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szallejhscorner · 4 years

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This is Farewell

Captured in a Dream - Part 20

*offers tissues and hugs in advance*

As night arrives, you somehow envy the players heading out for a game tonight. The atmosphere at the Beach has been tense since Aguni’s announcement, and you have considered taking a walk outside more than once, just to flee the Utopia that might be starting to fall apart.

But you eventually end up on the roof again, and it doesn’t even surprise you. This is the place you always come to when you need time to gather your thoughts, and as you watch the stars slowly appear on the sky, you even think about leaving the Beach permanently. Though you don’t know if you would be able to leave without Chishiya, or if you’d make it at all.

You wouldn’t be the first to try, but not many have managed to successfully leave the Beach behind so far. Most of them came back sooner or later, but almost none of them were breathing any longer. Leaving the Beach is treason, after all. And traitors have to face death.

That was Hatter’s rule, at least. Will it be the same now with Aguni? Will sticking to the rules save your life? Or will staying here be as dangerous as leaving?

“I knew you’d be here.”

You don’t have to turn around to see who is talking to you. Instead you wait for Chishiya to sit down next to you, waiting for the mixed feelings inside of you to decide if you want to love him or be afraid of him.

“And I sensed that you’d come.” You had hoped for it at least, and he’s actually here.

As you look at him, you feel all the love and warmth from the tender moments you shared. But you also see Arisu, who has been Chishiya’s puppet and probably didn’t even realize that until it was too late. Chishiya didn’t use you for his needs for now, but he’s capable of doing it at any time – to use people for his own benefit. You’re no exception after all.

“What happened to Arisu? Is he dead?”

Chishiya only shrugs, and he honestly doesn’t seem to care. “Who knows? Niragi was assigned to take care of him, so it doesn’t look good.”

You sigh and lean against him while you wordlessly ask for his hand to hold. He hesitantly takes it out of his pocket, and you can’t help but wonder why he is wavering instead of immediately accepting or declining your silent question.

“I think I understand now why you didn’t want me to do the job. So… thank you for caring about my life, I guess?”

Chishiya doesn’t answer you, but that’s okay. Because the way his finger slowly caresses the back of your hand is more than enough proof that he cares. And he doesn’t even bother to hide it anymore. You don’t need him to make compliments to you or to approach you with huge signs of affection of his own accord. As long as he’s here and as long as there are those tiny gestures that mean so much, it is all fine.

“Anyway, I’m glad you’re here now that things are changing. Even though I know that you probably sacrificed that boy for a plan you won’t tell me about – I still feel safe next to you. Weird, isn’t it?”

Kuina’s face suddenly appears on your mind and for the blink of an eye, you feel worry for the woman who has become so dear to you in just a short amount of days. “What… what about Kuina?” You whisper, and you can hear Chishiya chuckle under his breath.

“She’s doing fine. And thanks to Arisu, I finally found what I’ve been looking for.”

Whatever that is. “Oh, that’s… good? Is it?”

Despite what you’ve hoped, Chishiya doesn’t seem to tell you more about the topic. But it’s done, so that can’t be a bad thing, right?

“Does that mean no more secret meetings and no more dangerous tasks inside the Beach?”

“I suppose so, yeah.”

You nod. “Good. So there’s nothing we have to worry about tonight, right? Like… can’t we sit here and watch the stars until morning comes and pretend that everything’s normal?”

“About that…” Chishiya’s finger pauses, but he doesn’t let go of your hand. You feel his body tense instead, in the way that has caused your gut to feel very bad before already. But he doesn’t continue to talk, and you can’t help but feel sick inside of you.

“What? What is it?” You try to see his face, but Chishiya avoids eye contact. Something he has never done before. Instead, he pulls you into a hug and leaves you completely speechless by doing so.

You can’t tell why you’re starting to cry, and you prepare yourself for some mocking comment about your wailing, but it doesn’t come.

“I thought coming here would make it easier, but I was wrong. It has only made things worse.”

Even though you don’t understand, you feel ice cold inside. And while you’re trying to suppress the sobs, your breaking voice is still hard to understand. “Wha-… what are you talking about, Chishiya?”

“I have never been able to handle emotions, and I never even cared. It should have been easy to just leave the beach and never look back, and yet I had to come up here.”

Yet he came to you. To talk to you and give you this hug that still leaves you almost breathless. To tell you that-

“Wait, are you… are you saying that you want to leave?”

The way Chishiya talks is what causes you to cry helplessly now. There’s finally an emotion in his voice, but what follows are not the words you’ve hoped to hear.

“You have never been ‘not good enough’. So please, try to stay alive.”

He plants a soft kiss on the top of your head before releasing you from this hug and getting up, and as he turns around and walks towards the glass door, your whole body is frozen. He walks so slowly, as if he doesn’t want to go, yet he doesn’t turn around again. He reaches out his hand for the door knob and pauses for a moment, the blonde strands of hair gently moving in the wind.

“Chishiya…?” While the meaning of his words slowly gets through to you, every part of you starts to shiver and shake with sobs. For a moment, it looks like he’d come back to you. Pull you into his arms and tell you that everything will be fine now, that he will watch the stars with you and wait until the new day starts. But then, he’s gone and the door closes behind him.

This is no confession of his feelings. It is goodbye.

“Chishiya!”

You finally manage to move and burst through the glass door, shouting his name over and over again. You search for the white hoodie, for his blonde hair, his face, anything.

It can’t end like this! He just can’t leave you now!

You have never cared less about the weird looks people give you as you run through the hallways, bump into other people and into a wall more than once. And you never stop calling out for him, your voice getting more desperate every time you shout his name.

“Chishiya. CHISHIYA!”

This can’t be goodbye. You won’t allow him to do this!

The door of Chishiya’s room slams into the wall as you carelessly push it open. Panting heavily, you look around, hoping to find him here, but the room is empty. It looks exactly like the last time you were here, with some dirty clothes and his selfmade tools lying around. But you somehow have the feeling that Chishiya won’t return to this room.

You have never been ‘not good enough’.

“No! This can’t be…” The tears blur your sight and it’s difficult to breathe, but no matter how loud you cry, no matter where you run, Chishiya isn’t there. He’s gone.

“But… I love you…”

Soon, you have no energy left to run. No voice left to shout. Only the tears won’t stop running, they keep flowing as you claw your hands into your chest, trying to stop the pain inside your heart. He has held your hand, has given you a hug. He has finally been able to show feelings for you, and yet he’s gone…

It hurts so much. Why can’t the pain stop? You’ve had enough! Please, no more pain. No more…

Try to stay alive.

The shaking in your hands is almost too strong to open your own door, but somehow, it still opens. You don’t know why it brought you to your room in the end. You should search for him, even leave the Beach to get to him, and yet you’re back in your own room. At least there won’t be any spectators to watch your outburst of emotions.

Chishiya isn’t here of course, even though a naïve part inside of you has hoped that he would come to apologize. Why couldn’t he take you with him? You want to leave too! He didn’t even ask you to come with him…

As you’re on the brink of a breakdown, you catch sight of something that hasn’t been here before.

And you cry out in pain as you collapse next to your bed – where on the crumbled sheets lays a neatly folded white hoodie.

#chishiya shuntaro #chishiya #chishiya x reader #aib chishiya #shuntaro chishiya #aib #alice in borderland #captured in a dream

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hanawrites404 · 3 years

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Wynne's Diary - Celebration with Asra

@sweetalnazar

Today was a day to revel and celebrate, to enjoy the peaceful Vesuvian night sky conferred upon us and the pleasant wind bussing our faces and enlivening our minds. And what's the occasion you ask? Well, today was my and Asra's anniversary of our first meeting, and also the day we both got married. So not only it was our wedding anniversary, but also the anniversary of the first time we saw each other's stupid happy faces, and it all started when we were just kids.

We were so.....innocent at that time. It all felt like a dream remembering the memory, maybe because it seemed too perfect to be true. Even our wedding was like a utopia, with him in a stunning white dress which matched his snowy hair and golden skin, while I wore the colour of passionate red, my face covered with a lace veil as blush dominated my cheeks. We said our vows to each other, promising to never break apart and protect, as our kiss locked both of us together, and since then, our hearts had started beating for one another.

"I hope he remembers it" Said the me who was sitting near the shop's counter, waiting for a certain magician with a silly black hat. He was gone to one of his trips again, leaving me and Ichigo alone and longing for his arrival. He had announced that he was going to come after a week, and that's today, and he sure was taking his sweet time. Ugh, did this had to be on our anniversary????

I sighed and rested my cheek on my hand, my stare getting tired of the door and slowly slipping to the knickknacks placed all around collected through time and care. Asra wasn't a person to be highly organized, but he did like everything to be clean and gleaming from polish. The way I have seen him tidying the trinkets was similar to a mother bathing her child. With gentle care and patience, and not go too harsh over the delicate surface.

Asra was known to be a thoughtful guy. A guy who puts his loved ones' troubles over his own. He is as nimble as a swan, but also have the mischief and rascality of a fellow monkey. The mystic novelty in his amethyst eyes and his satiny locks of white hair hems his handsome face so faultlessly. His lips plump and mellow, and the slight dimple on his cheek when he smiles compliments his soft nature. And his slender body which did not lack vitality and determination yet was warm to touch as feeling the softest of essences.

And me knowing him for so many years. And maybe.......how he had made a place in my heart so effortlessly by his compassion, his receptive nature, and his soft affection accompanied with luscious kisses and solacing hugs I receive almost every day,

Must be the reason why I fell in love with such a dumbhead.

"Honey, I'm home" I heard a very familiar voice. I straight away got up from my seat and walked around the counter to greet my husband. His dearest familiar was dangling around his neck, her sleek body relaxed as she looked at me with her ruby orbs.

"Home!" I heard the sweet snake exclaim.

"Hello Faust, hello Asra" I greeted with a small smile on my lips.

"Hello, sweetheart" Asra smoothly wrapped his arm around my waist, only to pull me closer and place a small sensual kiss upon my lips. His hot breath tickled my skin and I felt a rush of recollections because damn...I missed him.

"How was your trip honey?" I whispered to him, my hand instinctively reaching out to curl his hair around one of my fingers as I glanced into those mesmerising eyes.

"Wonderful. But that doesn't mean I didn't miss you very badly" Asra placed another kiss on my forehead, his hand still on my waist as his fingers gently massaged my side, while I lightly quivered.

"Very badly? Well, you deserved it. It's your fault that you didn't take me with you" I smirked and crossed my arms, shifting my weight on one leg.

"I know Dear.....I know. But I had to go alone. I had a reason to not bring you there. Also, it was a very long travel, and you know when you can't travel when you are-"

"On my period, yeah. It hella hurts. Good thing it ended today. Also, you came back" I shrugged and nudged his shoulder.

"So! Since you are finally home, why don't you go upstairs and take a bath? You fucking stink" I smiled at him sweetly.

Asra chuckled and patted my head, muttering 'sure' as he removed his satchel from his shoulder to place it on the counter, and removed his shoes to move up the stairs. I watched him walking till he was finally out of sight. For his return and surprise secret anniversary gift, I had prepared his favourite food and set up a dinner with belladonnas and vanilla-scented candles.

I hope he likes it. That's honestly all that I wanted from him, along with remembering the special day of course. Because I was not a person to celebrate anniversaries with such enthusiasm, but this time I decided to change my mind as I felt that this day won't disappoint me enough to leave me vacant and bored.

However, who knows if he would remember. It happened in such a blink of the time anyway. And we all are humans with limited memory at the end of the day. And forgetting has nothing to be heartbroken about. Because if you do, it's like you are blaming the nature of your kind just because they couldn't remember your birthday.

But.......damn......

Dissatisfaction sure is a deep word and it does feel deep.

"Mmm...what's that smell? It's amazing" With a towel around his shoulders, Asra descended the stairs. He was wearing a new pair of casual clothes, the droplets at the end of his curls slightly shimmered under the light. Faust slithered down with him who was also as wet as her master from the bath and she quickly climbed around my leg to stop near my nose, waiting for me to give her the pets.

I softly giggled and caressed her cheek, and slowly my finger made its way onto her chin as my nail gently scratched it.

"You missed me?" I bashfully asked her.

"Blueberry!" She called out in reply.

I genuinely laughed at what she said. Blueberry was a nickname Faust gave me because of my deep blue hair. And being truthful, it was adorable because I was glad that a sweetheart like her adored me, as much I adored her.

"Oh...Wynne!" A surprised voice of Asra reached my ears from the dining table. I internally grinned since I already had guessed the reason for his outcry. I got up, Faust now resting on my shoulders as I made my way towards him, a tiny beam finding its way to my lips.

"You like it?" I asked him, patiently waiting for his response.

"I......Is this for me???" He sat down on the chair, his mouth agape and watering a bit. front of him, blue-tongued skink, hot and ready with different sauces and condiments evenly spread on the meat and garnished with coriander and star anise. Made by yours truly, obviously~

"Of course it's for you, silly. Who else eats such a bizarre thing other than you?" I playfully mocked him, crossing my arms.

"It's.....It looks delicious, Love. You really must have worked hard making this for me" his eyes shifted to me, hitting me with nostalgia again. Because he looked just like how I met him for the first time. An excited, inquisitive and sweet innocent child.

I blinked at his inference and chuckled, shaking my head lightly.

"No dear. Not at all. It wasn't a burden, except for realising that I killed a harmless skink and ruined its plans of becoming successful and achieve something in life" I inaudibly whispered the last part.

"BUT! Preparing the dish was easy enough. It didn't take me much time and skill to make it of your preference" I waved my hand in dismissing.

"I see.....I....thank you, Wynne. I appreciate it. Though you didn't have to" a timid fluster danced on his cheeks.

"Oh shut up now. Take a bite and tell me how is it before it runs cold" I told him, snorting.

"O-Oh yes. Sorry" he finally took the trouble to lift his fork and cut a bite out of his food to keep it in his mouth. He chewed properly, savouring the taste on his tongue, letting the texture touch his throat and spice and juices sink in. He moaned from enjoyment, closing his eyes. Assuming it to be a positive reaction, I smiled from satisfaction myself.

"Amazing....just amazing, Wynne. It's very scrumptious and well-done. And you cooked it just how I like. You are the best. Thank you for the food" he grinned happily at me.

"Of course, sweetheart. Your welcome. If you are happy, then I am happy too" I placed a hand near my chest, smiling thankfully.

My eyes had nothing but love and care for him, and never anything else. One of my goals is that I always keep him satisfied and without any deprivation of needs and that he never feels left out and unattended while I'm around. As his wife, it was like my duty to keep him happy. I call it a duty, not because it's like a compelled action or service, but because I'm going to be loyal and wholehearted to him, just like he was committed to me.

And fuck, I loved him so much. And I'm so glad we both met out of an immature headbutt.

"But....may I ask you something?" Asra spoke.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"What's the occasion for preparing all of this? My favourite flowers, my favourite food. Vanilla candles. Everything I like is here. Is today something important?"

I brutally froze. The question he asked had not only shattered all of my further anticipations but also unintentionally panged the beating organ in my chest hard. Did.....did he not know what today was? Did he forget it? Out of anyone I ever knew, I never expected in my fantasies ever that Asra would be the one to meet my scepticism. It....it was terrible, and the sorrow I felt was indescribable.

Yet I didn't show my immense setback on my face or in my voice, as I smiled brightly at him and answered.

"No occasion at all, sweetie. I just wanted to please you. You know, I just thought about preparing it for you. There is no particular reason at all" I deported again, trying hard to not let my true feelings slip out in any way. And luckily, Asra didn't see anything. He just nodded and continued eating, and seeing the slight bit of chance I ran away upstairs as quick as I can, Faust slipping from my shoulders and landing on the table.

"Blueberry??" She called out, but I didn't want to reply, definitely not with the emotional state I was in. I immediately rushed to the balcony and stopped near the rails. The wind rushed towards me like a sprinting wolf. It whooshed through my hair, it hit my eyes, and it dried my lips. I felt awful, but it calmed me down. I was feeling much better because the pain in my heart was replaced by dryness, and the tears that came from my eyes weren't due to melancholy but due to lack of moisture. It was horrible, but I felt at peace. And much more dead.

"Wynne!" I felt footsteps behind me, but I didn't dare to turn back. It was over for me, it was all over. I didn't want to see his face nor I wanted to cry in the middle and make him even more nervous and guilty. I just.....wanted to disappear and pretend nothing bad like this ever happened. And the dream was a dream, and not a reality. That I and Asra never met, and never did we marry and kiss under the stars. We never did. Because I never was there to bump him on the head or to scream on his face that I fucking fell in love with him-

"This is for you" I felt him taking my hand, but after that, I felt something foreign on my palm. It gave the impression of a small box, as small as a ball to be true. I wondered what the hell it might be, so I finally turned to meet his eyes, and he did nothing except stroke my cheek and whisper huskily in my ear to open the box.

I trembled again, but obeyed him without protesting and started to tear the purple wrapping. I was quick because I didn't want to take too much of both of our time. Now, what would he had brought for me after literally forgetting the day of our wedding I wondered.

But turns out.....he never did.

On my palm and the remnants of the paper lied a big jewel of blue diamond. It was brand new and it sparkled enough to lit both of our faces under the night. The transparent gem shone like the full moon after twilight, and every edge was polished to perfection with each cut precisely and delicately done. It was like a very ornate mirror because I swear I saw myself inside the stone.

What was on my palm was one of the best handiwork I had ever seen, and it now rightfully belonged to me.

"Asra......This!"

"Happy Anniversary...Wynne Alnazar...." He came closer to me and lightly placed a kiss on my cheek.

Before he could speak even one syllable or move any muscle, I lunged onto him and embraced his body close. Asra gasped a bit, but he was not stunned at all. He enveloped me back, slightly lifting me and burying his face in my neck as he inhaled my scent and peppered my soft spots with kisses, his hands stroking my back and my hips.

"You remembered......You remembered!" I breathed out.

"Of course I remembered. It's our anniversary, Dear. I would never forget it. Because I love you, Wynne. I love you so much, and I will never dare to forget how I met the love of my life" he hugged me even tighter.

"Thank you, Asra......Thank you.....I love you so much too!" I finally broke down in his arms. I couldn't control the overwhelming emotions anymore as I spilt them out in the form of tears, but he was there for me, and I had nothing to hide from him anymore.

Words really cannot describe how delighted I was feeling. But I sure can tell one thing, that I did make a new dream with him. But it was not the jewel which made me feel so ecstatic like this, it was him, and his idiotic self only. A whole new dream where me and him together, celebrate and reminisce the day we tied knots, the day we entwined our hands. And the day we almost broke our heads at the first meeting.

Because today......was the day we breathe together, live together, and love together.

Till no one does us apart.

#asraweek2021 #the arcana #the arcana game #fan apprentice #wynne toprak #arcana apprentice #arcana mc #arcana oc #asra alnazar #the arcana asra #asra the magician #asra x mc #asra x oc

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askgundamwingfans · 3 years

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This concludes the answers so far for the first set of AskGWFan Questions. If you have anything you wanna ask the group, use the ask function on tumblr or send me a dm!

What's a character/ship you've learned to appreciate? What made you change your mind?

Relena x Dorothy. Both as characters and as a ship. Part of this is that I hadn't seen all of the series at the time I first did fandom, but I had seen Endless Waltz, and that was the extent to which I had known Dorothy. She doesn't even interact with Relena in EW!! I had no impression of her (besides whomst??), and I honestly don't even remember if Relena ever appeared in fics I read since a lot of them were AUs anyway. However, after seeing the series and MISS RELENA and all of Dorothy's... Dorothy, I think she's got some great cult appeal!! And my mind really changed on both when I saw the whole series properly. I'm not sure I would have been on board with them at the time since I was less discerning about how female characters often get developed poorly, but I don't regret that I experienced Relena and Dorothy fully at a time where I could appreciate them.

I eventually started to appreciate Relena more, she grows up a lot by the end, even if she definitely should not be handling the responsibility she has...

Honestly breaking outside of the typical ships by reading more fics broadened my horizons. Writers I loved ventured into non-typical and I found myself enjoying the exploration. I think over time it had less to do with the ship and more to do with the characters as the fandom aged.

I've been reading a lot more yaoi since interacting with the larger fandom. I've always loved non-traditional gender roles in romance stories, and I don't know why it took me so long to try yaoi? I've read some yuri but never in Gundam Wing. Interacting with the yaoi community has opened up a lot more characterization of the pilots for me, which have always played the role of "tough, emotionless boys" in my headcanons.

Howard. He’s amazing and hilarious and as I get older I’m more and more like, is this the only sane character? I used to just be like “who is this weird guy?” and now I’m like “why isn’t there more Howard?”

What characters/ships do you think got some negative flack? How has the GW fandom's attitudes towards those characters/ships changed?

The scientists hahahahahaahah. I think for the most part unless you are in a niche group, the scientists are generally seen as child abusers to varying degrees. Tsubarov? Everyone still hates him but acknowledge he has a flair for the dramatique. Camp villain appreciation I guess. Relena was definitely shat on, being at the unfortunate intersection of romantic rival and 'annoying' female lead. Again, as someone whose canon experience was informed by Endless Waltz more than the anime, I don't remember if I had any opinions on her at all. However, I think people have admitted where they were wrong (whether owning up to bashing, or speaking up about fandom broadly).

Well besides the obvious Relena, one character that got so much hate and bashing in 1xR circles was Sylvia. I remember one of the first things I checked when I got back into fandom was Sylvia's role in the show and was surprised to see how little she actually does?? She's literally in one episode but was constantly dragged into 1xR stories to be a romantic rival for Relena. Pretty much the same role Relena took on in a lot of 1x2 stories. I guess we just got away with it because she was a minor character. It was just interesting to me that 1xR fans gave some girl the same treatment that 1x2 fans did to Relena. I think that realization helped me put aside the Relena bashing and move on from it. If I don't see Sylvia as an evil character anymore, why would Relena bashers? And I was really happy to find that I was right. As the fandom moved away from romance-centric plots to look at self growth and politics, less characters became target for fandom hate/bashing, and we moved on.

Well, back in the olden days Relena and Wufei were probably the ones who got it worst. Dorothy. Hilde. Zechs. Treize. Heck, even reasonably popular characters like Duo and Quatre had their own "defense" societies against some of the fanon surrounding them. But fans have grown up over the years and portrayals of the characters and various ships have too. (2x5 for instance has gone from a total rare pair to one of the top GW ships on AO3 which I find a fascinating trajectory.) Have we evolved into a perfect utopia? No, and there will probably always be complaints about how a given character or ship is popularly portrayed. I certainly have my bugbears, just like anyone else might. But it's a long time since I've opened up a fic and seen character bashing of the sort that was common c. 2001. People might not be shy about sharing their opinions on their own blogs, but picking fights on other people's content? Flame wars? Not so much these days. The GW fandom might be smaller, but we're also closer-knit. Fandom is about having fun; finding the pockets that bring you enjoyment and finding ways to filter out the rest, and I think we mostly get that (or we're just too old and tired to have much fight left in in us lol).

Well, very early Relena and Duo battles made me nervous of the fandom back in the day, but I think those mainly came from places within ourselves that we can see now don’t need to be at odds. I love them both and I am glad to see the fandom embrace them both on their own merits. I think it’s easy to be anti- when you are younger and appreciative when you are older (and I totally understand how people could be anti! No judgements. I just love everyone and want everyone to be happy. Except Zechs. He has some SERIOUS explaining to do.)

Oh, Relena *definitely* had a lot of negative flack. I'm glad most of us seem to have mellowed out about the poor girl. It's hard to hate a kid when one is in their 30's, lol

Relena of course, but also 3x4 was seen as the “lesser” ship back in my day and there wasn’t much depth or enthusiasm by many other fans.

#askgwfans #gundamn wing #ask #ask gundam wing fans #prev character bashing #new favs

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komahinasecretexchange · 4 years

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Title: Time Together

Author: @poisoned-monkey

For: @glazzzzzzzze

Pairings/Characters: Nagito Komaeda / Hajime Hinata

Rating/Warnings: E

Prompt: Traveling the world post-tragedy (dr3)

Author’s notes: I hope that you enjoy this! It was super fun being a part of this exchange again o(^▽^)o

Hajime slammed the door to their shared bedroom and sat down on the bed with his head in his hands, pulling at the strands of his hair that once again needed trimming. Nagito sighed as he put down his book, taking careful attention to insert a bookmark between the pages.

He scooted over and draped an arm around Hajime, gently prying one of his hands away from his face.

“What happened?” he asked softly, already knowing some version of the answer.

Hajime tore his glare away from the ground to give Nagito a frustrated expression, his eyes glossy.

Future Foundation had been pushing them both in numerous ways, Hajime especially. They intended to try and experiment on Hajime again; something about harnessing Izuru Kamukura’s power.

A tense silence sat in the air but it didn’t seem to affect Nagito as he rubbed soothing circles on Hajime’s back. After a good bit of waiting for the other to speak, Nagito decided to say something instead.

“How about this, Hajime.” he said moving to bring the other’s head closer to his chest. “We leave. Tonight or tomorrow. It’s your choice.”

Hajime tensed in his arms but allowed himself to be held. “You can’t be serious.”

Nagito hummed. “I’m very serious, Hajime.”

Hajime thought for a long while and then let out a deep sigh. “Could we even make it out there on our own?”

Nagito nodded. “We’ve seen worse, I’d say,” Images flicked through their heads of the various calamities they had experienced together and apart.

Hajime sighed and rubbed the hand that held him. “Well, I’ve always wanted to see the world.”

Nagito and Hajime left without much fanfare. A few solemn goodbyes to their classmates who swore they’d keep their departure a secret and then they were heading out on their own.

They walked solidly for a week or two, just to get some distance between the Future Foundation and themselves. They passed the desolate and despair filled land without paying much of it any mind. Their missions hadn’t taken them too far out but far enough to see the devastation. Their own memories held much of the carnage.

When they reached their destination, Nagito gave an exhalation of relief. They could finally rest and catch their breath. The destination they had decided on was a small town on the coast, rarely visited by Future Foundation or much of anyone. But that didn’t mean they could let their guard down. This was Junko Enoshima’s utopia,; a world still tainted by her delusion.

The entrance to the town was heralded with a small, dirty sign without much design. The sign pretty much spoke for the whole town.

As they wandered the streets, they settled on a cramped looking family home that didn’t look too damaged. They scanned the house for potential hazards and settled down.

Nagito relaxed into a shredded couch and stretched his feet, Hajime offered him some water from their canteen. He took it gratefully, the water refreshing his parched lips and throat.

“I think we’ve gone a pretty good distance from them. It’s probably safe to rest up a little bit,” Hajime said, cracking his knuckles from where he stood looking out the window. Nagito nodded, more relieved then he’d say out loud. “I think so too. Perhaps we can even do a little sightseeing?”

Hajime smiled a bit. “Yeah, that would be nice.”

It went unspoken between them about what exactly the sights were in that destroyed world but they kept it between them in a companionable silence.

When nighttime came one of them slept while the other kept watch, Nagito offered to take the first shift so that Hajime could get some much needed sleep. During those past couple of weeks, he had run himself ragged. Hajime slept deeply and the usual tension he held about him was calm. Nagito smiled to himself as he smoothed down Hajime’s cropped hair. He hoped they made the right decision.

When morning came, Nagito suggested that they go out and explore the town, his sense of curiosity as prevalent as always. Hajime reluctantly agreed and they gathered their things and started out of the house.

They tiptoed down the small stone steps that lined the path outside the door and walked along the unusually tight walkways. The air was thick with the scent of the sea and pollution but it was a familiar scent for both of them. They peeked into the houses and salvaged what they could.

Nagito paused in front of what looked to be a gift shop and peered in through the dusty windows. He looked back at Hajime expectantly and Hajime gave him a nod. The door came open with a creak and a thin billow of dust.

Nagito walked in to see that most of the giftshop’s trinkets were torn or broken. He sighed dejectedly as he plucked a ripped stuffed animal from the ground, its button eye dangling from its plush socket. It truly is a shame to see such pretty things come to ruin like this, Nagito thought with a huff. He poked around a few more rooms but didn’t find anything particularly noteworthy, just forgotten memories.

Hajime was already waiting outside the building as he exited and offered him a pat on the back when he came out. Nagito smiled ruefully. “Well, I suppose I should have expected it to be like that. How about we check out the beachside?” Hajime nodded and they set off down the streets.

It didn’t take them long to reach the shore of the ocean. The water that lapped at the grey sand was murky but Nagito enjoyed being at the ocean in any capacity. It brought back fond memories for him, of Hajime and of the makeshift home they had made on Jabberwock Island.

“It’s nice to see the ocean again.” He remarked as he stared out at the sea with a soft demeanor.

“It is,” Hajime agreed.

“I’m very excited to see it come back to its former glory,” Nagito said, picturing blue waters and the sunny sky overhead.

Hajime sighed and crossed his arms. “…Do you think it’ll ever be like that again?” Nagito nodded and reached for Hajime’s hand, holding it reassuringly. With his other hand, he pointed up towards the sky, a sliver of blue in between the ever-present dark clouds.

“It’s other things as well. Small things,” He admitted. “but the world is healing.” Nagito said. From all the things we’ve done to it.

Hajime squeezed his hand and smiled at him, his eyes warm as any summer day. Nagito wondered if he deserved it.

“I guess you’re right,” He said, reaching into his pocket with his free hand.

“I found this hidden behind some junk in the gift shop and I thought you might like it.” Hajime said. “Close your eyes.”

“How exciting,” Nagito teased as he closed his eyes and put his palm out towards Hajime.

“W-well it’s nothing too special,” Hajime said flustered, as he hurriedly placed the object into his hand. “Open your eyes.”

When Nagito opened his eyes he was met with a beautiful little marble. It had colors swirling inside of it and twinkled in the light. Almost like a tiny galaxy.

“This is beautiful Hajime,” He said holding the marble close to his chest.

Hajime looked relieved. “I’m glad you think so. Maybe some of your luck is rubbing off on me.”

Nagito laughed, leaning farther into Hajime. “Maybe so.”

#fanfiction #komahina #komahina secret exchange

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atopearth · 3 years

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Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia Part 1 - Aurica & Misha (Phase 1)

PHASE 1

Okay, I am beyond excited. I honestly never thought I'd be able to play my favourite PS2 games ever again after I moved houses, because I can't for the life of me find my old PS2 that could play copied games, all the wires and some of the games, and I can't buy these games anymore either, so I was literally so sad and nearly cried when I first realised this. But then I realised that we could get PS emulators now and play the games!! Honestly so thankful and happy right now because omg it's so beautiful to know I can finally properly finish these games again!! Anyway, I still remember Shurelia and Lyner very well, I loved how cool Shurelia was, whereas I can't remember much about Lyner so he's probably the average protagonist that gets all the girls lmao. I'm not sure if I'll bother playing each Reyvateil "route" but I do know who I picked as a kid so I'm definitely going to pick her again. It's kinda funny, I wonder if this is when my bro and I decided to each choose our favourites and play through them so we could both see the different stories haha. I just remember he liked the shy brown hair Reyvateil and I loved the blue hair childhood friend, I can't remember their names anymore but I still love them hahaha. And if I remember correctly, Shurelia should have a short story/route, but I remember diving into her cosmosphere was weird because she's kinda like the old type of Reyvateil haha, so I was sad about that but it doesn't matter, it's Shurelia, everyone loves her!

On to the story itself! Lyner is pretty childish but he's a typical teenager protagonist so I'll just ignore it lol. On another note, dang, the art and character design and everything still looks good to this day imo. It's sad that Shurelia and Ayatane had to stay behind to fend off viruses that I can't really kill off until Lyner goes and gets the Hymn Crystal Purger, but I guess they can't really allow these viruses to run around into town, so as long as they stay in the Tower where I assume Shurelia has tried to seal them for many years, it should hopefully be fine~ Poor Lyner got his airship broken the moment he left though, but I guess that's how journeys begin haha. Lmao at Aurica (that's the name of the brown hair girl!!) healing Lyner with her Reyvateil magic/song and then running off when he wakes up, she's so cute lol. Kinda sad to see Reyvateil treated so badly by organisations like Tenba, like wow, the abuse is rampant. The village is pretty unreasonable to make Lyner kill their monsters to get his airship back but I guess that's just how desperate they are? Still don't like them. LMAO when Lyner went to learn grathmelding, the grandpa joked around saying Lyner's reward for learning it was his granddaughter hahaha.

Well, I guess it's good to help the village, because now they're willing to take care of the broken airship until Lyner finds someone who can fix it. Anyway, did Jack like Misha or something? I can't remember🤔 Lmao, Jack is so slack to Aurica, like yeah she's gloomy but I can empathise with her😭 Okay, I gotta agree with Jack though, Claire is definitely much hotter than Aurica, just the fact that she runs a bar by herself and tries her best to be strong and independent already makes me like her lol. On the other hand, why is Misha with Tenba, was she being manipulated or controlled or something? Anyway, the moment I saw Misha, I fell in love with her again, like wow, her design is so beautiful and unique, I could never pick someone else over her. I feel so sorry for her that Lyner can't remember her though, because I'm pretty sure she really likes him🥺 I can't remember the story but I guess we'll know when we can dive into her. Lyner is rash, super reckless and honest to a fault, but that honesty is a good thing I guess haha. The fact that he can't take people in Tenba badmouthing Reyvateil like they're tools that can be scrapped when they don't seem to be crafting good magic would make anyone mad, but Lyner refuses to sit by and listen to that, which is pretty admirable of him tbh.

With the way people react to others going into the Dive shop in the middle of the day with a Reyvateil, you'd be thinking they were doing something R rated lol, but they're just getting to know each other so it's kinda weird to have that kind of stigma, I mean I'm pretty sure going at night is weirder?! Anyway, I have to agree with Misha, Firefly Alley is a scary place, just thinking about being near all those propellers and falling down is crazyyy. It's kinda funny, but I remember Spica (Misha's friend that sells good stuff) but I don't remember the chainsaw girl lmao, I feel like she looks familiar but that's all hahah. It's so hilarious but brave of Misha to tell Lyner to dive into her so they can craft magic to break the wall and leave to go to Nemo without Bourd and them on their tail. Considering how bold she is, it's crazy that it's her first time, but since diving is such a personal thing, I honestly doubt Misha would let anyone aside from Lyner dive into her. I gotta agree with Hama (Misha's cosmosphere mind guardian) slapping Lyner for saying he's only in there because Misha told him to dive in, like excuse you Lyner?! You do realise the one that's being invaded and the one that has to feel vulnerable and everything is Misha right?! Have some tact lol! But I guess Lyner is slow, so it was normal of him to not have realised that it was a bigger deal than he thought, especially since Misha seemed so nonchalant about it. Misha's Level 1 Cosmosphere is so nostalgic though, I remember it so well, because I think it was a really nice contrast to see the brave and cool Misha in real life compared to the vulnerable one in the cosmosphere who is scared of revealing her true self to Lyner. It was nice to see him encourage her and to tell her that he wants to know her better, I mean it's sad that he can't remember her but you can't help things you can't remember I guess...

Krusche and Misha arguing all the time is pretty cute lol, I think it was even better when they worked together to open a door and made bets the whole time making them shout each other food if they got things wrong haha. Misha really is such a great girl to be so scared of heights but try her best to save Aurica. As usual though, Lyner is pretty crazy to jump and save Aurica when she was falling, like dang, they're lucky Krusche was nearby to catch them with her airship. Anyway, lmao at Aurica's naming sense and that fireball she made😂 I feel like Lyner is way more encouraging towards Aurica than he was with Misha before though, I guess it helps when it's obvious that she's troubled, whereas Misha being capable made him slow to realise a lot of things? Awww, Aurica cares so much about Lyner. She crafted blue magic in the real world because she wanted to protect him so much🥺 He's honestly really reckless though, he really could have died with the Hymn Crystal Purger, he's lucky Jack saved him. Honestly though, the more I play this, the more I feel like Lyner's type is Aurica and I'm so sadddd😭 I mean, I like Aurica too because she's so cute, but Misha😭😭

Lmao at how much it would cost Krusche to fix Lyner's airship, back to trying to climbing the tower back to Platina instead~ Well, I didn't expect Claire to really sing a song, her voice was beautiful! I'm glad she's out of Tenba and doing what she wants now, I feel sorry for any Reyvateil stuck in Tenba. Honestly, considering how self-sacrificing Misha was before for Aurica, I would have expected Lyner to care a little more of the possibility that Misha might be hurt or dead from one of the Hexagonal plates falling off and landing in Tenba where Bourd and them were having a meeting. I'm starting to think he really doesn't deserve Misha lolll. Anyway, the virus/Reyvateil Mir sounds familiar, was she one the girls in the next game? A Reyvateil utopia sounds about right if she was also once oppressed by people like Tenba. I honestly can't remember much about Ayatane but I do feel like I remember he disliked Lyner for being the one that protected Shurelia when he feels that he's so much more capable which is understandable considering he seems to be obsessed with her too. Well, the President of Tenba looks very...wow haha. Ooh I remember Misha looking super great as her real age, but she's great the way she is. Anyway, considering that Tenba experiments on Reyvateil, I hope Radolf talks about this with the church, but I guess I'm not sure if the church even has the power to destroy them even if they were so inhumane. Well, dang, Demon Aurica looks like a spider devil or something lol. I'm not surprised there's a part of Aurica that hates Claire though, it's understandable because she feels so inadequate compared to her. It's interesting to read the other bits in the cosmosphere that aren't as important, because omg, Aurica actually really liked this Knight guy before and she got rejected so terribly, that's sad.. I love Aurica's images of Radolf and Krusche, they're so silly🤣 Misha as a student body president is cute lol, and Shurelia(?) is there too?? Lol. Anyway, I like the cat on top of a vacuum, it's so cute. Lmao, okay wasting 900DP to find out that Aurica is a cat fanatic is hilarious, the idea of her rolling around with cats when no one is looking is so funny😂

I'm so glad climbing the Tower led to saving Misha, her breaking down and crying was so heartbreaking, she's really suffered😭 On the other hand, lmao at these residents up here cooking chicken, I just stole all their food✌️Lol at the trial though, it's literally just to test your strength! I'm sure Jack and them could do it too. Anyway, I never realised the Tower was called the Tower of Ar Tonelico, and oh wow, it's pretty cool that in between the Lower World and the Upper World is the Frozen Eye that separates the two so they're actually not physically attached. Oh wow, so Misha being the Star Singer meant she was the one singing her Chronicle Key song to keep all the viruses out, but because her song was stolen and she can't sing it anymore, the viruses are now attacking Platina. How sad though? She has to sing for eternity to keep world peace but what about her? Ooh, Jack left the Teru Tribe because they were too fixated on rules even when they were on the brink of destruction huh? I guess it's understandable why he would be annoyed, he's seeing so many people close to him die and he can't even use the technology that could possibly save them because of some covenant with Elemia. On the other hand, nice to know that Krusche wants to go to the Upper World because her ex-boyfriend Luke went there and never came back. Tbh, the Luke part sounds familiar but I don't remember anything else about this story. And I see, Jack is close to Misha because he used to protect her until he left.. She must have been so lonely after that. Anyway, I don't know why it didn't click to me that people are named after musical instruments here, like Flute and Harmonica lol, not sure what Tastiella is lol.

Time to do Misha's cosmosphere before going up! Adult Misha is beautiful~ lmao at the chunk of ice being an ice fairy😂 LOL at Aurica in the Don Leon costume😂😂😂 I'm kinda glad we did Misha's cosmosphere now though, because I would be so confused why her world is like this if I didn't know she has the responsibility to sing for eternity to keep the world peaceful. Especially now that she can wander around to find her song, I'm sure she's even more reluctant to go back to singing all by herself to save people she doesn't even know, and she's been doing this her whole life. I'm dying at the "flower" you can water with the China dress Misha that turns into a freaking tree hahahahah. I'm not sure about an abundance of love being able to grow a little flower into a gigantic tree😂 But I guess it exactly shows how little exposure Misha has of the real world, since even the stuff in her cosmosphere is really a lot of stuff she read in books. Honestly, I got mad at Lyner when he shouted at Misha to like do her job as the song fairy to save this Krusche, Misha was right that he doesn't understand her feelings at all. She's been stuck in one place for so long and has finally been given medicine that could turn her into a human, of course she would hesitate. I don't really blame Lyner though, since he doesn't really know about her life and her past at all. Shinobi Misha is so hot, I love the costume! It's so heartwrenching to hear how understanding Misha is to say she's willing on giving up on this chance (that she doesn't know if she'll ever get again) so that she can save Krusche because she understands that as long as she's alive, there's still a chance for her to find another way to be free, but if Krusche dies, she'll never have a second chance for her life. HAHAHA, I was thinking if those things in Misha's hair were drums, and thanks to Hama's confirmation, yes they are! But just like Hama's bells, they're just decorations, so don't beat those drums she says lmaooo.

Lolll at Shurelia being Misha's mum telling her to grow up. So, the reason Misha hates growing up is because when she was young, she was still "free" and got to be in Platina playing with Lyner and stuff, but once she grew up, she was forced to sing and sing, so now she hates the idea of being "grown up" and having to live with this responsibility for the rest of her life, since at least if she's a kid, she can rebel and be a bit more selfish... I always find it hilarious how every Shurelia character in the cosmospheres have to ask Lyner out 😂😂 I guess it's because Shurelia is connected to all the Reyvateils? So even if Shurelia herself doesn't realise it, she really does like Lyner enough that it leaks into all her "characters"? It's terrible to think about how strict Lyner's dad was on Misha when she was in Platina if it's still haunting her here. Aww for Aurica's cosmosphere, Don Leon was a gift from Claire to Aurica before she left the village, she told Aurica to treat it as if it was her so that she wouldn't be lonely. It's cute how Don Leon really stayed so important to her that it's even her Mind Guardian now.

I'm glad Misha put Lyner in his place and told him it's too late to say he doesn't want to involve everyone, but I guess it's understandable since they could die or never be able to come back to the Lower World, but even still, Misha is right, they should be the ones to make that decision and not him. Anyway, in terms of the story, I feel like Lyner would choose Aurica to download the Hymn Crystal into to fight the viruses but I'm biased towards Misha so~ The viruses invading Misha's cosmosphere must have been pretty scary tbh like omggg, that's terrifying, especially since she got sealed in a crystal and everything was a wasteland. It was nice that after choosing Misha for this, it seems like Lyner has finally shown concern and worry over Misha lolll. Well, Platina is saved and now there's potential for more interaction between the Upper and Lower Worlds so I guess that will be nice. And that's the end of Phase 1!

Overall, I've been really enjoying my time with Ar Tonelico again. Tbh, now that I'm playing it again, it really does run like a visual novel with RPG elements hahaha. The battle system gets pretty repetitive and boring though, I'm glad it's not hard, but it can get tiring when there's a lot of random battles, I had to escape a few times because I was just so bored of it lmao. Otherwise, I definitely like Aurica much more than when I was a kid lol! She's actually really adorable and kind, lacking confidence at times, but with Lyner, I think she's definitely found a lot more confidence in herself and her abilities, and we should really be thankful to Lyner for that hahah. I love her weird naming sense and how she's so obstinate about silly things. As for Misha, I still really love her too. I like how she's so honest and true to herself, and I think I like her dynamic with Krusche and them more than Aurica is with them, but I really like how vocal Misha is about stuff like telling Lyner what she thinks and stuff like that. Shurelia is as cool as I used to think she was haha. I think I'll go with Aurica's route first though, just because I've never played it😆

#ar tonelico

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mochiyoonfi · 4 years

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Our Utopia PT 2

Synopsis: The sequel to ‘Our Utopia’

Universe: idol reader

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Warnings: Angst, mentions of rape, assault and PTSD. No graphic descriptions but still may be triggering. Smut in next chapter.

Words: 3.2k

You lay in your bed, staring up at the ceiling. Your debut song was playing in the background.

It was successful. The public loved you. And you were happy. The other girls were always so hardworking and excited to debut, it was hard not to get caught up in the euphoria.

Ji-Eun entered the room, pausing in the doorway to look at you. “Are you listening to Sonder again?”

You nodded.

She sighed, sitting down on the bed next to you.

“I don't need to talk right now, Ji.” You warned.

Smiling, she lay back on the bed with you. “I never said a word.”

Pressing play on your CD Player, your only elder in the dorm closed her eyes, relaxing next to you.

Emotions and thoughts swirled in your mind.

You had moved out of BTS’s dorm weeks ago. Now living with the girls in your group, you spent your time practising. Trying your best not to give yourself too much time to think, or any time to miss the seven members of BTS.

But right now, lying next to one of your closest friends, you knew the truth.

You missed them.

“I have the results of your wellness checks. Do you want to give these out, Jungkook?”

Jumping up to grab the papers, Jungkook’s eye caught on a picture of your group. He held it up.

“Hitman Bang?” Jungkook asked. “This was in the middle of the pile.”

Bang Shi Hyuk took the poster, smiling. “They're doing well, aren't they? Namjoon, your sister is very talented.”

Namjoon grinned. “Of course she is.”

“Smart too. I guess she has to be, to get that fancy psychology degree and all.”

Eyes wide, Namjoon blinked slowly. “U-uh? Degree? What Psychology Degree?”

“You didn't know?” Bang Shi Hyuk asked. When all seven boys shook their heads, he sighed. “Y/n has a Psychology degree. She even helped out with your mental health! Free of charge! She's a sweet girl.”

“I almost understand why she didn't tell me but you're her brother?” Yoongi asked.

Namjoon sighed. “I had no idea…”

“Why didn't she tell us?” Taehyung frowned, hurt evident on his face. But the hurt wasn't almost as obvious as Namjoon’s.

He was her brother. They were closer than anyone else was.

Why didn't she trust him?

“Is now a good time to talk?”

You looked up to see Ji-Eun standing at the foot of your bed, smiling as she offered you a milkshake.

“I guess. What do you want to talk about?”

Her dark eyes met yours. “You're unhappy. So I want to know what's wrong.”

You let out a large sigh. “I just.. Feel out of place, you know? You're all so carefree and happy… But I'm not.”

“Y/n that's not true-”

“Lots of stuff has happened to me.” Holding onto all restraint you concentrated your hardest to make sure your voice was steady. “I’ve not been happy… There have been times I just wanted to give up.”

You flinched, Ji-Eun reassuringly slipping her hand into yours. “It's okay Y/n. I'm here for you.”

In that moment you could’ve cried. You could’ve let yourself be vulnerable to her, lay everything in your past out to her. But you wouldn’t. She didn't deserve to have a weighted conscience. So, instead of telling her everything, you let her into the shallower depths of your trauma.

And finally, after an hour of soft sorrows and comfort, Ji-Eun finally spoke. “Y/n. I think I know what to do.”

Your eyes lit up. “What should I do, noona?”

“Do what feels right.” A warm smile spread across her face, showing you the comfort you often missed from other people. “What feels right to you?”

Taking a deep breath, you finally made your way downstairs, bags packed and heart racing.

“Hi... Girls..”

Heeyoung grabbed you into a hug. “You know we love you right?”

It hadn't been your plan to cry.

You had spent the last ten minutes in your room preparing yourself to stay strong. To keep a happy face.

But that plan was already ruined.

Feeling tears streaming down your face, you clasped onto her back. “I know.”

She pulled back, grinning widely. “Then you're free to move out. We’ll still see you at rehearsals?”

It was a question. She wasn't asking if you were going to show up at rehearsals. No. The question was ‘Are we still going to hang out like normal?’.

“I love you, girls, too.” You replied, embracing Luna then Baram. Finally noticing the emptiness of the room, you turned to Ji-Eun.

“Where's Aiko?”

Ji-Eun smiled. “She insisted that you had to drive back with her. She’s not going to take no for an answer.”

Feeling your heart warm, you smiled back. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“So why are you going back exactly?” Baram asked.

“I… I miss my brother. I want to spend more time with him.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. Just not the whole truth.

Taking a deep breath, you entered the dorm. Immediately you could hear footsteps rushing downstairs.

“Y/n! You’re back! I missed you so much!”

Your brother crashed into you, hugging you tightly. “I’m so glad Bang PD gave you permission to move back with us!”

Abruptly you were yanked away from your brother, Taehyung and Jungkook grabbing you into a hug between them. “Thanks so much Y/n!”

“For what?” You asked Jungkook.

“Everything!” He laughed, stepping away as Hoseok and Jin approached. They both gave you short hugs, Hoseok squeezing tightly as he beamed at you.

Yoongi didn’t give you a long hug like the others, rather, he gave you a quick, polite hug that didn’t cross any boundaries.

His reassuring gummy smile immediately made you feel at ease, quickly fitting back into a place of comfort with the guys.

“We arranged a party for you, Y/n!”

You gasped. “A party? Tae, you didn’t have to!”

Jungkook frowned. “The party is not just from him! It’s from all of us!”

Turning to Namjoon, you raised an eyebrow. “Why wasn’t I told about a party? It’s not that big of a deal..”

Namjoon laughed. “Y/n, it’s been months since we’ve had time to meet up. We barely even talk. I guess we’re just both so busy nowadays. So, we want to celebrate seeing you again.”

This was why you had come back. There was nowhere else you felt more at ease, than with the seven members of BTS.

“Hey, my little baby?” Namjoon’s eyes were focusing on you, and you could feel the nerves building up inside of you.

“Uh.. yeah? What’s up?”

“I kinda know about your degree. Well.. we all do.”

Your heart rate sped up, nervously playing with your hands. You took a deep breath. “I-I.. I’m so-”

Namjoon shook his head, his kind eyes filling with even more warmth than you felt possible. “I’m not mad Y/n. None of us are… in fact. I’m really grateful for everything you’ve done for us. You’ve really helped us through the times where we felt as if there was no light left. As if we were conmans, fooling the world into believing we were okay when we weren’t. I’m-.. no. We’re happier with you.”

You could feel tears rolling down your cheeks, the stinging in your eyes forcing you to close them.

It was undeniable that your brother had a way with words. But the way he praised you… for what you felt was only the bare minimum. It filled you with a type of happiness you hadn’t experienced before.

“It’s just amazing knowing that you tried to help us.. and I guess I understand why you talked to us so often.” Hoseok said.

Jimin hesitated to speak, but finally did so regardless. “You did want to talk to us though, right? It wasn’t just part of a job or something..?”

Of course you’d thought they might react like this. You were glad they weren’t upset, but you didn’t want them to think you only played councillor to them as a sense of duty.

“No, Jimin. Of course not.. I mean.. At first maybe I was only doing it because of that and to help Namjoon. But after a while..I guess I wanted to help you all out. I really love you guys, with all my heart. I would do anything to help you.”

“Thank you..” Namjoon whispered.

As you left the living room to go to bed, Yoongi softly guided you against his frame. “Thank you so much for everything Y/n..”

You could feel your cheeks starting to flush red. “I… just wanted to protect you.”

He smiled, pressing a soft kiss against your forehead. “I’ll protect you, too.”

It was a typical day with Bangtan. You lay on the couch, watching a movie with five out of the seven boys. (Jungkook and Jin were busy…)

As far as movies go, it wasn’t half bad. You were uncontrollably giggling at some parts, and cringing for the protagonist at others. An all round good time.

Then it happened.

Intrusively, a scene flashed over the large screen of a girl being attacked by someone in the dark. The room lit up with your darkest horrors.

Feeling it all flooding back, the memories plastered centrefold in your mind. Your hands began shaking, throat fighting not to close up. You could feel your heart thumping faster than anything else, and the desire to throw up was uncontrollable.

Throwing yourself to your feet, you dashed out of the room, more than upset. You were almost in tears.

A knock on the door echoed slowly. “Y/n? Sweetheart, can I come in?”

Still shaking, you could do little more than yip out a small ‘yes’.

The door cracked open, and he slowly approached you. He took you against him, stroking your back. “Hush, hush. Breathe slowly.”

“I-I-I”

You wanted to say something. To apologise for ruining the movie. Or for being so hung up in the past. To apologise for anything you could.

But instead, Yoongi placed a finger on your lips. “Don’t apologise. It’s not your fault. It never was. You’re strong. You’re wonderful and amazing.”

His lips curled as he flashed his infamous gummy smile. “I care for you. A whole lot more than you could ever fully realise..”

Your heart beat had slowed while he spoke. The pure tone of his voice was enough to comfort you.

“I.. appreciate t-that. So much.”

He grinned. “I told you, I’ll protect you. Even if it’s from yourself. I needed people to protect me from myself in the past.. you’d know better than anyone.. I’ve never told anyone else...”

You slipped your hand under his chin, tilting his face closer to yours. He blinked. Then, without knowing who initiated it, you were kissing. Your lips curved perfectly against each other. The way they fit together embedded in your brain.

It was more than you thought you deserved. How could such a perfect person love.. you? But then you remembered. Everything he suffered through. All the trials he faced. The backlash from the smallest things.

You still cared for him, despite his brokenness. So why wouldn’t he still love you?

The door creaked open again and the others walked in, Namjoon in the lead. He explained that the others wanted to know, but he wouldn’t tell them. It wasn’t his secret. Once again, you felt the comfort of your brother's love wash over you.

“Y/n?” Taehyung grabbed you into a hug, the other two of the Maknae Line, Jungkook and Jimin slipping in on either side. They tried their best to make you smile.

Jin and Hobi doted on you for the rest of the night. Maybe it was their own special way of paying attention to you. By not asking what was wrong, rather, trying to fix the problem.

You were so loved..

More loved than you had ever felt in your life.

Pain makes the person, someone once said. Well, you guessed women were more powerful than any person could be.

Periods hurt.

Yours arrived just after sunset, resulting in you hurriedly rummaging through your supplies, only to find you had run out.

Wandering downstairs, you called out for Namjoon. Surely he could go get you some.

“Y/n? What’s up?” Taehyung asked, looking up from his phone from his routine spot on the couch.

“Where’s my brother?”

Taehyung frowned. “He’s been out for a while now. Maybe two hours? I don’t think he’ll be back for a while.”

“W-what?” You stuttered, eyes brimming with tears. You knew you were overreacting. But the hormones were making you more distressed than you could bear.

“Y/n? Can we talk for a second?”

Unable to refuse Yoongi, you followed him to your room. (He had set up a rule against you being allowed to be alone in his.)

“Are you okay? You’re acting a bit out of the ordinary.”

Hesitating to tell him, you looked away. “I-.. it’s nothing.”

Yoongi’s eyes took on a painful sheen. “Don’t you trust me? I want you to trust me, and if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine too.”

“I don’t know if… if I could exactly tell you. How would you react..”

Yoongi took your hands in his. “It doesn’t matter what’s wrong. If you’ve killed someone, I’ll even help you bury the body.”

You giggled, unable to ignore his joke, even while your stomach felt as if it may rupture through your skin.

He raised an eyebrow. “I’m joking… or am I? I hope we won’t have to find out..”

Taking a deep breath, you confided in him.

“I can go get the things you want? I know you don’t want to go out..”

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to go out. You both knew that. He was trying to find a nice way of saying ‘I know your PTSD won’t let you go out at night’.

You hugged him. “Thanks so much!”

Even while he stroked your hair behind your ears, smiling, he could feel you weren’t okay. You were never able to take pain killers. Since you had been addicted before, it was too high of a risk to fall back into the old habits. Not that you would let yourself, but sometimes you didn’t have control.

It wasn’t just the physical side either. Your pain had clearly crossed over into an emotionally hurtful aspect.

“I’ll be back soon.”

He kissed your forehead, and with that, you were left alone in your room. Insides still imploding.

Yoongi stood in the convenience store, confused over what to buy. He didn’t want to go overboard. But if you were in pain, he wanted to help you feel better. Finally, he picked out a highly recommended heat pack, along with the supplies you’d asked for.

Seeing the total purchase amount, he smiled slowly. It was worth it, to him. No sum of money meant more to him than your comfort.

“Oh, sweetie.”

When he entered your room, you had just thrown up. It wasn’t pretty, but he pretended he wasn’t looking while he passed you a heated towel. He helped you into your bed, giving you the heat pack.

“Are you feeling better?” He asked.

You shuffled against him, head resting only centimetres away from his chest. “I am, thank you. I owe you.”

“You owe me, nothing.” He whispered.

It was hours later when Namjoon walked in to find you and Yoongi sleeping in your bed together. When the others had told him Y/n was looking for him, he was slightly worried, but nowhere as concerned as he was right now.

“Yoongi?” He gaped. “What the-”

Yoongi shushed him. “I didn’t do anything. I promise. She’s sick from her…” He paused, wondering if you would be okay with Namjoon knowing. But then, his mind took over from his heart. You shouldn’t have to feel ashamed of something you were born to have. Your period wasn’t something shameful. It was part of life.

“She’s on her period.” Yoongi finished.

“Oh.” Namjoon’s outrage deflated.

After a while, Taehyung and Jin stopped by to keep Namjoon and Yoongi company. The two of them waiting by your bedside while you slept. Taehyung brought snacks with him, the tempting aroma helping to bring you out of your sleep.

The first thing you saw when your eyes fluttered open was the four boys, laughing as they talked to each other.

Just seeing them smile took away a small amount of your pain. And that small amount meant a lot.

How do you act in a relationship? Why isn’t there a handbook on that? Actually, there probably is one. You just didn’t want to read it.

Yoongi was amazing. An amazing person, and an even more amazing boyfriend. But he was human too. He was only a young man, and you didn’t think he didn’t have any ideas on furthering the relationship.

He never said anything, of course. But you still wanted to know.

So, you waited until you were alone with him in the dorm.

Even though you approached him first, it didn’t prevent your shyness.

“I.. just want to say I get that you’re a person who can.. uh, manage yourself. But I want to..be with you. You’re a person and you have needs as well.”

He flushed red within seconds, mouth dropping open in surprise. “I.. I would never pressure you into something like that. I may be a man, but it doesn’t mean I need anything from you. It doesn’t mean you are required to satisfy me.”

You pushed your palm against his chest, feeling his heart face against your hand. “My.. my choice was taken from me. But now, right now, with you, I want to claim back my choice. I want to be with you. It’s my choice… and I choose you.”

Taking a deep breath, you were ready.

“Because I love you.”

His eyes widened, misty eyes filled with pure love. The words touched him deeply, warming his heart. “I-”

“You don’t need to say it back until you’re ready.” You reassured him.

Yoongi smiled, pulling you into a hug. “It’s not right, tonight. Baby, I appreciate you and what you’re saying so much. But tonight isn’t the right night for me to…” He coughed. “To give into my desires. I promise it’ll come soon enough. I won’t make you wait forever.”

You smiled into his shirt. “I would wait forever for you.”

Even though you spent so much time with the boys from BTS, you kept your promises to hang out with your own band. They all had a precious place in your heart.

You could feel your protectiveness slip out every time you were around them. Blocking sasaeng fan calls to their phones. Swatting away fans who jumped too close at the airports.

Cheering them up when they saw harmful comments wasn’t a chore for you. It was a blessing to say you could comfort them.

A bit like a mother bear.

No one was there for you in the past. When you were assaulted, there was no one to help you.

And they felt the love you had for them. They knew. Even when you didn’t live with them, you still cared for them. You would always look out for them.

You would never let anyone hurt your friends.

#bts #bts fanfic requests #bts fanfic #Kpop fanfic #Yoongi fanfic #Namjoon fanfic #yoongi x y/n #yoongi #kpop #jimin #namjoon #jungkook #fanfiction #bts fanfiction #bts army #Taehyung #Jin #Hoseok #UT-Opia

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aestheticseungmean · 4 years

Text

Midnight Academy- Yeosang

You were born with magic, and because of that, you went to Midnight Academy. Yeosang caught your eye the first time you met him.

Magic Au, loosely based off of Harry Potter.

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Life as someone with magical powers can be fun if you knew how to use them. The wrong wrist motion could injure someone and the wrong pronunciation could turn someone into a frog and not a cat. Risks are a casual thing in the world of magic. There are many types of magic that each child will learn in Midnight Academy. It was a simple and quaint little school that was restored regularly. Not a crack lay in the foundation nor a chip of paint peeling from the wall at the start of the year. Throughout the year, typically, newer students blow up potions and cause the loaned rats to explode. Nasty business that is. The poor caretaker has to scrape the bits off the wall before scrubbing it clean.

You could see why he hated new students and trouble makers, they made his job impossible sometimes. If students were bad, their punishments consist of helping Mr.Darty with his job. Mr.Darty was an older elf gentleman with balding grey hair. More often than not, he was cranky as most of the staff were. He was always found accompanied by his favorite Sphynx cat, Chabiel. The two were inseparable as if the cat was his life support. Mr. Darty was not the only teacher who seemed to have an animal attached to them. Although he was by far, the one with the ugliest. Often, you’d see a mixture of miniature dragons, owls, cats, dogs, and even an occasional Harpy Eagle or Peregrine Falcon. They typically roamed the halls to deliver notes and packages to and fro their owners that the mailroom was too lazy to deliver or be bothered.

This year was a special one. It’s your first year at the Midnight Academy. Time to get away from the non-magical creatures. Muggles as they are called. You loathe your brothers whom you live with. Silence is scarce in that household and luckily, you were the only one who had inherited your mom’s recessive trait of witchcraft. She herself had not had any magic rather, she made up for it by being a very successful business tycoon. Often, you helped her manage some of her gaming companies and you tested them too. Hex Gaming Co. was the creator of some of the world’s most famous games such as Utopia, Weapons of Deception, Deception 2, Undying, and more. All of which were some magical role-playing game that was super addicting and had kids playing it everywhere. If you ever told anyone who your mom was then instant fame. Your dad, on the other hand, was not as famous but he was still a famous musician.

Aside from your brothers, the only person to know about your wealth and parents’ true jobs was your best friend, San. He had inherited magic but he’s also part incubus. You met him when he appeared on your block five summers ago. Fourteen was your current age now and you guys practically live with each other and do everything together. When most people hear that San is part incubus, they stay away because they are afraid of having their dreams visited. But what people didn’t stay to find out that San didn’t find the need to go into people’s dreams. Besides, he only found you slightly attractive, everyone else wasn’t even on the radar. Deep down you know that he might be bi but he will not let you have the satisfaction of being right.

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𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗢𝗻𝗲

San and you entered into the school that is more intimidating the closer you get. The seeming mile-high doorway made you feel small enough already. All the new students were being crowded together to get handed their classes and dorms they were going to stay in. Of course, you will miss your brothers but you got San! You’d prefer that any day. “I hope we get the same dorms. I don’t think I’d be able to live without you.” “Me too, San. Me too.” To say that you weren’t scared for your life was an understatement. Anymore worrying and you’d be dead. Finally, your turn came around to get your scroll. The teacher administering them was undeniably short and part goblin. He had a snaggle tooth that stuck out of the bottom of his mouth and long Yoda like ears that stuck out of his head. Little hairs covered the face, they were minuscule but visible.

“Name.” The voice was gravely and harsh but you still gave him your name. “Here you go.” You took the parchment with shaky hands. San waited for you at the door. “I got Sapphire dorm!” As soon as your face fell, so did his. “I got Emerald dorm.” Emerald dorm has the reputation of some really mean and uptight people. They are usually the richest ones. “No escaping from my money now.” You groaned out. San placed a quick kiss to your cheek. “You got this.” He ignored the stares but you didn’t. Blood rushed towards your cheeks. A slender figure appeared in front of you. You recognized it as the teacher most often seen by the headmaster. Her voice was strong and dominant, perfect for teaching. She was aged like the expensive cheese your mom was forced to eat at business meetings. “ATTENTION! You are to go in and find the table corresponding with the dorm name you got. The headmaster will address you soon.” As you walked in, hand in hand with San, you were taken aback by the busy chatter. Almost immediately, you were pulled away from San and torn to the table decorated in different hues of green.

You know nobody so where to sit was nerve-wracking for you. “You can sit by me.” A hand waved in the air and you saw a boy giving you a cute smile. “Me?” He could be talking to anyone so you wanted to make sure. “Yeah! I’m new too.” With nowhere better to sit, you sat down next to the blond boy. “Hi! I’m Wooyoung and I hope we can be friends!” “I’m ________.” You smiled at him. A voice sounded through the room getting everyone’s attention. “Students. Most of you are coming back from a great year last year and I wish you a welcome. For the new students coming here this year, we all give you a warm welcome and wish you well in the following days to come. Make good friends, learn new things, and most importantly, do great things. I hope that I do not need to interfere with any problems as our teachers will deal with it accordingly. Just know, we will be paying attention.” Wooyoung and you shared a nervous look.

“For now, we feast!” Little fairies delivered the food to the table. Immediately, you recognized them as brownies. They are house fairies that live to clean as love dishes of cream. You loved the brownie that resides at your grandparents’ house. His name was Hayelam and he was the nicest creature you had ever met. At night when everyone was supposed to be asleep, you’d sneak out and leave a bowl of warm cream on the counter. It was a ritual and you couldn’t go to sleep without doing it. Maybe you could sneak some for them. Without thinking, you grabbed some cream. “Are you going to make whipped cream for this delicious pecan pie?” Wooyoung asked, causing you to look at him. “Ah no, habit. I’m going to heat it up somehow for the brownies.” “Brownies? Where?” You giggled at Wooyoung looking for actual brownies. “The house-elves silly. They love warm cream.”

Taking out your wand, you attempted to do a simple heat spell but it didn’t work. Neither did the next six tries. “Let me try.” How would he be able to do it? You watched in amazement as the metal bowl in his hands turned a soft red causing the cream to simmer a little. “Woah!” The cream was still hot when he set it down onto the table. “I’m a descendent of a fire fairy.” “I guess you could say that you’re hot.” Normally, San would give you a dirty look for your puns but Wooyoung loved it. Although he was laughing, he was dying inside from embarrassment. “Let’s dig in!” You exclaimed, grabbing a turkey leg and taking a bite. San laughed at you from afar glad that you found someone to talk to. Don’t forget about me. Get out of my head, San. Looking up, you caught him pouting but after you gave him a smile, he cheered up.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“Mr.Song, would you be so kind as to answer this question on the board?” Your red-haired classmate stayed visibly slumped in his seat. He wasn’t the only one confused, you watched as Wooyoung got confused as well. Discreetly, you waved your wand and watched as the answer appeared on your seatmate’s notebook. Thank god that he saw it appear and reworded it. “In a sense, if you added blisterwort instead of chorus eggs then you would essentially get a toxic hair remover. Extremely dangerous if taken in as it acts as a poison as well. The victim would be dead within minutes.” “Very good, Mingi.” The teacher turned and continued on with her endless lecture. “Thank you,” Mingi whispered. “You’re welcome!” Your hushed voices caught the teacher’s attention and she was now standing in front of you. “What are you saying you’re welcome for?” Once again, Mingi froze up, you, on the other hand, were used to this pressure.

Thinking quickly of a lie, you responded calmly. “My seatmate asked me to help him with the things he doesn’t understand.” “Hmmm, all right. No more talking in my class.” The bell rang and the hallway became overfilled. “Wait up!” A hand on your shoulder made you jump. You turned and saw Mingi. He was taller than you thought, around 6’0. “Can you actually tutor me in alchemy?” “Sure. The defense room is empty around six.” He smiled and nodded. A different, smaller hand appeared on your shoulder except for this time, you recognized this hand. “San!” You were quick to hug him tight. “We have the next class together so I wanted to see if you wanted to walk with me and meet my new friend.” Playfully, you pinched him and pouted. “You’ve already replaced me?” “YOU REPLACED ME FIRST,” he whined. Mingi, who was still there, cleared his throat. “Oh yeah, San, this is Mingi, my classmate and friend. Mingi, this is San, my bestest friend in the entire world.

“What about me? I thought I was your bestest friend in the entire world and he was your BFF.” You giggled as you watched Wooyoung walk up still whining and complaining about your rejection. “Woo, of course, I love you. You two are my bestest friends in the whole wide world.” Once you introduced the two, Mingi went on his way while you, San, Wooyoung, and San’s friend whom you later learned was named Seonghwa, walked towards class. You watched as San waved bye to his newfound friend before walking into class with him and Wooyoung. In the middle of class, you watched as a 2nd-year student came in to get the teacher to break up a fight. “MR.OIEK! YEOSANG AND TJUM ARE FIGHTING RIGHT NOW.” “Lead the way, Hongjoong.” The class rushed towards the windows where there was a clear view of the courtyard.

Unfortunately, you got pushed out of the door during the madness and fell right into one of the boys. For a moment, the boys stopped and stared at you which let the teacher neutralize them. “Why are you out here Miss.____?” “I-I got pushed. Sorry, sir.” You hung your head in shame, not wanting to look into his intimidating eyes. Ignoring the pain in your wrist or the odd warm feeling on your lip, you stood up. “Yeosang, I trust that as a 2nd year you can show her to the nurse’s office.” “Yes sir.” When you started to protest, the boy gave you a look, the one your brothers gave you when you should shut up. Sighing, both of you started trekking towards the nurse’s office well aware of the fact that you’ll be missing the next class too. With Yeosang leading the way, you couldn’t help but take in his figure from behind.

“Right in here.” “I’m fine, I really don’t know why you are taking me to the nurse.” The look on Yeosang’s face made you question if you were losing your mind. “You are bleeding from a cut on your face and your wrist is sprained.” If that wasn’t convincing enough, the nurse told you the same thing. There wasn’t much she could do quickly so she gave you a concoction of herbs to help heal you. “Wait here for a few minutes so it can start working.” You nodded and watched as the old woman sauntered away, mahogany robes swishing with each step. As soon as the door shut, you turned to Yeosang who was forced to stay with you. He was entranced by something outside of the window, a bird perhaps. His features were vague but what stood out to you was a birthmark adorning his left eye. Your gaze traveled down his body, crossing over his arms and his black robe with a sapphire blue trim and down further. Underneath the undone robe, you caught sight of the pressed button-up with the top two undone showing the perfect amount of collarbone.

His gaze flickered towards you and you looked at your feet, avoiding the blush of the fact that he caught you when you were checking him out. “I saw that, you just checked me out.” A meek sorry was all that you could manage, your face ten times redder now that he called you out. Luck was on your side, the nurse returned and assessed the healing. She warned you not to strain your wrist too much until tomorrow. You agreed and followed Yeosang back to where lunch was being held. All through lunch, you couldn’t take your eyes off of the older boy and you completely ignored what Wooyoung was saying. It wasn’t until Yeosang caught your eye that you looked away, nodding to whatever Wooyoung was saying. You still threw him glances and at one point, you swore you saw him smile. Or smirk. Either way, you finally focused on Wooyoung and whatever he was saying.

Lunch ended and it was time for the next lesson. Fighting. For some reason, the school decided to do second years and first years together, something about the experience. The teacher, short and balding, partnering you up with a short boy, definitely a second year, about two inches taller. His casual laid back posture made him look superior despite the fact that you won every sparing round. “Petrificus Totalus!” You flicked your wand before he could blink and once again, he found himself bound, unable to move. “Very good work, Miss._____!” The boy, whom you later learned was named Hongjoong, congratulated you on doing well while pouting. You thought it was absolutely cute. The bell rang and you stayed behind. There was still a few hours before dinner and Mingi was supposed to meet you. A tall figure emerged behind you and then another.

“I hope you don’t mind, I brought a friend.” “Do they need tutoring too?” Mingi shook his head. “Great work at fighting today, Hongjoong couldn’t even raise his wand.” Mingi’s friend, who was as tall as him if not taller, sported black robes with an emerald green trim. Same as yours and you can’t fathom how you missed someone as tall as him roaming around the dorm. “I’m Yunho by the way.” His cute smile gave you puppy vibes and you forced the instinct to cuddle him away. Mingi introduced you quickly to move on through to alchemy. You couldn’t help but giggle when his potion failed and he screamed at it. “I DID YOU RIGHT! YOU JUST DON'T LIKE ME, DO YOU?” Eventually, you found yourself rolling on the floor laughing when Yunho had put a silencing hex on Mingi. Mingi continued to scream but nothing came out. “You only get your voice returned when you get a kiss on the cheek.” Mingi sheepishly looked at you and leaned closer. “Yunho…” He laughed and ended the hex. Mingi was taken aback at first but ultimately ended up laughing along. Maybe this year wouldn’t be so bad after all.

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Year two

Grey clouds rolled overhead signaling the start of another gloomy season. You, San, Wooyoung, Seonghwa, Mingi, Yunho, and Hongjoong trudged towards the train car that was to take you back to the academy. Surprisingly enough, you realized that the boys didn’t live that far from you. As summer rolled along, you and the six boys grew closer and of course, your brothers liked them too. Yeosang, you found, should’ve been in the emerald dorm but something got screwed up in the housing situation. The rumor got around that he was being switched back to the correct dorm though only time will tell. Although, it would be quite awkward. The seven of you were confused to find someone in your car already. A boy of a stronger build and brown hair sat by the window staring out of it. “Hello?” His head snapped towards you. “I’m sorry, am I in your area?” He was new, you could feel it, the newbie energy radiating off of him. You knew the others could too. “It’s okay! You can sit with us. I mean you’re new aren’t you?” Gosh, you love how kind Wooyoung is. He’s so sweet, you are surprised you don’t have a cavity. “Y-Yeah.” As you all settled in, the boy introduced himself as Jongho.

We introduced ourselves and soon got lost in laughter and conversation. “Did you see the new Deception: End Of Time game is coming out tomorrow?” Wooyoung asked. An abundance of yeahs and can’t waits filled the car in agreement. “You’ll love it. I did.” The boys looked at you in confusion. San laughed and nudged you. These people didn’t know you were one of the testers of the game let alone the daughter of the creator. “My mom runs that company and created those games. I test them out.” “You have to convince her to let us test some out too.” You giggled at Jongho’s enthusiasm. “Maybe during spring break. I know mom is working on a big game.” They cheered quietly. San a little more considering he’s done it before and knows the excitement of giving suggestions. It was also a bonus when the character he creates in the test is a character that gets added to the game and is already situated to his stats.

The ride to the school felt short. Jongho proved to be a perfect fit for your friend group. He sank back at the intensity of the school but you and your friends ushered him forwards. “Don’t worry! You’re only alone until they give you a dorm and there is at least one of us in each dorm.” The first year smiled and watched as you guys sat at your respected tables. It wasn’t that long of a wait considering his surname was a C. He quickly found that he got ruby dorm. It turns out for you that Yeosang and Yunho got mixed up therefore Yunho was with San and Yeosang got transferred into his rightful dorm. The headmaster made his welcoming speech before launching into an apology. “I’d like to wish a formal apology towards two-third years. I humbly ask for you to see this as a way to make new friends.”

You glanced over at Yeosang getting surrounded by a bunch of people welcoming him into the emerald dorm. His face looked panicked, clear that he was not used to all this attention. Wooyoung seemed to notice it too and felt for his hyung. “Yeosang, hyung! You can sit with us if you want.” He looked at the two of you, happy, ecstatic to see two faces he knew. A year ago, if someone would’ve told you that you’d be sitting with Kang Yeosang, you’d have laughed in their face. But here you are now, sitting face to face with the boy. His eyes met yours and you fell into a trance. “Earth to ______!” “Sorry, what were you saying?” Wooyoung repeated his words once again, not even bothered that you had zoned out once more. The bell rang and you jumped up, ready to head to the dorms, forgetting the tradition you and Wooyoung did every day last year. “Are we not going to heat up some cream for the brownies?” You turned and nodded sheepishly while grabbing a bowl of cream someone had left. Yeosang watched in amazement as Wooyoung's hands caused the liquid to bubble.

The following weeks of school consisted of review and having awkward run-ins with Yeosang. It wasn’t until your professor introduced teleportation to you that things got started. All second years had to learn how to use their magic and teleport from one place to another. And with most people, you initially aren’t the greatest when you start to learn something. For the next few days, you’ve practiced and practiced, only teleporting to the common room and back to your room. Unfortunately, the following day, you were going to be tested on your skills, and frankly, you could barely even make it out of your bedroom. This is how you found yourself at two in the morning on the roof of the mailroom trying to teleport from one end to the other.

You closed your eyes and imagined the other side and muttered some hopeful words that this would actually work. A quiet pop sounded and you opened your eyes to complete darkness. Trying to find your way out of wherever you were, you blindly walked around only stopping when you hit your ankle on something metal. The surface you fell on was a mix between hard and soft. A pained groan emitted from behind you causing you to let out a few choice words. In the midst of the rant, a light turned on and you caught Yeosang’s brown eyes boring into yours. “Well, this is most definitely not where I wanted to teleport, sorry for appearing in your bed at 2 in the morning.” The words lingered in the air and neither one of you moved. Maybe you should just give up and fail the test.

A sigh left Yeosang’s lips and he grabbed his wand. You watched curiously as he stood up and took a place beside you. “Hold my hand.” “H-Hold your what?” His hand grabbed yours and you felt the familiar swirly feeling that you got when you teleported. A cold breeze brushed your cheeks and you shivered realizing that you were back outside. “Why did you bring me here?” This was the first time, you actually went into the gym despite this being your second year. “I’ve been hearing from Wooyoung that you have a test tomorrow and I…I wanted to help you learn to teleport.” You wanted to hold Yeosang and treasure him forever but that would be quite awkward. “Okay then. What are we waiting for?”

Turns out that either you’re a great teleporter or Yeosang is a great teacher. You opted for Yeosang though because without him, you would’ve failed. In fact, you actually aced your test. The first one since the best friend test that you did with San in first grade. When the students were to return to the dorm, you waited excitedly with the little slip of paper in your hand. For the first time, Yeosang was late back to the dorm. He found you asleep on the couch beside Wooyoung who was doing his homework. “Hey, hyung!” “Hi, Wooyoung. Why is she asleep?” He asked, pointing to your form. “She wanted to show you that she aced her test and she waited and waited for you. I came out to keep her company but she fell asleep.” Yeosang carried you to your room and tucked you into your bed. He left a note with one of the post-its that he found on your desk along with your unfinished homework. He’ll apologize tomorrow for leaving you waiting for so long.

The knock on your door woke you up. When you opened your eyes, you saw the sunlight peeping in through the cloudy windows. “Rise and shine, angel. It’s almost time for class.” Shoot. Class. You rushed to get dressed only stopping momentarily to read the note attached to your now finished homework. ‘I’m sorry I kept you waiting, I had some things I had to do. Meet me on the rooftop tonight at midnight so we can celebrate your success. -Yeosang’ You shoved the paper and the note in your bag before running out to the common room. “Come on Woo! We’re going to be late for class.” You two rushed to the Alchemy classroom and took your assigned seats. A smile formed on your face as you saw your seatmate had already made it there. “Good morning, Sannie!” “Morning, Sunshine.” He smiled at your chirpiness and returned his attention to the homework he was rushing to finish.

The day buzzed by and midnight arrived quickly. Quietly, you teleported to the roof and saw Yeosang already sitting on the edge. “Such a pretty moon, isn’t it?” His question caught you off guard. Had he heard you arriving. “Yes, I suppose so.” “So I heard you aced your test for the first time. Glad I could help.” You took a seat next to him and sighed, watching your breath form a cloud in the chilly air. “Thank you. I can’t tell you how much you’ve helped me.” “I want to make a deal. For each test you ace, I’ll tell you something about me.” Yeosang is a mysterious person and plus you had so many questions about him. Why is he in the Emerald dorm? Favourite food? Cats or dogs? Why go to the academy? Why teach you? “For your first test, I’ll tell you what everyone wants to know. How am I in the ‘rich’ people dorm?”

He told you how his dad was a very famous doctor and his mother was a famous chef. His deal made you ace all your tests-with help from him of course- for the rest of the school year. By the time summer rolled around, you practically knew his entire life story, like how he loves the colors red and black or how much he treasures his drones. You knew that he vents by riding a skate board and he loves to play your mom’s videogames. His reaction was just like the other’s when you told him who your mom was. Yeosang demanded -more like pleaded but he won’t admit that- to meet your mom and praise her for her games. When you introduced him to the guys, they all welcomed him with open arms aside from Hongjoong and Seonghwa who were previously friends with him already.

------------------------------------------------------------

You walked around blindly, only stopping when you hit your ankle on something metal. The surface you fell on was a mix between hard and soft. A pained groan emitted from behind you causing you to let out a few choice words. In the midst of the rant, a light turned on and you caught Yeosang’s brown eyes boring into yours. “Well, this is most definitely not where I wanted to teleport, sorry for appearing in your bed at 2 in the morning.” The words lingered in the air and neither one of you moved. Maybe you should just give up and fail the test.

------------------------------------------------------------

𝙔𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚

Everything was the same as last summer except this time, Yeosang was involved. The same playful banters and video games nights proceeded as normal. The adventures and park dates continued. To them, Yeosang was just another family member, not an outsider. Everything was the same down to a T. The ten of you gathered on the train once again to head to yet another year at the academy. For you, it was the third year of your life but for the older three, it was the beginning of their last year at the academy. Four years is the total amount of schooling needed to be deemed okay enough to use magic on the streets. Although, some students head onto university to further their magic education or regular education depending on who you ask. If you asked your mom, she’d say something along the lines of it’s not her place but four years is way too short.

The dorm rooms were the same as usual, clean and tiny. It almost feels like home. You sighed and sat your bags on the bed and headed to the common room to spend some time with Wooyoung. When you got downstairs, he was sitting there staring at the fire. “Hey, Woo! Long time no see.” You joked around. He smiled and tackled you in a hug. “You saw me thirty minutes ago but it does feel like forever.” He squeezed you extra tight before letting go and returning to his original seat. He patted the seat indicating that he wanted you to sit so you did. The seat was slightly warmed by the heat of the fire. It was cozy and swallowed you into the cushion. “Wooyoung?” He hummed and turned his head towards, signaling that you had his attention. “What’s going to happen to the friend group now? I mean it’s Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho and Yeosang’s last year. Next year Mingi, San, you and I are graduating. And, Jongho will be last. I’m scared, Woo. I don’t want to lose us.”

His eyes softened and he ran his fingers through his hair which showcased his sad eyes. It was evident, he didn’t want to lose you and the guys either. Unbeknownst to you, from the staircase, Yeosang was heartbroken and his eyes threatening to spill tears. Before he came to this school, he was a nobody. A quiet kid who was good at school and had anxiety. He couldn’t make friends, it was impossible. Yeosang couldn’t stop embarrassing himself in front of his classmates. He had told you all this already after you aced your transformation test at the very end of the year. Your words on that night will forever play in his head as a way of remembering that he could make friends who loved him. “Yeosang-ah. I want you to know that if you ever need a friend, just call me and I’ll be there.” No way could he let you guys go. Back in reality, you cried silently into Wooyoung’s sweater. Yeosang had to control his own emotions before helping you, besides, Wooyoung looked like he was doing a good job.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

You hated Yeosang. You hated that he had you putty in his hands but was completely oblivious to it. Either you were going to confess or you were going to die. Those are your only two options until you told San and he suggested using a love potion. It seemed like a good idea at first but it soon became a fiasco. Neither one of you knew how to make a love potion, that was advanced stuff. Something Yunho would know. This is how you found yourself in the kitchen baking a ‘Love Cupcake” as the boys called it. “I don’t know if I’d be scared or honoured if a girl slipped me a love potion.” San pondered out loud to no one in particular. “I’d be scared.” “Yunho, you aren’t helping my mind.” He smiled and let out a quick ah as if he was going to say something. “This is the perfect thing for Yeosang. I’m tired of seeing you go for an oblivious idiot.”

The cupcake turned out messy and San ended up wearing more than half the icing due to a wrong cut to the tip of the bag. But all in all, you were pretty impressed with the look of the sweet pastry. The yellow cake topped with the light red icing was placed on a paper plate. You carefully held it and met up with the rest of the boys in the courtyard. “Yeosang! I have this for you. As a thank you.” Yeosang grabbed the cupcake and took a bite. He hummed in delight and watched you throw away the plate. “This is delicious. Thank you.” According to Yunho, once the item containing the potion is consumed, it will take up to twenty-four hours for it to set in. You mustered up the most innocent smile you could form. Now, you wait.

𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 passed and Yeosang was still acting the same as usual. No compliments, no flirting, no heart eyes. Maybe the potion was incorrect. Not possible, Yunho aced that class. Maybe, it didn’t work. It doesn’t hurt to ask the ‘Potion Master’ if something went wrong. “Three days passed and he’s still acting the same. Is it possible that it failed?” “No way. I’ve seen this work before. There’s no chance for it to go wrong.” Now you were forced to confess. Well, eventually. You turned to go back to your dorm to vent to your diary. “Hey, _____!” That smooth, deep voice set you off. You turned towards Yeosang and stomped up to him. “You-“ you forcefully poked him in the chest. “I slipped you a love potion but what the hell? You’re not even acting different.” You threw your hands up in the air in defeat at his confused look.

“Maybe, if you used your brain, you would’ve noticed a lot sooner that I like you.” Yeosang towered over you and watched as you stood in place dumbfounded. “Close your mouth princess, you’ll catch bugs.” “Y-You like me? Like, like like?” At this point, Yeosang was fed up with your obliviousness as hypocritical as it seems. “If it weren’t against the rules, I’d kiss you.” “Screw the rules!” The boys were cheering as you and Yeosang snuck a quick kiss. “Meet me on the roof tonight for our first date.” A smile appeared on your face and suddenly, you couldn’t wait for midnight to roll around. As excited you were for the night, it seems like mother time had other plans. The seconds seemed to pass by slow, almost as if each tick was an hour itself. Finally, midnight rolled around and you teleported to the roof to find Yeosang sitting on a blanket surrounded by a bunch of food. What a perfect first date for you.

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caught-in-a-seesaw-stigma · 4 years

Text

Map of the Soul, Chapter Three

For the @btswritingcafe‘s Map of the Soul: 7 Workshop

Pairings: OT7 x reader (kinda); Taehyung x reader, Yoongi x reader

Series Summary: If you give a piece of yourself to everyone you love, at some point, there will be nothing left for yourself. While feeling lost and alone in your adult life, a strange box falls onto your head in your own closet, and you take an unexpected walk down memory lane wondering where everything went wrong. Was it the romances that fizzled out, the friends & loved ones you left behind, the “what could’ve been” moments, the brush with Fate that never quite connected? Could the strange map you find have the answers you are looking for? Determined to feel complete once again, you embark on a journey to reclaim the missing pieces of your soul.

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Just a Smidgen of Smut

Word Count: 6k+

Warnings: cursing & vulgar language, sexual innuendos, mentions of previous sexual encounters, nerdy soulmate things, mentions of suicide, mentions of depression

Chapter Three: The Beautiful Music We Used to Make

March 19th, 6:27pm

“Tae, I need an opinion,” you shouted from the bowels of your closet. “Can you come here a minute?”

You were digging through your unbelievably small collection of cocktail dresses trying to pick out something professional, but still flattering. There was no way you were going to attend this event without looking your absolute best. You already had the most gorgeous plus one ever, but it would take more than the great Kim Taehyung to make you feel confident in the presence of your ex-fiancé.

Min Yoongi.

You tried in vain for many years to forget about your failed engagement to him, but it haunted you nonetheless. Case in point, this fancy university function to honor Min Yoongi for his recent contributions to the Music and Performing Arts Department. Because of his generous donations, they were able to purchase a new grand piano and upgrade the stage and orchestra pit in the auditorium.

I guess becoming a successful musician is worth ending a five year relationship after all.

You swallowed the bitter thoughts and pulled another dress off the rack. Taehyung popped into your closet and actually felt the angst seeping out of your pores, and it aggravated him to no end. The breakup with Yoongi almost broke you, and Taehyung did his best to keep you in one piece. It was difficult from afar, but he managed to keep you focused on school and other things until you were healed enough to move on.

He hated that Yoongi kept slipping back into your life, and he wasn’t about to let this opportunity to confront the guy pass him by. He’d insisted on accompanying you to the event, and he intended to put every other man in the room to shame with his charm and good looks, including Min fucking Yoongi.

Taehyung took in the desperation mounting on your face and he decided to step in and help the damsel in distress before him.

Prince Taehyung to the rescue!

“Ttalgi,” he said softly. “Get your shoes on. We aren’t going to find what you need here. For an event like this, you need something special. Come on, let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” you pouted. “It’s already 6:30, Tae. Where could we possibly go at this hour to find clothes?”

“Omela’s, of course,” he grinned. “Where else?”

March 19th, 7:07pm

“That one,” Taehyung breathed out sharply. “It’s perfect.”

You glanced down at the glittering black gown you were wearing and you pursed your lips doubtfully. You’d tried on at least three other dresses, but for some reason, Taehyung was convinced this dress was the winner.

It was beautiful, you had to admit. The slinky material was accented with delicate beadwork and sequined appliques which wrapped up one side of your body and dipped down the other. The slit across your thigh was just revealing enough to still be in good taste. The halter top was a little dated, but Taehyung argued that vintage looks never go out of style.

You turned back around to face the mirror and your gaze met Taehyung’s in the reflection. The confidence etched across his features calmed your anxiety little by little. You twisted back and forth to inspect the different angles of your body and you had to admit, the dress looked pretty good on you.

“Oh, you look gorgeous, honey,” a sweet voice piped up from the racks. “Absolutely beautiful.”

You and Taehyung looked out across the cozy vintage stores and saw a lilac bun of hair bobbing between the aisles of clothing. Omela’s was a jewel of a store located just beyond the hustle and bustle of downtown. The big display windows housed a hodgepodge of mannequins adorned with eclectic vintage clothing from many different decades.

Ms. Omela herself was the very definition of eclectic, always dressed in mismatched clothing from various different styles. She just wore whatever made her happy, and Taehyung absolutely adored her. You stopped in when you could, if only to say hello to the bouncing ball of sweetness that was Ms. Omela. She emerged from between two racks of clothing carrying two more dresses, but when she saw you, she set them aside.

“Now that’s the one, isn’t it?” Ms. Omela sighed happily. “Oh, Taehyungie, isn’t she just a vision?”

“She certainly is, 아줌마 (ajumma/auntie),” Taehyung breathed out, his eyes boring into yours in the reflection.

“Thank you, Ms. Omela,” you replied sweetly. “I’m so glad you were still open. I didn’t realize I needed something this fancy until this afternoon. Bless you.”

“You know I’m always here, honey,” she cooed. “Besides, it’s always a treat when I get to see my favorite customer.”

She leaned over to pinch Taehyung’s cheeks and he blushed under her praise. The old woman had a soft spot for him, and he worshiped her. His love of vintage clothing was kindled in this very store on one of his visits to see you when you were both still in college. He’d seen a shirt in the window and once he got to the second rack in the store, he was hooked. They’d become fast friends and she never hesitated to set items aside for him, knowing that he’d love whatever she found.

“By the way, Taehyungie,” she remembered. “I have a few things you should look at.”

She disappeared through another set of clothing racks and made her way to the back of the store, and Taehyung stepped forward to pull you into a back hug. You both looked at each other in the long mirror and you leaned your head against his broad chest.

“So this dress, huh?” you murmured. “You really think this is the one?”

“Totally,” he replied while placing a kiss on your exposed shoulder. “You look stunning, babe. I can’t wait to see his face when you step in the room.”

“I’m not ready to see him,” you whined slightly. “It’s been almost 10 years, Tae.”

“I’ll be right there with you,” he assured you with a kiss to your temple. “Don’t worry. We just need to figure out which item is his.”

“It’s probably the kazoo,” you scoffed. “You know Yoongi and his musical instruments.”

Ms. Omela waddled back in with a large duffel bag. Taehyung stepped forward to take it from her and she patted his cheek lovingly. You smiled and stepped back into the dressing room to change out of the dress. By the time you exited, Taehyung was already in the room next to yours trying on the clothes she’d brought him.

“I can’t believe you still have this shop open, Ms. Omela,” you grinned. “How do you manage to collect all this amazing clothing?”

“My son, gods bless him, is to thank for my success,” Ms. Omela frowned. “Sometimes I think that he suffers through his terrible corporate job just to keep me happy. Ever since his father died, he’s made every effort to keep the shop open for me. I keep telling him that we should just walk away and let it close, but he refuses to let my utopia die.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” you said. “You’re lucky to have such a devoted son.”

“I really am,” she sighed sadly. “Thank you for saying so, sweetheart. You know, Taehyung reminds me of him so much. Maybe that’s why I love to see his smiling face.”

You smiled earnestly at her and thought of the joy Taehyung brought into other people’s worlds. There really was no limit to the golden effect he had on them.

“Ms. Omela, I think I’m going to take this dress,” you told her. “Do you have any accessories that would go with it?”

“Of course, dear,” she squealed. “I always have accessories for every occasion.”

She wandered off to gather up some items for you to peruse. You could see her small hands reaching up and pulling items from shelves and baskets throughout the store, and you couldn’t resist smiling at her enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Taehyung emerged from the dressing room in a deep green suit with golden accents. The matching silk shirt underneath made his caramel skin glow in the shop’s soft lighting.

“Wow,” you gasped. “You look amazing, Tae.”

Taehyung struck a pose and flipped his hair out of his eyes dramatically. When he shifted his eyes to meet your own, he smirked and lifted a flirty eyebrow at you. You rolled your eyes in faux annoyance and smiled at him. The man could probably make an old paper bag look good.

“Oh, Taehyungie,” Ms. Omela cried out from somewhere in the shop. “You look divine, my love.”

“Thank you, ajumma,” he called out. “You always know what will look good on me.”

She emerged from behind a large rack of coats with a small basket full of glittering goodies, which she handed to you before stepping forward to get a better look at Taehyung.

“I knew that suit was for you,” she breathed out happily. “The moment it came in, I set it aside, knowing you’d come back in for it. I’m so happy you like it, sweetheart.”

After selecting a beaded clutch and matching jewelry, you and Taehyung bid Ms. Omela goodbye, promising to stop back into the shop before he left town. You noted that Taehyung was also sporting a few more bracelets on his wrist that weren’t there before. The woman spoiled him rotten.

Spoiled brat. Gotta love him though.

March 20th, 5:47pm

“Stop messing with your dress, ttalgi,” Taehyung commanded. “You’re going to ruin the beading if you keep twisting it like that.”

You couldn’t help it. You’d only been in the university ballroom for ten minutes, and you were already a nervous wreck. Everyone was automatically charmed by Taehyung, and you were happy that the attention was on him and not you. You just couldn’t get your mind off of Yoongi and his imminent arrival.

This was a bad idea.

You had strategically placed the five unclaimed items in your clutch along with your wallet, phone, and lipstick. It was an odd assortment, but you had a feeling that you would be leaving without one of the items tonight. The conversation in the room suddenly rose in volume and your heart dropped in the opposite direction.

“There he is,” you whispered unknowingly at Taehyung, who immediately scowled at the entrance.

“Min fucking Yoongi,” he growled. “I should wipe that fucking smile off his face.”

You released a shaky exhale as you took in the overall appearance of your ex-fiancé. He looked glorious in his crisp black suit and silky ash gray hair. He was accompanied by a bodyguard and his manager, and he made his way through the room shaking hands with the administration and meeting other important figures from the university.

“Damn,” you muttered sharply. “Why does he have to look so good?”

“You look better,” Taehyung insisted. “No one can compare to you right now, babe.”

You nodded at his comment, but it lacked conviction. You were entranced by Yoongi’s subtle grace and the enigmatic smile he gave everyone in the room. It wasn’t a big smile, just a slight pull on the corners of his lips. It was his polite smile, his professional smile. Only a few people ever saw his real smile.

I used to be one of those people.

The president of the university stepped up to the podium and properly introduced Yoongi, citing all of the wonderful contributions he’d made to the university over the years. Yoongi stepped forward and spoke a few words to the crowd, but his composure slipped slightly when he locked eyes with you from across the room. Taehyung must have noticed because he chose that moment to slip his arms around your waist and lean his chin on your bare shoulder.

“Yeah, he saw you,” Taehyung gloated, while kissing your shoulder. “How could he not when you look this incredible, babe?”

“Tae,” you hissed quietly. “Stop.”

“No way, babe,” he chuckled darkly. “If you want to talk to him, this is the best way to get his attention.”

The speech ended, the applause resounded, and everyone was encouraged to enjoy the open bar and hor d’oeuvres.

“I’ll be right back,” Taehyung suddenly announced. “Meet me on the balcony in a few minutes. I want to take in that amazing view with my lovely soulmate before we head out for the night.”

With that, Taehyung wandered off, leaving you alone at the table. You grabbed your drink and made your way onto the large balcony overlooking the city. The twinkling lights were indeed breathtaking, and you released an airy sigh as you focused on the horizon point between the city and the night sky.

You leaned on the ornate metal railing and swept your gaze across the dazzling view. From this perspective, you saw beyond the subdued university buildings and the monotonous drone of academia. The landscape dipped and revealed the lush wooded area surrounding the university grounds. Just past the trees, the horizon was speckled with multicolored lights from the rest of the town. Your entire field of vision was consumed by the twinkling lights, resembling an intricate galaxy of stars.

The gentle breeze whisked across the balcony, ruffling your curls away from your shoulders. You closed your eyes and leaned into the calming zephyr, hoping it would sweep away the anxiety building in your gut. You couldn’t understand how the tension on the balcony felt stifling, but it was steadily growing with each passing moment.

“Hey, stranger,” said a deep voice behind you. “Long time, no see.”

Yoongi.

That voice was unmistakable. The gravelly rumble, the delicate timbre, the playful bounce of his words crushing you under a mountain of anxiety. What exactly do you say to someone you once saw as your happily ever after?

He pulled up on the railing next to you and let out a breath full of an emotion you couldn’t quite place. You turned slightly to look at him and immediately regretted that decision. As soon as his eyes caught your own, he unleashed a devastating gummy smile which made your knees weak.

How does he do that every time?

“Can I just say that you look amazing in that dress?” he grinned. “I don’t know where you got it, but it suits you perfectly.”

“Thanks,” you grumbled. “Taehyung picked it out.”

His expression shifted to annoyed at the mention of your soulmate. The two of them never really got along, but they put up with each other for your sake. Now that you and Yoongi weren’t together, there was no hiding the displeasure in either of their eyes.

“Ah, yes,” Yoongi scoffed, scrunching his nose slightly. “The infamous soulmate. I remember. I guess it makes sense that you ended up together. I never could compete with that asshole.”

“Yoongi,” you admonished. “It was never a competition. Tae and I aren’t together like that. We never have been.”

“So you say,” he muttered coolly. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous right now.”

“Of what?” you snapped. “You have nothing to be jealous of, Yoongi.”

He nodded at that, then turned to look out across the landscape. After a few moments of awkward silence, you decided to broach the topic of the evening.

“So,” you started simply. “How have you been, Yoongi? I know you’re doing well career-wise, obviously. But what about everything else?”

He smiled softly and let out a sigh.

“Always concerned about me,” he chuckled. “I always loved that about you. You never hesitated to think about my well-being.”

“Someone had to,” you challenged. “You were always so focused on music, you would forget to take care of yourself. I worried about you. I still do, if I’m being honest.”

“You do?” quipped playfully. “Why is that, pretty girl?”

You buckled slightly under the pet name he used to call you, but you were determined to address the issue at hand before you lost your nerve.

“Because despite everything that happened between us, I still care about you, Yoongi,” you admitted freely. “I will always care about you, even if you don’t feel the same way.”

His grin evaporated at that, and he furrowed his brows slightly. With a huff, he reached over and put his hand on your waist to pull you closer. Your breath caught in your throat at the proximity, and you released a small gasp as he leaned forward to rub his nose against yours.

“It was never about that,” Yoongi murmured quietly. “I always cared about you. I still do. I just couldn’t give you what you wanted, what you deserved.”

You trembled slightly as his fingertips wandered up and down your sides tracing over the curve of your hip and then up to the swell of your breast. Your resolve was weakening under his expert touch, and why wouldn’t it? The man knew every inch of your body and knew exactly what buttons to push to turn you into a whimpering mess.

“Yoongi,” you whined softly. “Please don’t do this to me.”

“Do what?” he teased lightly. “I’m not doing anything to you...yet.”

You reached up and stopped his hand from moving any further. You couldn’t allow Yoongi to ruin you yet again with his touches. You’d come too far and there was no way you were regressing back into the mess you used to be.

That’s over for me now. I’ve moved on.

“I can’t let you do this to me again, Yoongi,” you explained firmly. “The last time I did, it almost broke me completely. I won’t put myself through that hell again.”

His face softened and he nodded in understanding. He reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear and noted the glossiness of your eyes. He winced slightly and you saw him gulp in response.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I really am. I wish I could be the man you want me to be. I just can’t. Not when I’ve come this far.”

“I know,” you replied softly, reaching out to hold onto one of his belt loops. “I’m really proud of you, you know? You’ve done some amazing things with your music.”

“Thank you,” he smiled genuinely. “That means a lot coming from you.”

You hesitated, but felt like you needed to say one more thing before you lost your nerve.

“He’d be proud too, y’know,” you ventured. “If he was still here, he’d be over the moon for your music.”

Yoongi stiffened against you and let out a huff of warm air. He knew what you were talking about, but you couldn’t tell whether he was comfortable talking about it. He pulled away slightly and your heart broke when you saw his glistening eyes.

Oh no. I’ve gone too far.

While you were both still in college and still figuring out what your futures would be, Yoongi’s best friend was involved in a horrible car accident which left him partially paralyzed from the neck down. They’d both been music performance/production majors: Yoongi, the pianist and his best friend Dae, the percussionist. After the accident, Dae fell into a deep depression knowing he’d never be able to play an instrument properly again. He tried to regain his strength through physical therapy, but in the end, his desire to make music just died along with his desire to live. After a year of despair, frustration, and overwhelming anger, Yoongi found Dae in bed, overdosed on his own sleeping pills.

Needless to say, the whole thing wrecked Yoongi. You stayed by his side, trying to ease the pain of his loss, but it didn’t do any good. Yoongi withdrew into his work, determined to succeed at music, no matter the cost.

You suddenly remembered what Yoongi was always telling you when you begged him to take a break.

I can’t take a break right now, pretty girl. I don’t have a second to waste. I need to do this before I can’t anymore.

Yoongi cleared his throat and shook off the discomfort at the mention of Dae. You thought Yoongi might be retreating again, which you couldn’t blame him for. Dae would always be a tender point of discussion, and you felt bad for even bringing him up. You started to pull away, but he reached forward and grabbed your hand, entwining his fingers with your own. He pulled your hand closer to his lips and placed a gentle kiss against it.

“You’re right,” he sighed heavily. “Dae would probably be talking shit about the stuff I’m writing now, but he’d still like it. He was a bastard sometimes, but a supportive bastard nonetheless.”

You both chuckled at that, and then you settled into another moment of silence. Yoongi was one to break the silence this time.

“I’m sorry,” he pouted. “I was fucking horrible to you after Dae passed. You didn’t deserve that, especially from me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was slipping away from me. There was just this big black shadow following me around and it didn’t matter where I went or who I was with, I couldn’t get rid of it.”

“It’s ok, Yoongi,” you soothed. “You were in a lot of pain. I just wanted to be there for you.”

“I know,” he admitted sheepishly. “But it was definitely not ok. You were so patient and loving and I treated you like shit. I neglected the one person who was trying to make me happy in the midst of all that pain and angst. We just kept going back and forth and I figured it was better to stop everything before I ruined your life completely. It was a shitty thing to do, and I should’ve been a better person for you.”

“You’re better now,” you reminded him. “Are you happy with your life, Yoongi?”

He looked you in the eye and gave you a lopsided smile. You knew that smile. It was the smile he gave people when he wanted them to believe that he was fine when he really wasn’t. You weren’t falling for it, and he knew it. He rolled his eyes at you, knowing that you were calling his bluff.

“I’m not unhappy,” he admitted. “I love my job, and I love the freedom that comes along with it. It does get a little lonely sometimes, but I deal. The hardest part is dealing with writer’s block. I’m actually in the middle of a block right now.”

“You? Blocked?” you teased. “The unstoppable writing machine is blocked? How is that possible?”

“Don’t tease me,” he whined cutely. “It’s a serious condition. I have a deadline coming up and I’m just stuck. Nothing sounds right and my mind just goes blank when I try to put beats together. It’s so frustrating.”

“I know,” you agreed. “Remember what Dae would do when you got stuck? He’d start banging on everything in the studio trying to inspire you. A random smack of a chair or the reverb off of the cabinets would catch your attention and then you were off and running like a madman.”

You both cracked up at the memory. Yoongi flashed another gummy smile at you and you felt blessed to be in its presence.

“I remember,” he chortled. “There was even that stupid purple kazoo he brought in once. He swore that even though he didn’t play a wind instrument, he could still outplay everyone in the building.”

You froze as he guffawed at the ridiculousness.

Purple kazoo!

Yoongi caught on to your sudden stiff posture and the panicked look in your eyes.

“Hey, what’s wrong, pretty girl?” he asked, eyes full of concern. “Was it something I said?”

You flashed him a look and tried to swallow, but your throat was inexplicably dry. You gulped down the rest of your drink and set the glass aside on a side table on the patio.

“Stay here,” you pleaded. “I have to show you something, but it’s in my purse. I’ll be right back.”

“Ok, I’ll wait right here,” he agreed, although still concerned about your shift in demeanor. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yes, I promise,” you replied shakily. “Just wait, give me a minute.”

You rushed back inside and grabbed your clutch. Taehyung was talking up your friend Gina in the corner, so you dashed back to the balcony without a second thought. Once you reached Yoongi, you thought it prudent to explain yourself.

“So, I have absolutely no way of explaining this, so please don’t freak out,” you prompted. “I found this in a box in my apartment, and I didn’t know it belonged to you until just now.”

You opened your purse and pulled out the purple kazoo. Yoongi’s eyes lit up with recognition and his jaw dropped.

“What the,” he sputtered. “Why do you have Dae’s kazoo? Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for that?!”

“I don’t know,” you admitted. “Like I said, I have absolutely no idea where it came from or how it came to be in my possession, but here it is.”

You handed him the kazoo and he took it gingerly from your fingers and just held it, his face full of wonder and disbelief. His eyes watered as he looked at it, and you tried to soothe him by rubbing his arms.

“This is the last thing Dae ever gave me,” Yoongi explained. “He’d left it in my studio and I took it to his apartment the night before he...the night before he-”

The words caught in his throat and he took a deep breath to combat the onslaught of tears pushing at the back of his eyes. You pulled him into a gentle hug, hoping to assuage his grief, if even a little.

“We talked for hours that night,” Yoongi croaked into your shoulder. “He even played on this stupid thing for me. Before I left, he handed it over and said I should record some kazoo for my next track. He said it would be the next big thing in hip hop.”

You continued to rub soothing circles on his back, but Yoongi just kept trembling in your arms. If you’d known how emotional this whole thing was going to be, you would’ve waited until you weren’t around crowds of people to unveil this sensitive information. Yoongi took a deep shaking breath and shuddered against you. He clutched at your back briefly and then slowly pulled away from your grasp. He pulled the silver pocket square out of his lapel and wiped the tears from his face.

“I’m sorry, Yoongi,” you murmured softly. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just realized what it was when you mentioned it, and I thought you would want it.”

“I do,” he sniffled. “I don’t know why you ended up with it, but I’m glad you were able to bring it back to me. Thank you, pretty girl.”

“Don’t mention it,” you smiled. “I’m happy to help.”

“I just wish I had something to give you in return,” he sighed. “But I don’t have any-”

Yoongi suddenly paused and cocked his head sideways at you with a perplexed look on his face. He pulled up his sleeve and undid the cuff links holding his shirt together. He unveiled a bracelet of red silk thread woven around a silver eternity symbol. He pulled the adjustable strings to loosen it and then slid it off his wrist.

“I found this in my accessories collection the other day and I’ve been compelled to wear it every day,” he told you. “I don’t know where it came from, but every time I look at it, I’ve thought about you. It’s the strangest thing.”

He pulled your wrist up and adjusted the strings so the bracelet fit snugly against your wrist. He grinned at the sight and pulled your wrist to his lips.

“It suits you,” he murmured against your wrist. “It’s like it was made for you, pretty girl.”

Your cheeks were dusted pink at his words, but you returned his smile anyway. His eyes traced over your face as though searching for the answer to a question he had yet to ask.

“I can never apologize enough for what happened between us,” he proclaimed. “But just know that there is not one day that goes by where I don’t think about you. I know I made my music career a priority, but that was only because I was afraid of losing it like Dae. If the tables had been turned and I was the one who had ended up in his position, I don’t know if I would’ve survived either. Music is everything to me, and the thought of losing that terrifies me, even now.”

“I understand,” you sighed out sadly. “I just wish that losing me scared you just as much. Our relationship suffered because of that fear. I was ready to spend the rest of my life with you, Yoongi. It just sucks that you didn’t want the same thing with me.”

His hand twitched against yours and he seemed to hesitate for some reason. He suddenly released a huff of breath and licked his lips.

“Fuck it,” he whispered.

Yoongi leaned forward and captured your lips with his own. The Universe stood still for a moment and you melted against his chest. The kiss wasn’t harsh, but just firm enough to give you butterflies and make your knees weak. You leaned into the kiss and pushed back just enough to elicit a needy hum from Yoongi.

You parted your lips and you felt Yoongi’s tongue sprint forward into your mouth, taking complete control of the kiss. The heat levels increased between you, and your mind flailed uselessly against the magnetic pull of Min Yoongi. Awash in a torrent of longing and nostalgia, the two of you sunk into an all too familiar passionate embrace. He pulled away from your lips, too soon, and leaned his forehead against your own.

“Music may be my first love,” he admitted openly while sinking his fingers into your hair possessively. “But I swear you will always be my last. No one will ever compare to you, pretty girl. Many have tried, but none of them even come close to you. If I couldn’t make a relationship work with you, then there is absolutely no hope for anyone else. I would rather go the rest of my life loving you from afar than trying to fake it with someone else.”

“Yoongi,” you gasped. “Please don’t say that. That sounds so lonely. I don’t want to think about you being all alone. It hurts my heart to hear that.”

“I’m not alone, pretty girl,” he assured you. “I have my music, and let’s be honest. With my busy schedule, a relationship isn’t going to be a real possibility for a very long time. I have no intention of slowing down any time soon. I’ll worry about that when the time comes. Until then, I have my memories of you to keep me smiling every day.”

He reached down and pulled your wrist up to run his fingers across the infinity bracelet. You watched as he traced out the never ending loop over and over again.

“That’s what this is, pretty girl,” Yoongi murmured softly. “Let this be a reminder that no matter what, my love for you is infinite. The memories of what we shared will always be a comfort to me, even when darkness falls.”

“How can that be enough?” you insisted. “They’re just memories, Yoongi.”

“Hey,” he said while reaching up to hold your face between his glorious hands. “Just knowing that you don’t hate me and that you still care about me is more than enough for now. I promise that if I ever need more than that, I will be giving you a call. Not as an ex, but as a friend. Before anything else, we were friends. I’d like that to still be true, if you’re willing.”

“Of course,” you breathed out in relief. “I would love that.”

You wrapped your arms around Yoongi’s neck and he returned your tender embrace. You both sighed out happily, and then you heard approaching footsteps menacing across the balcony.

“Well, well, well,” Taehyung drawled. “If it isn’t Min fucking Yoongi, my old nemesis.”

“Kim Elizabeth Taehyung,” Yoongi gloated cheekily as he turned to face him. “Still with a flair for the dramatic, I see.”

“Hey,” Taehyung shot back angrily as he pointed a long finger at you. “Only she gets to call me by that name. That is a soulmate trademarked nickname.”

“Ah yes, how could I forget?” Yoongi teased. “My pretty girl and her annoying soulmate, always joined at the hip, even from far, far away.”

“She isn’t your pretty girl anymore,” Taehyung reminded him. “You lost those privileges a long time ago, or don’t you remember breaking that pretty girl’s heart into a thousand pieces?”

Yoongi winced at that, but you rubbed his arm reassuringly. You glared at Taehyung who only smirked back at you triumphantly. He noticed your sudden tenderness toward Yoongi and his smirk morphed into a confused pout.

“That’s enough, Tae,” you announced. “Yoongi is not my enemy, nor is he yours. Back off.”

Taehyung recoiled slightly and ruffled his hair, trying to shake the confusion out of his curling tendrils. He shifted his weight to his other leg and looked Yoongi up and down, as if to assess any changes or hidden transformations he’d missed earlier. With narrowed eyes and a brief lift of his chin, Taehyung glanced back to your softened gaze.

“We don’t hate him anymore?” Taehyung questioned carefully. “Are you sure?”

You leaned over to kiss Yoongi on the cheek, drawing a flash of red across his cheeks and ears. You grinned at his embarrassment and shook your head at Taehyung as his jaw literally dropped in astonishment.

“No, we don’t hate him anymore, Tae,” you continued. “We’re good.”

“Oh, thank the gods,” Taehyung breathed. “Finally.”

Much to your surprise, Taehyung stepped forward and took Yoongi’s hand in his own. Taehyung’s boxy grin made an appearance as he shook Yoongi’s hand and started talking a mile a minute. Yoongi went into mini panic mode with Taehyung’s abrupt advance into his personal space and he shot you a questioning look. You just shrugged.

“Can I just say that your last album was fucking incredible?” Taehyung blabbed. “I mean, your beats are fire, man, and don’t even get me started on those lyrics you write.”

“U-umm, thanks, man,” Yoongi stuttered. “I worked really hard on them.”

“We totally need to hang out sometime and just shoot the shit, y’know?” Taehyung persisted. “I would love to sit down and just watch you work. I bet it’s amazing.”

A deep voice broke up the love fest erupting all over Yoongi.

“Mr. Min,” his bodyguard announced unceremoniously. “It’s time to go. We have that flight in the morning, sir.”

“Yeah, ok, I’m going,” Yoongi assured him. “Just give me a second.”

You and Taehyung both looked at Yoongi and giggled at the awkward tension that dispersed now that the guard had intruded on Taehyung's moment of fawning over your ex.

“I gotta go,” Yoongi shrugged, while handing both you and Taehyung his business card. “But let’s catch up when I get back. I have to do a small promo tour over the next few weeks, but I’d love to get dinner with you guys when I get back.”

“Oh, I can’t,” Taehyung pouted. “I don’t actually live here right now. But hey, if you ever need a new marketing guy, let me know. I would quit my job in a second to work with you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Kim,” Yoongi chuckled, shaking Taehyung’s hand again. “Do me a favor and take care of this pretty girl for me. I know she’ll be in good hands if she’s with you.”

“Of course,” Taehyung breathed out. “It’s my mission in life to keep her safe and happy.”

“Then she’s lucky to have you,” Yoongi said with a grin. “Very lucky, indeed.”

He turned to face you and you couldn’t resist the puppy dog look on his face. You leaned over and offered him one last kiss on his pouty lips.

“I’ll be fine,” you told him sweetly. “We’re fine. Go on and break through that mental block of yours. I’m sure you’ll figure it out before you know it.”

He pulled the kazoo out of his pocket and unleashed yet another gummy smile.

“Now that I have this,” he mused. “I’m sure something will come to me. Thank you. I mean it.”

After giving you one last gummy smile, he turned away and walked over to his bodyguard, leaving both you and Taehyung on the balcony. Taehyung put his arm around you and leaned his head on yours, deep in thought.

“Everything went well, I’m assuming,” Taehyung casually commented. “You both seem to be in a good place now, better than you were before at least.”

“Yeah,” you agreed. “Better than you anyway. What was with that full blown fanboy you busted out on him? Stan much, Tae-bear?”

“Come on, ttalgi,” he retorted. “The man is a musical genius. You cannot deny the man’s talent. I would be remiss not to recognize and respect the full power of Min fucking Yoongi.”

“Are you ever going to stop calling him that?” you giggled.

“Never,” he proclaimed. “That will always and forever be his name. Now, I say we take this party elsewhere. You look too damn good in that dress to waste away in your apartment.”

“Fine,” you sighed. “What did you have in mind?”

“Bar?” he suggested. “With karaoke? I’m buying.”

“Who could say no to that?” you gushed. “Lead the way, Elizabeth.”

You linked your arm in Taehyung’s and made your way out of the ballroom, your steps a little lighter than they were before.

Another successful exchange, Universe. Keep them coming.

Author’s Note: Man, I love me some Min fucking Yoongi. This was a shorter chapter, but it doesn’t diminish the impact on the rest of the story. We’re getting into the heart of the adventure, y’all. I hope everyone is ready to jump into the next chapter. KARAOKE WITH TAE!! Let me know how you’re liking the story so far. Until next time!

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

Chapter Two: Soulmates are a Forever Kind of Thing

NEXT CHAPTER

Chapter Four: Just Filter Out the Bad, Keep the Good

MAP OF THE SOUL MASTERLIST

@caught-in-a-seesaw-stigma‘s MASTERLIST

#btswritingcafe #map of the soul #bts series #bts fic #bts fanfic #BTS au #bts angst #bts fluff #bts smut #kim taehyung #min yoongi

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gharashambles · 4 years

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The Last of Us II [pt 1]

I’m just going to put all my The Last of Us ramblings on this one main post and pin this in case anybody wants to see what I’m up to later, just so I don’t clog up anybody’s dash. This seems like the better option.

[IMAGE HEAVY COME HEAR YOUR ROUTER SCREAM]

Joel: I saved her. internally uglysobbing and I’d do it again and again sorry humanity I’ll miss you

This game is even more gorgeous than the first

Seeing spraypainted warnings like ‘Will shoot trespassers’ always spooks me because we know damn well people will shoot trespassers at the first opportunity

Your compound has giant sturdy gates but you’re... letting them sit wide open? Interesting strategy!

Ellie owns the last functional lava lamp of humanity

I didn’t buy this game with the expectation that I’d be composing a bitchin’ guitar solo but here we are

Ellie I’m giving you this geetarr with the caveat that you can never ever play anything sad on it don’t make me regret this

Jesse made me dislike him and instantly made me love him I’ve got fucking whiplash, we love a dead-pan delivery

Ellie = weaboo confirmed

She also likes space and futurism, this makes me so sad

Thank goodness this place is a well stocked and secure utopia and nothing bad will ever happen here

There is no choice involved here. If there is a prompt, you must pet the dog

I refuse to believe they’d have a tannery in the city center that stuff smells fuckawful but then again limited space so guess what we’re all stinky now

I can already see The Tipsy Bison is where all the shit goes down here

This bar’s dress code is Puffy vests, denim and plaid. LOVE. IT.

Don’t need your homophobia sandwiches motherfucker

It’s at this point I decided to link my twitter. Out of all the places that made it this far past civilization’s collapse I’m glad this one made it.

Cute~

“I hate this kid so much.” “You wanna fuck him up?” Dina rules hets drool

Which one is Green Boots?

The perk is me

Ellie’s all shall we thankfully Dina’s like we shan’t

Her horse is named Japan what’d I tell ya

Young lesbian struggles to flirt

This is adorable but sad

[Flips over letter] SYKE it’s 100% gutwrenching

I just enjoy going through houses and stockpiling all the random pills. Are they for blood pressure? Is it an aspirin? Is it a boner pill? Who knows [Tosses them all down the gullet] Let’s find out together

And here we flippin’ GO pls hold my hand Dina

We can stealth kill clickers now without needing a shiv, just Ellie’s switchblade and I’m blissing

Dina help me carry back this souvenir for Joel?

Random thought: Love playing an LGBT+ char that’s not sexualized in any way. She’s just my little plaid gremlin and I would burn the world for her safety

Ellie’s face is miserable and scrunched up in the cold it’s hilarious tbh

Holed up in a library and jotted down a note, checked and what do I find? She drew the fucking giraffes I want to bawl

Ellie is lost over you gorl

Can’t we just let them be happyyyyyyy my heart is preemptively breaking during this adorable smoochfest

JOEL! FINALLY! I missed you! Salt and pepper king~

I’m sure Joel finding her and saving her will have zero negative repercussions whew glad I’m always right about these things

I’m going to hazard a guess that she’s out for revenge because of what Joel did the the Fireflies to save Ellie they’re just not explicitly stating it yet

Thank goodness a whole group of strangers was here to save us um why do you know his name already...???

Oh dear I was wrong for the first time in my whole entire life it’s gonna be a bad time, they shot Joel in leg and I’m from the south and I can tell you that shit is 100% not southern hospitality

You thought this was all a metaphor for how humans are the RILL MONSTERS but in all honesty the true monsters are the psychopaths who shelve b**ks with the spines facing away I’m so uncomfortable just looking at this image

I really didn’t want to open that door the muffled screams were coming from and boy were my instincts right. Why do you insist on hurting me, game?

[TBC]

#Liveblerging #The Last of Us 2 #TLOU2 #2clickers1shiv #Just Thoughts #This post will be updated constantly as I'm playing

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athingthatwantsvirginia · 4 years

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Ginsberg, Again

PART SEVEN OF THE DO YOU SEE HER FACE? SERIES

Pairing: Jess Mariano x Original Character (Ella Stevens)

Warnings: mentions of death, plentiful pop culture references

Word Count: 4.2K

Summary: To avoid Mother’s Day, Ella takes a spontaneous journey to the park where David Lee Roth was arrested.

A sleepy Thursday at the diner and Ella was almost finished with her sketch of the streetlamp across the way. Upon doing the preliminary line work, she found it dull, so she had added a UFO circling above it to spice up the drawing. The clinking of mugs filled her ears, but the diner was only moderately populated. Luke was busy filling out some spreadsheet, stealing glances over at the staircase every few minutes. Jess was due downstairs at any moment. Near the front window, Rory sat with piles of notes and textbooks out in front of her. Having overhead Luke and Lorelai, Ella knew Rory had been tasked with tutoring Jess, who was in danger of repeating the eleventh grade. Ella did not envy Rory. She’d only run into Jess a handful of times in the hallways of school, and though they had no classes together, she’d certainly heard tales of his insubordination and mischief. Just as she had finished the shading on the face of the alien through the window of the spaceship, Jess bounded down the stairs. His face brightened when he saw Ella at the counter, immediately taking up the stool across from her.

“Okay, honey, prepare to be amazed,” he began, shuffling his deck of cards before she had even looked up at him.

She scoffed at the name, shutting her battered sketchbook in fear of him catching a glimpse of her work. “Dazzle me.”

It only took him one attempt to guess her card and she smiled proudly.

“It’s Houdini himself,” she appraised.

“And…” he trailed off, grabbing a shiny red apple and a dish towel from a ways down the counter. Showing her the empty sides of the towel, he feigned the apple appearing out of nowhere from beneath it.

Her smile grew, taking the apple as he held it out to her. “Also good. But I’m not the teacher you should be giving the fruit to now, am I?”

Jess sighed heavily as she munched on the apple. “I swore off institutional education long ago.”

She rolled her eyes. “Calm down, Nietzche. You’ll only have to get over yourself for a couple hours so you can stay in this small town utopia.” As she spoke, she gestured to the town around them.

“Well, it’s off to the salt mines, I guess,” he said, head hanging low in resignation.

Ella chuckled at his theatrics and gave his shoulder a gentle push in Rory’s direction. “Yes, I pity you. Now, go.”

. . .

About sixty pages in to White Oleander, though she had read it two times before, Ella was enjoying the decadent prose when the phone broke the silence of her bedroom. A smell of lavender, the plant for luck, calmed her as the candles on one of her crate nightstands burned slowly. The flickering flames were the only ones which lit the room. Clearing her throat, she sat up against her pillows and took the old white phone, sitting on the floor in the corner, off the receiver. She expected Lane, though she didn’t call nearly ever. However, Lane’s nearly-never calls were pretty much the only ones she ever received on her landline. The separate number was one she had installed herself, after her mother died, a cheap phone bought at Radioshack with her first paycheck from Luke’s. She knew she would need a form of communication Fiona didn’t have to pay for, to lorde over her during their screaming matches.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Eleanor?”

She furrowed her brows. “Jess?”

“The one and only,” he joked through the line, though she could tell his heart wasn’t in it. She couldn’t hear the smirk in his voice like she usually could.

“What’s wrong?” she asked quickly, her heart in her throat. Since her mother’s death, any sign of trouble made her stomach sink, no matter how small the issue turned out to be.

“It’s that obvious, huh?”

“Jess. What’s wrong?” she repeated, swallowing dryly.

He heaved a tired sigh. “I’m going back to New York. Tonight.”

She was rendered silent for a moment, the information registering. “Oh. What...What the hell? Did something happen? Is it your mom? Do you-”

“Honey, just shut up for a second, okay?” he cut in, and she didn’t even have time to be annoyed about the pet name. “Rory and I...I screwed up. Tonight after we…” Jess stopped to sigh again.

“You don’t have to-”

“I crashed her car. Rory broke her wrist.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah.”

“Jesus, are you okay?” she asked urgently, running an anxious hand through her hair.

Jess uttered a noise between a laugh and a scoff. “Yeah. Yeah. I’m indestructible. I thought you knew that by now.”

Ella cleared her throat again and struggled to find words. “Mariano, I-”

“Look, I gotta get going in a second. But, I uh...I got your phone number from Luke’s address book and if it’s cool I’ll give you a call when I get there?”

Taken aback, Ella couldn’t help but let out a doubtful laugh. “Um...yeah, sure. Of course.”

“Good,” he said shortly.

There was a prolonged silence, full of words Ella couldn’t grasp, feelings she couldn’t articulate.

“So,” she said, her free hand fiddling with the hem of her quilt nervously. “Don’t forget to call me, okay? No matter how late it is. I’ll worry you got mugged or something.”

“Yeah,” he said, almost fondly. “I know, Stevens. So...I’ll see you.”

“Yep. Bye, Jess.”

“Bye.”

The line went dead, and she spent one moment still clutching the phone to her ear, listening to the monotonous final tone. Once she hung up, she tried to keep reading, but found herself distracted. Why the hell did he want to call her? The entire conversation felt unreal the moment it was over, and she knew she should have asked more questions. Though she was aware the news and rumors about the car accident would spread through town like wildfire, everyone glad to be rid of the local Antichrist, otherwise known as Jess Mariano. But there were so many other pieces she felt were missing, even if she couldn’t really name what they were. She thought of how dull her shifts would now seem without Jess to argue with about books and music, to laugh with while she closed, to reprimand and call a jackass. Maybe the peace she’d once enjoyed would return, but she already knew how different, how lacking, it would feel.

. . .

Clutching her books to her chest, Ella checked her watch every few seconds waiting for Lane to arrive. Again, Lane had been grounded for some random transgression. But they’d made plans to meet before school and go for pancakes. Ella was too nervous to actually step foot inside the diner alone. She knew Luke would give her those small, sympathetic glances. Especially after Mother’s Day last year. Lane had agreed to be her emotional backup, joining her for breakfast and shielding her from all the dead Mom reminders. Breathing out a sigh, Ella checked her watch again and knew they wouldn’t have time for Luke’s pancakes before school anyway. She was glad at least the morning air was warm, and she could wear her flowy black sundress, covered in tiny pink flowers. She thought wearing her favorite outfit, complete with her black boots and fishnets, would raise her spirits. Of course, the get-up was yet another reason she had to steer clear of the Kim residence for fear of incurring Mrs. Kim’s wrath.

Suddenly, Lane appeared from the front door of the antique shop and sprinted over. “Ella! I am so sorry, I had to-”

“Lane?” Ella said, looking up from her gaze on her shoes with a resigned tone.

Immediately, Lane lost all her joy and urgency. Her face fell and saw the redness in Ella’s eyes, her sleepless features. “What?”

“I can’t do this today. Look, can you cover for me? Tell everyone I’m sick, or something? Get my homework?” she ventured, looking around suspiciously.

Lane narrowed her eyes and put a hand on Ella’s arm. “Yeah...but where are you going?”

A wicked smirk covered Ella’s tired face. “I don’t know. Somewhere I’ve never been before.”

. . .

Even the air and the light were different in New York, though she figured it was probably the multiple kinds of pollution permeating the atmosphere. The local bus had a smell like pine which was not altogether unwelcome, and she was able to finish annotations for an article in earth science class. Squealing tires screeched in her ears as the bus stopped outside Washington Square Park where Jess told her he often hung out on the less than rare occasion he cut class. Her stomach churned anxiously as she ran her hands through her messy hair, loose and wavy. Of all the places she’d never been, New York seemed the most feasible, not quite so far away, a place where she had contacts. She needed to get away from Stars Hollow, away from the memories, away from the life she hadn’t asked for, where she carried baggage which didn’t even belong to her.

Descending the stairs of the bus, Ella clutched her messenger bag, heavy with the books she’d originally packed for school, tightly at her side. As soon as her feet hit the concrete, a smile crossed her face. She was really in New York. And she’d gone all on her own, from the station to the local bus, and she didn’t have to deal with any of the Mother’s Day flower sales or the sad looks whenever she entered a room. For a moment, she watched the streets on either side, the bustling people, as the bus rolled away and she had officially arrived. It took almost no time at all to see Jess’s dark hair sticking up from a bench across the road. She didn’t need to see the other side of him to know he was knee deep in a book. Rushing over the crosswalk, Ella felt excitement rising in her stomach, though fears of being run over also thumped against her chest. She plopped down next to him on the park bench and caught a glance at the cover of his book and scoffed.

“Ginsberg, again?” she asked dejectedly. “And you think I’m predictable.”

Jess looked calm as he recognized her voice and smirked at her appearance. “Always. What are you doin’ here, honey?”

Groaning, she threw her head back dramatically. “Again with the ‘honey.’”

“Hey, I’ve only been gone a month. Not everything changes,” he shrugged, saving his place in his book and stuffing it in the back pocket of his worn jeans.

“We talk on the phone almost every day. The ‘honey’ thing was dead, or so I thought.” She shook her head, speaking with her hands.

“It’s not as gratifying when I don’t get to see you almost ready to murder me,” he explained, smug as ever.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s a little sexist, don’t you think?”

“What do you mean?”

“Calling girls ‘honey,’ Jess. Keep up. It’s the twenty-first century,” she said, exasperated.

Jess shook his head and ran a hand over his mouth, a nervous reflex. “I don’t call girls ‘honey,’ I call you ‘honey.’”

She snorted a laugh, missing the redness which colored the tips of his ears. “If that’s supposed to make me feel special, it doesn’t.”

“It was supposed to make you feel unlucky, actually.”

“Well, then you’ve succeeded, jackass,” she said, though she had a fond look.

Jess grinned and cleared his throat, crossing his arms over his chest curiously. “So, what the hell are you doing here, Stevens?”

Ella shrugged, cavalier as she stared across the park and the May breeze blew the hair back from her freckled face. “Working on my spontaneity. This was a preliminary exercise.”

Narrowing his eyes, he nodded slowly. Ella tried to quiet the memories flashing before her vision, screaming through her mind. She hoped Jess wouldn’t notice. Her heart was yearning for adventure, something positive. Anything positive. Jess looked down momentarily, mulling something over. Then, he eyed her again with a smirk on his lips.

“You wanna go somewhere?”

“Anywhere.”

“Well, that narrows it down a bit.”

. . .

“Y’know, it’s just like you to hang out in Washington Square Park in the middle of a school day,” she scoffed, then taking a bite of one of the hot dogs they’d bought off a street vendor. It was salty, but good. The mid-day lull had hit the city, and the streets were only slightly overcrowded as they weaved around.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, chuckling.

“I don’t know. Not quite as mainstream as central park, it’s got that David Lee Roth thing. Very Jess.”

“I don’t appreciate being typecast,” he joked, watching her from the corner of his eye.

“Hey,” she said, shrugging. “Don’t shoot the messenger.”

“Whatever. I’m not the Stevie Nicks groupie here.”

“If you think that’s an insult, you’re wrong.”

. . .

After a trip to the record store, they strolled along with shopping bags in hand. Jess had paid in crumpled ones, but still scored an Iggy Pop record to add to his meager collection. Still, Ella insisted he wait to buy any CDs until she was gone again, so as not to offend her delicate vinyl sensibilities. Watching out of the corner of his eye, Jess noticed the holes in the knees of Ella’s fishnets and the shine of her frizzy blonde hair in the afternoon light. The moment was so surreal, his worlds colliding. She looked oblivious to his gaze, though, drinking the city in. He felt tempted to laugh at the excitement she radiated at the novelty. Even on the subway, with its stale smell and flickering lights, she’d managed to maintain a level of amazement Jess found baffling. After a few moments, Jess chose to break the serene silence between them. They walked so close he could feel their arms brushing against each other.

“Explain to me why you bought all that relentless melancholia?” he asked, having kept quiet since he’d noticed her placing her choices on the register in the shop, punk music blaring over the stereo system. She’d bought three records: Kurt Cobain, Elliot Smith, and The Velvet Underground.

“There is a time and a place for it,” she argued. “We can’t all sustain a diet of constant screamo and metal, y’know.”

Jess shook his head, and chuckled but said nothing. In his natural environment, he was much the same, but his gait was marked with fatigue. His footsteps were heavier. She wondered what his home life was like in such a big city, where he could wander around on a school day without anyone asking after him. A wave of sadness rolled over her, and she again thought of mother’s day. They passed a cart selling flowers, and the smell wafted off the blooms in sickly sweet clouds. It made her stomach twist into a knot, her mind clouded with thoughts for the both of them. When she returned home, everything would be the same. No one would know where she’d been. And the whole excursion would be nothing but a memory, a painting she could touch but could never live again. She sighed lightly, staring ahead as they walked. Jess cast her a sidelong glance, nudging her with his elbow.

“So, where to next?”

Pursing her lips, she thought for a moment. “A place you like to look at.”

. . .

Litter peppered the grassy hill overlooking the Hudson river. The engines of the cars which crossed the bridge over the river sputtered with exhaust, adding to the smoggy haze of the air. Clouds had hung in the sky all day, and the air was muggy, but Ella felt light with content. She could hear the slight current of the water under the traffic, and it was oddly tranquil despite the overall grimy atmosphere of the city. People milled about on the sidewalk behind them, their designer shoes clicking away on the gray stone. The sounds swarmed around her and created a comforting sea of white noise. Jess took a seat on the hill without saying a word, and Ella followed suit.

“Good choice, Mariano.”

“Thank you,” he smiled, watching as her eyes lit up at the sight of the water. “In Stars Hollow, there’s the lake. So, I figured, here, there’s the river.”

Ella nodded, beginning to dig through her bag. “You come here a lot?”

“Sometimes,” he said, shrugging a little.

“Oh, he’s so demure,” she teased, then found her sketchbook amongst the hodge podge of items in her bag. Jess watched with a raised eyebrow as she brought out a pencil along with the book. However, she didn’t begin drawing. The weathered moleskin was closed on the ground between them, and Jess didn’t think before he took it and ran his fingers over the cover.

“Can I look?” he asked expectantly.

She turned to him with a suspicious look, eyes narrowed. Then, after a moment, she blew out a tired sigh and nodded, pursing her lips. “Yeah. But if you laugh I’ll tell the principal you were the one who took all the dry erasers.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” he warned jokingly.

“Well, the stakes are high in New York, aren’t they?” she said offhandedly, her eyes trained on the river. A huge VW Van rolled over the bridge, and it reminded her of pictures from the Haight-Ashbury circa 1967 in the old edition of TIME Luke had in the stock room.

Scoffing, Jess opened the sketchbook up to the first page, which was slightly yellowed with age. He wondered how long she had been carrying the book around with her. The first drawing was of a vase of flowers, but upon further inspection he found the centers of the blooms had mouths full of sharp vampire’s teeth. He skimmed through the others, similar nature scenes with various ghoulish elements. A few pages away from the remaining blank ones, he stopped short. The shading around the figure was dark, but in the center was the face of a beautiful woman, with the light shading of a skull underneath. He ran a figure over the eyes of the skull and brought his hand back again, hoping to avoid smudging.

“This one is…” he began, then trailed off. She glanced over at him, then felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. She’d drawn it only a few days earlier.

“Not my best,” she muttered, hoping to deflect his attention from it.

He laughed in disbelief. “Are you kidding? This is amazing.”

“You don’t have to lie.”

“Stevens, seriously. You’re a fucking artist,” he told her earnestly, staring down at the drawing.

“Well, thank you,” she said, quieting the anxious swirling her stomach. Her heart fluttered. It was rare she showed anyone her drawings, even Lane or Rory. But again, the surreal quality of the moment made her feel as though there would be lesser consequences. Maybe Jess wouldn’t remember her drawing later, as though it were a dream, like she imagined the day would feel the moment she left the city.

He cleared his throat, studying her unreadable expression. “Is it a self portrait? Looks a little like you.”

A bitter laugh escaped her lips and she didn’t look at him while she spoke. “No, actually, it’s my mom. Everyone always says how much we look alike.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” she sighed, a sarcastic smile crossing her face. “Oh.”

“Mother’s Day, huh?” he asked knowingly.

Furrowing her brows, Ella finally faced him. “You keep track of the Hallmark holidays, Mariano?”

Jess snorted. “I don’t subscribe to them, but I am aware of them.”

“I think they should be eradicated.”

“Agreed.”

Biting the inside of her cheek, she nodded and looked back at the river. It was murky and green, no doubt polluted beyond recognition, but it still wasn’t half bad to look at. Jess noticed the way her fingers, with clipped black polish on the nails, drummed an antsy tune on her leg. He held the sketchbook back out to her and she gave him a grateful half-smile before cracking it open and beginning to draw.

“You okay?” he asked, breaking through the lengthy, but comfortable, silence.

Her smile grew a little more, and her shoulders visibly relaxed. “Always, Jess. It’s just one day. And I don’t particularly care about it. It’s the people back home.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, if you hadn’t noticed, the town of Stars Hollow isn’t known for minding its own business,” she said.

“Yeah, I kinda picked up on that,” he replied, watching her pencil slide across the page.

Occasionally, she stopped drawing and straightened up a little, appraising her work. Using the pad of her pinky, she shaded the clouds above the bridge, transforming the sketch past just an outline. Jess leaned back on the palms of his hands, letting the time pass as late afternoon turned into evening. He found his mouth left with a bittersweet taste at the thought of her hours away from him by the end of the night.

. . .

Back at the Port Authority bus terminal, the air was chalky. The local bus they’d taken to get back to the station had a decidedly more pleasant feel than the one Ella was about to board. But the ride wasn’t too long, and she still had plenty of school work she could finish on the way. They stood facing each other at the head of the bus, with five minutes until she absolutely had to board. Jess had his hands stuffed in his pockets, his shirt adorned with obscenities and the name of some obscure punk band. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, leaning back against the bus for one final moment of escape before climbing back out of the rabbit hole.

“So, how was the tour?” Jess asked.

Humming in thought, Ella glanced up at the splotchy ceiling for a moment before returning her eyes to him. “I’ll give you a seven.”

“Hey, if it’s passing, I’ll take it,” he said, shrugging.

She laughed. “Not a bad maxim. And I guess it's back to Washington Square Park with you?”

“Guess so. It’s a prime spot to brood.”

“I’m glad you’re finally owning your narrative.”

Jess smirked. “Well, if I’m owning mine, you gotta own yours. Show those pictures to someone important.”

Ella shook her head, then stopped for a moment and reached her free hand into her shoulder bag. Placing the shopping bag filled with her new records between her teeth, she flipped to the page where she’d drawn the bridge and ripped it out as neatly as she could along the perforation. Jess watched in confusion as she retrieved a pencil from her bag, she signed her name and dated the drawing in the lower right corner. When she’d tucked everything back into their rightful spots, she held the drawing out to Jess.

“We’ll call this a baby step.”

Letting out a small laugh, Jess took the drawing and studied the messy signature, a grin coming over his face. He brought the book from his back pocket and stuck the drawing in between the pages for safekeeping. “Thanks. I’ll make millions off this someday.”

She snickered and threw a look down at her watch. Two minutes left before departure. “Don’t patronize me, Mariano.”

“Don’t doubt yourself, Stevens,” he shot back immediately, with more sincerity than she was prepared for.

Shaking her head, she ignored the gravity of the moment.

“I think that’s all motivational speaking I can handle. I gotta get back. You sure you don’t wanna return to Hell with me?” she asked, only half-joking.

“I think the moment I step foot beyond town lines I’ll be struck down by the powers that be,” he said, a chuckle in his voice, though it didn’t reach his eyes. He ran a hand over his mouth.

She sighed through her nose and nodded. “Alright, fine. But in my considered opinion, you shouldn’t let those old gossips run you out of town. Sometimes when the world bites you, you gotta bite back.”

Jess raised his eyebrows. “And I’m the motivational speaker here?”

She rolled her eyes and started towards the bus. “You’re impossible.”

“Same to you,” he called as she boarded, and she shot him one final teasing glare before she turned the corner into the aisle.

Jess watched her blonde head move down row after row through the small windows, and when she finally stopped two seats from the back, he rushed down and shouted to her, hoping she could hear him through the thick window pane.

“Stevens!”

Furrowing her brows, she found Jess standing outside her window, uttering muffled words she couldn’t decipher. She groaned impatiently and raised the glass to hear him.

“Come again?” she asked.

“I said, I’ll call you later tonight. Don’t forget to pick it up. I’ll worry you got kidnapped or something.”

A smug smile crossed her lips. “Ah, I’m rubbing off on you.”

“I avoided it as long as I could,” he shrugged, smiling back.

“I won’t forget,” she assured him. “Bye, Jess.”

“Bye, Eleanor.”

And as soon as she shut the window once again, he was out of sight, meandering back to the station’s exit. A moment later, the bus driver released the break, a shrill squeak sounding. Swallowing dryly, Ella settled into her seat and prepared for the long drive back to reality.

#jess mariano imagines #jess mariano imagine #jess mariano one shot #jess mariano one shots #jess mariano #jess #mariano #gilmore girls #gilmore girls fanfiction #jess mariano x oc #gilmore girls imagines #jess mariano x original character #original character #original character stories

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timdrakequotes · 5 years

Note

Hey! Was wondering if you could pull up some of Tim’s serious/inspirational quotes.

1. ‘One of the things I’ve learned is that it gets bad for everyone sometimes. Superman, Batman–everyone. I remember I’m not alone. I remember things do get better. Sometimes on their own, most times when you work at them. And when I have trouble remembering those things, I find people to talk to. […] Your folks, an old friend, even a trained counselor you’ve never met before. Someone who has a totally different perspective because they’re not as close to the problems as you are. Maybe they give you advice, and that’s great…or maybe they just listen. Sometimes, that’s all you need. Anyway, that’s how I deal with it when things suck. And it works.’ –Tim Drake (Robin #156 – The High Dive)

2. ‘Get up. Get the hell up. You don’t get to quit!’

–Tim Drake to himself (Robin #167 – The Promise)

3. “You know what? You never made me Robin. I made myself.”

–Tim Drake on Batman (Robin #100 – The Price of Justice)

4. ‘All of us. We’re not the costumes. At the end of the day, we’re just a bunch of scared guys trying to fight through the fear and leave the world a little better than we found it. People always ask,“Why Young Justice?” I’ll tell you why: Because we’re so damned glad that we found each other, that we hold on to each other like life preservers as the flood waters rise. We don’t get more complicated than that. We don’t have to.’

–Tim Drake (Young Justice #55 – I’ve Got A Secret)

5. ‘Maybe…maybe it was the pressure. When you’re fighting for what you believe in–for what’s right–you find out just how alone you are. Every time you face up to evil, you have to beat it. But you only have one life…and you can’t afford to lose it. It’s a knife-edge not many can walk. Sometimes…even heroes fall.’

–Tim Drake (Batman #466 – No More Heroes)

6. ‘I don’t like people putting us in a box. Telling us what we’re capable of. Telling us who we are. I chose to become Robin, nobody picked me.’

–Tim Drake (Teen Titans #4 – Breaking the Rules)

7. “I hear a lot of loose talk about “justice” these days. Maybe we should talk more about peace.”

–Tim Drake (Robin #26 – The Hard Lessons)

8. “Despite how cold and empty I actually feel, I go out of my way to keep it lighthearted. Because I’m not going to surrender to the void, no matter how attractive and comforting it seems. The all too welcoming abyss. That dark place where Batman lives.”

–Tim Drake (Robin #132 – Fresh Blood Part One of Four: Too Many Ghosts)

9. “I can feel it now, like Batman used to. Electricity and guilt, shadows and sadness, kinetic energy and hope. It’s my city now if I want it to be. Not Dick’s. Not Bruce’s. Mine. But to make it that way…to make it right…what will I have to become? So many choices…but what will be my decision…?”

–Tim Drake (Red Robin #26 – What Goes Around…)

10. ‘If I were no longer Robin…that would mean that no more innocent people are being threatened. No more criminals going around breaking the law. No one was living in fear of their lives. No more crime or wrongdoing. It would mean that mankind had entered Utopia, and I’d be happy for humanity. Because that would be the only circumstance under which I’d quit the game.’

–Tim Drake to Young Justice (Young Justice #7 – Conferences)

11. Robin: [to Jack Drake’s grave] I’m tired of pretending that not having you here isn’t killing me. That every time I lose someone else, it doesn’t take a little part of me with them. Before…before it happened, you told me it was all worth it. This life was all worth it, and that I should never question it. Well, I’ve been trying…please believe that I’m still trying…but every day I have to find another reason to put this mask back on. Sometimes it’s for Bruce. Sometimes for Conner, but a lot of times, I do it for you. Because you were brave enough to understand the man I wanted to be. And you lost your life because of it. If I was just some normal kid with some normal life, you’d be alive today. Maybe Mom would be alive today. Were your lives really worth all the others I’ve saved? God, how can I even ask that? Dad, I used the night of your death as a reason–no, as an excuse to turn into someone else…and I came here tonight to tell you it won’t happen again. I’ll never give up, Dad. Not while there’s a breath in our bodies–neither one of us will ever give up.

Batman: [above Tim on a tree branch] No. We won’t.

Robin: We’ll get stronger. We’ll get faster. We’ll get smarter. We’ll honor you, and everyone else we’ve lose. We’ll die before this happens again. We won’t forget. And maybe some day… Maybe you can forgive us.

Batman: Goodnight, Jack. I’ll take it from here.

–Tim Drake with Bruce Wayne to Jack Drake (Robin #167 – The Promise)

12. ‘I don’t care if I am afraid–I can still act!’–Tim Drake to Scarecrow

(Batman #457 – Master of Fear)

13. “Here’s the thing: no one can predict their own future. The best a guy can do is to look to those who’ve been much longer on the same path as him, and see what a life of walking that path has done for them. For me, those people are Bruce and Dick.

You see what I’m getting at? Bruce has been on the job the longest. It’s slowly driven him madand eaten the human part right out of him. But what about Dick? Surely a guy like him can’t dedicate himself to this line of work and keep a level head on his shoulders? I wanna yell “He can!” But I can’t forget the glimpses I’ve seen recently of the same kind of monster eating at Dick, too. Little things that, looking back now, I can remember seeing in Bruce a few years ago. Should I call them “early warning signs”? Do I dare to assume it’s a disease I can’t catch with time?”

–Tim Drake (Robin #100 – The Price of Justice)

14. ‘You can’t have a friendship without trust…nor a relationship…nor a teammate. Take Batman for example… He trusts me to keep his secrets, to cover his back. I trust him the exact same way. He knows that I’ll always consult him on anythinghaving to do with those secrets, and vice versa. Because of that implicit trust, our relationship works. And it’s unique.’

–Tim Drake to Secret and Spoiler (Young Justice #30 – Round Robin)

15. “No time for ego, hurt feelings, petty disagreements…it’s all in the past. I need help. I can’t do this by myself.”

–Tim Drake (Red Robin #9 – Collision: Part One of Four)

16. “Hesitation…second guessing…self-pity… Leave them behind. They’re death now. Use what you know. Remember what you learned. Be smart. Stay alive. Save the girl. Remember what Shiva taught you…what Ducard taught you. Remember how Dick moves so effortlessly. Remember Conner’s own special “techniques.” Remember what Bruce did. Use it all now. Win the next fight and the one after that before you get there. Remember everything your teachers gave you. Don’t be any of them. Be all of them.”

–Tim Drake (Red Robin #8 – Council of Spiders: Part Four of Four)

17. Tim: Robin is a symbol just as much as Batman is. It isn’t just a symbol of the law, it’s a symbol of justice. And Batman needs a Robin.

Batman: What I do is dangerous.

Tim: I know.

–Tim Drake with Bruce Wayne (Young Justice Secret Origins – 80 Page Giant: Little Wing)

18. ‘Of course we’re going to do this. I said it looked tough, not unbeatable.’

–Tim Drake to Secret (Young Justice Secret Files and Origins – Take Back the Night)

19. ‘“Never fight angry.” I didn’t know what it meant until tonight. He wasn’t talking about style or common sense. He was talking about weapons. Honor. Purpose. That’s what helps you survive and win. When all you bring to the fight is anger…you’ve already lost.’

–Tim Drake (Robin #25 – Sophomore Lethal)

20. ‘If you’re asking if I plan to continue as Robin, the answer is yes. I’m more determined now than ever before. But don’t for a moment think I’m now like you, Bruce. I’m not about to let these losses turn me into another copy of you–grim and vengeful and closed off from most of what keeps us human. Steph and Darla and my Dad died in a war worth fighting–made even more so because of the terrible price they paid, not in spite of it. I won’t squander their sacrifice by quitting again. So, if you’ll still have me, I’m Robin, and I’m in it for the long run.’

–Tim Drake to Bruce Wayne (Robin #132 – Fresh Blood Part One of Four: Too Many Ghosts)

21. ‘This is the deal. You want us to be part of the Teen Titans, this Tower has nomore rules. We get enough of them at home. We won’t sit on the sidelines. We won’t be treated like inferiors.’

–Tim Drake (Teen Titans #6 – War and Peace)

22. ‘We know we’re right, but what’s the point in being right if we’re not willing to fight for it?’

–Tim Drake to Red Tornado (Young Justice #18 – Revolting Developments)

#answered

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ask-the-phan-site · 4 years

Text

The Gluttonous City in the World

>It’s time.

The first heist of the new year.

Alright! I’ve been lookin’ forward to this!

Yeah, it has been a while since we did a citywide heart change.

I still remember our fight with EMMA. What was your first citywide heart change like?

It’s something we don’t like to remember, but we got through. Now, let’s see if we can pull it off this time!

>Mona becomes our van and we go off to change the hearts of everyone in Neo Yokio.

>The depths of Neo Yokio’s Mementos. Violet was right. Getting down here was a breeze. Now we need to get the Treasure and we’ll be done.

Any idea where the Treasure is?

Mona: I’m sensing it... There, in that box.

>We all approach it ready to take it.

????? ????: Wait, don’t do that!

Wait a sec. That voice.

Shadow Lexy: Don’t take that! We love it! You can’t take it away!

Shadow Gottlieb: Please, leave it alone! Do this and we’ll give you free Caprese Martinis for life!

Shadow Arcangelo: I was told that in a story, it was going to be a Christmas present for me. Now we want the whole city to have it. So please, don’t take our gift!

They think that whatever’s in that box is a gift to the whole city?

Skull: Dude, I don’t think whatever’s in there’s worth havin’ your asses owned by the Order.

I’m sure that once we’ve taken the Treasure, the city will come to its senses and will not have to worry about the occupation.

Wolf: We better.

>We get closer to the box, despite the many protests of the Shadows. However, as we get closer, something flies by and takes the box. We were a bit shocked to see who it was.

Welcome home, shopper... Or rather, welcome, Phantom Thieves... to your doom.

Herbert san!? Oh wait, you’re his Shadow.

Sophie: I wonder why he is out while the other Shadows are locked in.

Shadow Herbert: Well, someone has to represent all the Shadows in Neo Yokio. And who better represent them... than a sales representative?

I guess that makes sense.

But still, we will be taking that Treasure. But if you really want to keep that away from us, then you what we must do.

Shadow Herbert: My, such nobility. Something you don’t see in this city often... But then again, nobility doesn’t get you much in this city. Nor does it keep our beloved department stores open. That is why I cannot let you do this. I love this job and I am not about to lose it because a few religious zealots said so.

Joker: They’re doing it for your own good. We’re not so big on some of the Order’s laws, either. But what those of higher class are doing is just making everyone else mislabel.

Noir: I also came from an upper class family, but this is too much. I’ve seen this happened before.

Panther: Same with my mother. She almost went there, but if it hadn’t been for her friends, she would have been our next target. We’re lucky that will never happen.

Shadow Herbert: Then your mother still has a lot to learn.

Joker: We know that this is not how the people of this city really is. You’ve all been blinded by unnecessary wealth and an attempt to make this the greatest city in the world. It’s no wonder demons are so attracted to this place. To them, this city is just the perfect place to cause chaos and disorder. Even when they try to make that clear, you still choose to indulge in your fantasy of a perfect world. Because of this, a lot, not just demons but other people as well, are miserable and suffering. But now we’re going to change all that.

Your utopia comes with price. Now it’s payday!

Shadow Herbert: (a dark aura coming around him) So you still won’t see reason. This is how our lives are. This is how it should be. But if you insist on taking it all away from us... Then you’ll have do it over my dead body.

>With that, the darkness covers the Shadow and transforms.

Violet: So in the end, this is how it turns out.

Mona: It’s unavoidable.

Oracle: This looks bad. He has all of Neo Yokio on his side giving him strength. I may have to go all out. Beyond Ultimate.

>Oracle goes Third Tier.

Oracle: PERSONA!

>Al Azif scans Shadow Herbert.

Oracle: Got it! He’s weak Electricity and Gunfire. He might also be susceptible to Almighty Skills.

Skull: Then it looks like mine and Noir’s time to shine!

Noir: Yes, let’s do it!

>Skull and Noir both go Third Tier.

Skull and Noir: PERSONA!

Wolf: I would like to join in. I may only have one Persona, but I think I can handle it.

Joker: If that’s how you feel, go for it.

Wolf: (smiling) Glad to hear it. Persona!

>I change Personas.

Joker: Persona!

(Insert song: Counter Strike)

>Shadow Herbert uses Tarukaja. William uses Matarukaja. Lucy uses Tetrakarn on Wolf. Valjean uses Dekaja. Vasuki uses Makarakarn on Wolf. Shadow Herbert uses Heat Wave. Wolf is protected by Lucy’s Tetrakarn and the attack goes back at Shadow Herbert. William uses Ziodyne. Shadow Herbert is knocked down.

Skull: All right! Time for some pain!

>After the attack, Shadow Herbert is still up. Lucy uses One-shot Kill. But Shadow Herbert dodges it. Valjean also uses One-shot Kill. Shadow Herbert is knocked down. We don’t do an All-Out-Attack this time. Valjean uses Megidola. Vasuki uses Triple Down. Shadow Herbert gets back up and uses Garudyne on Skull. He is knocked down. Shadow Herbert uses Skull Cracker on me. I fall under Confusion. Skull gets back up and simply attacks Shadow Herbert. Lucy uses One-shot Kill. Shadow Herbert is knocked down. No All-Out-Attack this time due to me being Confused. Lucy uses Psiodyne. Valjean uses One-shot Kill. I throw some money away. Shadow Herbert uses Psiodyne on me. It was a technical hit. Skull uses Harisen Recovery on me. William uses Ziodyne. But he dodges it. Lucy uses Triple Down which was strengthened by Cripple. Shadow Herbert is knocked down.

Noir: We can’t miss this chance!

>After the attack, Shadow Herbert is still up. Valjean uses Megidola. Vasuki uses Triple Down. Shadow Herbert is knocked down.

Joker: It’s showtime!

>After the attack, Shadow Herbert is still up, but slightly weaker. Shadow Herbert uses Charge. We know that something bad is going to happen, so we defend ourselves. Shadow Herbert uses Vorpal Blade. William uses Fighting Spirit. Noir uses Takemedic-All V. Valjean uses One-shot Kill. Shadow Herbert is knocked down.

Wolf: The time is now!

>After the attack, Shadow Herbert is still up. Vasuki uses Makarakarn on Skull. Shadow Herbert uses Garudyne on Skull. Vasuki’s Markarakarn protects him and the attack goes back at him. However, Shadow Herbert resists it. William uses God’s Hand. It was a critical hit. We don’t do an All-Out-Attack this time. William then uses Matarukaja. Lucy uses Psiodyne. Valjean uses Megidola. I simply fire my gun. Shadow Herbert gets back up and uses Brain Buster. Me and Wolf are Brainwashed. Skull fires his shotgun, but misses. Lucy uses Amrita Shower and cures me and Wolf of the Brainwashing. Valjean uses One-shot Kill. Shadow Herbert is knocked down. We don’t do an All-Out-Attack this time. Wolf uses a Soul Snuff on Skull. Vasuki uses Brain Jack, but it fails. Shadow Herbert gets back up and uses Tarukaja. William uses Ziodyne. Shadow Herbert is knocked down. We don’t do an All-Out-Attack this time. Lucy uses Tetrakarn on me. Valjean uses Deathbound.

Oracle: This one! Defense up!

>Al Azif uses Marakukaja. Vasuki uses Triple Down. It was a critical hit with Trigger Happy. Shadow Herbert gets back up.

Shadow Herbert: This is a city of gold and wealth. I will not let you take it down like this. Consumerism forever, baby!

>Shadow Herbert uses Distorted Gluttony. William uses Ziodyne. Shadow Herbert is knocked down. We don’t do an All-Out-Attack this time. William uses Fighting Spirit. He is already low on SP. Lucy uses One-shot Kill. Wolf simply attacks. I use Master Curry. Shadow Herbert gets back up and uses Maeiga. Fortunately, I was protected by Null Curse. The Gluttony wears off. William uses Ziodyne. Shadow Herbert is knocked down again.

Skull: This is it!

>After the attack, Shadow Herbert is still up, but now more weaker. Lucy uses One-shot Kill. Shadow Herbert is knocked down again. We don’t do an All-Out-Attack this time. Lucy uses Psiodyne. Valjean uses Megidolaon. Vasuki uses Triple Down. Shadow Herbert gets back up and uses Psiodyne on Wolf. William uses God’s Hand, but Shadow Herbert dodges it. Lucy uses One-shot Kill. Shadow Herbert is knocked down.

Noir: Good choice.

>After the attack, Shadow Herbert is still up. Valjean uses One-shot Kill. Shadow Herbert is knocked down again. We don’t do an All-Out-Attack this time.

Oracle: Here I go! Speed up!

>Al Azif uses Masukukaja. Vasuki uses Makarakrn on Skull. Shadow Herbert gets back up and uses Eiga on me. I’m knocked down. Then, Shadow Herbert uses Assault Dive on Noir, but she dodges it. William uses Assault Dive. Lucy uses Psiodyne. Valjean uses Megidolaon. Shadow Herbert was now more weaker. I get back up and use Takemedic-All Z. Shadow Herbert uses Charge. We all defend ourselves. Shadow Herbert uses Mind Slice.

Shadow Herbert: I see. You won’t quit. Very well, if that’s how you want to play, then I’ll ‘play’ even harder.

>Shadow Herbert uses Distorted Gluttony. William uses Fighting Spirit. Lucy uses One-shot Kill. Shadow Herbert is knocked down. We don’t do an All-Out-Attack this time. Valjean uses Megidolaon. I attack. Shadow Herbert gets back up and uses Garudyne on me. Then, he uses it again on Skull He is knocked down. Then, he uses Brain Shake on Noir. Thankfully, she dodges it. The Gluttony wears off. Skull gets back up and William uses Ziodyne. Shadow Herbert is knocked down.

Skull: Let’s tear ‘em apart!

>After the attack, Shadow Herbert was on his last leg. Just a little more to go. Lucy uses One-shot Kill. Shadow Herbert is knocked down.

Noir: Almost finished!

Hold Up!

Shadow Herbert: Please, don’t do this! Neo Yokio is suppose to be the greatest city in our world! If you take that away, what city will!?!

Joker: A city’s only as great as the people who live there. But the people of your city don’t act great. It’s time your realize that.

Noir: Then let’s do it, everyone!

>After the attack, Shadow Herbert was almost defeated.

Wolf: If I may, I would like to finish this.

Joker: Go right ahead.

Wolf: Good. Then it’s time... TO HOWL!!!

>With that, the battle was over. The Shadow resumes his human form and drops the box with the Treasure inside.

Shadow Lexy: (in disbelief) This is impossible. He lost?

Shadow Gottlieb: (also in disbelief) This can’t be. Were... Were we wrong?

Shadow Arcangelo: (looking down) What were we thinking? Treating others so terribly that we attract demons every chance we get. Not to mention how I treat... that pink-haired prince.

Shadow Herbert: (getting back up, yet defeated) How could this be? Don’t tell me. Neo Yokio... is not the greatest city in the world after all?

Joker: Now do you understand? It takes great people to create a great city. But for people to be great, they have to act great. Don’t put others down for being different or in a lower class.

Shadow Herbert: ...

Joker: Herbert, I know you, yourself, are of lower class. I kinda followed you back to your apartment in the Walled City. I know you seem to love your job at the department store, but aren’t there times when you realize that maybe there could be a little more to your life? Even once for just an instance?

Shadow Herbert: ... Well... I have imagined myself in these sunglasses for a long time. And there’s this watch that was designed after Domino’s Pizza that I really like. But I can’t have either. I’m suppose to sell these things, not keep them.

Panther: Well with all the hard work you’ve put into it, you can afford those things now. Along with a better apartment. So why do you still live in the Walled City?

Shadow Herbert: I guess after all these years of helping others, I forgot that I need to help myself sometimes.

Crow: Well now you know. Hopefully you’ll not forget. And I know the city won’t forget that everyone is equal, no matter who they are.

Shadow Herbert: Even demons?

Let’s wait another millennium or so and see where we go from there first.

>Shadow Herbert nods with a smile, and he, along with all of the city’s Shadows, return to their true selves in the real world. I pick up the box and take out the Treasure inside it.

Panther: That’s the city’s Treasure?

Crow: Queen and I did some research on this. This watch was made to commemorate the time when Neo Yokio’s mayor at the time, Theodore Corelli, welcomed what would soon be known as Magistocrats into the city to defend it against demonic threats. It even has a detector that detects demonic activities.

Oracle: Really? How does that work?

Magic, I guess.

Oracle: Maybe. We should send it to Max and see what he can find.

Crow: Good. A late Christmas present for him, Pete, and the others.

Mona: When we get back. Right now, we should go.

>With that, Mona becomes our van and we drive off as Neo Yokio’s Mementos disappears.

>To be concluded...

#phantom thieves of hearts #heist

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