#i mentioned i could fit in childrens clothes and it saves me a lot of money ($60 shoes are $30 for kids) and tbh fit my frame better

[mydr3aminvi0let]

i wear a lot of skirts and pink and whatnot as my style has developed with me & my personality but when one of those age regression girlies latch onto me....i do not like that

[kenneth-the-mudmander]

Willow and Fairytales: Graydon and the Lindworm

Another very long rambly theory about Graydon

I've been listening to the Following Willow episodes on the What the Force podcast

For episode 4, when they are talking about Graydon, they mention how he mirrors fairy tale lore where someone is in a beastial form and must have their skin shed by another.

Its symbolic of returning to their humanity and often has romantic connotations. (They give the example of Belle's kiss transforming the Beast.)

Elora sheds Graydon's "skin" of possession, and he is magically transformed back into his true self.

Except, and this now starts my theory, Graydon is not fully turned to his true potential. He still wears the shadow skins of guilt, doubt, and expectations. She did not shed all his skins.

Which reminded me, specifically, of the mythology of the Lindworm.

In the story, a queen is trying to have children and goes to a witch for help. The witch tells her to do some stuff and then eat an onion. She does, but she also eats the onion skin, and her son is born a Lindworm.

Lindworms are often depicted as serpents or wingless dragons. Also, a lot of times are cursed princes. (The usage of the word worm I think is significant for my theory.)

The Queen hides her son away, but when he comes of age, he becomes hostile and demands a bride so that he may become king and claim his birthright.

It should be noted that in many versions of the tale, the worm has a brother who is already set to be married.

Many maidens are brought to the lindworm, but he either turns away or devours all of them.

Until the final maiden, a humble shepherdess, in her cleverness, puts on multiple layers of clothes and asks to play a stripping game with the lindworm. Telling him he must shed a layer of skin for every layer of clothes she sheds.

They take turns shedding skins, usually 7, until they are both at their final layers. At which point, the maiden takes a whip and beats the now pink worm until the final layer is gone and the true form of the prince is revealed.

Now, what this could mean for Graydon.

I think he is still in his lindworm form. He still has these shadow layers hanging over him, and if my theory about him being the Harbinger is true, then Elora needs to shed him of his final skin, or he will fully become the lindworm. Fully become the dragon. The Wyrm.

I've been really scratching my head on where Graydon's arc is going to go. Mostly for writing my fanfic reasons. But also, out of all the characters in the party, his is the hardest for me to place on the Hero's Journey.

One of my biggest theories is that he is a Dark Chosen One. He is the Harbinger. But! He's obviously a good person. So where does that lead him?

Well! There is a sub trope in the dark chosen one category called the Apocalypse Maiden. A character, usually friend or lover to the hero, finds out they are a key to the apocalypse. And either dies or is saved by the power of love to join the forces of light.

It fits Graydon's arc so well! Also, it pairs with the show subverting tropes. Where the princesses are the Heroes and the princes are the damsels to be rescued.

Now! Pairing this with the lindworm myth

I think for Graydon to turn away from his destiny, turn away from the darkness; he will need Elora. She will have to battle him to remove his final skin and finally have him be his true self. A sorcerer. A king. A friend and a lover.

Secondary thought:

Lindworm skin is believed to increase a persons knowledge of nature and medicine.

After Elora takes the curse from Graydon, shedding him of his skin, she leaves with a greater understanding of magic and alchemy.

Anyways, these are just some thoughts. Might be completely looking more into than I should. But some of y'all seem to like my rambles, so I'll just keep rambling, I guess. ^___^ Also, I may try to look at everyone's Hero's Journeys and Fairytale parallels if there's interest.

But, of course, I wouldn't have these theories without the What the Force Podcast, so please check them out if you haven't already.

[ramblingdisaster73]

Rambling thoughts while rewatching Lone Star ep 4x11 – Double Trouble (Finishing Edging the Bet made it so that I am just now getting to a rewatch of the episode (only watched it live))

The pregnancy & dropping out were my two biggest suspicions for Wyatt’s news

Joining the FD was a little farther on my list – but I didn’t expect to see three announcements (although technically – you could combine the dropping out & FD thing together)

So how are along is she?

When did he decide to drop out of school? When were these midterms? Did he complete his first semester then, but quit ½ way through the 2nd?

Doesn’t TK remember hearing about Mateo’s cousin? He was there for the first time Mateo mentioned Marvin

So – he came from the side of the wall – not the door to the bunk room? – that blocking just seemed like a weird choice.

Someone suggested taking shots anytime Mateo or Marvin say “cuz” = 8 shots in like 2 minutes (3 for Mateo & 5 for Marvin)

The “I’d like to teach the world to sing” reminds me of the kid songs videos – it was on the “Teach the world to sing” (we had it on VHS – because I am old).

“I would really suggest that you try to calm down.” Carlos Reyes – to a woman that should be dead

Carlos thinking – “Thank fuck, you guys finally got here for this woman that should be dead, but is yelling at me about the demon spawn children.”

I am not a fan of going to the Dr. either lady

I want an orange tree in my back yard. Too bad it wouldn’t hold up well here.

That is a lot of kids balls/toys

Carlos “dad joke” Reyes

Winston Churchill gave a lot of good speeches – none of them are ones that I would think to watch to get ideas for my child’s wedding toast (and I am a history nerd like Owen) – but it does make sense for him – if he ever gets a pet that he gets to name – that is what I would guess that he would name them.

I am a fan of Tommy in her gym clothes.

This scene is probably the most I have EVER related to Judd. The self-doubt/loathing is so hard to look/see past. At least he has Tommy & Grace.

What does Judd even have in his hand in the firehouse kitchen scene that was alphabetized

“As long as these chimes don’t go off” give “Unless the bells go off” vibes – Owen talking to Gwyn in 2x04 (old) firehouse kitchen scene.

That Mateo is into pokemon – not surprising – BUT – where did all his cards come from? Did he rebuild his collection once he moved in with Owen or was his collection at the firehouse, miraculously saving it?

$24,100 is a lot of fucking money.

If I had been asking my husband to fix something for 4 years – I would have already figured out how to fix it. That is a long fucking time man.

I like clipboard Marj – but I am ready for firefighter Marj to come back

If you have an uninsured porshe (at least in the US) – you are an idiot. Or any high dollar car.

If he got $900 for the pokemon card, and $24,100 from Nancy – how is he tapped now? Wouldn’t it be that he was already tapped?

Also – That explains why he still lives with Owen

Apparently Mateo decided to do the “take a shot for each time Mateo or Marvin say cuz” game

I think that the sitcom thing fits Mateo’s character – but would have been weird for anyone else – with the exception of maybe Owen.

So, did Marvin keep his hair that pink color to keep a guilt trip on Mateo – since he used it to cover for him in the first place?

Also – these are some old looking 13-year-olds.

How did Mateo not know he was a DREAMER until he was 17?

So setting a school on fire made Mateo want to be a firefighter? I can buy that, makes a lot of sense – I like getting the whys of their job choices on these shows.

Who did he move to Texas with at 16? But still not know he was a DREAMER until he was 17?

He lived with his aunt & uncle from 6-16, then ?? from 16- at least adulthood?

Turpentine smells so bad

Did Mateo take over his cousins love of scientific facts?

Who cares about those other milk customers when there is french toast on the table?

I can’t with the mustache

This is the most Buck that TK has ever been. Accepting the french toast, then his ‘boss/partner’ saying ‘no’, then him saying the same, only sad.

“He might get shanked with a toothbrush.”

Milkman Judd just keeps eating his french toast

Guess it is good to have a paramedic in the family

[thecavavoice]

Dear Bea

by Amber K.

Dear Amber,

I'm a CAVA teacher whose young-adult son lives with us. He has a job he loves. (Disneyland--who wouldn't love it?) The problem is he spends every penny he makes on trivial stuff, like junk from bargain stores he doesn't need; or Disney merch he finds on sale, even if he doesn't need yet another set of mouse ears. We are running out of space to put it all and the clutter is driving me nuts. How do I get him to stop spending and start saving toward his future?

Sincerely, Bea T.

Dear Bea,

It can be hard to get us children to understand the impact of money and the responsibility that’s connected to it. When I started getting money for birthdays and holidays I was quite irresponsible with it.I used to buy junk food, and stupid toys that I never played with once. But once I realized that I never had that money later when I really wanted something for a hobby, I learned the importance of buying what you need or saving up until you could buy something you really want. And as of right now I use my sparse amount of money to buy things for college.

The first thing that should be done with issues such as this, is to sit your son down and go over his collection of Disney and junk related items. As a young adult he should understand the concept of clutter in a home and that buying these unneeded items. Go through the items together and separate certain limited edition items in a pile that can either be kept out or packed away for when he moves. Then go through clothing and things he has multiples of such as the Mickey Mouse ears you mentioned. Anything that doesn’t fit, is destroyed/stained, or even unworn/unwanted should be given to a shelter or goodwill where those who really need these things can get them.

After this you should sit him down and talk about a money plan where he asks himself five or more questions before buying something and then puts aside a good portion of his paycheck for emergencies, things he really needs, and his future. This checklist can have a multitude of different questions but the major ones should be along the lines of,

Is this a necessity or something that I can live without?

Will this add value to my life?

What do I gain from buying this?

Does the cost of this item negatively or positively affect my savings?

Will I actually use this item?

Am I only buying this because it’s discounted or on sale?

When asking these questions it’s ok to take a couple hours to think it over. By taking a full 24 hours you can answer these questions while also reducing the amount of impulse buying that could occur. When it comes to his future it’s best to talk to him about it. Try not to push too hard otherwise he might pull away and go back to his old habits in retaliation. Ask him, if not already, what future he wants for himself. Explain that by saving his money he’ll be able to buy things for himself that he really wants and needs. It’s been proven that when a child moves out and starts to buy their own things they develop a sense of being an adult, especially when they're on their own.Tell him about the freedom he’ll have when he moves out and how if he saves his money he can find a nice place to live that he can help pay for, how he can buy the necessities he sees around him without having to work for long hours just to get the small things such as plates to eat off or even towels for the bathroom. Set boundaries for his spending habits will definitely rely on communication and lots of patience. It might take awhile for him to get the hang of but I’m sure he’ll catch on and start being more responsible with his money. 

Hope this helps, Amber K.

[mastomysowner]

The sad tale of the Kurozumi Family

If things had gone differently, Orochi could’ve been a good person. Wait, I’ll explain.

Orochi first met Higurashi over 41 years ago, when he was still a teen. Apparently, he lost his family. He was also forced to live in a terribly decrepit shack in a graveyard for who knows how long. Talk about creepy.

Higurashi’s entrance had an appropriate level of creepiness. She may have chosen the exact day for the lightning and thunder sound effects to be available. This granny must've had a knack for theatrics, hasn't she? This fits well with this arc’s theme of Kabuki stage plays. Not only that, by doing this, she showed who's the boss and made Orochi scared, confused and vulnerable to manipulation.

Orochi didn’t even know what crime his grandfather had been punished for, but he was still sure the punishment was just. Prior to meeting Higurashi, he blamed no one for his misery, oddly enough considering how much injustice he’d endured.

Orochi seems shocked to hear the story of his grandfather's misdeeds. Also, it was believed that they were killed in a civil war? Looks like we don't know a lot about Wano's history.

She didn't mention that not only their property was taken. The idea that someone could be guilty of being born was nothing new to Wano Country.

Interestingly, at that time, Orochi's dreams of becoming a shogun were simple and childish, there was nothing evil in them. They were kinda similar to the dreams of Denji from Chainsaw Man. 

Higurashi only offered the Devil Fruit to Orochi if he obeyed. He wasn't shown to be anything more than a tool to her.

Above all, she valued power and promoted this idea to both her family member and her future killer. Orochi felt nothing when she died, her own ruthlessness leaving a mark on him after many years of her being his only close person.

But it’s not a fact that Higurashi was always like that. She had to leave the country not only because of revenge, but also to save her life. There’s no doubt that survival in the unknown lands was indeed a terrible ordeal.

In any case, this was the beginning of their 20 years of collaboration, during which Orochi's attitude changed dramatically.

His clothes also changed. It's unknown if his living conditions also improved or if this was the only change (after all, a servant of the shogun should look appropriately). He stole much money, but they were used on producing weapons.

At that time, it wasn't clear how far the persecution of the Kurozumi clan had gone, but after it was shown, it seems weird that Yasuie asked why Orochi hid that he was a Kurozumi.

Most likely, it wasn't only a matter of self-righteousness. Throughout history, entire clans had often been wiped out to get rid of would-be avengers. The people of Wano wanted to get rid of any potential problems, and this backfired on them.

By the way, here Orochi says that if his clan only lost their social position, he wouldn't take revenge. Like, indiscriminate murder is counter-productive. It’s sad that the people of Wano didn’t understand this.

Orochi’s logic is terrible, but it is... logical. Why should I care if they die of starvation and disease? They didn't care about me when I lived in the same conditions! Why should I worry about their children becoming victims of my revenge? They think a child can be a criminal too!

There’s also this little, but very sad story of Kanjuro. It's possible to build many theories about how he lived, but the point is that no one extended a helping hand to him.

The persecution of Kurozumis isn't the only example of the callousness of the Wano citizens’ hearts. No one offered a helping hand to Izou and Kiku when they were left on the street. Fortunately, they met Oden, but they might not have met him.

And now the new shogun Momonosuke must deal with all this legacy. Let's see what the phrase “opening of the country’s borders” means to him. One thing is certain, when this happens, Wano Country must change its way of life. Maybe it’ll be more... more merciful? Maybe it’s too naive... Okay, I want to believe in Momo.

Even if Orochi and Kanjuro were too far gone, Momonosuke must make sure that things like this never happen again.

[ootahime]

analyzing every gojohime moment in the manga 😈

this series will probably have more than one part because tumblr only lets me upload ten images per post </3

warning: there are disgustingly long paragraphs in here and delusions

chapter 32

utahime’s first introduction!  akutami lets us know right off the bat that she thinks gojo is an idiot (so true).

chapter 32

i love the contrast between miwa and utahime’s reaction to gojo’s appearance.  

chapter 33

NAH BC TELL ME WHY HE WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO NOT GET HER ONE LMAOOOO!!  when he traveled overseas to meet with yuta, he picked up the tribal protection charms and thought to himself, “let’s get enough for the kyoto students as a gift since i am such a great and caring teacher, after all.  mmm, i should skip utahime to make her mad~”  this guy puts way too much effort into getting on her nerves.  his mind = utahime brainrot

chapter 33

she’s laughing at him here because he’s getting disciplined for being a lil shit.  i wonder...what would he say if he saw her laughing at him like that?  

chapter 33

this interaction between them is a little strange don’t you think?   i feel like over the years he’s learned how to pick up her mood based on the way she’s acting towards him.  you’re probably thinking, “well any person can figure out how a person’s feeling based on the way they’re talking or acting.”  yes, that’s absolutely true, but it’s kind of different with this.  she’s acting normal.  utahime has a rather indifferent expression on her face and what she says is spoken in a calm tone, but gojo still asks her if she’s mad at him.  it’s likely that he knows her well enough to be able to notice these subtle things.  even if she wasn’t actually mad at him, he was being considerate for a split second, then he went and said, “of course.  i didn’t do anything wrong and all.”  what a guy LOLOL.  to me, this implies that maybe he made her genuinely angry in the past to the point where he realized that he went too far, and thus decided to be more careful of her feelings.  she has definitely gotten annoyed at him so many times after that so whenever she seems angry, he probably asks himself if he took it too far.  i’m curious to see if he can pick up if she’s upset with something that’s not involving him.  would he console her?  how does gojo satoru console someone?  

despite him always annoying her, she’s still courteous and brings him a cup of tea during their talk.  she didn’t have to go out of her way to get tea for him but she did.  that’s the kind of person utahime is.  a kind and caring woman who would never put her students in danger.  in the anime they were sitting far away and not facing each other like they’re doing in the manga.  she also has her own tea cup.  i think that little panel of her placing the cup down on the table and him picking it up to take a sip is a nice little detail.  it just proves that her hating him most of the time isn’t actually pure hatred but annoyance because of his shenanigans and teasing.

chapter 33

i touched upon this a little bit in my previous post, but i wish to go more in depth about this panel.  first of all, he ends the sentence with her name twice.  two times too many, mr. gojo.  i like how they can be serious with each other too LOL.  i wish we got to see them talk about the traitors because they did figure it out together after all.  does it always end in bickering?  can they interact with each other like adults all the way through?  somehow, i feel like that’s not possible when it comes to these two.  furthermore, notice how gojo confides in utahime about his suspicions.  from what we know, she is the first person he brought it up to.  i mean, i guess he has to start investigating the schools and would need extra assistance to save time, but he could have done it himself if he really wanted to.  by deciding to ask for her help we know that he thinks she’s trustworthy, smart, and strong enough to face whatever considerable risks this task may entail.  

i didn’t point this out in my other posts but see how he makes a hand sign in the last panel when she throws the cup at him?  gojo is manually activating his infinity.  why though?  about a year after the whole star plasma vessel incident happened, gojo develops the ability to keep his infinity up at all times by using the reversed curse technique to consistently heal himself to prevent exhaustion.  this means that it really makes no difference whether he leaves it on or off.  there are a few times where we can witness someone actually touching gojo.  for example, yuuji giving him a hug.  did he turn his infinity off, or was it able to deduce that yuuji was not a threat?  the erasers and pencils shoko and geto threw at him during his demonstration of his new ability aren’t dangerous normally, but is it the speed that makes them dangerous?  even if it did hit him, it wouldn’t hurt.  how does the infinity know when to allow an incoming object to touch gojo?  i believe it is up to gojo himself to let things touch him; his infinity restricts anything and anyone.  some people say it could just be the fact that water is not dangerous to him, so therefore, he has to manually put his infinity up.  i thought this was a reasonable explanation as to why he put up the hand sign when the tea was thrown at him, but then i realized that it couldn’t be.  remember the second opening?  it’s raining and everyone is carrying an umbrella, then it pans to gojo with a bouquet in his hand and rain drops slipping off his infinity.  if he DID manually put his infinity up to prevent getting soaked then that implies that he chose to turn his infinity off.  you can argue and say that jujutsu high is a safe place with students so there’s no need to have his infinity there, but do you remember when he stepped on the ants in front of gakuganji and yaga?  the ants were perfectly fine after which insinuates that his infinity prevented his shoes from crushing the ants.  he most likely had his infinity on during the baseball game even though he was in a safe environment.  how does this long tangent relate back to utahime?  well, it simply indicates that gojo trusts utahime so much to the point where he can be vulnerable around her.  turning off his infinity symbolizes completely letting down his guard  in a way.  

how about what happens next?  utahime throws the tea at him, he turns on his infinity to deflect it, and he responds with, “scary!  hysteric women aren’t popular, you know!”  why would he even say that LMAO??  utahime doesn’t even try to deny what he said either.  she just hits him with the good old, “i am your senpai!”  could it be that he’s trying to poke fun of her relationship status?  maybe, maybe not.  doesn’t he like people a lil crazy?  he did say that all jujutsu sorcerers have to be a little crazy because they’re willing to put themselves in danger constantly.  

chapter 0 p.1

i wonder who he’s thinking of when he said that.  could it be utahime?  it seems like he’s reminiscing or thinking about someone.  he wears an amused expression on his face as he laughs - almost like he’s seen his fair share of how scary women can get :>>

chapter 34

the pattern behind gojo and utahime is called yagasuri “fletching,” a traditional japanese design.  this design is inspired by arrow fletching.  it's a lucky charm for weddings and other celebrations since it's based on the Japanese belief that an arrow shot once never comes back.  brides were given kimonos with this pattern for good luck during the edo era (1603–1868) to ensure they would not have to return to their original family home.  this pattern can have numerous meanings such as steadfastness or determination to achieve a goal, or a wish for the happiness of the bride.  there is a belief that a bow and arrow represent the fight against evil.  honestly, this meaning fits the narrative of the story.  utahime and gojo are unearthing the traitors that are feeding intel to the curse users and cursed spirits.  they are in the middle while the kyoto students surround them, which could mean that it’s their job as adults to protect these children from the grasps of evil slowly making itself more prominent.  do you also notice that the arrows are pointed toward utahime from gojo?  from all the images i’ve seen, the arrows are usually pointed downward.  what could this mean?  is gojo trying to protect her (in the future (?)) or does he have a big fat crush smh...

i think it’s a good time to mention utahime’s clothing.  she’s wearing miko attire.  miko are shrine maidens who were once thought to be shamans (you connecting the dots?).  in their service to shrines, miko used to perform spirit possession and takusen (in which the possessed person acts as a "medium" (yorimashi) to communicate the divine will or message of that kami (god) or spirit; also included in the category of takusen is "dream revelation" (mukoku), in which a kami appears in a dream to communicate its will).  this was back in the old days, of course.  to become a miko back then (shaman), one needed to have potential.  neurosis, hallucinations, odd behavior, and hysteria (HYSTERIA HELLO???) are some of the signs that a person is being called to shamanism.  when a miko is communicating with a kami (god) or spirit by acting as a medium, she is in a trance-like state, and so she must learn techniques to control herself when this happens.  chanting and dancing were used to accomplish this, so the girl was taught melodies and intonations that were used in songs, prayers, and magical formulas.  all of this could give us insight about utahime’s technique and explains why she’s good at singing :)  maybe she can’t control herself when she uses her technique which is why she isn’t shown using it because it should be used for dire situations.  i imagine being possessed by a spirit or god must consume a lot of cursed energy.  it makes sense that utahime and gakuganji wear traditional clothing.  they’re the staff of jujutsu high’s kyoto branch.  in chapter 0, kyoto is known as the sacred land of jujutsu.  it’s more traditional compared to tokyo.  if you want to learn more about miko, you should check out the wikipedia page!  

chapter 34

i swear he tries to annoy her every chance he gets.  i bet he sets a goal for himself to see how many times utahime lectures him about respecting his seniors every time he’s within the same vicinity as her.  at least he called her utahime-sensei!!!

chapter 40

this isn’t even a gojohime moment tbh...i just wanted to share a pic of them sitting next to each other HEHE.  why are they sitting next to each other anyway?  it’s not like they have assigned seating.

----

that was so long and i apologize for the gargantuan paragraphs you guys had to read through.  i’m writing this at 4 in the morning and i’m feeling borderline delirious so i apologize if there are any errors.  i’ll edit this when i have time <3

the next part should come shortly.

[littlegodzilla]

Hi everyone!! Yes, it's me again.

I'm here again with a new story, like I said in the masterlist post, I come with a story about John Rollins from Norman's movie Messengers 2: The Scarecrow.

I'm a little nervous because it's the first time I'm writing about John and more a mini-series like this, it's a little shorter than my previous Daryl mini-series "Your Name."

I apologize in advance if the story sounds strange or boring, the first few chapters are a bit of a set up for our man, but after that, I hope, the story is a bit more entertaining and interesting.

I'll make a little note at the end too to explain few things about the chapter.

I hope you'll like it.

Enjoy!

The Farmer Masterlist.

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

The Farmer.

John Rollins(40)x FemReader(30).

Mini series. John POV.

Chapter 1.

Warnings in the whole story: Not wife, not children al least not like the film. Mentions of alcohol abuse. AA reunions. Domestic habits. Fluff. Smut.

Warnings: New beginings, mentions of past alcohol abuse. A.A reunions.

Words: 4000 aprox.

N/A: this film is from 2009 so Norman at that time was 40 years old, so John will be that age too.

N/A2: I'm not going to make a taglist for now, if you want me to add you to the story, let me know!

Summary: John left his life in the city just to start again.

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

Part 1.

*********

John stops the van at the entrance to the house. His eyes squint due to the sun as he looks out of the car towards the house and the land that opens up before him. He sighs a long sigh before turning off the engine and getting out of the van. It's been a while, but he lived much of his childhood and youth on a similar farm with his parents, of course at that time he had to worry about a lot less things, but it couldn't be that hard.

It has been a long trip there, with tiredness he looks at the back of his car and feels some sorrow, all his life fits in a couple of suitcases and a sports bag, no doubt it is something sad if he stops to think about it, but he needed that. He needed to leave, to change of scenery, to give another sense to his life. To start from scratch.

He sold his house in the city, with that he could buy that old house next to the land and he still has something saved from his savings from his own work and an extra from the sale of the house, until he finds a job and to prepare the land.

"You're leaving?" His mother's voice sounded concerned when John went all the way home to tell them of his plans.

"I need to..."

"John, you know if you have any problems, we can give you a hand."

"It's nothing like that, but it all reminds me of... what I was before, I need a fresh start." He shrugged and his father nodded in understanding.

"Do you need us to help you with the move or something?"

"No, it's not necessary, I sold the house and they gave me a little extra for leaving the furniture there, so... I'll just take some clothes and the van, I need the car to load with everything I'm going to buy for the land..."

"Do you know if you have machinery there, if there is furniture in that house?"

"I don't know, Dad, I'm not worried now, really, I'll be fine." He scratched the back of his neck and shrugged.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I don't mean to pressure you, I'm just worried."

"I know." He nodded and hugged his mother warmly.

John grabs his bags from the van heading straight for the house, he pulls his keys out of his pocket and carefully opens it, the door creaks accompanied with his push to get in. The house is huge, he has to admit, a house divided into two floors, upstairs there are four bedrooms with a full bathroom, downstairs, linked all by wooden stairs, he has a living room, a dining room next to the kitchen, a guest room and a small bathroom, the porch surrounded the large part of the front of the house and in the kitchen he has a back door to the back garden. The land is large and he has a little sketch in his mind of how he wants to partition each space for his own consumption and sale. Next to the house is a barn where John hopes to find tools and some machinery to help him plow the land.

"This is huge..." He whispers leaving the bags with his clothes in the guest room, for the moment he will only use the first floor of the house.

He investigates a little, he is not in a hurry, the house in general is fine, it needs some repairs, but nothing exaggerated, nor too expensive, so he is calmer. He leaves the house walking straight to the barn. He opens the huge doors and sighs with relief, there is a tractor inside, also tools, somewhat old, even some rusty, but he doesn't care, he can work with the tractor for the moment.

"Alright buddy, tell me things about yourself." He talks to the vehicle opening the hood to make sure it's all right.

John has previously worked in a shop repairing cars and motorcycles, a tractor is a little more complicated, but he recognizes what he's doing, so he hopes he can make it work.

The engine roars, black smoke billows from the exhaust and John smiles in satisfaction as he wipes the oil from his hands with a handkerchief, old and years out of use it was a bit clogged, but finally it has come back to life. He stops the engine again and leaves the barn glancing at his watch, it's still early, maybe he could take the opportunity to do some shopping and investigate a little around town. He washes his hands at the kitchen faucet and is thankful that he has already been given the water and electricity for the house.

He drives to the nursery where he can buy everything he needs for his land, in addition to requesting the water supply so he can irrigate everything he starts to cultivate and take care of. He parks the van in the parking lot of the store looking around, it is a fairly large greenhouse, not only do they sell grain for planting or vegetables, they also have fruit trees, shrubs and ornamental trees, flowers and pots for gardens. An older man walks past him carrying a box and a long list of everything he wants to buy and John smiles, he must hurry or he will be left with nothing.

"Good morning." He greets as he enters the store and you lift your head from your papers. Your gazes connect and you smile kindly.

"Good morning, can I help you with anything?" you offer politely.

"I'm John Rollins, I've moved into the old Moonson family farm." He explains and you nod. "I'd like to know where I need to apply for irrigation water discharge and how the rates work for crops?"

"Of course." You smile again and introduce yourself as well, dig through some drawers and hand him a form. "Here, you have to fill this out for me for the water issue, we can manage it from here if that's okay with you and I'll go talk to my boss for a moment about the rates."

"Great, thanks." He takes the form and steps aside so as not to disturb the people shopping.

You leave it there going to your boss's office who is on the phone with some supplier, you wait a few minutes and when he looks at you, you move forward a few steps.

"Robert, a new customer has come in, he says he has bought the Moonson's farm and wants the discharge for irrigation water."

"Good, you know how it works, show him the irrigation schedule, explain how it works and make him a farmer's rate." He drafts you and you nod mentalizing it. "Does he come alone? Wife? Children?"

"I-I didn't notice..." You stammer as you haven't noticed if he's wearing a ring or not.

"I hope so, for if he's alone we won't have much benefit. Remember him to give you a bank account, no paying in cash."

His words surprise you, you never thought your boss saw people as mere numbers. You apologize to him and leave him to his business to go back to the store. John has finished filling out the paperwork and you gesture for him to join you at the side of the counter.

"Okay, so this is the watering schedule." You explain showing him the papers and taking the form. "We can give you water on Tuesdays and Fridays...you don't need to turn on the water every day if you don't need it, the rate doesn't vary..." You explain and he nods.

"Okay, no problem, I have a raft with which I can dose the water."

"Perfect, I see it's not the first time." You joke and he smiles.

"My parents had a farm, I helped harvest, but I never worried about...well, the paperwork."

"I understand." You smile again and write down on the side of the form some numbers. "Are you going to work the land for consumption or...?"

"For both, I don't have anything prepared yet, but I wanted to get everything ready for when I started moving everything." You nod. "I want to put some corn, fruit tree and for my consumption a vegetable garden with vegetables. From what I make from the corn and fruit I'd like to be able to sell some things."

"Okay, in that case we'll make you a farmer's rate, you'll get a discount for trees you buy and if you want to sell your harvest here we'll give you a percentage of the profit."

"Great, sounds good, I hope I don't kill it all on the first day." He jokes and you let out a gentle chuckle.

"Don't worry, if you need help, near your farm is the Greene's, Hershel is a very kind man and I'm sure he could let his worker Jimmy help you with the field." You offer and John smiles gratefully. "Well, on the other hand I would need a bank account... the other stuff there is no problem paying cash when you buy it, but the water fee should be by bank transfer."

"I understand, I can give you my details tomorrow, it's all new and I don't have it here..."

"No problem, you can take the form home and bring it to me tomorrow, it's Wednesday, so if you bring it to me tomorrow, by Friday you could already have water if you need it." You explain and John nods. "Anyway if you should have any problems and need water outside of your days, you call us and we give notice to whoever is on that day with the water and then call you back so you can use it."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind." He feels a little relief that things don't seem too complicated, at least at first. "One more thing, it's not about the lands..."

"Sure, tell me about it." You look at him worriedly.

"Do you know where I can find an A.A. group?" he asks you in a whisper and you're surprised for a second, but then bite your lip hesitantly.

"I think there are meetings like that at city hall...you can ask there about schedules, s-sorry, I don't know much else."

"No, no, that's okay, the city hall?" He insists and you nod. "Okay, I'll stop by there now, thank you very much."

"Take it easy, and welcome Mr. Rollins."

John looks at you for a second, but then nods goodbye and walks out of the greencenter with the papers in his hands. He's been checking the place out while he's been waiting for you and has discovered some things that look interesting to him, he's looking forward to getting the soil ready and getting everything ready to start growing. He sits in the van and his heart skips a beat when his phone starts ringing. He rolls his eyes as he reads the name on the screen and picks up.

"I'm fine..." He greets squeezing the bridge of his nose.

"I know, but you haven't called me, you told me you'd call me as soon as you got here." Another man's voice slips through the new farmer's ear.

"I just got here a little while ago." He lies biting his lip. "I've been dropping off the bags at home and...some things."

"You're getting the farm ready already?"

"Sort of, I've fixed the old tractor and just got out of the garden house, discharged for irrigation water, well, I'm on it..." He explains and starts the truck pulling out of the parking lot.

"What about the meeting, do you know anything about that?"

"I'm on it too, I asked a girl who works at the garden center and she told me to go over to city hall." He says again and hears a murmur on the other end. "I'm fine, Mark." He shrugs even though he knows the other man can't see him. "I'm just taking it easy, that's all."

"I know you need your time, John, don't get me wrong, but you need those meetings."

"I know, I'm on my way there, okay? But I needed to do this first, I'm... I'm happy about this." He hones in and hears the man sigh.

"Call me, okay? With anything, you know I'm always here." Mark says again. "If you find another sponsor..."

"I'll let you know, but I don't feel ready for that right now." He reassures him by parking near city hall.

John says goodbye and promises to call him when he leaves the first meeting and then enters the huge building. He looks around the room, there is a woman at the front desk who greets him with a friendly smile, which he responds to and walks over to her. The woman settles into the chair as John reaches her desk.

"Good morning." He greets and she reciprocates. "I wanted to know if you could direct me to the A.A. meeting times." The woman's gesture changes dramatically and John swallows feeling like an animal about to be bludgeoned. She reaches into her drawers for something and hands him a sheet of paper with the program times and days. "Thank you very much." He waves goodbye walking away

"Why do they always have to be the best looking ones?" He hears her say before the door closes behind her back.

John goes back to the farm to finish filling out the form you gave him earlier at the garden center. He has to look up the number of his new bank account, even that has changed, when the day came to buy the house, after paying the Moonson sons he went to the bank and opened an account right there to deposit what he had left over from the purchase then he had put the bank book in the glove compartment of the car and had almost forgotten about it. Biting the cap of the pen, he writes the numbers in the corresponding boxes and looks at the form several times. There is a small box marked 'remarks' and John jots down a couple of things. He takes a folder out of one of the suitcases and keeps the form there and leaves it on the table, first thing tomorrow morning he will go back to the nursery to get it all sorted out.

His eyes travel to the A.A. program, he picks it up and reads it several times, there are different meetings almost every day, for the moment John is not tied to a particular schedule, so he can come whenever he needs to, that evening, at six o'clock there is a meeting, so he writes it down in his head and gets up from the sofa. He has to eat something, it's almost time.

*******

He leaves the van in front of the supermarket and when he enters the store the stares fall on him. He gets goose bumps, he knows he will end up getting used to it, after all he is new in town and everyone knows it.

He's not a master chef, but he buys enough to get by for a few days, the good thing about being just him is that if he burns something, he can't complain. A small smile tugs at his mouth at his own thoughts before he drops a tray of meat into the cart he pushes absentmindedly through the aisles of the supermarket.

"Jimmy's bringing a friend to the farm this afternoon, do you want to come?" John hears a voice and stops his cart in time before he crashes.

"Oh, sorry." You apologize, you were talking to Beth and you weren't even coming where you were going. Realizing who it is, you smile. "Hello, Mr. Rollins."

"Please, John it's okay, I'm not that old and I don't think we have much of an age difference." He jokes and you laugh with a nod. Beth looks at you curiously.

"Excuse me, Beth this is John Rollins, he's the one who bought the Moonson farm. John, this is Beth Greene, I told you about her farm this morning." You remind him and he nods.

"Right, it's a pleasure." He smiles kindly and shakes hands with the young blonde who seems to blush.

"Have you settled in at the farm yet?" you ask curiously.

"I'm on it, yes, I didn't think the house would be so big when I came to buy it, but it's fine, it's all very quiet."

"I'm sure you and your wife will soon fill it up and your children will enjoy the land." Dares Beth to say, you give her a sidelong glance as you watch the man's countenance change.

"Yeah, sure, someday." He smiles forcedly. "For the time being I might get a dog or two to keep me company." He tries to take the tension out of the moment and you both let out a chuckle.

"They're good company too." You joke at the same time and wave goodbye. "Let's keep shopping or your dad will send Jimmy after us. See you John." You wave goodbye and he waves his hand.

"See ya." He waves goodbye to go on with his own shopping, changing aisles.

"He's pretty cute, don't you think?" Beth's voice reaches his ears, but not your response, a small amused smile forms on his mouth as he continues to push his cart. His finger caresses his ring finger and he averts his gaze to his own hand.

He's not married, he tried, but things didn't turn out well. John is not stupid, he knows it didn't go well because of his problem, everything started to twist and fall apart, he could have tried later, when the program saved his life, but no one waits for so long and he didn't ask for it either, so that was also one of the reasons he needed to get away from everything he knew. Now, after several years alone, he is not worried about his singleness, he is at peace with himself and is still learning to value himself so he is in no hurry to find someone.

*****

He's nervous, it's like the first time he stepped foot in a meeting, only now he can stand and his breath and clothes don't smell of cheap beer and pee. He sits in one of the chairs when the doors open and shakes his leg nervously as he fiddles with his hands. The group consists of about fifteen people, both women and men greet and talk to each other, that place is safe for everyone and it is clear that many have been going to these meetings for a long time. An older man of more than sixty years old gets on the lectern and speaks for everyone, he makes a short introduction explaining how it all works, greets the usual people and mentions the newcomers, then he tells some things about himself and gives way to other companions. John listens to each story curiously, chewing his inner cheek, debating on whether or not he needs to come up himself.

"What if the new guy shows up, are you ready, son?" The man's voice brings him out of his thoughts and he hesitates for a second, but finally nods rising from his chair.

Apparently they've decided for him.

He walks over to the lectern and stares at the people, no one is looking at him with suspicion and disapproval, there is curiosity and confusion, but they are not judgmental stares, everyone there is guilty of something, so everyone is open minded, or trying to be. John clears his throat before speaking.

"Hi, I'm John and I'm an alcoholic." He introduces himself and everyone greets him. "I...well as you all may know, I'm new here; not only to the program, but to the town as well. I bought Moonson Farm and I'm trying to start from scratch." He recounts and bites his lip again. "As I was listening to your stories I was debating whether I should say something or wait for another day, but I guess thinking like that is what brought me here, thinking that tomorrow would all work out better than yesterday and finding out that tomorrow was no better option if nothing is done to try..." He whispers and sees some people nod their heads in understanding. "I didn't know whether to speak because... I'm calm, I'm starting a new life, after five years sober I've decided I need this, it's a big step and I'm fine, I feel calm." Some applaud and congratulate him. "But I think that's what I'm afraid of; the calm, what will happen when I'm home alone, what will happen when my head starts to think too much and there's no one there to tell me what to do? I know I'm not a child, that I can decide and act for myself, but this disease..." He pauses for a second and sees that his fingers are scratching the wood of the lectern and realizes how nervous he is. "I'm afraid that this calm is the announcement of a storm that I myself won't be able to stop and everything will disappear..." He finally confesses and steps down from the lectern looking at the tips of his sneakers. He feels his chest going a mile a minute, but his men relax, his body is no longer so heavy, as if he has been freed from a burden.

After people say their goodbyes, John helps clear the room, setting up the chairs on one side of the room as he munches on a sandwich someone has prepared for the meeting. He almost feels as if nothing has changed, as if he's in a meeting with his usual buddies.

"Hello." He hears next to him and the older man, Hershel, looks at him with kind eyes. "So you've bought the old farm."

"That's right... I still have a lot to do, but I really hope it's not as hard as it looks." He jokes and the man hums.

"If you need help, my farm is a little down the road from yours, I can send some of my guys to help you." He offers.

"Thanks, but for the moment I want to try it alone."

"Of course, I didn't mean to offend you...if you ever need to talk, outside the program and outside the farm, I'd be happy to share you a cup of coffee."

"Thanks, Hershel, I'll keep that in mind."

John says goodbye to the group and leaves the building lighting a cigarette, it's the only drug he can afford, he's not a regular smoker but when the smoke sears his lungs he feels a little better, he savors it before letting it go out very slowly between his lips. He still feels his hands shaking a little as he picks up the phone and walks to the van. She only has to wait two rings until Mark picks up.

"I thought you were going to ignore me again." He waves him off and John rolls his eyes.

"I told you I'd call you after the meeting, since when are you so dramatic?"

"Since forever and I'm offended that you don't know it." He jokes and the two men snort. "How did it go?"

"Fine, I think, I'm still shaking." He hones in by putting his hands free and tossing his cigarette out the window. "I'm still a kid learning to walk..."

"Give yourself time, John, you've made great progress these past five years and change is always hard on us."

"I know, but I decided this change, that's supposed to make it easier."

"It's supposed to, but it's different for us." She tries to cheer him up a little. "How did it go?"

"Well, things don't change, I guess, but it's been easier than the first time, certainly." He hears Mark laugh on the other end of the line. "I've been offered help with the farm and to have a coffee and a chat, in case I need it."

"That sounds interesting, any girls?"

"What, no." A laugh escapes him. "Hershel, I think he's the oldest in the program. His farm isn't too far from my house." He explains and parks the truck as he pulls up.

"Well, that's good, always look for the oldest to give you the best advice."

"I already did that with you." He jokes. "I told you I don't plan on getting someone else at the moment, if I can call you when I have a crisis..."

"You know I'm always available, John, you don't have to ask."

"Thanks Mark."

He says goodbye to the other man on the phone and gets out of the van. As he opens the door to the house he feels a cold, empty silence greet him, it's still too much for him alone, but he really hopes he can get used to it soon and feel it like home. He spends a couple more hours hanging around the house, he calls his parents to keep them quiet, he is forty years old, but in a way he is also part of the program, his father doesn't ask for too many details, but his mother gives him a lengthy interrogation that leaves him mentally exhausted. Promising to send them some photos of the farm, he bids them both farewell and settles down on the sofa.

His cigarette lights up as he prepares dinner, after all the travel and movement during the day his body feels heavy as a slab. He leaves the empty plate in the kitchen sink, throws the cigarette butt in the ashtray and closes his eyes, settling into the sofa. He doesn't know at what point his brain stops working at full speed and he finally falls asleep.

**

To be Continued...

***

If you've made it this far, I'm glad and hope you liked it!

I decided to include John in an A A meeting because in the movie they give small details that he had problems with alcohol some time ago, they don't talk much about it but it caught my attention and well, I wanted to include it.

We will also see Mary and Lindsey but later on, as I said above that their relationship would be different.

Well I think it's all..

I hope you liked the chapter!

See you in the next stories and chapters!!

[vannyvancan]

Fluff Naga!Shinsou Oneshot

For the last few days, I've been thinking about how I have a thing for tropes that are very dangerous in concept, but I like to imagine some fluffy/domestic scenario with them.

As if my fanfiction about having an assassin roommate Shinsou wasn't plaguing my mind enough, the naga monster Shinsou somehow warming up to you and treating you more than just a breeding machine just works. There's some angsty potential for sure.

tw for: mentions of dark thoughts

Naga Shinsou comes back to his cavern with you in it one day, only to hear your muffled sobs quiet down as you hear him approach. He doesn't think much of it of course. You are his breedable, but he see's your health declining daily for how you've been.

Even though he brought you meals, and brought you out for several minutes just to drink in the sun. He treated you nothing more than that,

So how do you manage to look worse than yesterday and day before?

After all, even if you do die, he'd just go out his way and find himself another human female. But for now the mating season had passed, and all of your children had scattered and learned to protect the Naga territory Shinsou had owned.

He returns to sleep in his waters, greeting you briefly and leave your form to sleep on surface near the cold water. You'd shiver and try your best to warm up with the soaked nest. Your clothes was safe to say tattered and beyond being called clothes at this point. Curling up, you look at moonlight peeking in the caverns you can't escape from, it's not like you had any choice honestly. You look at the water reflecting it. The deep dark water your monster would dive in to slumber in for the night.

You thought about taking a dive, to end this miserable existence, You figured he'd be there to save you though. When you threw a pebble in one time out of boredom, he'd immediately jump out because of the water surface disturbing him, you received harsh scolding and he grew spiteful for weeks after that.

With not much on your hands, you ended up singing to yourself to sleep, with your tears still drying on your face. It was a habit now that you'd sing, it was a lullaby you've learned when you were still living your life as an ordinary human before he'd capture you. Of course, when you had his kids the time with them was brief before he captured you...

The night passes in hazy, restless sleep like any other. It was the sort of sleep where you liked to think you'd gotten a rest, but deep down you knew it wasn't. It was pointless to sleep, to be honest.

You didn't sing that night.

Nevertheless, you managed to close your eyes and try to think back, back to your happy circle that was slowly fading like a picture book soaked in the merciless cold water. The fading memories now serving you nothing more than a torturing mechanism you couldn't let go off. Nostalgia did an opposite effect on you right now, but at this point you just wanted to feel something, even if you were dying. Trying to remember the warmth on your skin, your semi-sleeping form was interrupted by the droplets of water above you.

Your naga monster Shinsou glared deeply above you.

Your breath hitched at sight, his snake like tail was holding up his human part, arms tenderly hanging on his side. The water dangling on his indigo hair onto your form as the intense yet curious stare stayed, Shinsou was quiet, that was something you knew, but why did he come and see you?

If he wanted to breed you like how he did the first, second and third time, he would of not hesitated to grip you and force your hand.

But he just watched.

"H-hey." You mutter out, gripping the wet straw of the nest to try some weak defense.

"You're not singing." He mumbles.

"S-so what, am I your music box now?" You sighed, curling into yourself.

"Your body temperature dropped frantically in last several days."

"Obviously..." You looked around yourself, wondering how oblivious he must've been. "Besides, don't snakes like warmth too?"

"We can't regulate our temperature. Since its summertime, shade and a lot of water is best option." He slithered around you to find a comfortable position to lay beside you, his tail curled the whole nest and he manages to find a position.

"Right."

"But, that's not why I woke up for."

"Then what is?" You asked meekly, you doubted he wanted to spend a 'quality' time with you. The damage was already done the moment he forced this life on you, wasn't he aware of it? It wasn't like you'd expect from a monster to know though.

But...

"I ask of your permission to sleep beside you."

At the words your head perked up. He asked of your permission? Weren't you his captive, he could do whatever he wanted with you, its not like you had any choice to obey him. Now of all things seemed absurd after all the times he'd used you up. Looking at his tail shifting to other side, he seemed visibly distressed by something, it was as if he tried to find words for what humans liked or not.

"And I'll treat you something good tomorrow, something warm... right?"

"W-why the sudden-"

"I'll let you approach me... for once. Y-you don't have to if you don't want to, I just want to stay here with you."

He lays on his stomach with his tired eyes barely open, his head resting on his hands. You could of guessed he was daydreaming with the way he was gazing at you, it was like he used his own hypnosis skill on himself rather than on you. The thought made you flutter with something unknown.

Then again you were on your guard.

Time passed in silence. he'd mutter occasional reassurance "It's alright, skittish kitten, I don't wish you any harm." It's almost as if he was trying to convince himself he doesn't need your touch, the feeling of your skin where he had so greedily claimed was fading "I'll let you come to me first..."

There was definitely something more he wished to say, but it seems he too felt some feeling growing inside of him.

Seconds turned in minutes, and minutes turned in hours. His eyes fell shut and you were now in presence of a purple naga monster, exposed in his sleepy habitat. Chest raising and falling from his breathing and soft mutter from his dream that slowly crept in his mind. The fluffy tuffs of lavender hair hiding his expression, but you could only guess he kept going on about recent events even in his dream.

Your shivering form shook once more, trying to rub your hands once again you winced for how you don't have many options. You looked at the smooth scales, and shakily stood up on your two feet, tipping toeing your way without making any sound. If he decides to make this into a trap to eat you up... it was a really good one.

But its not as if you, in your depressed state of mind cared if you were alive or not. Anything would be good a this point, any feeling, any touch and warmth was welcoming. Even if it was from a cold blooded beast.

You sat on your knees right beside him. Trying to find a fitting position where you'd be able to cuddle him, ending up figuring you were going to hug his humanoid part you laid down and snuggled at his side, your front turned to him and listening to his soft breathing. Being this close to him you realized how scarred his humanoid skin part was, Shinsou does guard his territory daily, and only to come back to you in his caverns meant how much he trusted you exposing his vulnerable body.

He twitches, and that made you startled for a second, only to realize his smooth tail now touched your back and cuddled you closer to him. "Hmm..." He purrs in his sleep, now turning his sleepy head toward you he tenderly nuzzled into your form. Was he a snake or a cat monster?

The motion stops, and you are now in the circle of his thick figure, sleeping with a giant monster who now, surprisingly- warmed you up.

You felt like singing again.

[panlight]

I think that I might have asked this before, but what charities would the Cullens donate to if they actually cared about using their wealth for good? What are their specific issues? I believe that Esme and Rose would donate to women's shelters, for example.

This is something you find a whole lot in fanfic and headcanon, but something that SM herself didn't seem to think to add at all. And if you asked her I would bet her answer would be something like "oh of course they donate to lots of charities, it just never came up with Bella" or whatever but, yeah. She mentions their (designer, only worn once) clothes going to Good Will but that's about the extent of charity actually in canon. Otherwise it's islands and fancy cars and designer clothes and TVs not yet available in the US that Edward smashes in a fit of rage at the thought of Bella becoming a vampire, etc.

I think women's shelters make a ton of sense of Rosalie and Esme to donate to and/or volunteer at. Rape survivor charities might be something, too, and charities to do with babies/children. Maybe Esme is also into Donors Choose since she was briefly a teacher.

Carlisle would probably send money to medical charities, Doctors Without Borders, etc. Nowadays probably regularly tops off go-fund-mes he comes across while muttering about what a mess healthcare in the US is. Possibly also suicide prevention--maybe he and Esme take shifts on hotlines. I know we've beaten this dead horse a lot, but considering both Esme and Carlisle tried to kill themselves at certain points in their lives you'd think Edward's little stunt in Volterra would have had more ripple effects in the family/would have been a bigger deal/SOMETHING. Bella's actions in New Moon, too. But it's just like "oh E/B are back together now everything is fine, there are no underlying issues to address."

Edward is hard. On the one hand SM insists on his goodness, both in Bella's narration and her own comments as an author, but on the other we have Midnight Sun where he doesn't seem to care about humans at all until he meets Bella and even then it's only her and like, Angela, that he thinks are worthy of esteem. The show/tell problem again. Maybe he's started up some musical scholarships? Or is involved in local charities in Chicago, along with historical preservation there?

Emmett might be into wildlife conservation? I mean sure, his hunting habits may not be the most sustainable, but I think he does generally love the outdoors and respects nature and animals (bears are just so tasty . . . plus, rematch!). I don't know what's out there for sports charities but he could be into that, maybe paying for a little league team to travel to the national tournament or whatever.

Alice probably has some "frivolous" ones like, Donate My Dress for prom dresses and that kind of thing, but maybe some more 'serious' ones too, surrounding mental health? Especially post-New Moon when she knows she was put into an asylum. Maybe also charities for kids who have been kicked out by parents; she might relate to that given what her father did?

Then there's Jasper. I still maintain he's the most vampire-y and doesn't like, care that much about humanity as an concept. He doesn't kill them because his gift makes it unbearable for him to do so, not because, IMO, he sees anything wrong with the predator-prey dynamic. And I think he's only doing this family/school/human society thing for Alice and without her would be a nomad who didn't interact with the human world much. So I don't really know what, if anything, in the human world he cares about. I guess if Esme and Carlisle "encouraged" him to pick or found a charity he would just for something to do, but. . . he's probably more likely to assist Alice and Emmett with their projects out of love/friendship then to have any pet "save/help the humans" projects himself. But maybe he retains a fondness for horses? And there's some charity related to horse rescue and rehabilitation or whatever he works with?

[crimsonophelia]

Could I get a fluffy and maybe flirty Childe imagine set during his story quest? Instead of the Traveler and Paimon accompanying him, the reader (who works at the Northland Bank as one of Childe’s subordinates) gets slapped with the duty of babysitting Teucer and covering for Childe and his façade as a toy seller in Liyue.

"I must say that your brother is quite cute, sir."

"...I guess it must run in the family."

"Hm? Did you say something, comrade?"

"Oh. Um. Nothing, sir."

Of course, being the perceptive man he is, Childe heard all of what they said. What he ends up doing or saying to the reader? Seeing the magic you’ve worked when anon previously gave you the liberty of it, I leave it entirely up to you. :)

featuring: childe x gn!reader

warnings: a teeny bit suggestive at the end

published: april 27 2021

form: imagine

a/n: i’m gonna be real with you, i was stuck on ar35 for the longest time because i was too cowardly to level up my world so i finally did it today and i jumped from 35 to 41 T_T and now my enemies are stupidly strong. but anyways i just started the childe quest today so im just gonna stick to the part when they’re still in liyue and there’s no fighting wwww

“teucer, i swear to celestia-” you muttered under your breath, as the little redhead slipped from your grasp yet again, running ahead to go look at some kite vendors. “come back here, kid! otherwise you’re gonna be in a heck of a lot of trouble!” 

earlier in the day, you were out running errands for the bank, under tartaglia’s orders, when you had come across rumors of a ruin guard running amok. figuring you would use your spare time and save some local liyue citizens the trouble of having to deal with the feral robot, you defeated the machine with efficient ease. however, in the vicinity, you discovered a lone child showing great excitement at a deactivated ruin guard, jumping and leaping while calling it “mr. cyclops” with a strange elation. 

you figured the boy was snezhnayan, what with his features and clothing reminiscent of the cold climate of your homeland. but why in the world was he out by a ruin hunter all alone? he kept mentioning his brother, a toy seller in liyue, but you could think of absolutely nobody that fit that description. 

so, out of the goodness of your own heart, you decided to take the little boy-- teucer, he called himself--back to liyue harbor with you, and see if you could find this older brother of his. 

however, once you arrived back in the city, your plans were quickly derailed as the little brat seemed to have the attention span of a fruit fly, and was constantly trying to weasel his way into some other dangerous situation without you knowing. 

“god dammit teucer”, you huffed, trying to keep up with the child. who let children have so much energy? your age must finally be catching up to you, you thought. “how about we go back to northland bank? you might like it there” you thought taking him back to your headquarters would stall the boy for enough time for you to find someone who might know the whereabouts of teucer’s brother. there weren’t too many snezhnayans in liyue--whoever his brother is, he can’t be far.

the little boy looked up at you with his big, blue puppy eyes, but you knew his act by now. “no buts, kid. if you’re lucky, we’ll be able to track down you’re brother there.” he sighed, relenting to your orders and following you back to northland bank.

the two of you climbed up the stairwell leading to the entrance of the bank on the second floor, teucer clearly dejected and pouting like a baby. exhausted, you pushed open the doors that you were so familiar with, and ushered the child inside.

much to your surprise, you see tartaglia talking with ekaterina in the lobby. it had been quite a while since you had seen your superior in person, and the surprise certainly was not unwelcome. sometimes you couldn’t stand the man’s smug attitude, yet there was something in his rogueish charisma that you simple couldnt deny attracted you to him.

teucer also seemed to be excited by this sighting of the red-headed harbinger, the little boy’s eyes lighting up with unbridled excitement.

“brother!”

wait. was tartaglia the older brother teucer had been talking about all along?

childe turned around, distracted by teucer’s voice, and upon seeing the little boy, his eyes lit up—first with surprise, then with confusion.

“teucer? what the heck are you doing here in liyue?”

he left the fatui agent with a befuddled look upon her face, and ran towards the child. teucer jumped up into his brother’s broad arms, and they grasped each other in a tight hug, like they had not seen each other for at least an eternity.

ruffling teucer’s hair, tartaglia softened, with an expression unlike anything you had really seen him wear before. he really must care about his family, you thought to yourself.

“so you’re the older brother this little tyke has been talking nonstop about”, you teased tartaglia, elbowing him in his side. “you know, he’s thrown me for a loop this entire day. i didnt think babysitting was part of the job requirement.”

the red-head chuckled abashedly, scratching his head. “sorry about that, [y/n]. the little guy can’t seem to bear being away from his favorite big brother.”

teucer laughed. he truly looked so happy to be with tartaglia again, which made you wonder what the harbinger was like when not on the job. you had known him to be a ruthless war machine, a hedonistic killer who thrived off of the rush battle and bloodshed gave him. childe could take down a dozen men, twice his size, in a matter of minutes, hardly breaking a sweat. yet seeing him interact with teucer, almost a little mini-sized version of himself, his gentleness and care surprised you. perhaps there was more to the man than you had initially thought.

teucer finally detaching himself from tartaglia, looked up at his brother with those same puppy eyes, now full of admiration. “are you here to sell toys to the liyue children, too?”, the child asked. toys? what toys could he possibly be referring to? you and ekaterina, both, looked at childe with confusion.

tartaglia stuttered for a moment. “oh! uhh— yes! yes i am! i was just talking with the nice lady, ms. ekaterina, on how many toys we can sell to all the children in liyue!” he responded, hardly missing a beat. did teucer not know what childe’s actual occupation was?

“wow! my brother really is the coolest person ever!” teucer leaped up and down, hanging onto tartaglia’s pantlegs. looking at this young, untainted innocence, you begun to understand why childe might try and shield the child from the truth.

childe detached the excitable child from his clothing, and beckoned ekaterina over. “ms. ekaterina, would you do me the grand favor of watching teucer for the rest of the day? i’d hate to burden our friend [y/n] after they have already brought him to liyue from celestia-knows-where.” he turns to teucer, telling him “big brother ajax is going to sell many, many toys now! so you need to behave yourself when i’m gone, okay? miss ekaterina will be watching you, and she’s very nice.” he pinches his brother’s cheek, teasing him lightly, and ushering him away with the fatui agent.

it’s now just you and tartaglia in the bank, as the sun was setting and all the other employees had gone home for the day. you heaved a sigh of relief, glad to be rid of baby-sitting duty, after having to deal with teucer’s antics for several hours now.

“i’m really sorry about all of that. i had no idea he would be coming, as a stowaway, no less.” the man looked at you with genuine gratitude. “i don’t want to imagine what might’ve happened to the little brat if you hadn’t been there.”

you chuckled, not quite used to seeing such sincerity coming from the harbinger. most of the time, you had been accustomed to his charismatic facade that he puts on when he becomes childe, the eleventh and one of the most dangerous members of the fatui harbingers.

“don’t worry, it really was no problem. your brother is certainly a handful, but undeniably adorable”, you said, mindlessly gathering your belongings again as you prepared to head out again. “he takes after his older brother quite a bit, i must say.”

“come again?” childe looked behind him, eyebrow cocked.

“oh— nothing. i didnt say anything”, you muttered. shit. you really need to get better at keeping your mouth shut. you refused to be known as the insolent fool with the puppy-love crush on the goddamn eleventh fatui harbinger.

“oh? that didnt really sound like nothing, my dear [y/n].” he smirked. whenever he called you “my dear”, you knew you were in for major teasing. he was definitely having fun with this. he strode towards you innocently, with that usual swagger of his, that tinted everything he did. his walk, his talk, his appearance all oozed confidence, and it was utterly intoxicating.

tartaglia now looked at you with a glint in his eye, the same look he gave enemies before he was about to utterly obliterate them. it was frightening, yet terribly alluring, and you despised how much you fell for it.

suddenly, you felt your back hit the cold, marble wall. you hadn’t even realized that tartaglia had cornered you against a gold pillar, his mere presence forcing you to unconsciously move away from him as he approached you, calculatedly. a lump growing in your throat, you couldn’t bring yourself to even utter a single word in defense, only feeling your cheeks grow hotter and your legs grow weaker.

tartaglia leaned his arm against the pillar, dangerously close to your head, effectively propping himself up with only you between him. you were far too aware of the space—or rather, the lack thereof—separating the two of you, the man’s hot breath audible in the dead, echoing silence of the golden bank.

tartaglia smirked, bringing his face close to yours. “you flatter me greatly, [y/n].” smirking, his breath grazed against your neck, his stare burning into your flesh. the way your name sounded on his lips made your breath hitched in your throat. too hot, you felt way too hot. it was impossible for a hydro user to make you feel such unbearable heat.

“seems as if your clever words aren’t of any use to you now, hmm?” you could feel the mans lips brushing against your jaw, each touch against you leaving a stinging trail. he brought his free hand to caress your own, fingers clasping yours as if you were made of a delicate porcelain, the finest kind liyue had to offer. slowly, as if dragging out each second as long as he could, tartaglia brought your hand to his lips, and planted a long, slow kiss to the back of your palm.

your eyes widened at the sheer eroticism with which he kissed your hand—an act commonly of etiquette somehow being much more lustful, even debauched when tartaglia did it. all you could feel was where his lips met your hand, the phantom burn it left, the slight string of saliva connecting his lips to your hand as he left it, the dark gaze in his eyes as he looked back up at you, clearly aware of how vulnerable you were in his grasp.

“thank you again, my dear. i hope we can continue to work together in the future.”

a/n: jesus christ this got really horny at the end LMFAO anyways i hope you like it! its kinda long but wtv

[warmau]

☆ [nostalgic] summer romance!au jungwoo another late birthday au....but happy snoopy day <3 find others here: johnny | haechan | taeil | taeyong | mark | jaemin | yangyang | yuta | sicheng | chenle | kun | yukhei | doyoung | jaehyun

"congratulations and welcome to the team!"

the overly peppy voice that comes out of the body of the middle-aged man somehow doesn't match the soulless look in his eyes

he hands you a whistle and a t-shirt, which when you unfold greets you with the name of the water park you've been cursed to work at all summer

the font is big and bubbly and very, very, very yellow - it's almost nauseating

you turn the shirt around and on the back, in that same childish font, is the word staff

"jungwoo, glad to see you here again!"

you turn your head to see the man, who is your shift manager, patting a rather thin and tall looking boy on the back

he makes a gagging noise which the manager just laughs heartily at before dropping the same shirt and whistle in jungwoo's palm

"hey wait - which ride am i on this year?"

"um let me see - you're on ........ ah, the log flume with the new employee."

you motion to yourself because it seems like you're the only new face at the orientation

everyone else has cliqued up and is already mumbling about how much this is going to suck with each other

jungwoo slinks over and throws the shirt over his shoulder

"log flume kinda sucks, just so you know."

"really? i can't imagine getting sprayed by residual dirty water isn't a thrilling experience - especially when it happens a hundred times a day."

there's a pause and then a large grin forms of jungwoo's features

"oh - i like you."

you affirm the notion with a little bit of a prideful shrug and smile yourself

good, i think i like you too.

of course - when you and jungwoo first exchange these sentiments, it's nothing more than an employee-to-employee relationship

jungwoo has a sense of humor that either tends to fly over peoples heads or offend them (sometimes both)

but you catch on quickly and sometimes even beat him in a game of his own wits

during an opening shift where you two are testing the ride and cleaning up the waiting area, jungwoo confides that when he was in middle school someone had pointed out that he's "eccentric"

you scrunch your nose up as you tie a knot around the garbage bag in your hand

"eccentric is a polite way of saying fucking weird, you know that right jungwoo?"

"do you think im 'fucking weird' then?"

he does a pose and you shake your head with a little laugh

"no i think you're just....you."

he relaxes his limbs and tilts his head to the side, without a verbal answer you somehow sense that that was the one thing jungwoo really wanted to hear

working the log flume though - is as hellish as expected

most of your days are spent standing in those hot, cheap plastic ponchos and waving at families with screaming children or rowdy teenagers who barely fit in the ride with their bony knees

despite your efforts to keep dry, you and jungwoo always end up soaked

he's forgetful and clumsy so half the time you have to share the towel you bring with him, not to mention your lunch gets gobbled up by him too

you ask at some point why jungwoo just doesn't bring his own stuff - you are not a one-stop 7/11 shop

he laughs and takes a bite into the huge soft pretzel sold in the water park

"why should i bring anything, you've always got everything we need!"

a pang like the toll of a bell vibrates through the cavity of your chest

we - what about "we", there's no "we", there's just......."friends"

a sour taste in your mouth accompanies the thought and so you push it to the back of your mind

"still - at least start bringing your own change of clothes, you're too tall for any of my shirts."

"crop-tops are in though!"

you stare down at the switchboard that operates the log flume - the buttons with scraping labels, the emergency stop button, the little cubbies below where people leave their phones

the park is closing in thirty minutes and jungwoo has scampered off to hand in your ticket collection to the manager

the summer evening is hovering between the last beams of light and suddenly - alone at the top of the ride - something shifts

you unfile the thought you had before, the idea of what 'we' means to you and jungwoo

and you come to a daunting realization that, after only a couple of weeks of laughter and grueling minimum wage work, the statement "i think i like you too" is starting to take a new shape in your heart

"hey - did you drown up there?"

you lean over the side and see jungwoo below waving

even with the distance the essence of his warm shine floats up and tickles at your cheeks.

you swat it away, but it doesn't work.

"no - the log flume ghost caught me, i can't come down."

you joke back and he salutes

"wait there, i will come save you - i have fought that ghost once before!"

he's joking, but something flutters its wings when you hear him rush up the steps with all the seriousness of coming to get you. to save you.

when he reaches you - you mask the weird flush climbing up your spine - and pretend to be flailing

jungwoo gives you a kindergarten laugh as he joins in on the fun - a fake punch to the face of a fake ghost

he grabs you around the waist and tugs you toward him, and inches from his face, you see something behind the childish glint in the brown of his eyes.

he's so handsome.

"saved you! let's get out of here or the manager will accuse us of trying to sneak in overtime."

the weight of his hands on you is only described as comforting, easy. so very easy.

so even when he lets go and you are trailing behind him and the rest of the park employees after closing you miss it, you miss the touch of a friend who is becoming a lot more than just that.

"jungwoo's being switched to the lazy river starting today, that place is such a cease pool of idiocy that i need more coverage on it."

a groan escapes jungwoo before you can even process what the manager is saying

"what? but i hate that place most of all - do you know how many random dads get into fights on that thing?"

"am i going to be on log flume alone?"

your voice is way calmer than you expect it to be and the manager makes a passive motion with his hand, "yep - and i trust you'll handle it fine."

jungwoo's look is apologetic and slightly bitter, you reach out to give him a pat on the shoulder, but your palm hovers above the fabric of his shirt before pulling embarrassingly back to your side

either he doesn't notice or he chooses not to say anything because jungwoo turns and trudges over to the other three people assigned to the river

without jungwoo, the weird gnawing feeling of a summer crush only gets stronger, because now that he's not glued to your side

you miss him so terribly it almost makes you feel sick

coupled with the boredom of being alone the entire day with strangers seems to just worsen the symptoms

a week into the switch, you make the choice to visit jungwoo on your lunch break

you arrive just in time to see the aftermath of one of those dad fights he had mentioned

jungwoo is waist-deep in the water with two of those inflatable tubes on either side. he looks like he's negotiating a war truce between two disgruntled generals and he hands the tubes back as the men disperse to their respective families with scowls on their faces

jungwoo is also not wearing a shirt

"lazy river is much more hands-on then log flume"

the line of his back is lean and there are some healing bruises under his ribs which you can only assume are from his rather clumsy nature, the other thought of what could have caused them makes your head spin

"hey - i see you're literally in the trenches"

jungwoo turns and runs a hand through his wet bangs to get a better look at you. the action shouldn't make your knees feel like jelly.

"i hate this place, come over here and dunk my head underwater please."

you squat down near the edge and jungwoo wades closer to you

you place a brown paper bag beside you and motion to it

"im assuming you still aren't bringing your own lunches and are surviving off scraps from everyone else?"

he grins, "you know me so well"

i know i do - you think to say, but keep the words in your throat - i know i do, which is weird because we've been friends for a little over a month.

"hows log flume?"

"boring without you."

jungwoo whistles and you catch the way the sun makes every little drop of water on him glisten

"ill stop by on my break since you stopped by on yours"

a second of comfortable silence passes and jungwoo jumps up and out of the river with an ease

he grabs the lunch you've brought and is about to say something when a whistle from the other side of the river catches your attentions

"ugh this place is supposed to be lazy."

he complains and before he turns to the direction of the sound, he touches your cheek with the slightly wet palm of his hand

"thanks for lunch, see you later."

the gesture haunts you.

you even ask someone in the line for log flume what it means and she gives you a side glare that can only be conjured by a specific breed of mom.

you try to google it, but nearly drop your phone into the water.

jungwoo doesn't come by that day - he actually only manages to visit you the next day.

he shows up in his trunks, no shirt, and the towel he never gave back to you after he borrowed it over his shoulder

"sorry, do you know how many kids get food poisoning and decide the riv-"

you put up a hand to stop him from divulging details and jungwoo leans against the post that controls the ride as you wave off the next bunch of people

you feel him watch you before he joins you and helps start lowering the bar for the next log that splashes its way into the starting point

as you two go through the rows with practiced repetition

you meet in the middle

your hands both reach out to touch the bar, bringing it down over the laps of two young-looking middle schoolers who are pretending not to be holding hands

one of them giggles as you and jungwoo's fingers brush

the slight pass of skin on skin feels like a burst of electricity

stepping back to wave the group off - jungwoo slips in beside you and asks with a kind of strained sarcasm

"who takes their date on the log flume?"

"i think it's cute."

jungwoo doesn't miss a beat and that's what nearly knocks you backwards

"wanna go with me on our day off?"

jungwoo asks you on a date.

that you're sure off. but why - that's the part that does not click for you.

so is it a friend thing - are the 'we' on this 'date' just two friends running around the water park they work at with the freedom of having to not do their jobs? are the 'we' on this 'date' something completely different?

the nervousness makes you jump when jungwoo meets up with you at the bust stop and he doesn't look or feel any different than usual

you start to accept that your first thought is correct - this is a platonic date - nothing more

until you get to the waterpark and put your things away and jungwoo pulls a small container from his bag

"what's that?"

"you're always taking care of me, i want to take care of you for once too."

he opens it and inside are some lopsided looking cookies

"did you- jungwoo did you bake this?"

he poke his tongue out, but nods

"well, a friend who is a better cook than me helped."

they taste better than you could have imagined, you take a bite and understand that no something is definitely

different

friends don't hold their other friends hand the entire day

friends don't lean into their other friends shoulder while waiting in the line for one of the rides and then biting softly down on the skin, kissing it after like an apologetic kitten

and friends don't kiss their other friends in the dark, shady corner where a line of vending machines have been abandoned behind the pretzel stand

the infamous makeout spot that every water park employee buzzes about

when your date comes to an end and you and jungwoo are waiting for the bus back, you keep touching your lips.

jungwoo tastes like citrus when he kisses

there are some things i don't know about him

you smile to yourself when his pinkie brushes yours and hooks up with it as the bus approaches

i can't wait to learn all of them

it takes the manager exactly forty-eight hours to figure out you and jungwoo are dating.

everyone else in the park gets the memo the minute you two step into the staff room.

there's a little pushback against it, just because there is some stupid company policy, but the manager claps you both on your backs and whispers that whatever - it is summer - kids should have fun during the summer.

maybe the fun means sneaking kisses on lunch breaks, visiting each other on your off days, swapping shifts so you two can arrive and leave together

the fun of having jungwoo nuzzle his wet face into the back of your neck as he complains about work

the fun of having you trace patterns on his arm as you two wait for the bus home

the fun of seeing each other outside of work, sprawling across his bedroom floor and talking about nonsense

the fun of jungwoo's features shifting from languid and sleepy to acute as you shift your weight ontop of him and let your hands flirt with the hem of his shirt

"cover those up jungwoo, we are a family-friendly establishment"

the manager mumbles, motioning to jungwoo's neck with his pen

you thin your lips and jungwoo huffs, slapping a bandage or two on the slightly puffed skin

when the days get a little colder and the droves of families dwindle slowly, you know that your summer job is coming to an end

on your last days, you have back your uniforms and whistles and the manager makes a speech about how much good work has been done and how he's holding back his tears, but he's sure he'll see you next year

jungwoo mutters that you two can't come back here next year - you two should look into summer jobs at the mall or something

your last walk from the park gates to the bus stop home is calm, even a little chilly. jungwoo drapes a hand around your shoulder and pulls you into him for the warmth.

"we never got to go on the log flume together"

you suddenly muse and jungwoo coaxes his mouth into a frown

"you really want to go together on that contraption? it's not even fun."

"it's sentimental to us."

"that's a weird thing to say."

he looks at you and you poke his cheek

"it's an eccentric thing to say."

a number of summers pass until you and jungwoo ever follow up on the notion

actually, the one summer you two end up sitting together on the log flume, is not even at the water park from your memories

it's somewhere abroad

you're on vacation together and jungwoo claims you dragged him onto this thing

but you see the little smile he tries to hide when the bar comes down

the two teenagers working the ride brush their fingers as they do so, catching the look of shyness that passes from one to the other you giggle and take jungwoo's hand in your own

"what's funny?"

he asks and you tell him oh, nothing.

the ride starts and just as the log reaches the end of the dip - you let out a small shout of excitement

jungwoo joins you, but he doesn't just make a sound. he says something.

"i love you!"

oh, i think i like you too - the sweet taste comes back.

"i thin- i know i love you too!"

[bamf-jaskier]

What the fuck are the Trials

Since the show is based on the books and not the games, and more people are more familiar with the games that the books, I thought it might be helpful to sort of officialize the posts I’ve done about specific topics in the books. 

Here are the previous posts on Triss&Geralt as well as Coën

TLDR: So looking at this process, according to the books the way a Witcher becomes, well a Witcher looks like this:

There is the Choice which is the decision to become a Witcher made when you are a child

Eat a lot of magic mushrooms that give you the strength and ability Witchers are known for

Then the Trial of the Grasses which is a concoction of mutagenic elixirs injected into the bloodstream which mutates you into a Witcher

Then finally there are the Changes. This is a big step and one that requires a mage. This is when the hormones are changed and a Witcher becomes permanently sterile

then there is training until you earn your medallion and BOOM, out onto the path with you

Now, have a post about what the trials are as far as the books are concerned

It’s important to note that in the books, The Witcher are a dying breed so the Trials are really only mentioned in Blood of Elves when Ciri trains with the Witchers and the two prequels, Sword of Destiny and The Last Wish. 

Let’s start out with the basics of the Trials, here is a passage from Blood of Elves where Triss is wondering why the Witchers at Kaer Morhen are being so secretive in regards to Ciri:

“It’s obvious. They want to mutate the child, subject her to the Trial of Grasses and Changes, but they don’t know how to do it. Vesemir was the only witcher left from the previous generation, and he was only a fencing instructor. The Laboratorium, hidden in the vaults of Kaer Morhen, with its dusty demi-johns of elixirs, the alembics, ovens and retorts… 

None of the witchers knew how to use them. The mutagenic elixirs had been concocted by some renegade wizard in the distant past and then perfected over the years by the wizard’s successors, who had, over the years, magically controlled the process of Changes to which children were subjected. And at a vital moment the chain had snapped. 

There was no more magical knowledge or power. The witchers had the herbs and Grasses, they had the Laboratorium. They knew the recipe. But they had no wizard.”

Later:

“And now they want to mutate the girl but can’t. And that might mean… They may ask me to help. And then I’ll see something no living wizard has seen, I’ll learn something no living wizard has learned. Their famous Grasses and herbs, the secret virus cultures, the renowned, mysterious recipes…”

Now, what Triss doesn’t realize is that Geralt and the others are not planning on subjecting Ciri to the trials at all but are instead trying to hide Ciri’s magical ability from Triss. They are worried she will report them to the Chapter. 

Of course, until they tell Triss this, she is deeply suspicious and goes on to talk about the mushrooms Witchers have access to which are extremely unique. 

“Of course, thought Triss. They’re feeding her those legendary cave saprophytes – a mountain plant unknown to science – giving her the famous infusions of their mysterious herbs to drink. The girl is developing quickly, is acquiring a witcher’s infernal fitness. Naturally, without the mutation, without the risk, without the hormonal upheaval. But the magician must not know this. It is to be kept a secret from the magician. They aren’t going to tell me anything; they aren’t going to show me anything.”

Later:

“I don’t give a fig for your trust, witchers. There’s cancer out there in the world, smallpox, tetanus and leukaemia, there are allergies, there’s cot death. And you’re keeping your “mushrooms”, which could perhaps be distilled and turned into life-saving medicines, hidden away from the world. You’re keeping them a secret even from me, and others to whom you declare your friendship, respect and trust. Even I’m forbidden to see not just the Laboratorium, but even the bloody mushrooms!”

Triss as a mage has extreme bias against the Trials and for good reason! Most of the populace doesn’t have access to any information on the Trials outside of vague ideas but Mages have access to first hand accounts such as this from Blood of Elves: 

“On the third day all the children died save one, a male barely ten. Hitherto agitated by a sudden madness, he fell all at once into deep stupor. His eyes took on a glassy gaze; incessantly with his hands did he clutch at clothing, or brandish them in the air as if desirous of catching a quill. His breathing grew loud and hoarse; sweat cold, clammy and malodorous appeared on his skin. Then was he once more given elixir through the vein and the seizure it did return. This time a nose-bleed did ensue, coughing turned to vomiting, after which the male weakened entirely and became inert.

For two days more did symptoms not subside. The child’s skin, hitherto drenched in sweat, grew dry and hot, the pulse ceased to be full and firm – albeit remaining of average strength, slow rather than fast. No more did he wake, nor did he scream.

Finally, came the seventh day. The male awoke and opened his eyes, and his eyes were as those of a viper…”

~Carla Demetia Crest, The Trial of Grasses and other secret Witcher practices, seen with my own eyes, manuscript exclusively accessible to the Chapter of Wizards

When most people think of the Trials, they are thinking similarly to Queen Calanthe in Sword of Destiny. 

Here is what Calanthe says to Geralt when talking about what he might do with his child surprise: 

“You are astonished,’ she stated. ‘Well, I’ve studied a little. Since Pavetta’s child has the chance of becoming a witcher, I went to great pains. My sources, Geralt, reveal nothing, however, regarding how many children in ten withstand the Trial of the Grasses. Would you like to satisfy my curiosity in this regard?’

‘O Queen,’ Geralt said, clearing his throat. ‘You certainly went to sufficient pains in your studies to know that the code and my oath forbid me from even uttering that name, much less discussing it.’

Calanthe stopped the swing abruptly by jabbing a heel into the ground. ‘Three, at most four in ten,’ she said, nodding her head in feigned pensiveness. 

‘A stringent selection, very stringent, I’d say, and at every stage. First the Choice and then the Trials. And then the Changes. How many youngsters ultimately receive medallions and silver swords? One in ten? One in twenty?”

Later Calanthe asks Geralt:

“Do you believe a Child of Destiny would pass through the Trials without danger?’

‘We believe such a child would not require the Trials.’

‘One question, Geralt. Quite a personal one. May I?’

He nodded.

‘There is no better way to pass on hereditary traits than the natural way, as we know. You went through the Trials and survived. So if you need a child with special qualities and endurance… Why don’t you find a woman who… I’m tactless, aren’t I? But I think I’ve guessed, haven’t I?’

‘As usual,’ he said, smiling sadly, ‘you are correct in your deductions, Calanthe. You guessed right, of course. What you’re suggesting is impossible for me.’

‘Forgive me,’ she said, and the smile vanished from her face. ‘Oh, well, it’s a human thing.’

‘It isn’t human.’

‘Ah… So, no witcher can—’

‘No, none. The Trial of the Grasses, Calanthe, is dreadful. And what is done to boys during the time of the Changes is even worse. And irreversible.”

Later:

“The risks are too great,’ Geralt said quickly. ‘As you said. At most, four out of ten survive.’

‘Dammit, is only the Trial of the Grasses hazardous? Do only potential witchers take risks? Life is full of hazards, selection also occurs in life, Geralt. Misfortune, sicknesses and wars also select. Defying destiny may be just as hazardous as succumbing to it. Geralt… I would give you the child. But… I’m afraid, too.’

Then in The Last Wish, Geralt describes his own experiences with The Trials:

“Kaer Morhen…That's where the likes of me were produced. It's not done anymore; no one lives in Kaer Morhen now. No one but Vesemir. Who's Vesemir? My father. Why are you so surprised? What's so strange about it? Everyone's got a father, and mine is Vesemir. And so what if he's not my real father? I didn't know him, or my mother. I don't even know if they're still alive, and I don't much care.

“Yes, Kaer Morhen. I underwent the usual mutation there, through the Trial of Grasses, and then hormones, herbs, viral infections. And then through them all again. And again, to the bitter end. Apparently, I took the changes unusually well; I was only ill briefly. I was considered to be an exceptionally resilient brat…and was chosen for more complicated experiments as a result. They were worse. Much worse. But, as you see, I survived. The only one to live out of all those chosen for further trials. My hair's been white ever since. Total loss of pigmentation. A side effect, as they say. A trifle.

“Then they taught me various things until the day when I left Kaer Morhen and took to the road. I’d earned my medallion, the Sign of the Wolf's School. I had two swords: silver and iron, and my conviction, enthusiasm, incentive and…faith. Faith that I was needed in a world full of monsters and beasts, to protect the innocent. As I left Kaer Morhen, I dreamed of meeting my first monster. I couldn't wait to stand eye to eye with him. And the moment arrived.”

So looking at this process, according to the books the way a Witcher becomes, well a Witcher looks like this:

There is the Choice which is the decision to become a Witcher made when you are a child

Eat a lot of magic mushrooms that give you the strength and ability Witchers are known for 

Then the Trial of the Grasses which is a concoction of mutagenic elixirs injected into the bloodstream which mutates you into a Witcher 

Then finally there are the Changes. This is a big step and one that requires a mage. This is when the hormones are changed and a Witcher becomes permanently sterile

then there is training until you earn your medallion and BOOM, out onto the path with you

This is why it’s such a big deal that Triss was brought to Kaer Morhen. Without a mage, someone cannot become a full Witcher and Triss believed that was why she was there. Of course, this wasn’t true but it’s a valid concern to have. 

One thing I want to note, there is absolutely NOTHING in the text that says that being a Witcher is limited to any sort of gender boundary. The fact that Triss so readily jumped to Ciri becoming a Witcher and the fact that Geralt didn’t specify  boys until he was talking about the sterilization process...well, there is a likelihood female Witchers actually existed. 

Again, in the books Witchers are a dying breed and you can literally count on one hand the number of Witchers we meet. Of course, considering mages are the ones who made Witchers, it makes sense that female Witchers are either strongly discouraged, banned or simply not talked about. 

One big point Triss has against Ciri’s training is that she won’t “develop” correctly like a woman “should” due to the mushrooms and harsh training and considering how so many northern mages place importance on beauty I could definitely see mages not wanting to have female Witchers, considering it a “perversion”. 

Just a fun thought I often have about the books that I haven’t seen anyone point out. 

So overall, here is what the books have to say about the Trials, it’s a touch different from the games but I find this very fascinating and interesting. Let me know if you want me to do a specific topic or relationship next, but for now, thanks for reading!

[liptonsbabe]

Chains of a family [B.W]

Bill Weasley x Grant! Reader

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Summary: Molly knows about the reader’s relatives and she’s not so sure to put her trust in a girl that had just betrayed her own family

Word count: 1.9K

Warnings: Swearing

A/N: Hi! i’m so happy that you guys liked this thing! thank you so much for your support and, again, if you want to keep reading this let me know. Same note as ever, english not my mother language, so tell me if something’s is wrong.

Chapter 2: Not your family

The next morning turned out to be quieter than you imagined.

You slowly got out of bed and looked at everything around you noticing how quaint Bill's old room was. The ceiling was lined with grainy wallpaper with stacks of photographs of Quidditch players hanging from the reeds that moved from side to side, simulating the playing field; the right side of the room had a huge hole behind the small stool that tried to hide it, and from that hole a small garden gnome was sleeping peacefully with a small piece of cloth on top of his head. You stood up, walking towards the huge window that gave you a beautiful view of the Weasley's garden that at that moment was covered by a thin layer of drizzle that had fallen during the night.

Molly's fruit trees gleamed under the faint rays of the sun and you saw how a doxy from between the leaves poisoned Mrs. Weasley's apples, causing them to fall from the tree branches in a thick black mass with a foul smell coming out of it. You shook your head, excited to witness a very different way to wake up.

Even though several minutes have passed since you woke up, the house continued to remain in a strange silence that made you think that the family had decided to leave the burrow with the intention of buying more supplies or something like that. You knew that Bill wasn’t at home precisely for his obligations within the Order, so you didn’t worry about looking for him around the room, so you decided that a better option was going down to the dining room and know what was happening.

As you went down the spiral staircase, you cursed in a whisper when you forgot to put on your slippers before leaving the bedroom cause the floor was so cold that you slipped a couple of times. Back in the days, when you were still welcome in your parents' house, you had many servants who did all the things for you - putting on your shoes as soon as you woke up was one of those things - but now that your life had changed so much, you assumed that you would have to adapt and start taking care of your own needs.

Your curious eyes roamed the walls covered in family photos that caused a big warmth in your chest. In each of those photographs, all of Molly's children appeared along with their father, smiling for the camera and sending effusive greetings. A pic was hanging at the fireplace were Molly and Arthur were carrying a small white bundle crying his lungs out. You assumed it was Bill as his parents seemed too young back then and even as a small baby, you could recognize those tantrum features anywhere.

A giggle escaped your lips when you noticed a funny sequence from that same photo in which, even with Bill crying in his mother's arms, his father tried to carry him for a moment to calm him down, however the baby's cries didn’t stop. The baby was so annoyed that he ended throwing up  the milk ration that he must have had before the photo session on his father's neat shirt.

You laughed because you knew that William's impertinence was something he had carried with him for several years now.

"Bill hates those photos." You jumped in your place scared to see Molly standing behind you. Your cheeks turned red “He says that it’s embarassing but i think that’s nonsense. He was an adorable baby”

"he was," you answered, looking anywhere but into Molly's shrewd eyes. "but I guess displaying them in the fireplace isn’t the right thing to do."

“Is it not?

"No, they should be at the front door where everyone can see them”

Molly giggled as you watched the sequence of photos over and over again. A silence settled between you, but surprisingly it was not an awkward silence, but one that was allowing you to create a bond that neither of you expected. Mrs. Weaslsey brought up a rag, wiping it around the corners of the photo from the dust.

"Arthur and I had to save up for months to take those pictures," she mentioned wistfully, "we just had Bill and it seemed like a good idea to welcome him into our family with a gesture like that. Arthur was new in the ministry and wasn't earning too much, but we had that quirk and decided we could afford to skip certain things to pay for the pictures. It cost us ten galleons and it still took us four months to gather them”

“Oh” You didn't know what to say, but you just kept looking at the photograph feeling a bit uncomfortable. You never had those problems at home because your family was insanelly rich thanks to the inheritance in life that your grandfather Tim had left to his son and later to his grandchildren. Even the descendants of your grandfather's servants came to work in your house, reason enough for you and your siblings to grow up with no sense of responsibility other than your own wishes. Molly sighed remembering those times when life seemed to be easier.

"So when Bill asked me to remove it from the fireplace, I refused. He doesn't know how hard it was to raise that money, but I think he has nothing to be ashamed of, he was too adorable!

"I don't doubt it for a second, Mrs. Weasley."

"You can call me Molly," she said, walking back to the kitchen where you continued watching the way the pans moved back and forth preparing breakfast. You were not very good at cooking - in fact, you had never cooked before- however, that didn’t stop you from offering your help. So you took a pan, placed it on the stove, and decided that you would find a way to make a good mountain of strawberry-filled pancakes just like your dear nanny did. Molly observed you carefully. "I think that now that you are living with us it is appropriate to have a more cordial treatment.My son told me a lot about you”

“Just the good things, i hope”

“Kind of” You stopped mixing ingredients to look at her carefully” He told us a bunch of marvelous things about you and how you two met. Actually, what worries me the most is what he didn’t tell us”

And there was the recrimination you were waiting for. You were aware that it had to arrive sooner or later, however, you would have been grateful that it did it when Bill were by your side to give you the opportunity to defend yourself properly. You cleared your throat uncomfortably, knowing that what Molly needed to hear from your own lips was which family you came from. You continued your task with the pancakes, turning out as bad as you expected.

"I'm sorry it turned out this way, Mrs. Weasley."

"Molly," he corrected.

"Molly" you smiled slowly "But believe me when I tell you that it was me who asked William not to mention anything about my last name or where I come from. I know that in this case, with the war above our heads, it is necessary to be certain of the people who enter your family and I apologize for that, it's just ... Bill is very important to me” Molly's eyes narrowed “Since we met ... I have found a home in him and well, all that feels when someone is in love. "Mrs. Weasley shook her head, understanding the feeling." I have experienced the rejection before. When people know that Tom Riddle is my family ... they run away in fear, curse my family and even walk away from us, as if sharing a blood bond makes us as evil as he is.

“And it’s not like that?” Molly asked with a hand on her neck. She didn’t want to be like the others and judge you without knowing the full story, just as she had promised Bill the night before that she would, but it was so difficult not to remember the death of his brothers by Voldemort’s hands and to pretend nothing had happened in the past. You sighed because the eggs you cracked on the bowl got mixed with their own shell “ I've heard of the Grants before, they're all Death Eaters, including your siblings!”

“It is difficult to have to choose a side  when you don’t have your own convictions”

"And you have it?"

You looked at Molly in pain. Of course you expected those reactions from Bill's mother, she was within her right to be upset that her oldest son never told her that he was in a relationship with a girl who seemed to have the most fucking powerful and evil wizard in the world as a great-uncle. No, Molly wasn't mad, she was deadly angry, she felt like she was bursting!

Her hands became fists and without knowing how, you found yourself between the wall and Molly's big arms from one second to the other. The pancake batter was forgotten, as was the woman's promise to treat her son's girlfriend in a good way.

"How is it possible ..." Molly questioned in an agitated voice, pressing your arms against the wall, "... that a single deer leaves the nature of its own herd?" How can you ensure that one rotten apple even in a gold container doesn’t rot the others?”Your breath caught at the questions of the woman in front of you. Once again, you were aware that your presence wouldn’t be good news to them, but at least you hoped they understood your motives before judging you “Explain to me, (Y/ N) Grant, when have you seen a pig away from his equals?”

Your words caught in your throat at Molly's fierce question. Bill had talked a lot about the temper of his mother. Even if she could be really grumpy at times, she was in general a very sweet, pleasant and maternal woman with everyone; however, you didn’t fit into that generality because it seemed that the woman was determined to kill you with her own hands.

"If my presence bothers you so much, then you shouldn't have let Bill and I to stay here."

“He's my son! All I want for him is to be happy, and that's why I don't understand what he managed to see in you”

"Maybe the same thing you saw in your husband." Molly's lips twitched in anger, but you didn't stop. You hoped that she would at least understand what your words meant, because that would make it easier for both of you to try at least get along better, even if Molly seemed not to want to do it under any circumstances. How is it that this haughty little girl dared to compare herself with her dear and wonderful husband? "I'm sorry, but I don't think this conversation is going to take us anywhere."

"If someone betrays his own family ..." Molly stopped you before you walked out the front door. The others got down the stairs, seeing the scandal formed in the kitchen “The rest of us can't expect too much, can we?

Your eyes blured.

[study-coffee-chicago]

Safe (Home Worker Jay, Social Worker Hailey; Part of AU-gust) {Please Re-Read; Made Changes}

A/N: After some confusion, I changed the home to resemble more of Brady (Chicago PD 4x13). So if you guys wouldn't mind rereading and liking/reblogging again, that'd be great!  Thank you for reading! Remember to like/reblog and comment! I'm also donating all the proceeds that from my buy me a coffee account to Save The Children to help the children of Afghanistan. Link to buy me a coffee. 

Masterlist

Jay walked down the long, dimly lit hallway and peeked into each girls' room. Because of the dim light in the hallway, there was no need to utilize the flashlight he carried with him and shin it on the floor of each room to make sure that each girl was there. He continued peeked in rooms to make sure that each girl appeared asleep. But then, he got to your room.

You were sitting on your bed, visibly shaking and covering your mouth with your hand so that your sobs wouldn't wake up the girls in the rooms next to you.

Jay quickly went to the last room and checked to make sure that all the other girls appeared asleep and then scribbled down on the piece of paper attached to his clipboard that all the girls appeared asleep...except for you.

He knocked softly on your door and you jumped. He gave a small wave and pointed inside your room, silently asking if he could come in. You didn't have much control in the girls' home you were in, so the staff was always trying to give you as much control as possible...even though you needed staff to wait outside the bathroom for you since there was a time limit, and needed them to unlock doors which were closed, since they automatically locked, hence all of your bedroom doors being propped open because staff needed to do bed checks and make sure you and the other girls were okay and where you were supposed to be.

You nodded, allowing Jay to enter your room.

"Can I turn this on?" he asked, pointing to the small lamp on your desk.

"Sure," you answered as you wiped the tears on your cheeks and drew your knees up to your chest, and then hugged them to your body.

Jay crouched in front of you. "What's wrong?" he asked. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. We can just go out into the common area so you can calm down a bit and go back to sleep. Or the kitchen if you need a snack or water," he offered.

"Can I- Can I get some water?" you asked.

"Of course," Jay answered. "Do you want to come with me?"

You nodded and picked up your water bottle. You also grabbed your blanket. Jay was going to tell you to leave it on your bed, but seeing how distraught you were, he decided against it.

"You want ice?" he asked as the two of you walked to the kitchen. He unlocked the door and you followed him in.

"Yes, please," you told him and then handed him your water bottle.

"Okay, I can do that."

You stood in the kitchen area while Jay unlocked another door to get to the freezer. He propped the door open with the doorstop and then opened the freezer and put ice in your water bottle. Then he closed the freezer, kicked the doorstop away, and then walked out and closed the door behind him. Then, he grabbed you some water, screwed on the lid, handed it back to you, and the two of you left the kitchen.

"Can I stay out here for a while?" you asked quietly after you had taken a few sips of the cold water.

"You can. Just give me a minute to text Kim, okay?" he answered.

"Okay." You pulled out a chair at the table and sat down, tears still coming down your face, but a lot slower than earlier.

Seeing as there was only three staff at the home tonight and Jay had to do bed checks for his hallway, he had to text Kim to let him know that one, he was in the dining area with you because you were upset about something, and two ask her if she could do his section of bed checks until he got you to calm down and got you back in bed.

She answered quickly and said that she could do that and thanks for letting her know.

Jay put his phone away and turned his full attention to you.

"What's got you so upset?" he asked gently after he sat down next to you.

"I have a home visit tomorrow with Hailey. My first overnight one," you answered.

"Hey, that's a good thing! You're getting adopted soon!"

"But they always fall through!" you cried. "And what if I have a nightmare when I'm there?"

"Hey, hey," Jay soothed. "We'll pack your meds and you should be fine."

"But what if she doesn't want me after this home visit?"

"Y/N, I need you to listen to me." You looked at him. "Hailey's nervous too, but it's okay to be nervous because that means you're about to do something really, really brave."

"Really? She's nervous? But it's her house?"

"Mhm, it's not just you who's nervous. The adoptive parents are nervous, too because they want everything to go well just as much as you do."

You looked up at him nervously while pushing the straw of your water bottle back and forth. "Will you be there?" you asked.

He cocked his head to the side. "Will I be where?"

"At Hailey's," you stated simply.

"Why would I be there?"

"Jay, everyone knows you two are dating."

That was one thing about being a man who worked in a unit with a bunch of female coworkers and girls he had to take care of: the gossip was astronomical...even though the staff did try their best to keep it to a minimum.

"I mean, I won't dispute that fact," he began, "but I wasn't planning on being over at Hailey's tomorrow night."

"Please?" you asked. He had a confused look on his face. "Please will you stay at Hailey's tomorrow, too? You- you both make me feel safe and if something happens to either of you..."

"You want there to be another person you trust around?" he finished.

"Yes, please."

"Okay," Jay relented. "I'll talk to Hailey."

"Okay."

"Are you ready to go back to bed?" he asked.

You nodded and you went back to bed, hopeful that Jay would be at Hailey's tomorrow because then there would be two of the people you trusted most in the world. Jay was one of your favorite staff members...mostly because he rarely disciplined you and the other girls and was always approachable when you wanted to talk about anything that was going on in your head.

***

"I need to do a bag check," Kim said. You handed her your bag to check so that she could jot down what you brought with you to make sure you brought all your clothing, toiletries, and comfort items back from your overnight home visit with Hailey (and Jay).

Once she checked your bag, she handed it back to you and then turned to Hailey. "She's good to go once I get you her meds. Some need to be taken in the morning and some in the evening. Don't worry, I wrote evening and morning on the med envelopes so that you don't get them mixed up."

Hailey nodded and then Kim went to get your meds.

"You nervous?" Hailey asked you.

You looked down at your feet. "Did Jay tell you I was?"

"He didn't," Hailey said. "But, you wanna know a secret?" You nodded. "I'm a little nervous, too."

"Jay told me you were," you said.

"He's good at making people feel better, isn't he?"

"He is."

"He also mentioned that you wanted him there tonight? Do you want him to come out to dinner with us, too?" she asked.

"If that's okay with you."

"Totally fine!"

Kim came back and handed Hailey your envelopes of meds and then the two of you were off.

***

Dinner had come and gone. You went to Olive Garden where Jay met you and Hailey there. You had decided to get fettuccine alfredo and Jay and Hailey both said that you could eat as much salad and breadsticks as you wanted. They even let you get dessert!

You went back to Hailey's house and were shocked to see how nice your room was, and it was a lot bigger than the one at the home you lived at and the one Jay worked at. It was simple, but you loved it. It had a full-sized bed with a fluffy white comforter, a desk, a bookshelf  (which Hailey said that you guys could go to a bookstore tomorrow so that the bookshelf didn't look do empty), a dresser, and a closet. Hailey also said when you officially moved in in two weeks, you could go shopping for more decorations so that your room wasn't so undecorated...even though you were totally floored by it the way it was now.

Hailey made sure to give you your meds promptly at 8 pm. Then, you watched a movie, the three of you had decided to watch Tangled because Jay knew it was a good bet since it was PG and not PG-13 and if you had to choose your favorite Disney princess movie, that'd probably be it. And because some things in PG-13 movies could be triggering...for obvious reasons.

When the movie was almost done, your stomach started to hurt, but you just chalked it up to nerves because you knew you'd be sleeping soon...and that was always the worst part.

Luckily for you, Hailey had a boombox that she let you use for music. You didn't have a phone or mp3 player and at the home, everyone was given their own small radio when they came. As a peace offering of sorts from the staff to the girls. But, you forgot it for your home visit with Hailey.

"Goodnight," you said after you filled up your water bottle.

"Goodnight," both Hailey and Jay said. They said that you could wake them up any time if you needed absolutely anything. But, you hoped you wouldn't need to.

You fell into a fitful sleep, tossing and turning in both anxiousness and from the pain in your stomach. God, maybe that pasta, all those breadsticks, and dessert hadn't been as great of an idea as you had previously thought.

***

Okay, so all that food most definitely was not a great idea. Soft groans were coming out of your mouth as you tried to get comfortable and move your body around so that you didn't feel the pain in your stomach anymore.

You needed to go to the bathroom and you needed it now, so you needed to hurry so that Jay could wait outside the bathroom for you since you needed to let him know where you were going and would only get a certain amount of time in the bathroom.

You grabbed your water and slowly walked so that you didn't irritate your stomach even more. There was a lamp on in the living room, which showed you that Jay was asleep on the couch.

You padded over to the couch. "Jay,"  you whispered.

"Hmm?" Jay asked and rubbed his eyes.

"Can you come with me to the bathroom, please?"

He sat up. "Oh, Y/N, you're at home you don't have to ask."

"Oh, sorry," you quickly apologized. "Sorry for waking you up." You were so used to having someone have to accompany you to the bathroom or unlock certain doors for you, that it was going to take you a while to break that habit...especially when you were tired and not feeling so hot while also being in a new place.

"It's no big deal. I slept out here in case you needed anything anyways. It's what I'm here for."

Your stomach made a noise and then you felt bile rise in your throat. You stiffened.

Jay heard your stomach and noticed your drastic change in posture. "Y/N, what's--"

You covered your mouth and took off running toward the bathroom that was across from your bedroom.

"Shit," Jay muttered and followed you, but a lot slower.

Once you got to the bathroom, you threw the lid of the toilet open and threw yourself to your knees, just in time to empty your stomach.

Jay crouched down next to you. "I'm gonna hold your hair back, okay?"

"Uh huh," you croaked. You knew that if you didn't say yes, Jay wouldn't have held your hair back. In his job, he was trained to go along with the girls' boundaries and to not touch them unless he verbally asked them and got verbal confirmation from you girls that that said physical contact was okay.

Jay gently held your hair back while you continued to retch and spill the contents of your stomach.

"There you go," he soothed. "I'm right here. You're not alone."

When you thought you were done, you reached up and flushed the toilet. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm gonna go wake up Hailey just to tell her what's going on. Feel free to get some water or brush your teeth."

You nodded and he left the bathroom. When you picked up your toothbrush, you realized what had just happened: someone had just comforted you when you were sick. That never happened before.

A tear rolled down your cheek just as Jay came back into the bathroom with Hailey.

"Oh, Y/N," she started as she walked up to you. "How bad does it hurt?"

"No, it doesn't hurt now," you said. "I just, I never had anyone comfort me or hold my hair back when I was sick before."

"Oh, honey," Hailey said as her heart broke. Then, she caught herself. "Is that one fine?" she asked, referring to pet names. She didn't want to trigger you.

"Th-That ones fine," you answered.

"Can I give you a hug?"

"Yeah," you whispered and opened your arms so that you could hug her.

"You're feeling a lot better?" Jay asked and you looked up from hugging Hailey and nodded. "So, no doctor?"

You abruptly pulled away from Hailey and backed away from both the adults. "No, no doctor. Please no doctor. Please," you pleaded.

Jay furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but Hailey's eyes widened as she realized what he had just said.

"Honey, no, we are not taking you to the doctor, okay?" Hailey began. "We know you're feeling better, but we're just going to give you some Tums in case your stomach starts to hurt again."

"So no doctor?" you asked.

"No doctor," she confirmed.

"Thank you. I think I'm gonna brush my teeth now. My mouth tastes gross."

"Okay. Come out whenever you're ready."

Hailey reached for Jay's hand and led him out of the bathroom. He still had a look of confusion on his face while she grabbed two Tums and set them next to a cup of water for you.

"What does she mean no doctor?" Jay asked in a hushed voice.

"You know she was trafficked by her own parents, right?" Jay nodded, he had to read all the girls files when they got new girls in, but some information was left out because it could still be in the court process, or because it had something to do with family where a parent still had legal custody of the girl or for other reasons. Hailey's voice got even quieter. "A doctor was one who would you know...pay for services, um, regularly."

"So now she doesn't think she can trust any doctor," Jay finished.

"Yeah. She told me a few weeks ago. I think I'm the only one who knows that her doctor had been one of the people assaulting her."

"Now it makes sense that she had to be restrained when we told her she had to go to the doctor's for a check-up three months ago. We all just thought that she didn't want to go, but she was just really scared."

"She was a danger to herself and others," Hailey said. "You did the right thing by using restraints, even if you didn't know the reason she was acting out."

"Still, I wish I would've known. That way maybe we could've eased into talking about it more instead of just telling her she'd be going. And, she actually might've gone to the check-up if we did it that way."

"There was no way you could've known."

"I know, still makes me feel bad." He took a deep, shaky breath. "God, we take it for granted so much that we'll have at least one parent there for us, to hold our hair back and comfort us when we're sick. But, Y/N didn't have anyone, Hailey."

A few tears ran down Jay's face.

"I know," Hailey said and pulled him into a hug. "I know. But, this is what we do. In our jobs, we help these girls. We do this because we want to make the world a better and safer place for these girls, to help break the cycle. Lord knows we don't do it for the money. And, soon we'll be helping her even more. Together. Here. At home."

"You're excited for when the adoption goes through, aren't you, Hails?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, I never wanted kids because, well you know my  past history with my parents, but working with kids in social work and seeing how many of them go through multiple foster homes and other types of homes and then just age out..."

"I know, I know," Jay sympathized. "We talked about this. And you felt drawn to Y/N. I'll be there through it all with you."

"Thank you. I love you, Jay."

"I love you, too, Hails."

You sighed and then made your way into the kitchen. You didn't want to be in trouble.

"Are these the medicine?" you asked, pointing to the table where the Tums and the cup of water were.

"Yes," Hailey answered. "They're dissolvable, but I didn't know how you would like the taste, so I put the water there just in case."

Jay looked at you closely. "Hey, are you okay? Is your stomach hurting again?"

You shook your head and sat down and then took the two tablets and drank a few sips of water after.

"Just ti- tired," your voice cracked halfway through the word, immediately alerting both Jay and Hailey that something was wrong.

Jay crouched down in front of you and Hailey sat down across from you as you let out a wail.

"You're mad, you're mad, you're mad!" you bawled.

"Neither of us is mad," Hailey told you softly.

"Jay's mad! I woke him up!"

"I'm not mad, Y/N, not one bit. You're allowed to wake me and Hailey up whenever you need us or even if you just want some comfort, okay?" Jay asked as his heart broke.

"Who told you that they were mad when you woke them up?" Hailey asked gently. With her job, she knew she needed to ask some tough questions in general, but, specifically with you, she also needed to get more of your history than she already had so that she knew what your triggers were and how to help you with coping skills and other things that were beneficial to your mental health when you moved in with her.

"My parents and my first foster parents," you whispered.

"Okay," Hailey started, "I'm sorry that happened to you. We're sorry that happened to you. And we can promise you that neither of us will hit you or raise our voices at you."

At the mention of you having been hit in your past, Jay looked up at Hailey and she gave him a subtle nod, silently telling you that that had been a part of your past. He knew your parents were unfit because both their parental rights had been terminated, but he didn't know details...and now he was receiving those heartbreaking details from his girlfriend, who you seemed to open up to more than anyone else. Well, more than anyone besides the in-house therapist.

"You promise?" you asked, finally looking up from where you had your eyes trained on the table.

"I promise," said Hailey.

"You have my word," Jay echoed. He paused a few moments to let those promises sink in. "Now, if Hailey's okay with it, I say we watch another movie until you get tired. What do you say, Hails?"

"I think we can make an exception," she agreed.

"Okay, what movie?" Jay asked.

"Can we watch the Jumanji remake?" you asked. "The one with the Rock. I know it's PG-13, but it doesn't seem that bad."

Jay nodded. "Well, if anything triggers you, you just need to tell either me or Hailey so we can help you process it right away, okay?" You nodded. He looked at Hailey. "You good with Jumanji?" he asked with a humorous glint in his eye because he already knew the answer: his girl loved any movie that The Rock was in.

"Jay, you know I love The Rock. You wanna get it set up while I grab Y/N's pillow from her room?"

Jay said okay and the two of you made your way to the living room. Jay moved his pillow over so that he and Hailey could sit on the couch, while you sat on the smaller couch across from them.

Hailey came back with your pillow and a few blankets and you got all set up.

Not even halfway through the movie, you were asleep once again. But this time, your stomach ache was gone and you felt safer and more comfortable than when you had first walked into Hailey's house earlier that day.

***

"Quiet, Hails, she's still out," Jay whispered to his girlfriend as they walked out of their bedroom the next morning.

You were knocked out on the couch after getting sick and anxious last night. And Jay had decided just to go sleep with Hailey last night after everything that had happened because they were both emotionally drained and needed the other's comfort to go to sleep after Hailey had told Jay a part of your story that he hadn't known.

"What does she normally eat for breakfast?" Hailey whispered.

Jay worked a mix of first, second, and third shifts at the home, so he knew what you'd normally eat for breakfast and that after school you needed some time to recharge in your room after being with other kids all day.

"Normally bagels and cream cheese. Sometimes a banana too," Jay whispered back.

"Perfect. I don't have to cook a ton. Want me to start on coffee and then we can just drink it at the table and wait until she wakes up?"

"Sounds good to me. Don't forget her morning meds."

"I know, Jay."

"Just checking."

***

You woke up to see Jay and Hailey sitting at the table drinking something out of mugs, which you assumed was coffee.

You stretched and then got up off the couch. You remembered watching another movie last night, but don't remember finishing it, so you must've fallen asleep there and Jay and Hailey just decided to let you sleep instead of waking you up.

"Good morning," you said as you got up off the couch. "What time is it?"

Jay craned his neck to look at the clock on the oven. "8:45," he answered. "Time for your morning meds, too."

He started to stand up, but Hailey stopped him. "I got it. I need to make sure I have this down, so do you just want to cut up a bagel and pop it in the toaster? There should be chocolate chip ones in the fridge," Hailey told Jay.

"You have chocolate chip bagels?" You asked as a smile broke out on your face. "We don't have chocolate chip ones at the house."

"And, I have regular cream cheese and strawberry cream cheese, so take your pick." She paused. "Your stomach's feeling better though, right? I don't know if I want you eating this stuff if you're just gonna get sick again."

"It's not hurting anymore. I think I just ate too much," you answered. "But if you want me to eat something else—"

"Oh no," Hailey quickly cut you off. "You can eat whatever you want."

Hailey walked over to get the meds ready and Jay cut a chocolate chip bagel in half and popped it in the toaster.

"Hails, you want one?" Jay asked.

"That'd be great. Thanks, ba- Jay." She almost called him babe but didn't know if that would trigger you, so she immediately cut herself off.

"Are you gonna have one, too, Jay?" you asked.

"No, I think I'm gonna make myself some eggs," he answered you while he cut a chocolate chip bagel in half for Hailey.

"He's such a health nut," Hailey laughed as she rolled her eyes. Then, she made her way to the table and handed you a cup with your meds in it and a cup of water. You quickly took the meds and washed all of them down with the water.

"We know," you laughed as you handed the med cup back to Hailey. "He always brings his own meals to the house. And they're always salads or something else really healthy." You wrinkled your nose.

"I know, he's weird," Hailey agreed.

Then, Jay told you that your bagel was done, so you walked over to the counter and used a plastic knife to spread some strawberry cream cheese on it.

Jay's phone buzzed and he groaned. "My brother wants to meet up for lunch today."

"Well, if Y/N's comfortable with it, maybe he'd like to meet us at the bookstore and then we can all go to lunch or just meet us for lunch?" Hailey suggested.

"You're letting me decide?" You had never had this much control over anything in your life.

"Of course," Hailey began, "we want you to be comfortable with whatever you're doing."

You turned to Jay, whose attention was still on you and Hailey while he scrambled his eggs in a pan over the stove. "Is he nice?"

"Oh yeah," Jay said. "He's super nice. His name's Will and I'll even tell him to be on his very best behavior."

"Okay. Can we just have him meet us for lunch?"

"Of course," Jay agreed. "I'll shoot him a text."

***

"What kind of books do you like?" Hailey asked.

You looked up at Jay. "You didn't tell her that?"

"Nope. Some stuff I can keep a secret," he answered with a wink.

Hailey smacked him on the chest. "Jay Halstead. You are the absolute worst."

"But you love me. And you know it." Jay gave her a kiss on the cheek and you burst out laughing. "What?"

"You two. You're just so cute."

"Hear that, Hails? Y/N thinks we're a cute couple."

"Oh, quit your bragging," Hailey said and rolled her eyes. "Anyway, what's your favorite genre?"

"Uh, I really like historical fiction," you answered.

"Alright," Jay started, "towards the historical fiction we go."

"Oh, and if we go to that section, we pass their little cafe," Hailey told you. "You up for a hot chocolate or pastry?" she asked.

"You don't have to get me anything," you said quietly. "You're already getting me books."

"You know what Hails?" Jay said. "I could go for another cup of coffee and then we could drink it while we're walking around."

"That sounds like a great idea. Two coffees and then whatever drink Y/N wants."

"Okay," you relented. "But you guys don't have to keep spending money on me. I don't need much."

"Y/N, look at me," Hailey began and you looked at her, "when I decided I wanted to adopt a kid, I knew I was going to spoil them. And, it just so happened to be you. I know you're scared because everyone's left you, but me and Jay, we're in it for the long haul. You can trust us. Let us spoil you, okay?"

Tears made their way to your eyes. "Okay. Can I- Can I hug you?"

Hailey nodded. "Of course."

And as you hugged Hailey, Jay smiled because that was the first time you had asked for a hug. Before, most people had to ask you, but this time you were asking them and Jay considered that huge progress from when he first met you months and months ago.

***

You sat down next to Hailey at the little diner you decided on for lunch. Jay texted Will and told them they had gotten a table, and he said he'd be there in a few minutes.

You ordered your drinks and then a tall man with red hair and a navy blue jacket with a hospital logo on it walked towards your table. Your breath hitched.

"Hey, it's okay. That's just Will," Hailey explained.

"But- But his jacket says medical on it," you said and clenched your fists and dug your nails into the palms of your hands.

Will sat down.

"Y/N, this is Will, he's my older brother. And, he's also a doctor. But, he's a good one, I promise!" Jay told you quickly.

You swallowed as tears pricked your eyes.

"Y/N," Hailey began gently, "me and Jay wouldn't let you meet him if we didn't think he was 110% safe to be around. I promise you that Will's a good guy."

You looked up at Will to see that he had a goofy smile on his face. "Hey, kiddo."

"H-Hi," you replied quietly.

"So, Jay told me you like historical fiction and that you got hot chocolate. Did you like the hot chocolate? And what's your favorite time period to read about?"

You started talking to Will and you thought that this doctor wasn't so bad...but there was still no way in hell you'd be going to see a doctor for any kind of medical treatment any time soon.

***

Two weeks later

You grabbed all your bags and made your way out to Hailey's car. Then, you turned around and looked at the place you had called home for the past few months. Even though sometimes it didn't feel like home, you knew you were safe there, and with your past, that was what made this place a home in and of itself. You just hoped that Hailey's (and Jay's) place would be as safe as the first night you were there.

Jay was over for dinner and even though he wasn't on the official adoption papers, he went through the same extensive background checks and trainings as Hailey just because she said that he'd be over a lot.

That night, you were asleep. But, somewhere in your sleep-addled brain, you were dreaming. And it wasn't a good dream. It was a dream about your terrible parents and that terrible doctor.

"I don't give a damn!" Jay yelled. He had gone outside to take a phone call from his dad because he didn't want to wake you. But, seeing as you were a light sleeper, those words entered your nightmare.

You whimpered and tried to dodge the slap that came your way in your dream.

Jay quickly hung up the phone when he heard a thud come from inside the house and ran back inside.

You were laying on the floor and had landed with your arm in an awkward position.

You heard the thundering of footsteps coming towards your room.

Shit, you were going to be in trouble for waking Hailey and Jay up.

You scrambled back into bed and took a sip of your water to calm yourself down. But damn, your arm felt like someone had twisted it and stepped on it...much like it had felt three years ago when your dad yanked you back by the arm and twisted it behind you when you tried to run away from that doctor.

Jay slowly opened the door to see you sitting up in bed drinking some water. "Hey," he greeted. "You okay? I thought I heard a thud."

"Uh, I just dropped my water bottle," you told him, trying to hold back tears at how much your arm hurt. "Sorry if I woke you and Hailey up."

"Oh no, I was talking with my dad on the phone," he told you quickly. "You didn't wake us up. Goodnight."

"'Night, Jay."

The minute he walked out of your room, you turned on your side to face the wall and cried until you finally cried yourself to sleep because of the pain.

***

The next day, you tried your best to eat normally and not make a face at how much your arm hurt. But, best believe that when you went to the bathroom or went to change your clothes alone in your room, you cried silently to yourself.

"Hey, it's pretty nice out," Hailey stated when you walked out of your room dressed in jeans and a t-shirt after you had eaten breakfast, washed your face, and brushed your teeth. "Jay suggested a picnic and some baseball at the park nearby. Do you want to do that?"

"That sounds really nice," you said. But, you weren't looking forward to the baseball because you knew that it'd made your arm hurt. But, you didn't want to go to the doctor's either, and the lesser of two evils would be playing baseball with your arm hurting at a level ten.

"Okay, then it's settled. Ham or turkey on your sandwich for the picnic?" Jay asked.

"Ham please," you answered.

***

You played some baseball and gritted through the pain of pitching, catching, and batting and now it was time for lunch.

The three of you were sitting on a picnic blanket on the grassy area outside the baseball diamond. You took the sandwich out of the baggie and Hailey's eyebrows furrowed as she saw the bruising on the inside part of your forearm.

"Y/N, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" you asked.

"I just see a bruise on your arm. Did you fall earlier when I was running to get a ball and didn't see it?"

"No. I uh, I must've just slept in a weird position last night," you told her. You knew that was a terrible excuse, but that was the only one you had at the moment.

"Okay, well we have ibuprofen at home and we can ice it there, too."

"Okay, thank you." You took another bite of your sandwich.

***

You finished your picnic and then made your way to Jay's truck. You reached up and grabbed the bar to pull yourself up into the truck easier, but cried out when you pulled.

Jay dropped the picnic basket.

"Y/N!" he yelled and ran up to one side of you and Hailey ran up to the other.

You cradled your right arm in your left hand. "It- It's nothing," you said quickly. "I think I just pulled a muscle or something."

"Honey, can I take a look?" Hailey asked.

"I- I don't want to go to the doctor's! Please don't make me go! Please!" you cried.

"Honey, I'm just going to look at it. Then we'll see if we need to go. And, we can always call Jay's brother, Will, and make sure he's the one who treats you. But we don't even know if you need to go to the doctor yet, so please, just let me see your arm."

You reluctantly held your arm out to her. Jay looked, too.

"I think we need to take her in, Hails," Jay said.

You ripped your arm away from Hailey, causing you to scream out in pain. "No! I'm fine!"

"Y/N, you are not fine," Jay said. "Please just let us take you to the doctor's."

"No!" you yelled again.

"Can you tell me why?" Jay asked, employing a tactic he used in the home when girls didn't want to do things. "Maybe make me understand why?"

"He hurt me there!" you yelled. "Every time I went to the doctor, he gave my dad free visits to look at me in exchange for- for--" you wailed and crashed into Hailey's arms.

You gripped her t-shirt tightly with your good hand while you bawled your eyes out.

"Shh, shh, it's okay. It's okay. He's not here. He's in prison. He can't physically hurt you out here, Y/N. And, if we go to the doctor, we'll make sure that it's Will who treats you and we'll be there the whole time," Hailey soothed.

You sniffled and then looked up at her. "You promise you'll be there the entire time?"

"I promise," Hailey confirmed.

You looked at Jay. "You too?"

"You have my word," he agreed.

***

Jay called Will and told him that the three of you would be coming into Chicago Med to look at your arm because he and Hailey thought that you broke it and that they needed Will to treat you because you didn't trust anybody else.

When you walked into the hospital, tears pricked your eyes and you grabbed Hailey's hand with your good one.

"I- I changed my mind," you said quickly. "I don't want to go to the doctor. It'll heal by itself like the other one."

Hailey didn't know what "other one" you were talking about, but she let that part of the sentence go.

"Y/N, honey, we need to make sure you're safe and healthy. And getting you treatment for a broken bone is part of that." She looked at Jay, silently asking him for some help.

"We'll be right there the entire time," Jay promised once again.

"But- But what if you have to leave? I don't wanna be alone in there! I don't!" you cried.

"And you won't. We'll both be there. And if one of us has to leave for whatever reason, then the other will stay. You can trust us. I know it's hard, but I promise you Y/N—me and Hailey both promise you—that you can trust us. We wouldn't have these jobs if you couldn't trust us."

Jay looked up when he heard someone clear their throat. He saw Will standing there.

When you saw Will, this time in hospital scrubs instead of jeans, a t-shirt, and his Chicago Med sweatshirt, you gripped Hailey's hand even tighter.

"Hey, Y/N," Will greeted. "Jay told me you're having problems with your arm? I bet it hurts really bad."

"No, I'm fine," you argued.

"Okay, well..." he paused and moved a hand from behind his back, which was holding a bowl that contained an ice cream sandwich. It was chocolate ice cream squished between two chocolate chip cookies. "I have this ice cream sandwich here for you. Why don't you eat this with your good arm while I take a look at the other one?"

You shyly nodded and let go of Hailey's hand and took the bowl from Will's outstretched hand. "Thank you," you said quietly.

"You're welcome. Now right this way, please."

Will let you into a treatment room and Hailey helped you up on the bed.

"Alright, so Y/N, this is April," Will said as he introduced the nurse who walked in. "She'll be helping me out and taking your vitals."

April would've made a joke about how she'd be doing all the work, but seeing how nervous you were, she didn't."

"But you- you said that Will would be treating me. You promised!" you yelled and looked at Hailey and Jay.

"Y/N, all April's doing is helping Will out. Doctors need help, too," Hailey reassured.

"I'll be really gentle. Okay, sweetie?" April said.

You shoved yourself back into the bed, almost whacking your head on the wall.

"No! No! Don't hurt me! Please, don't!" you yelled.

All four of the adults in the room shared a look.

Hailey cursed. "It was the pet name," she figured out quickly. "One of them must've called her that before."

She knelt down next to the hospital bed, where you were visibly shaking.

"Y/N, I need you to take a few deep breaths with me. In and out," Hailey said.

"I can't! I can't!" you wailed.

"Yes, you can. Just like this." Hailey breathed in and out deeply.

"We can always administer medication if needed," Will suggested.

"Yeah, no," Jay said quickly. "You won't be doing that."

He pulled your emergency inhaler for times like these out of his pocket and pulled it out of the small box. Then he uncapped it and handed it to Hailey.

Once you took two more deep breaths, she held it up to you. "Can you take three puffs for me, Y/N? Just three puffs," she said.

You nodded and put the inhaler to your lips, allowing Hailey to push down on the button, which resulted in you getting some much-needed oxygen into your lungs.

"Better?" Hailey asked when you handed it back to her.

You nodded. "Thanks for having it, Jay."

"You're welcome." He put the inhaler back in the box and then back into his pocket.

Will pulled up a stool and sat on it. Hailey was still right in front of you, but Will was next to her and looking directly at you.

"Y/N, what April's gonna do is just listen to your heart and lungs with a stethoscope just like I have." He touched the stethoscope that was dangling from around his neck. "And then she's going to take your blood pressure by wrapping that around your good arm and squeezing the red thing." He pointed to the blood pressure cuff that was hanging in the room. "And then, I'll take a look at your arm. While she does that, I'll go grab you another ice cream sandwich because I'm pretty sure the other one is melted. Does that sound okay?"

You nodded, thankful that Will was explaining everything to you.

***

Fifteen minutes later, Will was back with your ice cream sandwich. He apologized for taking so long and said he had to argue with a cafeteria worker to make sure he got chocolate ice cream and not vanilla ice cream on it. But, he got it, so that's all that mattered.

He handed you the bowl and you took the ice cream sandwich out with your good hand and took a bite.

"How is it?" Will asked with a smile.

"It's really, really good. Thank you," you answered and took another bite.

"Good. Now, can you try and hold your arm out me?"

You hissed as you straightened your arm to hold it out to him.

"No, no," Will said quickly. "If it hurts to straighten all the way, don't do it." You nodded. "I'm just going to hold your arm with one of my hands and feel around it. Tell me where the most pain is. Do you want some pain medication?"

"No, no needles," you said. "Last time it made me sleep and then I couldn't feel my body."

If Will wasn't working he would've froze because he knew what you were talking about. Jay did, too, and Hailey squeezed his hand to silently tell him to stay calm.

That doctor who had previously assaulted you had drugged you with Rohypnol.

"We can give it to you in pill form," Will suggested. "Is that okay?" You nodded and Will turned to Jay. "What medications is she on?"

Jay rattled off the list of medications and then Will said something to April and then she handed you three pills and a cup of water. You took them.

"They should start to work in fifteen minutes," April told you.

You nodded and then yelped when Will gently pressed down on the inside of your forearm. "Right there?" he asked.

"Mhm," you gritted out as tears came to your eyes again.

"Well, the good news is, we're gonna get an x-ray and you won't have to have me push on your arm anymore," Will told you. You nodded. "Can you tell me how this happened?"

You looked up at Jay. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Jay furrowed his eyebrows. "I fell out of bed because of a- because of a nightmare. I told you it was my water bottle. I'm sorry!"

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Jay soothed quickly. "But can I ask why you didn't want to tell me?"

"I didn't want to see a doctor. And I thought you'd be mad and bring me back to the home."

"Oh, honey," Hailey interjected. "We'd never do that. You're my kid forever now."

"Yours, too?" you asked looking at Jay once more.

"You're not mine on paper, but I promise you that I'll keep you safe," he answered.

"But can I be your kid? Eventually?" You asked.

Hailey put her arm around Jay's waist. "You know what, babe? I think getting you to adopt her, too would be great. What do you say?"

"I'd love nothing more," he said with a huge grin on his face.

"Hate to break up this little moment," Will began, "but we gotta get her down for x-rays. Based on where it is, I think she broke her ulna."

April stepped forward. "If you'd follow me, that'd be great."

You looked at Hailey and Jay. "Will you guys come, too?"

Jay looked at his older brother, who gave him and Hailey a slight nod.

"Of course we will, honey," Hailey said.

"Because you said you'd be with me the entire time and because you said you'd keep me safe?" you asked as Hailey helped you down.

"Precisely, kiddo, precisely," Jay said.

And for the first time in your fifteen years of life, you finally found a home that you felt safe in, all thanks to Hailey and Jay.

A/N: Again, I changed a bit of this because some people were a bit confused and, I figured if I modeled the home after Brady, you guys would have a better time imagining it. Anyway, thank you guys so, so much for reading! Remember to like/reblog and comment if you haven't already! Next up, royalty AU part 2! Again, I am donating all my proceeds on buy me a coffee until the end of AU-gust to Save The Children to help the children in Afghanistan. Buy me a coffee here.

As always, if you want to be added to my taglist, just tell me and I’d be happy to add you!

Taglist: @theambracer88@virtualreader @kelelas-life @celyndavies @brookerz122493 @musicismyescape27 @anotherfan07 @thexplosivegirl @dreamingwithlens @xoxmariaxox @onechicago18 @iamasimpingh0e @i-like-sparkly-things @herecomesthewriterwitch @liampayne88

[jenomark]

PART 1: LUCAS, THE BOYFRIEND

➔Pairing: Lucas x Reader (Female) | Ten x Reader (Female) ➔Other Members/ Characters: -.- ➔Genre: Smut (+ angst, + fluff, + plot) ➔Warnings: vaginal penetration, passionless sex, exchanging money for sex, very light bdsm and mentions of pegging ➔Word count: 5,107

➔Summary: You don’t know what you do. You don’t even know who you are. Some would call you a whore. Some would refer to you as a sex worker. All of your clients would say you’re damn good at your job.

MASTERLIST

  It hadn’t rained in months. It felt strange to hear it coming down hard enough to drown out Lucas’ snoring. You laid in bed and listened a little while, wishing that it would lull you back to sleep somehow. But your eyes were wide open and they kept searching for the clock Lucas kept on his bedside table. 2:45 a.m. 3:14 a.m. 4:20 a.m. Time kept moving as you stayed still, eyes occasionally glancing up at the water marks on his ceiling, and hoping the rain wouldn’t drip through.

 “Lucas.” you whispered. 

  When he didn’t stir, you sat up in his bed and reached for your phone. He slept soundly on the nights when you had sex, which suited you just fine. You didn’t want him turning over in the night and asking you why you weren’t sleeping. 

  You unlocked your phone, your password far more complicated than it needed to be. You and Lucas once got into an argument when he asked you what you were hiding from him. You felt too exposed, for someone with something to hide. You felt like you no longer belonged to yourself, and he felt hurt that you didn’t want to share what secrets you kept.

  Unread text messages: 56   Unread emails: 134

  Your phone wallpaper was a photo of Lucas during Christmas of last year. He was smiling and holding up a gift you had bought him: an expensive watch nestled in black satin. You remembered the moment well. He opened the box and nearly dropped it to the floor when he realized it was the same model of the one he’d been lusting after for years. Every little boys dream was to own an expensive watch just like their father, and Lucas was no different.

“We can’t afford this.” Lucas had said.

  You, not we. You had wanted to say it, but his family was around the Christmas tree and all eyes were on you. It was true that Lucas could not afford the watch with his low-end salary, but you could. Of course, you had to play the part of the lowly office worker with a salary fit for someone shoved into a shoebox apartment.

“Don’t worry about it,” you had said to soothe him. “You’re worth every penny.”

  And Lucas was. You were with him because he was the first man in a while to make you feel alive. He used to be more daring before he got older, used to make you laugh so hard you’d nearly piss your pants. Like all things, the older things get, the harder it is to keep them in good condition. Your relationship with Lucas never failed on the surface, not really, but there were too many things brewing underneath. You were a lot like the watermarked ceiling: barely holding it together.

  You checked to make sure Lucas was sleeping before opening your inbox full to the brim with emails from men. The descriptions were all the same: I’m tall, handsome, and worth your time. The names all basic and no doubt aliases, were lined in a row for as far as you could scroll down. Every once in a while, you would entertain one of them and look at their email, expanding it so you could see their plea. Pick me, I’m a winner. 

  Tonight's lucky winner was a twenty-three year old artist. The picture attached was of a man smiling, his whole face lighting up at whomever was behind the camera. He looked barely legal, and definitely too cute for what he wrote in his description

WinWin, 23. I want to fuck you raw and parade you around town to all of my friends.

Not today, kiddo. 

  You closed the email and set your phone back in your lap. You wondered how much longer you could keep it up.

     You were dreaming of him, which you did often. He was sitting at his kitchen table, his tie undone and resting around his neck, and a newspaper spread out in front of him. You waltzed into the kitchen in a bouncy dress, announcing your presence with a slight clearing of your throat. The picture felt very old school, static-y lines and scalloped edges. Like a dream of the past, you were bordering in housewife territory, red lipstick turning grey in the black and white film. He looked up immediately to smile at you over his shoulder. The camera panned to reveal a table with food set on it, and two children sitting in chairs.

“Is it almost ready?” he asked

  All you wanted to do was go kiss your dream husband and wrap your arms around him. You wanted those kids to pull faces, like they were really disgusted their parents were still in love after all the years. But you couldn’t move. You looked down and your little kitten heels were stuck in quicksand that was dragging you under too fast. He couldn’t save you. He didn’t even care, just went back to his newspaper. It was all white noise.

  You woke with a jolt, shooting up so fast that Lucas came out of the bathroom. A toothbrush was hanging out of his mouth, and he wasn’t wearing clothes. 

“Bad dream?” he asked, toothpaste spitting in all directions. 

  You looked at his body, just trying to collect your thoughts. Lucas assumed you were checking him out. He started flexing his muscles to make you laugh, showing you all the parts of him he’d been working out lately. You smiled for his benefit and held your hand to your chest.

“Nightmares,” you said. Lucas went into the bathroom to rinse his mouth. When he came back out, he was heading towards his wardrobe.  “Are you leaving for work so soon?”

“Gym.”

“Again?” you asked. “You went last night. Isn’t it true that if you go to the gym too much you’ll leave a very disgruntled and lonely girlfriend behind?”

 When Lucas wasn’t working out, he was at work. During the day, he was the terribly intimidating Veterinarian assistant, his pink scrubs and puppy pin making all the Great Dane’s growl in his direction. From another direction, all the women who worked there practically swooned when he walked his muscled body through the door.  

You got out of bed and opened the blinds. “The rain stopped.” 

  The view was terrible, but he got what he paid for. You watched the little old lady from across the other apartment building hang her clothes on a line. When you turned back to talk to Lucas, he was silently masturbating.

 “Oh shit,” he breathed.

  You closed the blinds quickly before he practically tackled you, lifted you into the air and swung you around. 

You screamed like you were being murdered. “Lucas! Put me down.”

  He lifted up your pajama shorts and smacked your ass. His laugh was loud and boisterous, and you couldn’t help but laugh with him. He dropped you on the bed. His big cock was swinging between his legs before he took it back in his hands and continued stroking himself. You weren’t in the mood for sex, but the sight of him standing over you made it hard to resist. 

“I have to be at work.” you said, your eyes on his cock.

“That doesn’t sound very convincing.” he laughed.

  He took your ankle and pulled you to the edge of the bed, sliding you across the sheets like hot butter in a pan. You were taking off your shorts and panties while still denying him access.

“I do!” you said. “And I need you to drop me off at my apartment so I can get my things.”

 You didn’t need to tear your tank top off. Lucas pulled the spaghetti straps off on either side to reveal your breasts. His big paws were on you as he moved closer. Without wearing a condom, he pushed himself inside of you, both hands holding either breast while he thrusted.

 There was no talking as you fucked. Lucas took your leg and placed it on his shoulder. He kissed your calf softly. There were always tender moments like that, where it felt like it was only him and you that existed in the world. His eyes were big and brown and full of love whenever he looked at you.  You hoped that when he looked into your eyes, he didn’t just see his own reflection peering back at him.

  You felt something swell inside of you with a big wave, before quelling. Lately, you couldn’t seem to orgasm with him. There was a mental disconnect somewhere between him and you, but that didn’t stop you from pretending. You moaned and told him you were coming, even though you and him could feel yourself drying up.

  Lucas lifted your ass up and held your body as he moved, his pace too fast for you to enjoy. You just stopped moaning and stared at him, your mind completely blank. Whenever he came, the veins in his neck popped out. You were expecting him to come inside of you, but when he pulled out and came on your stomach, you let him. You held him as he collapsed on top of you, his big body making it harder for you to breathe.

  Dressed in his gym clothes, Lucas sat in the driver's seat. The drive over to your apartment was silent, mostly because Lucas still hated that you hadn’t moved in with him yet. The other reason was the awkwardness that existed after you both had sex. You laid on the bed for far too long with his semen pooling in your belly button. Not bothering to hand you a towel to clean up, he very quietly got dressed. 

  Lucas had never came on you before. He had always been the romantic look-me-in-the-eyes-as-I-fill-you-up type of guy. It’s not that you didn’t like it, just that it was so out of character you were wondering if something was wrong.

“Do you want me to come inside?” he asked.

  You snapped out of your thoughts, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I think I can handle it on my own.”

  You got out of the car and walked up your steps without looking back at him. You went inside and closed the door behind you, leaning against the wood to regain your nerve.

  You didn’t like Lucas being anywhere near your apartment. He was insecure that yours looked a little better than his. Whenever he was there, he had a million questions about the things you owned. Why they were so expensive. Why it seemed like you had never lived there. You assured him it was because you spent the majority of time at his apartment, but there was always a bitter taste left in both of your mouths any time it was brought up. The other reason was that you weren’t sure what he would find if he looked hard enough.

 You ran up the stairs and unlocked your second door. You could never be too careful. Inside, you were met with a musty smell. You didn’t bother cleaning as you went, just tore through the place gathering what you needed. You stopped briefly to look at yourself in the mirror, at the way your pantsuit hugged your body. Business professional is what the saleswoman had said. It’s what all the men want. 

What do you know about what men want? You wanted to ask her.

  You moved on, click-clacking your way to your bedroom. Your bed was unmade, and there was trash strewn everywhere. You opened the door to your walk-in closet, grabbed a duffel bag and started shoving lingerie into it. You picked up a pair of handcuffs and threw them aside. Rifling through your things didn’t help you find what you were looking for. You cursed out loud and sat down in your closet, leaning your head against the wall. 

“Must be in the other apartment.” you whispered, trying to recall where it was.

 By the time you made it back to the car with Lucas, he had fallen asleep. You tapped the window and apologized for taking so long.

  Lucas pulled up in front of your office building. He hadn’t asked why you brought a duffel bag, because after his nap, his attitude was so damn chipper that he couldn’t stop smiling. He leaned over the console to kiss you.

“You know what?” he said. “I’ll walk you inside.”

There was a panic in your chest. “No, baby, it’s okay.”

  He didn’t hear you. He was halfway out of the car. Lucas opened your door and held out his hand for the duffel bag. Reluctantly, you placed it in his hand and got out of the car.

“So, what time do you work until?” you asked, your eyes on the bag he was holding.

“Late day,” he said, taking your hand with his other. “I won’t be home until after dinner. Save me some?”

“Of course.”

  Normally, Lucas would lead you, but it was your place of work, so you did the leading. You opened the door and walked inside, your heels tapping against the marble. The woman at the front desk and the security guard both nodded at you at the same time before looking back to what they were doing. You guided Lucas to the elevator.

“Are you done the same time as always?” he asked. “I can send someone to pick you up.”

“No, that’s okay.” 

  You stepped into the elevator. You weren’t the only people in there. Luckily the office building was so big that you didn’t need to know everyone. He held your hand the entire ride, giving it a little squeeze. And every time he did, you were forced to look at him and smile.

“This is me.” you said, stepping out. 

  A glass wall separated the hallway from your offices, gold lettering etched on all of the doors. Lucas had never made it this far up, so his eyes were taking in everything like a greedy child.

“This looks expensive,” he said. “No wonder they pay you so well. Maybe I should quit and get a job here.”

  You laughed. It was obligatory. You leaned on your tip-toes and kissed Lucas at the same time you ripped the duffel bag from his hands.

“Call you during break?” you asked.

Lucas smiled. “Yeah,I’d like that. I love you. Have a good day.”

 You could tell he didn’t want to leave. He was too curious about what was behind the glass wall. He could see people milling about, stacks of papers in their hands. There were cubicles and privacy offices, a break room that was too high-tech for a plain office building. 

“I love you, too,” you said. “If you just go down to the ground floor I’m sure someone can help you find your way out.”

  You waited until the elevator doors closed to walk through the glass ones, crossing the threshold like you were walking into a new world. As soon as your heels stepped down into the grey carpet, you walked a little looser, your hips swinging. You did feel professional. And as eyes were on you in every corner of the room, you were the one person who knew exactly what men wanted.

  The office. You didn’t belong. Everyone could smell it on you, that new car smell that always seemed to drive right onto their floor and disrupt everything. For many of them, you were something they couldn’t afford. Oh, how they’d love to test drive you, though. As soon as they got a tasty look at you, all cream interior and buttered seats, all eyes seemed to avoid meeting yours. You sashayed across the floor in peace, your eyes scanning cubicles and the people coming and going.

“Hey.” a familiar voice called.

  You ducked down beside a cubicle. A woman sat in a chair, her long legs bare and freshly waxed. She crossed them and swiveled her chair to face you. You picked up a paper from the floor and shoved it in your pockets. 

“You’re early.” she said.

“Needed time to change.” you shrugged.

  You put your hand on her shoulder to lift yourself up and kept walking. No one stopped to talk to you, and there was something lonely in that feeling you couldn’t put your finger on. You stopped before a door, one of the only non-glass ones in the whole place. Your manicured fingers against the shiny door knob made you pause. You caught your reflection for the second time that day, the distorted figure grimacing back at you.

  You would never open the paper so brazenly in front of other people, but it was the calm breath you needed before you opened the door. It was what would launch you, truly, from this office into the next part of your journey. You opened the paper and stared at each letter burning a hole in your retinas. 

             Sweetie, I miss you. Today’s advice is to never look behind you.

  You tucked the paper in your bra. Every inch of you wanted to look behind you, but instead, you opened the door to the dark closet and changed your clothes.

  You stepped out of the closet dressed in clothes one would find in the mens department. Sweatpants that could be worn playing basketball, a grey sports t-shirt with faded writing, and a black windbreaker. Your sneakers were white with little worn marks on the side, and your hair was thrown underneath a ball cap. If anyone thought you were crazy for entering as yourself and exiting as someone socially male passing, they didn’t bat an eye. 

  Passing by the cubicle, the woman whistled. “If I didn’t know you, I would have you bend me over this desk right here.”

You smirked. “Only if you pay me enough.”

  You threw the duffle over your shoulder and kept walking, all of the confidence in the world in the way you moved. People still looked at you, but it was in a new, illuminated light. You walked through the glass and made it to the elevator. 

“Excuse me.” you said, weaving your way past a man.

“No problem.” he said, eyeing you up as he stepped out. He stared at you until the doors closed.

  In the lobby, you waved hello to the woman at the desk and the security guard. Both were unbothered by your new attire. You swung open the front door and stepped into the sunlight where a black, unmarked car was waiting for you.

“Am I too early?” you asked the driver.

“Right on time, miss.”

 He opened the car door and you slid in, the leather feeling cool, even through your sweatpants. In a fancy car like that, you felt underdressed, but it was all in the job description. He shut the door and went around to the drivers side, any chatty banter he may have started falling short of his lips.

You took out your cell phone and unlocked it.

  Unread text messages: 72   Unread emails: 212

You looked at the very last message from Lucas sent right after he left:

             I love you more and more every day. See you when I get home.

  Trees. That was all you saw. Streets with trees lining them, parks with the healthiest limbs and most luscious green leaves. They stood proud and strong, only wavering with a slight wind. Occasionally, when you were lost in thought, they played against the glass of the car window, a kiss of a leaf here and there, as if to say, “Welcome, open your eyes.”

“We’re almost there,” the driver said. “He asked that I don’t escort you inside. I expect you know your way around.”

  You nodded, making eye contact with the driver in the rearview mirror. He was judging you, you could tell. He wasn’t new, by any means, but the lifestyle took some getting used to. When you first met the driver, you were scared of what he  thought of you, but now you didn’t spare a single thought for him at all.

 The car came to a stop in front of a three-story brick building, its red face powerwashed to pristine condition. There were flower boxes on every windowsill and forest green shutters. A wreath on the door felt welcoming, but only if you were someone who liked open invitations. In the neighborhood, that might have been plausible, but only you really knew what lay beyond the oak front door, its stained glass windows more expensive than Lucas’ monthly rent.

“Thank you.” you told the driver.

  You stepped out of the car, your sneakers crushing a twig. It was the only blemish on an otherwise clean street. You closed the door behind you and held your duffel bag in your hand. The driver waited a beat before driving off, his strict time schedule unable to be rearranged if you chickened out.

 But you would never chicken out. Before you was a place you had been to many times. Anyone who looked out of their window would recognize you, even if the flavor of you didn’t sit well under their tongue. As you ascended the stairs, no one bothered to push aside their curtain for a glimpse of the girl dressed in baggy clothes, every trace of her from this morning vanished completely.

 You walked right in.

  You were met with a smell that hit you instantly: cinnamon. Candles burned on a foyer table, the wick barely black. 

Just lit, you thought. You have to be around here somewhere.

  The home inside was cozy, deep blue accents and unexplainable modern art tucked into corners of the room. It was the home of someone with an eye for the unusual, but whose very facade made one feel more comfortable with themselves. You walked further inside, your fingers touching along the walls. When you were away, you missed the smells terribly.

“Where are you hiding?” you asked. “Little kitten.”

  You walked further inside, your shoes still perfectly on your feet. At his request, he wanted you to keep them on. You never asked why, but you expected that after you left, he got on his hands and knees and scrubbed his floor after your every footprint, in his bid to serve you. 

“Don’t you miss me?” you asked.

  There were so many doorways without doors. You weaved in and out of rooms, taking your sweet time to make sure he could hear you trampling through. You touched some things softly, and others, haphazardly. You didn’t wince as a part of a measuring cup family fell from its hook, clattering to the ground loud enough to make your teeth hurt.

“Tenny,” you said. “Come and play.”

  You wandered up the stairs, your manicured fingers tapping against the wooden railing. You let the duffel fall to the ground when you made it to the top, and rubbed your shoulders.

  If the downstairs was grandmother chic, the upstairs looked like the hallway of a sex club.The walls were deep sapphire and velvet, gold tassels dividing each door. You walked down the center, looking foolish and out of place. On your right, you went in through the first door to an empty bedroom. You looked around but could find nothing. 

“This is taking too long,” you said. “What if I just leave?”

  A sound tipped you off. Your head snapped in the direction you heard it coming from: the very last door on the left. You walked towards it, stopping before it. You rubbed the wood, massaging it in your palm. 

“My little kitten.” you cooed.

  You opened the door to find him in plain sight. His arms were above his head, his wrists strapped to a mechanism chained to the ceiling. He was naked and blindfolded, and there were headphones around his ears so he couldn’t hear anything. You stepped in but didn’t close the door behind you. You stood in front of him, watching as he mouthed the words to a song. When you pulled the headphones down his neck, he gave a little shake.

“You were right under my nose the whole time.” you said.

  You walked around him. His joints looked like they were straining too much. He could hardly keep himself up right. And yet, he began to smile as you made your way back to him.

“How long have you been waiting?” you asked.

“An hour.” he said, his voice hoarse.

  You took off his blindfold and was met with the most mischievous eyes. He looked you up and down, his cock twitching right as he got to the sneakers on his carpet. You had been in the room before, so all of the sex toys and contraptions lining the walls didn’t bother you. People liked to play, and in your line of work, you would do whatever they wanted for the right amount. 

 His name was Ten. He was your age, but there was something about him that felt older than your years. His eyes were that of an old soul, his body young and supple. You scraped your fingernails against his chest and watched him close his eyes and quiver.

“Should I leave you here for another?” you asked.

He shook his head. “I need you to hold me.”

  Ten was one of your favorites. It wasn’t so much about the sex but the companionship. Sure, there were things he did and wanted you to do to him that were a bit different, but your attachment to him was hard to explain. 

“Before I hold you,” you began. “I need to know I can’t disappoint you.”

He opened his eyes. “I don’t think you ever could.”

“You put too much faith in me.” you said. 

  You reached up to unhook him from the ceiling. He whimpered in pain as his arms fell. You massaged his shoulders and brought him against your bosom. Ten’s hair tickled your chin. You were scared to tell him that you forgot his blanket, that it was in your real apartment with the life you hid from Lucas. 

 You wrapped your arms around Ten and kissed the top of his head. You owed him honesty, so you opened your mouth and told him that you forgot the thing he wanted most from you. Tears welled in his eyes, and for a second, you thought about breaking the arrangement and asking if he wanted his money back, but Ten took your hand and started leading you out into the hallway.

“We can do the comfort blanket next week,” he said. “This week, we’ll do something else.”

  Briefly, he showed you the man he was when you weren’t there. He was straightened up and assertive, his eyes more disobedient. It was rare that you were privy to how he was when you weren’t there, but it was always refreshing that somewhere underneath it all, there was something you liked to think of as a friend.

  Ten brought you to a room with only a bed in the middle of it. An island of sadness is what you always thought of it. You remembered when you had found him there sprawled on his stomach, his puckered, wet asshole waiting for you to fuck it. You did as he asked, the money too good to turn him down.

  Ten waited for you to get on the bed by yourself. Before you did, you made sure no hair was peaking out of your ball cap before you stretched your body across the sheets. Ten climbed in and tucked himself into the side of your body. He moved down so that his cheek was pressed against your stomach.

“Tell me you love me,” he said. “And that you’ll never leave me.”

You let your fingers smooth his hair. “I love you, Kitten, and I’m never going to leave you.”

  You fell asleep on the car ride home, the sound of thunder waking you up just a stop away from Lucas’ apartment. You groaned because, for once, your sleep was dreamless. It was too good of a thing to wake up from.

“Drop me off at the corner,” you said. “I don’t want anyone to see me.”

  You had ditched the clothes at Ten’s place and changed back into your pantsuit, but you had hat head and felt like your body had been run over by a truck. You cuddled with Ten for six hours in the same position, your body aching more than his was when he was chained up. You cracked your neck and got ready to jump out of the car as soon as it stopped, just in case someone in the neighborhood was nosy enough to tell Lucas.

“Thank you.” you said for the second time that day.

“See you next week.”

“Yeah.” you sighed.

  You got out and walked the last block to his apartment. The duffel was in your hands, but it was empty. If Lucas asked, it was once full of office supplies the company let you borrow that you needed to return. He would buy into the lie. 

 You let yourself into the darkness, removed your shoes like you were a zombie, and thought about collapsing right on the floor. It wasn’t even that late, but there was something about being deceiving that sucked the life out of you. Deciding against it, you walked your way to the bedroom and flipped on the light. 

 After you usually left Ten’s, you felt too soft to the touch. Some nights, you cried the whole car ride, missing something you didn’t know what you were missing. Often, you would climb into Lucas’ arms and make the most passionate love to him. You just needed to be near him, to make sure it was him who would never leave you.

  Everything looked the same as you had left it, only Lucas’ gym clothes were on the floor and one of his drawers was half hanging open. You went over to it and stuffed his shirts down so it would close properly. Your fingers lingered on the soft fabric. You brought his shirt up to your nose and buried your face in it, inhaling deeply. When you went to put it back, your hand knocked into a small jewelry box.

Uh-oh.

 You took the box out and opened it. A diamond ring sat nestled in black velvet, the name of the jewelry shop printed in silver script on the lid. Feeling dizzy, you snapped the lid shut and shoved it back where it was.

[a-detraque-barista]

Bread and Blood

Yandere Vampire Jimin x Reader

Genre: Yandere, Horror, Angst

Word count: 7.5k

Warnings: blood, abuse, anxiety, insecurity, yandere themes, mentions of religion, reader getting ignored??

A/N: Hello hello everyone~ this took me s o long cause it’s the longest fic I’ve ever written but I hope you enjoy~ @strwbrry-lia

(I created the aesthetic myself 😊)

“Now now, Blood Bag. No need to get emotional over someone like him” whispered the blood-sucking monster that stood in front of you. Blood Bag. That was the ‘cute’ nickname he had come up with for you. The man in front of you wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The same hand that he put on your shoulder to make you look at him. “Why don’t you stop crying over that good-for-nothing for one second, and tell me what you were doing.”

Even though he used the word ‘why’, it was not a question. It was a command. Living with him for five months has taught you what different tones of voice he had. It was a wide range and some blurred with others making you tread lightly at those times. But right now, you knew you needed to respond correctly.

“I was just going to pack my things and bring them back home,” you choked through your tears as you tried your best to sound convincing.

“Tsk tsk, blood bag. We’ve talked about lying and that it’s bad. Haven’t we?” his grip on your shoulders became tighter as his red orbs stared into yours.

When you didn’t respond he repeated his question, “Haven’t we, blood bag?” His hand that was still covered in blood trailed the slope of your neck and wrapped his fingers to where you were struggling to breathe.

You quickly nodded. His fingers eased but did not leave the scarred and bruised skin. His eyes landed on the bite marks he’s left and couldn’t help the shiver slither up his spine. You were doing things to him that no one else could. Ever since he found you broken and beaten in this very building, his infatuation for you has only grown. How this happened, you have no clue. From the first time he bit you, you’ve been trying to leave his clutches. But you have no home, the only friend you had is now lying on the floor dead, and your family hates you. However, finding a place to stay wasn’t the only difficult part. The undead, blood-sucker wouldn’t let you leave.

“You always seem to be up in the clouds. Tell me, blood bag, what are you thinking about?” he spoke in his usual sickly sweet tone, masking the beast that was hiding.

“Thinking about how I got here,” you confessed and finally noticed you were back in the living room you’ve had to sit in for so many months.

“Well, that’s easy,” he stepped impossibly closer with his hands now cupping your face. “I saved you.”

⠽ ⡰⠑ ⠍⡠⠑

Tonight was no ordinary night. Tonight was Halloween. One of the most liked holidays. When kids go trick or treating and teenagers along with adults get drunk. Frights and screams are all around except for your little apartment at the edge of town. Your apartment was cold and dreary as you sat curled in your favorite corner. You were waiting impatiently for the inevitable beating that was coming for you. The knocks at your door went ignored as you cowered behind your bed.

An hour of waiting ended in a thunderous pounding at your door. Covering your ears did nothing to drown out the loud banging. Suddenly, in the middle of your panic-filled mind, you think of the fire escape outside of your bathroom window. You just had to get your legs to work before you could carry out your scattered plan.

Using the bed to help you up, you slowly and shakily make your way to your bathroom. You groaned internally as you realized this was the window your landlord had warned you about. It was the one that got stuck and needed force with special angling. You’ve never opened this window so you had no idea how to open it. Your fear overcame your pessimism making you try your best to get the window open.

After time and time again, you couldn’t open the damn thing. Stepping back and taking a deep breath, you tried to calm down. You heard the door bust open making your head snap to the bathroom door that was still ajar. Quickly closing and locking it, you tried prying open the window again.

Someone was looking out for you up there because the window had finally budged, allowing you to crawl out and onto the rusted fire escape. You shut the window closed just in time as you saw your father burst through that door. Flipping him off, you climbed down quickly and into the alleyway. You began to run as fast as you could, already knowing your father was only now exiting the front door of the building.

You ran and ran. Even as your lungs began to burn and your legs aching, you kept running. The bruises and cuts on your face and stomach hurt more than anything at that point. You knew you couldn’t stop until you found somewhere he wouldn’t find you. Where no one would find you.

Then, the old abandoned warehouse where thirteen people mysteriously died came into view. Practically skidding to a stop, you were panting while contemplating if you should go in. Convincing yourself it would only be for the night, you squeeze through the wood that blocked the main door.

The air was no colder than your apartment so the clothes you had on were more than enough. You sat down on the floor next to the door that read ‘office’. The letters were faded and there were small bits of them missing. If you remembered correctly, this factory was almost seventy-five years old. The broken windows and cracked foundation proved as support for your guess.

After catching your breath, you stood up to head into the office. Looking around to see if anything was interesting. As nothing popped out at you, making your way upstairs seemed to be a good idea. That was until you saw him.

The man wasn’t necessarily tall, but he was still taller than you. His back was turned towards you but you could see the terror on the girl’s face that noticed you. Tears were rushing down her features as she winced in pain. Her voice was lost when she tried calling to you for help. Her face paled and her eyes rolled back. The woman’s body dropped to the floor and the man inhaled deeply. You heard the hitch in his breath and you backed away as slowly as you could manage. Unfortunately, glass crunched beneath the heel of your shoe. Without thinking for too long, you turned around and sprinted back down the stairs.

“Fuck no, not doing that shit,” you mumbled to yourself as you tried to exit the factory as fast as you could.

You felt a hand grab the back of your hoodie causing you to fall onto your back with a grunt. Turning over to your side to ease some of the pain in your back, you see a pair of shiny black dress shoes stand in front of you. With the tip of his foot, he pushed onto your shoulder so he could see your face better. His head tilted to the side, causing his hair to show more of his eyes that were glowing. The crimson color almost distracted you from the rest of his face.

His jawline was sharp and tilted up slightly as if he was looking down at you in a more demeaning way. His full lips that were covered in drying blood tugged into a smirk. He hummed as if thinking about what to do next. He planted his foot back down on the concrete floor before crouching down. You had to admit, the murderous man was even more handsome up close but you sadly couldn’t focus on him right now.

Your head began to feel light and fuzzy the more you looked at the man. Closing your eyes maybe wasn’t the best idea, but your head was suddenly submerged in pain. You moved the hand that was gripping the opposite shoulder to your head. It did nothing to take away the pain but there’s not much you could do as a killer stood above you, planning to do who knows what.

“Don’t worry, blood bag. I’m not gonna do anything to you...yet,” you heard his honey-like voice before feeling him wrap his arms around you. “My name’s Jimin, and you’re going to love your new hell.”

⤐ ⤐ ⤐ ⤐

Five months later and you were in, just as he said, hell. You have scars from his fangs all over, fatigue from blood loss, and an appalling adoration for the man who has brought you to his home. What he called home, you called hell. Not only were you used as livestock, but you were tormented by the fact you had fallen for your shepherd.

You hated calling him by his name because you thought it fit him so well and rolled off your tongue like it was meant to. So you called him anything but his name.

He was still locked up in his room like always and you’ve already ventured the enormous house, there was practically nothing to do. You’ve been staring at the wall so often you can no longer sit on the couch, where you’re certain has an ass print from you. Nothing in this mansion intrigued you anymore. Should you maybe...leave the house? You’ve never attempted to leave since you figured he would punish you for it. But how would he know if he’s always in his room or workspace?

You got up from your bed to look into the closet of wonders you’ve never bothered looking through. You just see a comfy set of clothes and go with that since you don’t do anything. Luckily, you found an outfit that matched your style. You didn’t have any money so it would just be a walk around the town, and getting to know exactly which town you were in.

It was a lot easier leaving than you thought was possible with a vampire living there. The house was on an isolated street but you saw old and rusted signs pointing towards the town. It was maybe a twenty-minute walk with you humming and slightly tripping over nothing. It was nice to finally get out of that suffocating house and go for a walk. The air was brisk and made your lungs feel like they were fully inflating.

Once you got to the main road of the city, many people were seen walking. Either by themselves or with children. The day was nice but it seemed there was an event going on. Crowds weren’t your thing so you decided to keep exploring the quaint town.

Walking by bakeries, craft stores, and many other family-owned shops. It was all different to you, having lived in bigger cities your whole life. You were walking by the only bookstore you’ve seen so far and decided to go in. It smelled of old paper and incense. Tall aisles were filled with any genre you could think of and more. You couldn’t remember the last time you were in a bookstore.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” a deep voice broke you from your thoughts as you turned towards the man it came from.

“Oh, no, just looking. Thank you though,” you smile slightly before continuing your way to the back where the sign read ‘Folklore’.

“Well, it’s just that I’ve never seen you around town before. You just move here?” he followed you while asking his question.

“Yeah,” you didn’t feel like talking at this point.

“I figured. Well if you need someone to show you around I’d be more than happy to-”

“Yeong-Jun, go bother somebody else. She’s obviously not interested,” another voice interested the man that was pestering you.

The guy next to you huffed before leaving the store and you looked to see who had said that. He was behind the counter where a register and binders sat.

“I’m sorry about him, he does that all the time,” he smiled gently at you before going back to the small paperback in his hand.

You went back to scanning the spines of the books that sat in front of you, but your eyes kept glancing at the nice man who helped you out. You couldn’t help but think that maybe the two of you could be friends. He seemed nice and he obviously liked books, same as you. But what would you even say to him? Talking first was never your strong suit, or just making friends in general. You never knew what to say so maybe, it’d be best to just leave him alone.

At this point, you didn’t even know why you were taking so long in the store. It’s not like you could buy anything. Sighing, you headed towards the exit before the man at the counter’s voice stopped you.

“Didn’t find anything interesting?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just that I don’t have the money for it.”

“Oh, well...How about you take one anyway?”

“I’m sorry?” you turned back to face him.

“You can take a book of your choosing. Think of it as me lending it to you. For free,” he said through a chuckle after seeing your expression.

“You sure?”

He nodded before motioning at all the rows of books. Swiftly, before he could change his mind, you made your way back to the Fantasy section and grabbed the one you had been eyeing almost the whole time.

You stopped at the counter, “Thank you.”

“My pleasure, just bring it back when you’re done and you can borrow another one,” he smiled so wide it made his eyes turn into crescents.

You tried hiding your smile while nodding and exiting the store like a child who had just gotten candy. Books have been your only entertainment ever since he kidnapped you. There was no television to watch, no laptop, or a gaming system. The castle held no form of technology besides electricity for the lighting and sound systems. No matter where you were in the house, you could always hear music. It was beautiful yet sad performed by a group of woodwinds, brass, and many other instruments.

It’s good music to read to. You decided to head back to your hell. Wait...Why...Why would you go back if you were able to walk out the front door, be gone for almost an hour, and walked around town with no questions asked?

You turned around and headed to the church because that was the only place you could think of that would let you stay for free without worrying too much about a creep.

The last thing on your mind now was the thing that was holed up in his room, becoming hungry.

You slowly opened the door to the only church in town that was almost as big as the castle you came from. Not seeing anyone, you fully entered the building with the book in your hand. You tried to walk as quietly as you could but your shoes hitting the polished tiles caused echoing that bounced off the high ceiling walls.

“Hello? Is someone there?” a voice was heard coming from the side. You didn’t respond as you heard footsteps coming closer. “Oh, well hello there. What can I help you with?”

“I-I...I was wondering if I could, um, stay here for the night?” your social skills have suffered tremendously because of the anxiety your family has caused.

“Oh dear child, of course, you can. God’s house is always open to anyone,” he guides you to the other side of the building where he opened a door showing a long hallway.

As you walked down the large corridor, you noticed all the doors you passed by. Some were closed and some were opened. The opened ones revealed empty rooms with a bed and nightstand. You assumed the closed doors were occupied rooms.

“Many people stay here, all for their own reasons. We have a dining hall just around the corner, baths are just past that, and you are always welcome to join sermons,” he stopped in front of a room that was at the very end of the hall. “If you need anything, we have many sisters throughout the church that will be happy to help.”

“Thank you,” you slightly bowed before entering the room.

“Of course,” he closed the door and walked to a random spot in the corridor. He placed his hand on the wall while whispering a murmur in Latin. A door opened and he entered.

He descended the spiral case of marble stairs before coming to another door. This door had carvings of so many symbols, you couldn’t count. He touched a particular one causing the door to creak open.

“You all felt it as I did,” he spoke loudly before he sat down in his designated chair.

“You wouldn’t be able to,” another pastor said sarcastically.

“Will he come?” asked a nun.

“I do not know,” sighed the pastor who showed you to your room.

“Will you protect the girl, Claude?” asked a woman who sat in the middle of the table.

“Yes.”

✨

You had fallen asleep almost seven hours ago, according to the clock that hung on the wall opposite of the bed you laid in. That was the most sleep you have gotten in about two years. Insomnia was a bitch you knew all too well. Being able to sleep for so long made you full of this energy you haven’t experienced in so long. A knock was heard at your door before a nun poked her head in.

“It’s time for supper,” she said softly.

“Thank you,” she closed the door after slightly nodding to your response.

You sighed before looking out of the window that was close to the ceiling. You slept and found a place to stay but now what? You couldn’t live here so close to him. Yes, you loved him but it was unrequited and you knew it. It’s not like you could help it. In the little time you’ve spent with him, that didn’t involve your blood, he was kind and his smile gave you a serotonin boost. The way he was gentle with the plants he had and how he disagreed with the disgusting morals of characters from a different era. All of these things made you grow feelings for the undead immortal. Maybe it was because you’ve never encountered such a personality. But who knew?

You climbed out of the bed and headed to the dining hall with the book in your hand. You couldn’t remember the last time you had a meal that wasn’t frozen or from a restaurant. You never felt like cooking even though you knew how, you just never felt like it.

The volunteers were kind as they offered you everything they had. Sticking with only the bread and stew they made, you sat down at an empty table while beginning to read the book you picked out from the store. The front and spine read Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke.

Someone had sat next to you making you look at them in the corner of your eye. It was the priest from yesterday. He had a plate of his own filled with stew, bread, and rice.

“I hope I am not disturbing you,” he motioned towards the open book in front of you.

“Oh, uh, no. It’s fine,” you nodded making him smile softly.

“What brings you here?” he asked while respectfully eating his bread.

You had to think carefully about what you wanted to say. You couldn’t just tell him that a vampire had kidnapped you, but didn’t care enough to keep an eye on you.

“I ran away from home.”

“Why is that my child?”

“My father- he uh…he would hit me...a lot, so one day I ran away,” it wasn’t a complete lie. That is what had happened at the beginning of all of this. However, your town was most likely miles and miles away.

“I am sorry, my child. Do you still, um, have bruises or anything?” he was hesitant in the way he spoke hoping he wouldn’t upset you.

You nodded causing him to sigh. Some people were truly out of God’s reach and your father needed to be punished for abusing as he had.

“Where are you from?” he asked looking back at you.

“Seoul.”

“Seoul? My, that’s ways away from here. How did you get to Busan?” he was shocked by how far you have traveled and was curious how you managed to get down here. Of course, he knew how you got there but he wanted to know if you trust him or not. By how long it took you to answer, it was obvious you didn’t trust easily.

“Many many buses,” you lied through your teeth, to a priest no less. Good thing you lost faith a long long time ago.

“I see,” bells rang in the distance signifying everyone that supper time was over and it was time to either go to your room or do chores. “We’ll get you started on chores tomorrow, okay?”

You nodded once again before standing up and taking care of your tray before heading back to your temporary room. Started on chores?? How long does he think you’re staying here? Now that you know what city you’re in, it will be much easier to get back to Seoul. You just had to find a way to get back and then figure out where you were going to stay. Your mind went to the book in your hand

You laid down so the growing headache could maybe stop from spreading from your frontal lobe to the cortex. Setting your book on the table beside you, sleep was your best choice at the moment.

Candy apple eyes stared down at the pathetic looking ‘House of God’. The eyes held hatred and disgust for the building and the oh so holy salvation that occupied it. The man’s features turned sour thinking about all the bothersome puppets that have tried to kill him, more often than not.

He wasn’t here for them, no-no. He was here for you of course. At first, he didn’t even realize you had escaped. Your scent was covering every inch of his mansion so it took maybe a whole day before he realized you were gone. The vampire was in his office so he wouldn’t bite you so much. Whenever he drank your delicious blood, he felt it course through his veins, he felt the warmth he once did when he was alive, he felt. And that terrified him. He was scared of the feeling, but he didn’t want to lose it. So he spent hours and hours researching from the very scripts his ancestors and others wrote, trying to find a way to keep you forever.

Now he’s sitting there thinking, how fucking stupid could he have been to let you leave like that. All the doors had normal locks so it wouldn’t take much brainpower to figure them out. If he didn’t get you back before another creature claimed you, it would be over. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. Because you were different. He knew that. Your smell, your taste, and your personality. All of it was so entrancing and he let it slip away just like that. Maybe he was just being dramatic, but what vampire isn’t? Maybe it was a good thing you escaped. How else could he hunt for such scrumptious prey? He loved to hunt before he fed but that usually ended with his prey dying. This time, he was going to keep you. Not only for your blood but also for you. The sarcastic remarks you made had made him laugh, your smile made his unmoving heart skip, your eyes told a story that only you knew. Yeah, he wasn’t going to let you go.

The priest who had welcomed you had once again descended the marble stairs into the secret hideaway. Once the nun saw him approach she spoke loudly, “He’s already here and you’re playing tea party with the girl.”

“No need for malice, sister,” the priest sat down in his usual chair and placed his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. He knew he was here. Years of training his perception had been fruitful.

“I wouldn’t need to be malicious if you would just do your job!” her voice reverberated against the walls and back to them.

The woman sitting at the head of the table cleared her throat before addressing the nun who had gotten out of line, “Do not point fingers, let alone yell in the House of God, sister.”

The nun sat back in her seat while crossing her arms. She had never encountered a vampire before and she wasn’t trying to now. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Exhaling, she stiffened. She felt powerful energy that she wasn’t able to identify.

“Hello~” Jimin stood not too far away from the table but far enough to where no one could touch him before he could move. “Let’s negotiate.”

↬ ↬ ↬

It’s been a week since you’ve arrived at the church. You haven’t seen the pastor since that awkward dinner in the hall. Maybe he realized you couldn’t be helped and decided to move onto the next person. Who would help you right? You’re just a nobody who has parents that hate you. That’s normal...it’s all you’ve ever known. You sighed as you hung up the last piece of clothing on one of the lines. Not wanting to spend all day at the church again, you decided to take the book you finished back to the store. Hopefully, the nice employee was working today.

You went back to your temporary room to grab the book before you made your way to the exit of the building. On your way to the exit, it seemed like all the nuns and pastors you’ve passed we’re trying to distract you. First, a nun had asked for help with cleaning the rooftops, which sounded like a pointless job that would take all day. So you politely declined but when she insisted you told her you can help after you take the book back to the store. Then, a pastor had asked how you’ve been feeling and if you’re comfortable in your room. Saying yes to both and walking at the same time, you were able to get out of that conversation fairly quickly. And as you placed your hand on the door, two more nuns were asking you questions about you and where were going. Thankfully, another nun held their attention while you slipped through the crack in the doors.

You let out a sigh of relief and made your way to the bookstore. It felt nice to get out of there, at least for a little while. The weather seemed windy today and the clouds were slowly becoming a dark grey. Hopefully, a storm will come by. That’s always when you slept the best no matter where you slept. You were never able to sleep well, but on nights where you could hear thunder and see flashes of lightning, it lulled you to sleep, unlike any stories or songs.

Your mind suddenly went to him. Does he like storms? You stopped walking for a second, realizing your mistake. How could you think of him like that? Your cheeks get warm before you start walking again to try and forget about him and focus on getting another book.

Who cares if he likes storms? Certainly not you, he means nothing to you...do you mean nothing to him? You sighed as you weren't able to stop wondering about the handsome man that captured you months ago. It kind of made you sad that he hasn't come to find you yet. Your thoughts had you passing the bookstore before the employee from before calls out to you, “Hey!”

You snapped your head up and looked around before your eyes landed on the person who called out to you. Looking around again, you realized you had walked by the store without noticing. Your cheeks turned red before you made your back to the store where the worker waited for you with a smile.

“I think I have one you might like,” he motioned for you to follow him to the desk. He told you to set the book in your hands on the cart to the right and slid a different one on the desk.

It read Between the Spark and the Burn, the sequel to the book you had just returned. “I didn't see this the last time I was here,” you carefully picked up the book and held it in your hand by your side.

“I noticed the book you chose so I requested it from the next town over for when you finished the first one,” he sat down on the wooden stool that was rickety and old.

“Thank you,” you said quietly while keeping your gaze anywhere but him.

It’s been a while since someone did something nice for you. You're usually the one doing things for other people. You could see him smiling in the corner of your, making you realize that you were also smiling. Your cheeks were beginning to hurt so you decided to introduce yourself, “My name’s Y/n.” Hopefully, that was the right way to begin this conversation.

“Taehyung, a pleasure,” his smile grew before he covered it with his hand.

You nodded before reluctantly walking towards the door. Just as it closed behind you Taehyung was met with somebody standing next to him. He casually looked to see who it was only to find his best friend.

“Jimin~ it's been so long since you visited!” he stood up to give Jimin a hug and Jimin reciprocated. “What brings you here?”

“Turns out, you were just flirting with the girl I was talking about,” Jimin sighed as he straightened his posture to not look as short compared to his friend.

Taehyung’s eyebrows shot and pointed his thumb towards the door where you just exited. Jimin nodded before pinning him to the wall, “And you're gonna help me get her back.”

⤐ ⤐ ⤐

“Y/n!” your name echoed throughout the spacious corridor. You turned around to see the priest waving to you while jogging to catch up to you.

...you don't remember ever telling him your name. You began to panic so you quickly made your way outside and into the garden to hide behind the large rose bushes.

You heard him calling for you but stayed behind the bushes and went deeper into the rows and rows of red and white roses. You let out a sigh before sitting on the ground more comfortably.

“Blood bag, how come you haven't come home yet?”

Your whole body stiffened, but surprisingly relaxed. But now wasn't the time to question your muscles. You looked up to see the man who you thought you wouldn't have to see again.

“I've missed you, ya know,” he crouched down so his piercing eyes could be level with yours. It reminded you of the first time you met, back in the warehouse.

You remained quiet and averted your gaze to a wilting rose at the bush behind him. What were you supposed to say to him anyway? Did you miss him too? Of course, you did, he has given you more attention than anyone in your life. Up until you had spoken to Taehyung a couple of days ago.

“Blood Bag, it’s rude to ignore me,” he cupped your face with his hands decorated with silver rings.

“You ignored me for days at a time but that doesn’t matter, does it?” your anger got the best of you, making you regret even opening your mouth. You watched as his eyes widened slightly before he smirked.

“It does matter because I was doing something very important in that office.”

“Of course, what would be more important than using me as food whenever you felt like it.”

You saw his eyebrow twitch at your smartass comment. You didn’t know what had gotten over you at that time. You were usually the pushover but it seems that something about this vampire made you want to talk back. Maybe it was the smirk on his ethereal features or maybe it was just you trying to deny your feelings for him.

“I’m gonna let that slide since there’s something else I need to talk to you about,” you stood up before you had to hear any more of this unnecessary conversation. Before you were able to take a step, you were brought back to the ground. Your back hit the hard dirt making you wince. Jimin sat on your waist with each knee on either side of you. “You have recently met a very good friend of mine without even noticing what he was. I’m afraid he wants to take you as his. So I was nice enough to come here and warn you about him. But it seems you don’t want my protection…”

He trailed off waiting for you to start begging for him to help you but it never came. His smile fell and his eyebrows furrowed. Why were you not groveling? Were you not afraid? That’s not it, he can smell the delicious fear coming off of you.

“Doesn’t matter, I’m leaving by the end of next week,” you lied hoping he wouldn’t catch it.

Jimin stared at you for a second before getting off of you. But not before giving you a quick peck to the lips. Your face burned as you looked up at the grinning blood-sucker of a man. It most definitely gave Jimin an ego boost to see you so affected by his action.

“See you later, Blood Bag,” he waved before disappearing around the corner. What you didn’t see is that Jimin had to stop after turning the corner. He held his hand over the left side of his chest. It hurt. His chest was in pain. Like his heart was beating once again. The cold skin of his cheeks flushed while he felt like his lungs were actually working. If this was what it felt like just to kiss you, imagine what it would feel like to...Jimin had to stop himself. No need to let his mind go too far until you’ve fallen for him. And he was confident you would.

You finally willed your legs to get up and move to hurry to your room. You stopped when you passed an opening leading to the street in front of the church. You didn’t want to give Jimin or the priest time to find you again, so you made your way back to the bookstore.

When you got there you opened the door and your eyes instantly landed on Taehyung...and his bruised cheek above a busted lip. You stopped in your tracks making Taehyung look at you.

“Done with the book already?” a smile stretched across his face making him mumble ‘ow’.

“What happened to you?”

“Just a little friendly brawl.”

“In fifteen minutes?”

“Lots can happen in fifteen minutes.”

You shook your read to get your thoughts focused, “I came here to ask you if there was a bus or a train that left the town today.”

“Hmmm, I’m pretty sure the next train outta here isn’t for another two days,” Taehyung lied without hesitation. The next train left today in thirty minutes and wouldn’t be back until next week. He didn’t want another beating from Jimin.

“Oh, well thanks. I’ll have the book back by then,” you nodded before heading back to the church. What were you supposed to do for the next two days?

Once you made it back to the church you headed straight to your room to find the priest sitting in the wooden chair. He told you to have a seat on your bed after you closed the door.

He cleared his throat, “So you obviously seem uncomfortable around me and I apologize for whatever I have done to make you feel that way.”

Your eyes were on the book in your hand before you quietly replied, “I just never remembered telling you my name so I panicked. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I should’ve been more careful,” he saw your confused expression before continuing. “I am no ordinary priest. I am a...protector of sorts. I protect people from supernatural creatures of all kinds.”

Your eyes looked into his, and his were telling you he knew about the vampire that had kept in his home. Of course, he knew, this made you breathe out a laugh, “So you know about him.”

“I do.”

“You know, I was able to walk out the front door of his house like it was nothing,” Claude’s eyebrows raised in shock. You nodded, “He was so deeply in his work while in his office, I was able to walk out of there. But now he knows I’m here and I need to find a way out of here.”

“I can help with that. The train that transports out of town leaves in twenty minutes. I can get you there along with a ticket straight back home. If that is what you wish.”

It only took you a few seconds to register his offer and you quickly nodded and followed him out the door. All while leaving the book from Taehyung on the bed.

“What’s your name?” you asked while trying to keep up with the man that has been trying to help you for the past week and a half.

“Claude.”

He looked around the corridor before muttering the Latin mantra for the hidden door to open. Claude had to come back up a few stairs to grab your wrist to lead you down the stairs. You had unknowingly frozen in place after seeing the wall slide open to a set of stairs.

“Do all churches have a basement like this?”

“Not all, we’re one of the few that do.”

“So cool,” you whispered as you skimmed all the symbols and words that were engraved into the walls.

“There’s a tunnel that leads straight to the station. We don’t want you to miss the train, the next one won’t be here for another week,” Claude explained all while hurriedly walking down the tunnel.

You didn’t want to think about how Taehyung lied to you and how you didn’t realize that he was the friend Jimin was referring to. Just then, passed the room where you could see people sitting around a large dark wood table.

“Are we not going to talk about how you guys have a literal l a i r down here?”

“Nope.”

“Alrighty.”

Claude had led you up a flight of stairs that lead to the back of a building. You couldn’t tell what kind it was until the two of you walked up the side to the front. The large sign read Train Station. There were many benches set out but only two other people were waiting to get on the train. Claude had just realized he still had a grip on your hand but luckily you didn’t seem to mind as you read all the signs telling you the train’s schedule.

Claude paid for your ticket to Seoul before having you sit down on a bench close to the entrance gate. He looked around to make sure Jimin was nowhere in sight. Then he would glance back at you to make sure you were still there. The loud whistle of the train made it to your ears before you stood up and watched as it slowed to a stop.

“I have nowhere to stay up there,” you paused in front of the bench and started at the open door showing a few metal stairs.

“You do,” he brought a piece of paper from his pants pocket and gently set it in your hand. He nodded towards the train, motioning for you to get on before it leaves.

You thank him before boarding the locomotive and taking a seat in the designated section. Your seat was on the side of the station. Looking out to see Claude waving and smiling at you through the window. No one else was around him, nobody had gotten off and the few people that were waiting were already boarded. You waved back before your blood ran cold.

Claude’s neck was snapped right before your very eyes. His now lifeless body fell to the ground, in what felt like slow motion. The one person that had been helping you from the kindness of his heart, lied on the floor, dead.

Through your teary eyes, you saw it was Taehyung. His face showed no emotion, not even as he stared into your sorrowful eyes. As you went to stand, the train began to move and when you looked back to where Taehyung was standing, he was gone.

🩸🩸🩸

You rushed off of the train and hurriedly went to find whatever stood at the address Claude had given to you. Your head constantly went from side to side, causing a headache to form. But you didn't want the pounding of your brain against your skull to be the reason you were caught.

Finally, you ended up at the place where you met Jimin. The warehouse still appeared worn down and abandoned. Nothing had changed since you last saw it, except for the door. The door used to be blocked by wooden planks but now, it was a sleek and elegant carved piece of wood. There laid a door knocker that looked to be recently polished, in the shape of a cross.

You hesitated in reaching for the knocker and just as your fingers touched the cool metal, Taehyung interrupted. You spun around to see him even more beaten than the time before. When you went to knock again the door was gone, and the old wooden beams replaced them. You froze, that was going to be where Claude promised safety. Now you met with the thing that killed him. The thing you had considered your friend for only a short period of time.

“I didn't wanna hurt you like this, ya know. I really did want to be friends with you, and maybe even one day be more than that. Because you seem like a great person and-” he stopped talking once he noticed you had slipped through the wood and into the building. He sighed before following you in.

You wondered if there was even a point in trying to hide from him. He obviously wasn't human so he could track you down in seconds. Yet, you still went to hide in the room where you saw Jimin feeding on that stranger. And after months, her body was still there. Rotting and decaying. You gagged before exiting the room quickly.

Taehyung was right there, causing you to run into him. He held you close as you tried to pull away. He rolled his eyes as you struggled, irritated you wouldn't listen to his practiced speech all while running away. It was clear Jimin had no issue throwing punches towards his friend. Even though they were the same age physically, Jimin had been alive for much longer than he had.

You attempted to pull all your weight back as Taehyung dragged you down the stairs and to the entrance. Suddenly, you went flying back onto your ass as Taehyung’s grip left your arm. Your gaze landed on Jimin wrestling with Taehyung on the concrete floor. You looked around to find another door but there wasn't one that you could see. You didn't want to wander the building and get lost, but you also didn't want to wait for the two supernatural beings to be done with their fight.

You let out a shaky breath after realizing you're going to have to sneak past and get to the entrance. Your legs trembled as you slowly made your way around the two that were yelling at each other. Threats and fists, along with knees, we're thrown back and forth. When you got to the entrance you heard a sickening thud. It wasn't someone falling on the ground or one being thrown. No, the thud had an underlying crack to it. Turning around, you saw dark crimson ooze from Taehyung’s skull.

He was face down, making the sight easier for you to stomach. If you were able to see the look on his face and the emptiness of his eyes, you wouldn't be able to sleep again.

Jimin picked you up by your biceps, making sure you were as close to him as possible. He rested his forehead against yours. He bit his and leaned in for a kiss. Jimin kissed you over and over again until every inch of your face had met the touch of his pillowy lips. lip

“So tell me, Blood Bag, are you ready to spend an eternity with me?”