and Felix. The latter experienced your worst memories. The pain, guilt and grief from the death of your mom, your hardships, the anger —no, hatred— you felt towards the empousa that made your life miserable.

“Stop this!” she taunted.

It seemed to get Felix out of his trance.

“Y/N…” he murmured and hit the floor.

All the pain he received in the last minutes knocked him out. This scene made you more furious, if that was even possible at this point. The waves became thicker and stronger, making Keahi loudly hit the nearest wall.

“You’re just a kid! You might be powerful, but not powerful enough to destroy me and my sister.” Desperation was evident in her voice. “If you keep going, you’ll kill the boy too.”

You went at it for several more seconds. It was hard to stop, you wanted her dead and your emotions took over your judgment. Although, one look at Felix’s limp body was enough for you to snap out of it.

You reached for your sword and threw it in her direction like a javelin. It planted itself in the wall. The empousa disintegrated and a golden ring fell on the floor. The waves stopped and the flood slowly dissipated. Before you could take a step towards Felix, you passed out again.

Jisung was patrolling from the air, alert for any movement on the mountain, without being certain you were even there. Several minutes later, he saw black smoke coming from a strange rectangle on the ground. Getting closer, he realized it was a hatch.

The pegasus landed on the floor next to it. Jisung dismounted and opened the hatch to a dark corridor. He waited for the dark Underworld stuff —meaning you were probably there— to disappear completely before venturing inside, his bow ready.

At the end of the damp corridor was a single door. He entered and found his friends’ bodies on the floor, a hand extended to each other’s direction. He flew to Felix’s side, poured nectar into his mouth, winced when he caught sight of his bruises and chest, then gave you the same treatment, relieved to see there weren't many physical injuries.

He didn’t want to leave any of you alone and he couldn’t move both of you at the same time. He was about to sit down when he spotted your sword in the wall. He grabbed the hilt and pulled it out with much effort. Something golden was on the floor so he picked it up. It was a golden ring.

Spoil of War? It didn’t seem like it, but how could he know? He wasn’t there. He put it in his pocket anyway. Felix opened his eyes and immediately went to your side. He reached for his backpack.

“I already gave her nectar.”

Felix’s head turned so fast his neck cracked. “You scared me!”

“Sorry.” Jisung walked over. “Let’s go, this place is creepy.”

The Iris kid was sending worried looks your way the whole time they spent carrying you outside. He related his version of the facts. How he was manipulated and hit by an invisible woman, experienced your pain, and passed out once the charmspeak wore off.

“It’s been a hell of a couple days, huh?”

“Tell me about it.” Fresh air and sunlight did Felix some good.

“Let’s sleep a bit before facing death again, shall we?” Jisung offered.

They took sleeping bags out of their backpack, Jisung with a bit more difficulty due to the lion’s pelt taking up most space. Both enveloped you in yours, then they argued on who should take first watch.

The brown haired boy won. He wasn’t injured and Felix visibly needed rest. He changed into a new t-shirt and insisted on being woken up a few hours later, though.

He dreamed he was in the same dark place again. The fire was cackling, lightening up the monster’s face and body. He was definitely terrified of her.

It felt like she was waiting for him. “Tomorrow we meet, demigod. Tomorrow, you die.”

He wanted to yell: “We’ll defeat you, like we did all our enemies until now.” but no sound could leave his lips.

“Oh, but they’re nothing compared to me,” she exclaimed like she heard his thoughts somehow. “Fighting me will make everything you endured so far feel like a walk in the park.”

That didn’t make him feel any better about the whole quest and their chance of survival. He was scared for his friends, for himself.

Hecate’s words replayed in his mind. “You’ll soon have to prove you can keep your distance, for your own sake.” Even if he thought his encounter with the empousa was a proof in itself, he felt dread. Something even worse was about to happen, he could feel it.

Felix woke up alert, but it was night.

“Jisung!” he complained, but he found him fast asleep next to him.

You, on the other hand, were awake, preparing a snack and humming an old song. You were so pretty with the sun lighting your hair and skin.

“Hello, Rainbow Boy. Here, eat this.”

You handed him toasts of cheese and an apple cut into quarters, but he just stared at you instead of taking them.

“Y/N,” he murmured like a whisper, a relieved sigh.

He engulfed you in a bone crushing hug, his nose buried in your neck. You hugged him back like you could, the food still in your hands.

“Are you okay? I was so scared.”

“I would be better if I could breathe,” you joked.

He apologized and let you go but stayed close, thanking you for the food.

“What happened back there? Do you know what monster it was?”

Your smile turned into a hard look. “None other than my mom’s murderer, Keahi.”

He reached for your hand, drawing smoothing circles on the knuckles with his thumb.

“I wonder how she made herself invisible. It’s not an empousa power,” he wondered.

“There was a ring.”

“A ring that makes its wearer invisible… Sounds familiar.”

“I have no clue where it is, though. Perhaps still in that cave.”

“Wait. King’s circle? Gyges was a king who found a golden ring in a cave. ‘Circle’ could mean the ring. Was it golden?” You nodded. “Then we need to get it back. It could help us on our next step.”

“No need,” Jisung yawned as he stretched, “I have it right here. Call me Bilbo Baggins.” He took the ring out of his pocket and gave it to you.

“You’re a lifesaver, I hope you know that,” you thanked him.

He smirked, “I do know, but being acknowledged is always appreciated.”

“So… If, hypothetically, I put this on…” you said, doing so. “I’ll become invisible.”

“You literally are, right now.” Felix tried to touch your shoulder but you weren’t there anymore.

You sneaked behind them and pressed a finger on their sides, watching them squirm and whine.

“OK, OK, sorry.” You took out the ring and threw it in Felix’s direction. “You should keep it.”

He had great reflexes, so he caught it easily. “Why me?”

“I already got the lion’s pelt and it’s taking way too much space, so a ring would be too much,” Jisung answered, shrugging innocently.

Rolling your eyes, you elbowed him. “You’re the best choice. You’re the most selfless out of us. I trust you.”

He wanted to argue but decided against it.

He trusted you too.

eight.

Jisung took a few minutes to say goodbye to his pegasus. He thanked him, stroked his mane and gave him a treat. Felix apologized for his companions, for which the winged horse nudged him and bowed before flying away.

“Before we go, I think I need to tell you guys something,” the brown haired boy mumbled.

Felix and you exchanged glances and offered him sympathetic smiles.

“Let’s sit,” he continued. Once you were, he took a deep breath and got into it right away.

He talked about his past. How, when he was seven, he lost his half brother in a car accident. How he ran away to the park near his house after an argument with his step dad, how his little brother went to look for him then. How he was busy pitying himself when he heard the crash. How he blamed himself for the whole thing. How he swore to never run off again because he didn’t want his mom to end up this way too. How he decided to bury his feelings and never speak of this, ever.

“Jisung… None of it was your fault,” you assured. “You were so young… I’m so sorry.”

“Ji, thank you for sharing this with us. We’re here for you. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Thanks guys… I had to tell someone before we went to our ultimate death.”

“No way you’re dying today, I won’t allow it. You’ll get back to your crush.”

“OK, chill Y/N, I don’t have a crush.”

“The redness on your face says otherwise, buddy,” Felix laughed softly.

Jisung had lessened his burden like Hecate had suggested, and it worked. He felt better, ready to move forward.

The sun was rising. You had to get to the mountain next to the one you were currently on. The only way now was by foot. And you had to be back by the end of the day.

Easy enough. No, it was definitely not easy.

But you had to try.

On your way to the monster, you explained the plan you fashioned to the boys while they were asleep. After a lot of complaining and no’s, they finally accepted it (mostly because they didn’t have better ideas). Although Felix refused to use the ring.

Three hours later, the boys and you finally set foot in the clearing. All around were old trees and, in the center, was a large cauldron on top of a bonfire. Next to it was a block of stone with a bronze helmet on top of it. So it was the helm. The monster was there, chanting in a language that resembled latin.

“Lamia,” Felix whispered, swallowing loudly.

“Ah! Children, at last,” Lamia exclaimed with a charming yet dark smile.

“We came for my father’s helm.”

“The same dad that abandoned you?”

It was true, you still resented him, but bringing everyone back safely was a priority.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s that one I presume?” you asked as you pointed to it.

“Busted,” Lamia laughed falsely before putting it on her head.

She became invisible and the fear emanating from the helm paralyzed the three of you.

It was unsure what exactly happened. Was it your survival instinct or were you more powerful than the helm itself? Whatever it was, you were able to parry the attack with your sword. There was no time wondering how you could manage that.

Without being able to see or hear where she was, you warded off every attack she threw. You were about to get the upper hand when she grabbed Felix’s mortified body. You could see it in his eyes.

“Your sister tried that and regretted it,” you spat.

Lamia reappeared when she took off the helmet, keeping it under her unused arm.

“She’s weak. I’ll make sure to let her know when she’s back.”

Of course monsters will always be back, no matter how much we slay them.

“You know,” she resumed, “your dad thinks he’s all mighty and powerful because he rules the Underworld. Yet his precious helm was too easy to steal. And he sends his beloved daughter to death for this?”

Her claws enveloping Felix’s neck and Jisung’s shattered breath gave you a hard time thinking about your next move. You couldn’t be reckless again.

You had to save them.

“Leave them alone. Let’s do this one on one.”

“Why would I accept your proposition when I have the upperhand, sweetie?”

You scoffed. “Come on now. Are you scared to face a kid? You’re acting all-powerful and invincible, but fighting me is too much?”

Her expression hardened. Pride touched.

Bingo.

Lamia shoved Felix on the floor, a vicious glare throwing daggers at you. You had to restrain yourself from jumping her right this instant.

Distancing her from your friends was vital. She put the helmet back on as you were moving around to cause her back to face them. Not wasting any time attacking, you slashed your sword here and there, not letting her ripost. However, you were getting tired. She took advantage and ripped your arm with her claws. You stumbled and closed your eyes, groaning.

“Already down? You’re making this too easy,” she mused after taking the helm off again.

Felix and Jisung regained their senses away from her. They were ready to fight. Jisung was bow ready and Felix was summoning light.

When you opened your eyes and got to your feet, you realized they were waiting for a sign. From you.

The pressure of leading was growing but you tried to bury it inside. You couldn’t deal with more anxiety at the moment. You focused on Lamia, who was grinning from a false feeling of victory, and shouted, “NOW!”

The three of you gave your all and hit her at the same time. As Felix struck her with blinding light, Jisung shot her in the back and you pierced her heart. You enjoyed her look of surprise when she disintegrated in a shrill scream. All that was left was the helm of darkness falling to the ground with a clang.

Clenching your arm, you fell on your knees. Felix engulfed you into a tight hug.

“This is gonna sound controversial, but I think that went well,” Jisung said as he picked up the helm.

“You must all be fools if you think you can take me down that easily,” a feminine voice taunted.

She was at the other side of the open space, Mist slowly dispersing around her. How did she do that? The marks on your arm were real, so when did she create the Mist? How could you not have seen it coming?

Realizing he actually didn’t have anything in his hands, Jisung quickly shot arrows her way but she managed to dodge them and put on the helmet. Felix couldn’t get up, fear keeping him grounded.

You witnessed, helpless, Jisung’s body being thrown across the clearing. Anger building up inside you, you got to your feet and charged.

Certainly you couldn’t hear or see her, but you could feel her. Probably due to your connection to the underground. But despite your best efforts, you couldn’t seem to have enough to wound her. It was almost as if she didn’t need the helm at all, like she could end you all with or without it. Like she only used it for extra fun.

Your limbs started to ache. Panting, you planted your sword on the ground. You could feel Lamia laugh triumphally.

Concentrating, you opened a crevasse that allowed skeletons to rise and surround the monster. They closed in on her, and eventually started attacking all at once. She effortlessly took them down one by one in an elegant dance.

There was only one thing left to do but your friends were here and the least thing you wanted was to hurt them.

“I have a question. Does your mom know what you’re doing? Aren’t you scared of retaliation?”

It was interesting enough for her to take the helmet off. “What are you talking about, mortal? Hecate does not care about whether you live or die today.”

Felix joined Jisung at the far end of the open space. It was now or never.

“I wouldn’t be so sure. She came to see us yesterday, you know. She might punish you later when I’m done with you.”

“I do not care about Hecate!” Her voice was trembling, though. “You’re irritating. I’ll deal with you first.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” you whispered to yourself.

As she put the helmet back on for the nth time, the floor blackened. You let the flood of black smoke leave your body while the temperature dropped. It wasn’t as strong as when you faced Keahi, but anger and pain were still present. It affected her, but not enough to end her.

Felix analyzed the situation and summoned light, except he didn’t know where to hit. You tried your best to show him by sinking Lamia into the floor to her calves. The movement caught his eye. Rainbow sparks shot from the sky into her skin. You felt her scream in pain.

It still wasn’t sufficient. She was getting restless and you were getting desperate. What more could you do? It seemed to have worked the first time but it wasn’t real, how could you be sure it would work this time?

The flood was getting thicker, your hand tightening around the tilt of your sword. Of course, you could just try it again and if it didn’t work… then you would have tried until the end.

Breathing heavily, you walked up to her. Raising your sword, you whispered a “good bye” before slowly but surely pressing the blade into her heart.

Lamia didn’t just sit back. She yelled, sinking her claws into your chest and arms at the same time. You endured the pain but gasped when an arrow pierced through her neck and passed you by a few centimeters to finish its course in the nearest tree. Multicolored flames burned her too, until the helm of darkness fell to the ground in front of you.

“Y/N!” Felix ran to you. “No, no, no…”

Blood was dripping from the multiple claw marks. He caught you when your knees gave out, helping you down and maintaining your head on his hand.

“Jisung,” he desperately called, “you need to do something.”

“Already on it…”

Felix pressured on your shoulder wound with his free hand while the brown haired boy roamed through his backpack. Blood ran through his fingers.

“Stay with me, Y/N, please.”

You smiled faintly. “We won this time, right? That’s— that’s good.”

He brought you closer to him. “Yeah, thanks to you.”

“Move, loverboy,” Jisung ordered.

The Iris kid did as told but kept pressuring your wound. “You’re gonna be okay, I promise.”

These were the last words you heard before fainting.

nine.

You woke up to a moving vehicle, your chest and arms tingling with every bump it rolled over. Jisung was talking to someone you couldn’t see, and Felix’s hand was intertwined with yours. More than that, you were seated next to each other, your head comfortably laid on his shoulder.

Jisung looked behind him and gave you a gummy smile. “Sleeping beauty’s awake at last!”

“Are you okay?” the boy next to you asked as you sat up straight.

You nodded and realized you were in a minibus. Unless you were mistaken, there was no vehicle whatsoever on the mountain last time you checked.

“Indeed! You needed a drive home. That’s where I came in,” a man said joyfully.

You blinked when you saw Apollo driving and waving you hello through the rear-view mirror.

“I had the brilliant idea to offer the lion’s pelt and the ring of Gyges to my dad and hoped he would grant us a little help to get back to Olympus safely and quickly,” he explained with a satisfied face.

It was exceptionally brilliant that he accepted.

During the rest of the road trip, Apollo was relating some of his adventures to whoever listened. The return was smoother than the outward, allowing you to rest a bit. The blonde boy had a worried face whenever he laid his eyes on you.

On Mount Olympus, Hades was here with the Olympian Gods, on his seldom used throne. His proud stare was weird to witness, especially when it was directed towards you. You gave him back his helm under Apollo’s loud praise for his ‘son and his companions’ bravery on this perilous odyssey’. The Gods thanked the three of you and got on with their immortal lives.

Iris winked at her kid, mouthing “I’m proud of you.” and they all left the palace.

You did the same, the boys walking to the elevator while Hades, who was following you, asked for a chat. You agreed, staying back to hear what he had to say.

“I know that blessing you with this much power made you a target. Honestly, I can’t take them back. But I know you’ll use them well. You proved during your journey that you were mature and strong enough. You’ve made me proud.”

Hearing these words filled you with a warm feeling, which you despised. It was too soon for you to warm up to him.

“I didn’t do it for you. I did it for mom.”

He nodded in understanding. “She’s in Elysium you know? She wants you to live a long, fulfilled life before seeing her again.'' 

You were about to tell him you’ve known for years, but he turned around and left.

You thought about your mom, and how at peace she was right now. At that moment, you decided to let go of the negative thoughts obscuring your judgment and decisions. Your mom was waiting for you, and you intended to make her proud of you.

Jogging to your friends, you smiled, happy that was finally over. Obviously you knew more danger was coming, but you’d be okay as long as your friends were there with you.

ten.

Back at camp, the three of you were acclaimed, the respective head counselors of your cabins personally greeting each of you. They looked particularly proud. The fervor of the return having dissipated, you sat in the Big House with Chiron before dinner time, to relate your journey.

“So yeah, it turned out we had to get the helm of darkness back from Lamia,” you said.

“The piece of the way back was the lion’s pelt and the last challenge was in the Yellowstone national park in Wyoming,” added Jisung.

“The King’s circle was Gyges’ invisible ring,” Felix divulged.

“I’m glad you’re all back safely,” Chiron smiled.

“I have a question, though,” Jisung raised his hand. “Half-blood death. Did it not come through?”

“It did. Lamia was a demigod, daughter of Hecate and Queen of Libya,” Chiron explained, “she was turned into a monster by Hera.”

“Explains a lot,” you muttered.

Jisung returned to his crush friend from the Hephaestus cabin while Felix and you walked together to your cabins. During your little walk, the Aphrodite kid, AKA the pretty painter, came to see you. It shocked you to see him in front of you, and it shocked you even further to see the two greet each other like old friends.

“I’m glad you’re back, Felix,” he said, a genuine smile on his face.

“Thanks Hyunjin. I’m happy to be back.”

“Hello Y/N.”

He knows my name!! How does he know my name??

“Huh, hi…”

“Felix talks about you a—”

“That’s great,” the blond boy cut him off, ears reddening, “but we have stuff to do before dinner. Bye Hyunjin, see you around!”

“Lix,” you called as he rushed you to the cabins, “how do you know him?”

“We came to camp together. Why?”

Realizing he was ‘just’ a pretty painter for you and that you were more interested in Felix than him, you smiled sheepishly.

“Nothing, I never asked how or when you came to camp.”

“Oh, well, we were seven kids on the run after monsters attacked our school, and satyrs finally found us and brought us here. We were between six and ten.”

He stopped in his tracks when he realized you weren’t following anymore. When he turned around to face you, you hugged him, burying your face in his neck. He stroked your back affectionately.

“It must’ve been hard. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s okay, we made it without too many problems.”

After a good dinner and a wholehearted singalong, you ended up on the beach, eyes fixed on the stars. Hearing footsteps approaching, you only looked over when he sat next to you.

“Pretty cloudless sky, huh?”

“Yeah,” you agreed, “but the stars are prettier on your face.”

It was unknown which one of you was blushing more.

“Sorry—”

“Y/N—”

“You first,” you offered, hiding your face into your cold hands. Or was it your face that was hot?

“I came to a conclusion while on that awful quest,” Felix announced, folding his arms on top of his knees. He looked at the horizon. “I can’t bear the thought of losing you. Seeing you hurting tears me apart, and I think what Hecate meant by ‘my own sake’ wasn’t my safety, but rather my heart after seeing you suffer.” He sighed. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that… I love you, Y/N,” he finished, daring to turn your way.

He was met with you facing him and staring at him intently, tears forming in your eyes. “Felix… There are not enough words to express how much you mean to me. I literally cannot live without you. I love you so much.”

The embrace you two shared was worth a thousand words.

As you let go of each other, his eyes trailed on your collarbone, where a mark was visible above your orange t-shirt. You followed his gaze and touched your bruised skin. You locked eyes with him and smiled softly.

“These will make badass scars.”

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed, please let me know and here's the masterlist<3

[namikawa]

— [hey, pervert!]

featuring: megumi f.

cw: smut, virgin!reader, roommate!megumi, college!au, megumi's a bit of a perv & that's literally all. wc: 680.

notes: shade wrote toji so i HAD to come with megumi, so so in love with this man and thinking many thoughts.

roommate!megumi who comes back to your shared dorm, hearing your soft moans emit from your room. it’s not an unfamiliar sound, to be quite honest it’s one that he had become quite accustomed to.

there had been many times before he had heard your sweet noises, although you never knew. sometimes being late at night when he was up studying, or early in the mornings when you assumed he was still asleep, but most commonly on evenings like this. evenings where he was supposed to be out with yuuji or nobara. usually on those days, before going off to class he’d briefly mention how he might be out a little late and ask if you’d need anything. or politely ask you to leave the door unlocked tonight.

he knew that you had caught on to the small habit of going out, and based your little… routine around it. he’d figured it out accidentally really. coming back one day a few minutes after he’d left to grab his forgotten phone. you didn’t hear him come in, but that sure didn’t mean he didn’t hear you. he stood by your door for what felt like an eternity listening to the loud cries of his name leaving your lips. yes, he felt like a pervert, and yes it was wrong of him to listen in on something so intimate. but he couldn’t find it in him to leave. it was you that was the pervert, right? you were the one having fantasies about him, and even apparently getting off to him as well.

-

his name fell from your lips like a broken record. “megumi, fuck.. you feel so fucking good…” – “fushi!! please… can’t take it anymore,” he didn’t know what to do. on one hand, he could leave and never tell you about it, preventing the embarrassment both you and him were bound to share at the confession. but on the other, he could make his presence known, maybe you’d even let him help you. but sadly he knew he couldn’t, and even if he could it would be no use. he couldn’t use you the way he wanted to. he knew you were a virgin, mostly because you had admitted it one night after he teased you about thinking yuuji was attractive.

“you think that idiot is attractive? he has three brain cells total in his head and all they do is fight, but sure if you wanna fuck him be my guest.”

“i-i’m not talking about fucking him fushi, just called him attractive! besides… i’m a virgin anyway.”

the small confession had his brain in a clouded daze, along with blood rushing into his pants. somebody as pretty as you, a virgin? you had to have had at least some experience. maybe past flings in high school, or something as simple as meaningless makeout sessions? his thoughts had run wild that night, but he never acted on anything out of fear of making you uncomfortable. it wasn’t his fault that you were so damn intoxicating.

and it certainly wasn’t his fault that almost every time he’d go out he would leave in a rush, telling his friends that he needed to get back to study. the blame was on you, it was your fault that the perfect little noises you seemed to make occupied his mind constantly.

that’s why today, as he hung his bag in the small entryway of the dorm, he was determined to show you how worked up your stunts had gotten him over the past few weeks. he had made it to your bedroom door, the sounds of your moaning being a bit louder than before. he stopped in his tracks wanting to listen for a little longer, just in case this turned out badly. but after a few more minutes of hearing your whines, you said two things meant directly for his listening ears.

“mm fuck… megumi, i know you’re back already. and if you wanna help me cum you can…” you muttered. “k-known the whole time. you like hearin’ me fuck myself? damn pervert.”