#ik it’s probably the same for all the boys but i have chosen this hell for me

[rems-writing]

Not all fratboys are brainless

Pairing: frat boy!Yeosang × tutor gn!reader

Summary: Yeosang proves you wrong. Will he succeed?

Warning(s): lots of prejudice, Yeosang cries (Wooyoung would absolutely murder the reader if he could), the reader softens up, slight bullying

Genre: Angst with a fluffy ending

Nets: @blossomnet @mirohs-aurora-society @illusionnet

"Professor Kim, can I talk to you about my grade?" Yeosang asked his music theory professor. Hongjoong looked up at him and gave a small smile to the younger boy.

"Of course. But your grade is relatively good so far."

"I'm aware but I feel like I can do better you know. Music theory is hard and I want to excel in this class. I've tried studying the chords on piano and even tried looking for songs that I can listen to so I can identify the chords but so far, I've only been able to pinpoint what scale the song starts on."

Hongjoong listened carefully to Yeosang's explanation and nodded slowly as he thought of something.

"I could get you a tutor to help you get a better grip on the chords. They are an excellent student and is probably the topmost student in all of my music theory classes. They're currently studying for an exam in my level two advanced theory class but I'm sure they can help you out with something as simple as chord recognition."

"Thank you so much, professor!" Yeosang exclaimed gratefully and Hongjoong's heart swelled in adoration upon seeing his smile. As he watched his student gather his things and exit the classroom, he whipped out his phone and texted you.

Hongjoong sighed shakily as he sent her a heart as his message.

Joongie: Your prayers have been answered. You get to tutor a music theory student.

You: HELL YEAH, BOIIII! Which level are they at rn?

Joongie: Music Theory I

You: Easy peasy! What's their grade if I may ask? I know this class is hard >-<

Joongie: It's fairly decent but he feels he can do better.

You: Oof. Ik the feeling lol what does he need help with specifically?

Joongie: Chord recognition

You: Ahh! Ok got it. I can start tomorrow.

Joongie: Sounds good to me. Oh and Y/N? Please be nice...

You: Oh don't sweat it, Joongie! I got you

Yeosang had no idea what was in store for him......

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

Whatever excitement you felt the next day was flown out the window when you saw him. Your professor could've chosen anyone. But him? You only had three rules.

Never let anyone dictate your life.

Never give up no matter what

Never interact with frat boys or girls from sororities!

As you saw him set up his things, you felt a sense of dread wash over you. You thought of ways you could weasel your way out of this but Hongjoong would know immediately since you never weasel your way out of anything.

It's either you accept or deny. And you accepted.

With a heavy heart, you walked in, annoyance evident on your face. Yeosang was oblivious to it though. As soon as he saw you, his face lit up with excitement.

"Hi! You must be Y/N! I'm Kang -"

"Yeah yeah. Kang Yeosang. Yeah hi nice to meet you. Come on. Let's get this over with. I got an exam to study for."

The smile on Yeosang's face disappeared as you slammed your things on the table and opened up your music theory I textbook.

Throughout the entire study session, you did somewhat help him, but he didn't appreciate the fact that he was treated as if he were the dumbest person on the planet. You spoke purposefully slow, talked to him as if he were a child, and scolded him over useless shit. However, Yeosang remained patient.

After all, he knew of your intense hatred towards frat boys.

After the two hours were up, you didn't even bid him goodbye. You simply told him when the next session was and left immediately.

What did he do wrong...?

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

The rest of the study sessions persisted with the same old thing. You come in, treat him poorly, get angry when he messed up, and then leave as soon as the session was over. There were even times where you didn't even show up, claiming that you were busy. Maybe it was true most of the time, but there were times where it was complete and utter bullshit. Yeosang tried so hard to be patient with you, but even the kindest frat boy had his limits.

In the times that you didn't show up, he was studying on his own. His memorization may have been weak, but he was determined to get you to see beyond the boyish charms and stereotypes you had around him.

Today was another study session. Yeosang stood proud and tall as you walked in, grumpy as usual. You set your things down and looked at him.

"Come on. Let's get this over with." You sighed heavily and Yeosang shook his head.

"Quiz me."

"Um... come again?"

"You heard me. Quiz me!"

You sighed and nodded before taking your mini piano out of your bag and setting it down on top of the table. You turned it on and configured it so it was loud enough for him to hear yet quiet enough so you guys weren't kicked out of the library. You positioned your hands in the right playing position and looked up at him with a bored expression.

"Ok. Let's do it."

Yeosang was determined.

The first chord was played.

"That is a C Major triad."

The second chord was played.

"That's an e minor triad."

The third chord was played."

"That's an A Major traid."

The fourth chord was played.

"That's a first inversion g minor triad."

The fifth chord was played.

"That's a second inversion F Major triad."

Throughout the entire time, Yeosang was getting every single chord right. Deep down, you were thoroughly impressed with his knowledge and the way he recognized the chords immediately. As the final chord was played, Yeosang gave the correct answer. You lifted your hands from the piano and stood up before him.

"I have to say. I'm impressed. You certainly have studied your ass off."

Yeosang felt a sense of relief and accomplishment wash over him. However, that feeling went away when you said something ludicrous.

"Wait never mind. You're a frat boy. You probably cheated."

Yeosang was looking for any sign that you were joking. There wasn't. You just stood there with your arms crossed as you looked him up and down.

"You can admit it. It's fine. I can't necessarily say I'm surprised though since all you care about is partying, sleeping with every girl on campus, and -"

"How could you?"

You grew confused as you saw the raw emotion on Yeosang's face. His eyes were swimming in unshed tears, his fists were clenched, and his body was shaking a bit. You dropped your arms to the side as he scoffed harshly.

"For weeks, I have been studying and quizzing myself, pulling all nighters, and even isolated myself from my friends so I could impress you and change your views on me. It looks like I failed... and I'm sorry for failing you. I'm also sorry for wasting your time."

With that, he gathered his things and ran out of the library while you stood there, confusion being replaced with shock and guilt. You felt your chest tighten upon imagining him crying as he ran back to his dorm.

Why does seeing an angel cry feel like the biggest sin?

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

The next few weeks have been awkward to say the least. You were in Professor Kim's class, trying so hard to concentrate on his lectures, yet your mind was somewhere else. Ever since that day in the library, you've had occasional nightmares pop up in your head. It was of the same thing: you accuse him of cheating and you stand with an inflated ego while he runs out crying. You thought you were being a hero.

You were actually the villain. And you accepted that fact.

After class ended, you stayed behind so you could talk to Hongjoong. When the room was nearly empty, you approached him slowly.

"Um...professor?"

"Oh? On that professional status I see." Hongjoong joked with you but when he saw the worn out look on your face, he grew concerned. He pointed to the chair in front of him and you sat down.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"I think... I think I fucked up."

"You haven't even taken the exam yet -"

"I made my student cry."

Hongjoong was silent as you looked at him with your own eyes swimming in unshed tears. He gently took your hands in his and prompted you to look at him.

"What did you do?"

Despite the gentle tone in his voice, you could tell he was disappointed in you. He explicitly told you to be nice and you went against that.

"I accused Yeosang of cheating when I quizzed him and he got all the answers right."

Hongjoong dropped your hands and rubbed his face out of agitation.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"It was an accident! I let it slip out -"

"Yeosang is one of the kindest and most intelligent students out there. Your hatred towards frat boys needs to cease."

"Yes I understand that -"

"Do you?"

You flinched when he said that through gritted teeth. You hung your head in shame as he kept talking.

"To have you, my best student, accuse him of cheating... that's low. So fucking low."

"Hongjoong, I know -"

"You need to apologize to him."

"I am aware of that but -"

"But what? Hmm? Don't give me any excuse whatsoever. I know you're studying your ass off for my exam, your parents are out of town, and you don't have any pets or plants to take care of. So tell me. What's stopping you from apologizing to him?"

"I'm afraid!"

You hung your head in shame once more and let all the tears out.

"I'm afraid that he'll just spew so much hatred towards me. Not saying that I don't deserve it, but having someone like him be angry towards me feels like I'm going through hell. I saw his face that day. And I even have nightmares about it! Trust me. You think you're disappointed in me? Well the feeling is mutual in a sense."

Hongjoong listened to you despite feeling anger towards you.

"I already faced my punishment. Yunho stuffed fake spiders in my locker so my arachnophobia was triggered, Mingi towered over me and trashed all my papers for my other classes, San shoved me to the ground which explains my scraped knees, and Wooyoung... oh God."

Hongjoong had to hold you to stop yourself from shaking. His anger was slowly fading as you recounted everything that happened to you and felt his chest tighten when you just took it in stride rather than stand up for yourself.

"He was vile. He cussed me out, pulled my hair, and told me that maybe frat boys can be brainless, but they're not heartless monsters such as myself."

"Oh, Y/N..."

"He's right. He's definitely right. But it still hurts. And you want to know the worst part?"

"What is it?"

You drew in a shaky breath and exhaled before speaking.

"Yeosang was a witness to it all... and he still made sure they didn't do anything else drastic."

You started crying and Hongjoong held you close.

"I tried thanking him and even worked up an apology, but he held a hand up towards me and stared at me dead in the eyes before walking away."

Hongjoong held your face and wiped your tears away.

"What did I tell you? I told you he was the kindest person I've ever met."

"I know, Joongie... I know. I feel awful."

"I think... you should try again. If his friends try to stop you, stand your ground and make sure you keep on insisting until you are able to see Yeosang."

"What if he doesn't want to see me?"

"Trust me. If he was able to get his friends to back off of you, then he'd be willing to listen to your apology. Whether he accepts it or not, that's up to him. But just know that your apology is genuine and that you truly feel remorseful for your words."

You nodded as you listened to him and absorbed his words. Hugging him one last time, you gathered your things and sprinted out the classroom.

"Tell Seonghwa I said hi!"

Hongjoong chuckled lightly at your mention of his husband and looked down at his wedding ring.

"I hope Yeosang forgives them..."

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

You cringed at the way the ATZ frat house was littered with red solo cups, streamers, and random piles of puke. You almost fled the scene when a drunk guy landed on top of you and tried to hit on you yet you persevered. You finally spot the five guys and mentally gave yourself a pep talk before approaching them.

"Oh look! Here comes the witch!"

Wooyoung hissed at you and everyone cackled. Yeosang simply crossed his arms and stared at you. You winced at the insult.

Yeah you deserved that.

You composed yourself and tried so hard not to blow up on Wooyoung. You didn't need anymore bad blood with him or anyone else for that matter. You sighed shakily and stared right back at Yeosang.

"Yeosang, I'm aware that you don't want to talk to me and it's clear that your friends want me to go away as soon as I set foot in this place. However, I will only say this and then leave."

You looked up at the ceiling momentarily to blink away the tears that were about to spill from your eyes. You then looked back down at the boy who looked angelic even under the dimmest of lighting.

"I am so utterly fucking sorry for accusing you of cheating. It was wrong of me to do that. I never should've done that. Instead, I should've been proud of you for recognizing those chords right away. Music theory is a hard class and I admire your ambition to strive in being the best. I heard you passed one of your chapter exams and I just want to say congratulations. In addition, I also want to apologize for being so rude and brash with you from day one up until now. It's my own fault and I have already faced the consequences of my actions. If you're able to forgive me, I would be so happy! However, if you decide to join your friends in making me miserable... well that's fine. I deserve it after all."

You sniffled and looked at his friends momentarily since they were watching the exchange.

"I'll leave now. Um... enjoy your party on this fine Friday night. I'll probably head to the arcade to calm down. Yeah ok bye."

You scurried off before Yeosang had the chance to say anything, afraid he'll be worse than his friends.

Yeosang wished you stayed.

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

You went through every single game in the arcade, ate some takoyaki, and decompressed at the bar. You sipped on your moscow mule and sighed to yourself as you whipped out your phone to scroll through any memes your friends sent you.

"Excuse me? Is this seat taken?"

You whipped your head up to see Yeosang looking down at you with big curious brown eyes. You shook your head and Yeosang had a small grin on his face before sitting down next to you and ordering a glass of water.

"I could only chug so much beer in my life."

You giggled lightly at his response as you sipped on your drink some more.

"By the way, I forgive you."

Your eyes widened and your heart fluttered when he pulled you in for a hug. He was slightly taller than you so you felt his chin rest on your head.

"I was mad and debated on not forgiving you, but the moment that you congratulated me on passing my exam, it all washed away. I told my friends that I forgave you and being the simps they are, they send their apologies to you for doing all of that, especially Wooyoung."

"It's ok. I deserve it."

Yeosang pouted and shook his head before patting your own.

"Mind if I spend the rest of the night with you? I dig this arcade actually."

"Sure. I don't mind. But first."

You stuck out your hand.

"Hi. I'm Y/N. Pleased to meet you."

Yeosang took your hand in his and shook it.

"Pleased to meet you, Y/N! I'm Kang Yeosang."

[pipipyuni]

hii! could i request a lo’ak x fem!metkayina!reader who like just absolutely LOVES his hands. like, will just hold his pinky whenever he feels bad about it, and genuinely just thinks it is the coolest thing? (bit strange ik but anyways 😇) <33

With These Hands, I'll Give you the World

wc: 1105

gender: fem

cw(s): none! all fluff

pairing: lo'ak x metkayina!reader

an: shimmy shimmy yay shimmy yay shimmy ya--anyway, i love lo'ak!!

content can be read below the cut!

All Lo’ak wanted to do was help out a little around the village, really. What he wasn’t expecting was to run into you, the pretty daughter of a fairly well-respected fisherman, much less for you to ask for his help.

He’d seen you around before, sure, but he never really got the chance to actually, well, talk to you before. Between his swimming lessons and other misadventures, he hadn’t found much time to explore the village.

So when he finds you struggling to pull in what seems to be a fishing net, he can’t help but want to offer his assistance.

“Need some help there?”

Your head jerks toward him, eyes wide with shock as your mouth hangs open dumbly. With flattened ears and a downcast gaze, you offer him a small nod, moving over to make some room beside you on the net.

He finds the evident blush on your cheeks adorable despite his own cheeks being set ablaze. It’s only when you turn to him questioningly does he clear his throat and turn his gaze back to the heavy net.

Three tugs is all it takes for the two of you to pull the net from the water. It’s full of flopping fish and the occasional seaweed, but your eyes sparkle with joy nonetheless.

“Thank you so much!” Your smile is blinding, rendering Lo’ak almost speechless if not for the small choked hum of agreement that falls pathetically from his throat. He raises one of his hands to bashfully rub the nape of his neck–a habit he picked up from Neteyam in their younger years.

Your gaze follows his hand, and you gasp once your eyes land on the extra finger. He freezes at the sound of your gasp, trailing your line of sight back to his hand. He can feel his jaw clench as shame bubbles deep within his gut. 

He didn’t choose to be born different, and if he did have the choice, he sure as hell wouldn’t have chosen to have extra fingers of all things.

Though, he can’t help but feel sad at the thought of losing yet another potential friend.

Stupid fucking pinky. What kind of name is that anyway?! Who in their right mind–

“No wonder you’re so strong!”

What…? He snaps his scowl away from the sand only to find you beaming and practically shaking from excitement. Your eyes are so wide with curiosity and bright that he feels as though even a thousand suns pale in comparison.

“That’s so cool! Sometimes I wish I had an extra finger… It would help with weaving, I think? I don’t know. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. Do you weave? I like weaving, it’s relaxing! Especially nets, they’re my favorite. They’re just so easy–oh, Great Mother, am I rambling again? Father says I have a problem with talking too much when I’m excited.”

Upon noticing his silence, you bring your hands to your mouth in order to stop yourself from uttering another word. 

Oh no, had you offended him?! That wasn’t your intention, truly. How inconsiderate of you! The poor boy has probably heard enough about his hands, and there you go, most likely furthering his insecurity!

Through your admittedly dramatized inner monologue, you fail to notice the slow flick of his tail, or how his ears flatten against the side of his head, coated with the same purple hue that dusts his cheeks. 

“You think they’re cool?” His voice is barely above a whisper as if he’s afraid to ask–like his ears had lied to him, or something of the sort. There’s a glimmer in his eyes that you can’t quite place.

Infatuation? Adoration? 

Regardless, you nod fervently, smiling brightly despite your flushed and strained cheeks. Lo’ak watches your reactions carefully, the shame in his gut blooming into something lighter—something that catches his throat and clenches his heart painfully.

Cute. The thought returns at full force at the sight of your smile. His mouth parts, a small smile unintentionally tugging at the ends of his lips. He brings his hand from behind his neck, flipping between his palm and the back of his hand.

“Yeah…I guess it is.”

Your giggle is a symphony to his ears, and for once, Lo’ak feels seen as more than the boy with demon blood, or Toruk Makto’s son.

Before you part, the net of fish carefully thrown over your shoulder, Lo’ak catches your free wrist.

“I, uh, never caught your name,” he unintentionally tightens his grip around your wrist as he waits with a bated breath.

“[Name]… My name is [Name].”

—

Bonus:

Alone, and in the safety of his family’s marui, Lo’ak finds himself staring longingly at his pinky fingers. 

“...Lo’ak!” Kiri stands in front of him, her hands planted on her hips as exasperation paints her features. Seeing her brother finally look up from his hands, Kiri lets her hands fall limply to her side, softly sighing as she takes a seat by her brother on the floor. “I’ve been calling you for at least two minutes, skxawng.”

She looks down at her hands, inspecting them, just as Lo’ak had been doing just moments prior. There’s nothing off about them, to her, at least. With pursed lips and furrowed brows, she turns her gaze back to her brother. Once again, she finds him staring longingly, though, this time it’s out a window. 

Kiri smirks knowingly, “So, who’s the unlucky person?” She grabs his shoulders, shaking him lightly. Lo’ak brushes her hands off, a scowl pulling on his lips as he hisses at his sister. Kiri’s smirk falls into a soft smile at her brother’s sudden bashfulness, pulling at his downturned cheek, earning yet another hiss from him.

Swatting her hands away, Lo’ak blushes, “No one!”

“No one, huh?” She points outside the window at someone. At you. “Then why were you staring at her, skxawng?”

There’s a beat of silence between the two before Kiri stands, stretching her arms above her head before ruffling Lo’ak’s hair, “I was going to ask if you wanted to swim, but it’s clear you’ve got things to sort through on your own.”

“You aren’t as slick as you think, little brother.” She winks, snorting slightly at his wide eyes, “Buut, if you want my advice, I say go for it. I’m pretty sure I heard Tsireya talking to her about a crush…”

“You were eavesdropping?!”

She leaves promptly without answering his question, sticking out her tongue playfully one last time before she’s fully out the door.

Once again alone, Lo’ak stares at his hands.

…Maybe his extra fingers were a blessing in disguise.

©pyuni 2022 — do not copy, steal, repost, or translate any of my works on tumblr or any other site

[masterlist]

[journey-to-the-attic]

Can I ask for your thoughts on how a future IK would react to the kid event going on right now?

sorry it took me a while to get to this! i had to actually play through the event first and i didn't get to finish it until yesterday ^^ i've tried to make this a little longer to make up for it!

by the way, if any of y'all want to send in more asks like this about post-season one events or pop quizzes, please do! it might take a bit to answer, but i love writing them! ^^

notes on a jtta version of the 'i kid you not' event are under the cut!

so we'll separate this entire situation into two phases, phase one being Absolute Hell, and phase two being generally softer and cuter

we will spend more time on phase two because obviously that's the part we all care about

so! phase one:

ik has never been more stressed in her entire life

she's not good with regular human kids, how is she expected to deal with THESE guys??

and remember this - everyone looks the same as they usually do. same faces, same bodies, same... heights.

so you've got twelve four-year-olds bumbling about the house of lamentation, and ELEVEN out of these twelve four-year-olds are like six heads taller than her. the one exception is luke and he's roughly the same height as her, give or take an inch or two

nearly every single time she attempts to tell one of others to calm down or stop pouring juice all over the carpet, the response is something along the lines of "i don't have to listen to you, you're SMALL"

they aren't deliberately attempting to be mean because they still have that subconscious voice going 'no that is the Good Kid and she is for protecting and not for bullying'

but gosh darn, if ik isn't about to lose her mind

beel is following her around constantly asking for food, and he keeps batting at her when she's too occupied with something else to respond

he means it innocently but he's so BIG and unable to control his strength in this state, so he's basically sucker punching her into the next week every single time

and mammon does not understand that he's not small enough to run into her without bulldozing her directly into the floor

OH and you know that brutal honesty kids will have? both diavolo and asmo have it in droves and they does not let up on it

i will spare you the details of what they say but all i will say is that they individually verbally rip ik to shreds with oblivious sunny smiles on their faces the entire time

there are so many guys to try to take care of as well so ik is just constantly wandering around attempting to keep everyone happy

she's not in any one room for longer than fifteen minutes at a time, but doing about twenty different things in that space of time - breaking up squabbles, cleaning up messes, straightening out furniture, etc, etc

the boys do kind of calm down after the first few hours though

thank the lord because ik was probably about to pass out

actually she does pass out but at least it's voluntary, and she does it somewhere comfy

and so we enter phase two!

having spent basically the entirety of phase one on the verge of tears, ik is out cold for a good while

she's chosen to hide in lucifer's study, so it takes a hot second for the four year olds to find her

it's belphie who wanders in and finds her curled up in one of the chairs, but instead of telling anyone or waking her up he just plonks himself on the floor next to the chair and goes to sleep as well

by the time ik wakes up, the house is suspiciously quiet...

her first thought is 'oh god they've escaped'

then solomon, who's kind of got more adult awareness than everyone else, comes in and explains things

turns out he attempted to give everyone a lecture about the whole situation. most of it flew over everyone's heads (including his own, because to be honest he wasn't entirely sure what he was saying), but they did at least understand that they should tone it down a bit before ik went stir-crazy

in any case most of them have run out of that manic toddler energy anyway, so everyone's more mellow

they're still restless though (as kids often are), so ik takes a deep breath, scribbles out a plan, stuffs her pockets with random sweets she finds in the kitchen, and sets off

all the kids need to be placated/kept busy so that she can start cleaning up their mess without more being made

twelve four-year-olds, one barely-even-qualified-as-a-teenager. mission begin!

lucifer's still into music even in this state of mind, so ik gets him busy by teaching him how to plonk out 'the incy wincy spider' on the piano in the music room and giving him a sweet for each phrase he plays correctly

he doesn't say out loud that he likes the sweets but he smiles every time he gets one and stuffs it into his own pocket, presumably for later

then ik leaves him to it and he just sits there playing the tune over and over - he doesn't even need the sweets as incentive anymore

one child down, eleven to go

ik figured out ages ago that if you take off your shoes, you can slide around in the living room in your socks like you're on an ice-skating rink, so she enlists levi, beel, diavolo and mammon in this game

it's a lot easier for her because smaller = less weight and less weight = less friction, and less friction = more slip n slide

the demons do seem to get the hang of it, but they also keep sliding directly into her, and ik's not sure if they're doing it on purpose or not

on the one hand, as four-year-olds, are they even capable of acting like it was an accident that well?

on the other, the way they keep giggling furiously every time they nearly bowl her over is a little suspicious...

they start a game of tag that quickly devolves into basically a game of bumper cars, but without the cars

diavolo trips over and faceplants multiple times and every time he just lies there waiting for ik to come help him up since he apparently has no motor function of his own

mammon and beel basically take it in turns winning because mammon's the fastest and beel was already capable of knocking everyone present over easily (with the exception of diavolo, but he's already falling on his own)

levi's wailing half the time because he can barely stand up before mammon's barging into him again, but then ik comforts him by giving him some of the sweets in her pocket so he goes from :(( to :DDDD real quick

except that was a bad idea, because the other three immediately zero in on the candy and charge directly for her

she manages to free herself from the horde for long enough to divvy up a fair amount for each boy

now placated, they settle quickly back into their game, and ik quickly sidles out to move onto the next batch of kids

five down, seven to go

belphie was still sleeping on lucifer's study floor last time she checked, so that's where she heads next

you have to go through the library to get to the study, though, and it's in the library that ik finds solomon and satan attempting to make a human tower to get at one of the books on the top-most shelf

(there's a stepladder in the library for this exact purpose since even beel can't reach that particular shelf without jumping, but neither solomon nor satan have remembered it exists)

solomon's attempting to make himself a stool but every time satan tries to climb onto him he just collapses

satan's getting so irritated by this that he just starts fuckin stamping on solomon's back

luckily ik butts in before he starts using any real force and suggests using magic... or just, you know, using that stepladder

then when they finally get the book they wanted down, they decide they don't want to read it anymore

ik just sighs, smiles a bit, then offers to find a different book

satan and solomon are arguing over a fantasy novel and a historical adventure, so ik just grabs both

she sits on the big sofa with satan and solomon sat cross-legged in front of her and reads the first chapter of each book to them while they listen intently

at this point belphie emerges from the study and immediately throws himself onto the sofa, curls up next to her, and goes back to sleep

in the end ik just gives satan and solomon their individual books and leaves them to read through the rest on their own

(she also leaves behind a little heap of sweets for sharing but everyone's too occupied by their own thing to pay attention to them)

eight down, four to go!

next up are simeon and luke, who are playing some kind of cowboy game in the common room!

(no i don't know how they know what cowboys are, just go with it)

ik walks in and has the game explained to her through a series of excited babbling and hand gestures, and dubs herself 'gunman mcgun', which luke and simeon seem to think is the funniest thing ever

luke pretends to shoot her and she pretends to die and both angels immediately start panicking

luke genuinely begins crying because he thinks he just killed his best friend

ik quickly performs an elaborate 'resurrection' of herself and reassures both that she is, in fact, not dead

then simeon pretends to shoot her and she pretends to die again and it all happens again except this time simeon's the one crying

she comforts both angels with a hug and some sweets and suggests that maybe they shouldn't play a game about cowboys killing each other if they get this upset about her 'dying'

then she suggests a game using the sweets she's given them, like one where they're in a world made entirely out of candy, and they can eat a sweet e.g. for each candy monster they defeat

this is a very exciting concept to the angels, so they get started with that game immediately. ik leaves a few more sweets so that they don't run out too quick and takes her leave

ten kids down! two to go!

she tracks barbatos down to the kitchen pretty quickly, and discovers him sat sulkily in the corner, covered in flour

apparently he'd wanted to bake something, but his hand-to-eye coordination isn't what it usually is, so he'd tipped the flour all over himself and the floor

ik (trying very hard not to laugh because he looks like casper the friendly ghost) gets him to his feet and helps him pat himself down with a tea towel

he's still lightly floured, but he is mostly clean, so ik quickly shoos him into the dining room so that she can sort out the flour mess

barbatos isn't happy about that but ik cheers him up with the promise of a tea party

so she puts the kettle on while she sweeps up the flour (and gets herself generously dusted in the process), and barbatos waits in anticipation in the dining room, kicking his legs about restlessly

asmo flies into the kitchen while ik's trying to find the tea set and just starts sobbing on her because he tried to make himself pretty but now his comb's stuck in his hair and none of his clothes fit right and nothing is going how it's supposed to and everything sucks and— and— and—

it takes a good five minutes to calm him down and barbatos is getting antsy, but occupies himself with hitting things with a fork to see what nosiest they make

once ik's helped asmo get the comb out of his hair and brush out his tangles, wipe off the lipstick smeared on his cheek, put his jacket back on the right way around and wash the glitter from his hands, the kettle's long since boiled

asmo follows her into the dining room when she goes through with the teapot, sugar jar, milk jug and cups and saucers, so she invites him to join barbatos's tea party in her place (she still has other stuff to clean up, after all, and she wants to quickly check in on everyone else too)

barbatos doesn't seem too happy about it but he does begrudgingly agree, and he seems content when ik has to re-teach him how to handle a teapot

and asmo's having a great time... sprinkling sugar all over the tabletop....

just another thing to clean up...... better add it to that list of like a hundred items................

ik is just so tired by now but she gets started anyway

first there's the mess of glitter and make-up in asmo's room, then the juice soaked into the entrance hall carpet, then the paint smears on henry 2.0's tank, then the sheets that have been yanked off of all the beds..............

by the time she's done she's about ready to die on the spot, but she manages to drag herself up into the attic for some peace and quiet (since simeon and luke have decided to make her room a part of their game)

honestly at this point she probably wouldn't notice if the boys started killing each other

luckily the spell's beginning to wear off so they're all well-behaved while she buries herself in the attic bed and goes to sleep

congratulations, ik! you've survived the 'i kid you not' event!

now get ready for about an hour of sheer panic when everyone is back to normal and the house is spick and span, but completely void of any human children, and they all go ballistic trying to figure out where ik went

this will be followed by five hours of ik being fussed over because she looks like death and seems to have gotten herself sick through sheer emotional (and physical) exhaustion

but that's a whole other set of notes!

[badlydrawndrawnings]

*re-watches netflix asoue*

*Thinks about Gregor and Ike, and see how they’re missing a H*

*Thinks about how H could be Hector*

*’Oh yeah, Hector is not a VFD member in the Netflix show. Welp that can’t work in the Netflix show��*

*Suddenly realizes age lifts affect more characters, not just Kit*

*Spots some Barry Sonnenfeld cameos I didn’t see before*

*‘Hey wait a minute! [RETRACTED]’*

It’s a creator cameo, but Ike is played by Barry Sonnenfeld. Netflix!Ike is one of the older VFD members, meaning he got a major age lift upward (using Sonnenfeld’s age as a ballpark range), because there’s a chance Book!Ike -as with most members in the SBG- are in the same range, give or take several years. Gregor is dead, but he too got an age lift upward since Gregor is Ike’s older brother. They’re not the only ones (using most of the actors ages as a ballpark range) that are affect by them.

Lemony got an age lift upward, while Kit got an age lift downward (no amount of CGI on Patrick Warburton can make him look younger than Allison Williams -but it works enough for me to say he’s younger than Nathan Fillion- or stretching my disbelief Kit is older than Lemony, unless she found the fountain of youth). TUA has possible evidence Larry is the youngest SBG member if you don’t include Fernald (who age is more or less the same maybe slightly older but not by much), but Netflix!Larry certainly looks older than several members, including Kit and Larry. Ticket Seller Guy looks like the age I assumed Ishmael was in the books, and it stands out and goes to my next observation: Netflix!Ishmael  certainly looks younger than I imagined (the beard and hair looks fake as hell that’s probably it) Is it because they made VFD Ishmael’s creation as a school principal? Probably?

Based on Ike’s portrayal and painting, Gregor and Ike are in the same age range as Ishmael. Ergo, those three aren’t part of the same ‘generation’ as Lemony and Co (the hybrid SB/OS Generation). Ike certainly doesn’t seem he went to school with most of them except Josephine (who looks like she got an age lift upward).

Given they’re brothers, Gregor and Ike will have a resemblance between each other. And there’s one VFD member in the Netflix show who got an age lift upward, and he also just happens to bare a resemblance to Ike. He’s the closest thing one will get to what Gregor would look in the Netflix show.

If the theory Gregor and Ike has a sibling who names start with H can work its way in the Netflix Continuity, the only contender for H is Widdershins.

*OBJECTION!* (says the non-crack theorist side of me who was listening to Ace Attorney OSTs on Youtube while writing this second half of the post) Fiona introduces herself as Fiona Widdershins. Fiona still calls her stepfather Captain Widdershins. That means Fiona is taking the Widdershins surname.

Given the numerous cameos of Barry Sonnenfeld (I never spotted the one in the Reptile Room and the Wasabi one in the Grim Grotto), there’s a gene floating around Netflix ASOUE’s world. Let’s call it ‘the Bullshit Gene’, because it’s bullshit how it keeps showing up. The Bullshit Gene is out there because some people with the gene can’t keep it in their pants, or the Bullshit Gene is super strong to be past down numerous generations and their face becomes very f*cking common to where people who don’t have it joke/comment about it whenever possible.

Gregor, Ike, and Widdershins could have seen how it’s almost bullshit they look similar to one another, and joke how their faces are almost everywhere in places they don’t expect. But the three only learn the truth that they’re half brothers in a DNA test that was supposed to be a joke. Gregor and Ike’s father and Widdershins’ mother cheated on their spouses, which lead to Widdershins’ birth (given Widdershins’ painting, he’s close to Gregor’s age or is at Gregor’s age). Mr. Anwhistle Sr and Mrs. Widdershins Sr didn’t tell their children or their spouses of the affair because of the Bullshit Gene. Anyone who makes a comment how the three share a resemblance to one other are brushed off because they just have that very f*cking common face that is everywhere.

So uh, there isn’t a proper ‘H’ Awhistle because H stands for Half-Brother.

*HOLD IT!* (says the non-crack theorist side of me) Would all three keep this hidden? Widdershins, yes. Gregor, maybe (it can go either way there’s little info about him). But Ike? From what we know of Ike, would he not tell Josephine, his own wife? What would be a reason to keep it hidden anyway?

Let’s say Fernald working at Anwhistle Aquatics as an apprentice happens after the three found out they’re half brothers. Gregor, Widdeshins, and Ike for some reason (in a rather idiotic move), thought to keep it to themselves because no one would believe them because the Bullshit Gene is everywhere and everyone knows about it and joke about it. Reasonable, but still idiotic. Ike is sort of hoping for the right moment to strike though to tell Josephine and maybe everyone else. They’re going to start a family after all. It would be wonderful if the two families got together for a real family picnic, not a VFD meeting/picnic.

With this new-found familial connection, Widdershins thought to use the the nepotist approach to get Fernald a job at Anwhistle Aquatics (‘Gregor can you help your step-nephew achieve his dream in Marine Biology and stuff?’ ‘Step-Half Nephew. Fernald actually has the best qualifications, so yeah.’). 

That action decided they should do a test run of sorts. Anwhistle Aquatic is the chosen grounds. Fernald and Gregor are working together and they get along. Ike visits and tells Josephine (Josephine mentioning in Season One about she thinks boys would prefer to play with cards; she never met Fernald, but she heard of him through Ike), and Widdershins show up once in awhile to check up on his stepson (Fiona visits once or twice but she barely remembers them by the time she becomes 16). The brothers see it’s working...at first. The Medusoid Mycelium is now created. Ike and Gregor start fighting over it, as with Gregor and Fernald (who is more  ‘hey just reconsider’). Widdershins isn’t getting involved, but agrees with Ike and Fernald. Gregor is outnumber but he still wants to go through the program, with or without his apprentice’s (nephew) help. 

And then the Anwhistle Aquatic Fire happens. Everyone eventually learns it’s done by Fernald. And Ike is angry Gregor is dead. Gregor could still be alive if Widdershins didn’t try to get his step-son into working at Anwhistle Aquatics. If Gregor and Ike never discover their half brother and his family, Gregor would still be alive. And Ike wants to have a family with Josephine. With Fernald with mind, Ike doesn’t want Widdershins and Fiona to be around Ike’s family in case the same stunt happens again. Widdershins and Ike in a mutual agreement -with a heated argument- parts way and keep their family secret to themselves.

So yeah. Ike would keep a secret from Josephine if his buttons were push. Gregor and his death was the button that did the trick.

*HANG ON!* (says the non-crack theorist side of me) What does that means regarding the bad blood between him and Widdershins? Widdershins is the one who drove Fernald away in the books after all! For...well, no one know for sure. Just theories. Mostly related to Mrs. Widdershins.

*‘Hey wait a minute! I just realize there’s lack of an importance of Mrs. Widdershins and her death in the Netflix Show’*

Okay, so in the books, Widdershins for whatever reason (guilt? let’s say guilt), is on the denial train when it comes to Fernald. More often than not, Widdershins wants to remember Fernald as the teenage boy who is pleasant and charming. He never brings up the fights or anything bad regarding his stepson. In fact, the denial train is so strong, I think the reason why Widdershins made his weird comment of marriage to Violet is because he convinced himself Fernald is still a teenage boy, and not the adult he is by present time. And it’s clear as day Fernald really, really, hates his stepfather. A lot. At lot to where Fernald would start a fight with his stepfather in a parking lot Denny’s (and Fernald will win said fight). Apply the idea/theory Mrs. Widdershins was working with Gregor and she died in the Anwhistle Aquatic Fire, Fernald has every right to pick said fight: Widdershins was responsible for Fernald’s mom death in Fernald’s eyes.

In the Netflix show, Fernald hate his stepfather, but it’s not on the levels as his book counterpart. After his freak out over Madame Lulu!Olivia, Fernald thinks about calling Fiona, but gets the realization his stepfather could answer instead, and even comments/ask himself if Widdershins would still be mad at him [Fernald], most likely over the Anwhistle Aquatic Fire. Fernald’s tone in the scene means he is scare of meeting Widdershins again. Fernald gladly tells Sunny a happy memory of sorts with Widdershins, about how the two went ice fishing before immediately back tracking because Fernald realize (in horror) he has remnant affection (let’s call it that) left in his heart. And the biggest ‘slip-up’ of this remnant affection: Fernald calls Widdershins ‘step-pops’. He and Fiona call Widdershins their stepfather, but Fiona never says ‘step-pops’. It’s possible ‘step-pops’ was Fernald’s prefer terminology before the bad blood set. There’s hate, but it’s not worth picking a fight in a parking lot at Denny’s.

In the Netflix show...instead of keeping Fernald alive as a young teenager who is pleasant and charming, Widdershins wants Fernald very f*cking dead. He told Fiona her brother died in a manatee accident. He told Fiona this not long after Fernald set Anwhistle Aquatics on fire and presumably after getting kick out of VFD, and around this time the big fight happens where Fernald tells Widdershins he [Fernald] never wanted to see his [Widdershins] face again. It’s a f*ck up lie because when Book!Widdershins said the same thing to Book!Fiona about her mom, Fiona’s mom is dead. Book!Widdershins also never even told Fiona that Fernald is dead, he’s just alive and missing. And I should bring up the happy family photo. In the books, it’s more or less open correction it was crumple but it still show all four of the family members. Netflix’s happy family photo took a note from Mama Imelda in Coco who folded away her husband’s guitar on the ofrenda photo (after ripping off her husband’s face). Widdershins folded away Fernald, leaving only Fiona and Widdershins (and Fernald’s hand). 

In both books and show, Widdershins drove away Fernald. In the books, it’s possible (but not 100% certain) Fernald blames Widdershins for causing Fernald’s mom death in the Anwhistle Aquatic Fire. In the Netflix show, under this theory Netflix!H is Widdershins, Widdershins drove away Fernald because Widdershins blames Fernald for causing Widdershins’ half brother death in the Anwhistle Aquatic Fire. However, Fernald decision’s to leave is also because Fernald doesn’t understand the full extent of his actions. Fernald knows his Stepfather is mad over the fire and Gregor’s death, but Fernald didn’t think his Stepfather would be super mad over the fire and Gregor’s death. 

Of course, Fernald probably (probably) wouldn’t have set the fire had the three brothers you know, told everyone they’re related. It’s possible (possible) Widdershins did realize that terrible mistake in a cooling off period. If he also hated Fernald enough to never want to see his stepson’s face again, Widdershins could have torn off Fernald’s face of the photo.

[taotrooper]

Everlasting Flower: The Library 3 (end)

Everlasting Flower (masterpost, tag, AO3 series) is an AU in which Ouryuu allowed Zeno’s blood to give Kaya a kind of immortality.

→  Part 1 → Part 2 → Bonus chapter → Link to AO3

Chapter summary: After some bonding with Yoon, it's time to say goodbye to the city of books.

"At some point, I asked myself: What's the use of living forever without a purpose, if you don't give back to the world? Even if it's short term, life has a meaning. If I can heal or save someone, I'm really glad! But staying with the others is just as important.”

Yoon found Kaya at the attic they used as bedroom, sitting at the desk and humming a song. She squished and ground the leaves of a plant into the walls of a wooden mortar with the cadence of the song she sang. Yoon couldn't understand the lyrics, but the melody was similar to a folk song from the Fire Tribe he knew from childhood. He wondered if she was humming an original version in words long forgotten by even their ancestors.

He waited next to her. As a fellow herbalist, he sure didn't like to be interrupted while he was working on medicine. He wasn't going to do something as unpleasant to her.

Eventually, she put down the pestle and stretched her arms behind her head.

"Hey, Kaya?" Yoon said.

"Eeeeeeek!!"

She jumped and took the chair with her. After glancing at the source of the call, she exhaled with a grimace.

"You scared me, Yoon... How long have you been there?"

"Like five minutes." He cocked his eyebrow. "Couldn't you feel my presence behind you like Zeno does?"

"Geez, no. I'm not like him, I normally can't tell those things. I have no sixth sense, I'm normal." Yoon bit his tongue. He knew what she meant to say, but that wasn't the right adjective to use. She grabbed the chair from the floor and put it back against the table. "What can I do for you?"

"I finished it." He held the book in his arms towards her. I was wondering if I could..."

"Go grab the one you want, yes!" she beamed. "You don't have to ask me."

"Thank you very much," he nodded and ran to the shelves to put back the book he had read. Yoon had already considered his options beforehand, so he only had to find the title he had chosen already, written on the spine of a blue one.

"Can I see?" Kaya asked, with a curious look in his eyes. Yoon raised it up. She seemed to think about it for a bit.

"Oh, that one's really, really outdated," she sighed and walked towards the shelf. "There's this horrible side effect to one of the recipes that was discovered later, so please don't read it. Here." She took a different volume and offered it to Yoon. "It has another title and I used a different pen name, but it's pretty much like a newer edition of that one. It's good. Except for the last chapter; there are way better techniques today."

"Wait, whoa," he gasped as he grabbed the book. "You're the author of these?"

"Uh, yeah," she blushed. "These are mine. From my notes over the centuries. I also have some diaries about geography and history and personal stuff I don't want to forget, but most of my published books are medical textbooks."

"That's so cool!" Yoon said with fervor. It had been a dream of his to write a book one day.

"I... I figured... uh... more people need that knowledge to pass down through generations. It can reach more patients if you teach others, rather than just tending everyone yourself."

Yoon skimmed through the pages. It was a rather old book, at least fifty years old or more. The pages were quite yellow. So impressive! He couldn't help but admire Kaya even more.

"Is it hard? Writing a book?"

"Actually, yeah!" she laughed. "I'm not a genius so it takes me ages to get anything done. You need to do two difficult things." She raised her index and middle fingers. "First, you need to research and learn, so you know what you're going to write about and how to say it, and it has to be current, real facts. Second, you need motivation to want to sit down and write. And most times, having both at the same time isn't going to happen. Not to mention the time."

"You have all the time in the world, though."

"I do but I also do other things, like to travel with Zeno or tend people or sometimes do other jobs that aren't healer-related. Sometimes we don't have ink or paper with us either! So I take it easy and wait for my books to become pretty obsolete before starting anew."

The ink and paper was a problem Yoon knew well. He also realized that her rest stops at the library were likely with the purpose of authoring books and filling up her diaries, rather than actual vacations.

After all, caring for patients... In Kaya's condition, it would be insane to do that all the time. Yoon had been thinking about it, ever since she had revealed her story to them. It bothered him and concerned him a lot. He sat on Zeno and Kaya's bed, crestfallen.

"I don't understand how you do it..." he whispered.

"Well, I carry notebooks with me for when I discover new stuff. Then I use what I've written in other books and update it with my notes."

"No..." He closed his fingers against the book cover and pressed it. "How you can be a healer while being immortal. Doesn't it... dunno, break your heart? Knowing you're outliving everyone? That no matter how long you live... some people will still die on you?"

He had treated sick and wounded people he was unable to save. He couldn't even imagine how many people Kaya had met and failed to save. Had she gotten used to it? Was she desensitized? Did she still see them as important souls to help at all costs like Yoon, or were they akin to tiny birds with broken wings to her, nearly a goddess among mortals after living for so long?

And in a more personal sense... Three faces flashed in Yoon's mind. He knew the dragons would die soon. Lately, he had realized how much worse it must have been for Zeno, finally having brothers again to then losing them too soon. So he could, sometimes when the journey was arduous, feel the weight of dread in his chest that he usually tried to bury deep within and forget. He knew the fear of outliving, even if in a lesser scale than those two.

He felt the bed bouncing down. Kaya had sat next to him. When Yoon looked up, the youth and spark was gone from her dark eyes. He saw a sorrow most ancient in her stare, he saw her real age for once.

"...Constantly, yeah," she finally said. "Even after all these years I cry sometimes, when it's too unfair. It's never easy and it'll never get easier."

"Then why? Why haven't you quit?"

"Hmmmm." She clutched the hem of her kimono. "The same reason you haven't quit, I guess. It's just the right thing to do. In fact... I think it's better for them that I do care that much. Doctors and nurses should keep their heart, don't you think? Even if it hurt us."

Yoon said nothing, but he knew what she was saying. She looked ahead, through the window. Her voice turned softer and kinder.

"At some point, I asked myself: What's the use of living forever without a purpose, if you don't give back to the world? Even if it's short term, life has a meaning. If I can heal or save someone, I'm really glad! But staying with the others is just as important. You know, hundreds die alone because no one will treat them." Yoon knew. Kaya's voice broke. "I could have died alone myself at seventeen. It's so, so scary! Even if you prepare yourself, it crushes you. That's why I don't want people to leave this world on their own. Even if all I can do is giving some solace and hold their hands until it's time? I'm willing. Even if I'll mourn them and sob for days, I'll get better, I'm not alone. That's why it's okay. That's why I still help."

She looked at Yoon and moved a thumb to wipe a tear from his cheek. He hadn't noticed he had started crying. Kaya then put her arms around him. While she didn't cover much of him, being the same size roughly, her hug felt warm and cozy. Her hands, which smelled vaguely like the fresh herbs she had been grinding, moved to caress Yoon's hair. He embraced back firmly, unsure if she was comforting him or if she was looking for comfort from him. It was probably both, he concluded.

"Keep it, Yoon," she murmured after a long silence, still hugging him. "Keep that big heart inside your chest, never lose that humanity. I've met so many geniuses in this field who lose themselves and stop caring about people. But you mustn't. I mustn't. Even if it tears you apart, please keep it."

"You better believe I will," he grumbled with gritted tears, restraining a sniffle. He felt a kiss on his temple. After his journey with Yona and the others, after seeing and fighting against so much poverty, how else would it be?

And she was right. He wasn't alone. He had everyone and even Ik-soo back home. Thinking about the future was just unnecessary pain. They lived now and that's what mattered.

"Oh? Can Zeno join the hug?"

They looked at the threshold: Zeno had just entered the room. That day he had his hair braided. Yoon had thought that morning that Kaya was making up for their time apart in creative ways. The boy unhanded Kaya but before he could say no to the offer, a dragon had coiled around his body. He could hear the girl —the woman—'s giggles as he resigned to his fate.

"Zeno, Zeno! Yoon is so kind and considerate and cute! The cutest of them!" Kaya chirped.

"Yep!"

"Zeno, Zeno! Say, can we adopt him? I really want to adopt him!"

"What the hell?" Yoon cried, annoyance written on his face.

To his surprise, Zeno let him go and stood in front of his wife with a serious expression.

"No, Kaya. That's out of the question."

"I know. But..."

"He's your mother-in-law, Kaya! It makes no sense to adopt my mom!"

It was Yoon's turn to get up, anger piling up, while the other two were snorting.

"I'm neither your mother or your son, you eternal seventeen year-olds!!" he yelled.

"Eternal eighteen year-old," Kaya corrected with a grin.

"Argh!" He grabbed the book and walked towards the door. Before he could leave, he heard Kaya's voice.

"Being your mom was a joke but... Please do think of me as an older sister, okay? These adults keep forgetting you're younger, this one here included, and they should be the ones nurturing you just as much as you nurture them."

Zeno mumbled some excuse Yoon couldn't hear, but he stopped when Yoon turned to look at Kaya. Ever since Ik-soo took him with him, no one else had been so conscious about his needs.

"I... I appreciate it," he blushed lightly. "I think I'll do that."

He left immediately, embarrassed, before Zeno or her said something stupid again. After that conversation and learning so much about Kaya, having her in his strange family of sorts was an honor.

******

"Okay, you can open them up whenever you want!" Kaya said after handing out the last package. She was bouncing on her heels while everyone opened their gifts.

The first one was Kija, perhaps because of his large hand. He stared at the wooden figurine and the bottle with confusion.

"What is this?"

"The bottle is home-made bug repellent. It smells a bit weird so I added some flower scent so... now it smells like a weird bouquet instead, sorry. But it should keep mosquitoes and crawlies away! The other one..." She smiled as she looked at the vaguely dragon-shape statue. "To be honest, it's a present I got but I think you should have it. You see, it was given to me by ancestors of yours, long ago. It's time it returns to the hands of Hakuryuu Village."

Kija looked like he was going to cry.

"Kaya... Thank you very much for sharing this piece of our history with me. It's an honor. May I ask what it's for?"

Kaya-chan, I can't believe you and Lord Ouryuu still haven't had children! Here, have this fertility charm. My sister carved one and prayed to it before her wedding night, and they've had four bundles of joy so far! You have to continue the lineage of the Ouryuu as his wife, so please take it with you so you can be blessed and fulfill your duty.

"F-For good luck," Kaya lied without losing her smile. She didn't have the guts to throw it away, because she considered Guen's family as her own, so she took it as a souvenir instead. Not like it mattered since Ouryuu's blood made it impossible for her to get pregnant, but those ladies were too exhausting to argue against. "Oh! And I'm teaching Yoon my plum sauce recipe so that should be a present for you in a way."

"Ooooh, what a pretty comb!" Yona said with sparkles in her purple eyes. It was lacquered black and had tiny colorful flowers painted on its design.

"That kind of comb has big teeth with large gaps too, so it should be great for your curls. I have one to do Zeno's hair and it's amazing for unruly sorts. Ah, the other present is medicine for..." She made a pause and lowered her voice. "They're special painkillers. For cramps." Yona understood immediately and reached for Kaya for a hug. She returned the gesture.

"Thank you! They're both so useful!"

"A sharpening stone and..." Hak opened his eyes wide. "No way, is that a bottle of Fuuga Galebrew?"

"Saw it at the marketplace and I figured you haven't tried it in ages."

"Wow, thanks!"

"Not fair, I want to try that sake as well," Jae-ha sighed.

"Well, I guess I could give you one glass, Droopy Eyes."

"Yessss." Jae-ha's grin faltered once he saw his present. "A fan? Well, it's beautiful but I don't think I get it, Kaya-chan."

A smiling face and a wink came to Kaya's mind, long gone and a bit blurry but still alive in her heart.

"Some time ago, Zeno and I traveled with this girl for a few years. She was like a sister to me. You remind me of her sometimes and I think she would've liked you a lot, Jae-ha. I know you have your own fighting style but that fan was her weapon. Maybe you could find it a good use one day?"

"Oh, I see." Jae-ha touched the edge of the fan. It drew a drop of blood he sucked immediately. "Not bad, actually. I can't refuse the will of a young lady so I'll take it." He then turned to the booklet with interest. "Are these music sheets?"

"Yup! Should be handy for your traveling artist shows. Besides, I want to hear you play."

"But of course!" Kaya felt relief when she saw him smile. She didn't know Jae-ha that well, so she had feared he wouldn't like his gifts. She looked at Shin-ah, who was observing and touching his new soft scarf.

"I heard you're cold sensitive and I saw this pretty sky blue fabric. It's still a long way for winter, but for trips to mountains they're nice to have."

He nodded.

"And two bags of pistachios, one for you and one for Ao. Since they don't grow in Kouka, I figured you haven't tried them yet?"

He shook his head. She moved to him to pet his hair.

"I hope you like them, then!"

"Thanks, Kaya..."

"I can't accept this, Kaya," Yoon said as he pushed his package against her.

"Why?"

"I should've suspected you were up to something when you asked me what books I had liked the most yesterday. But this one is yours! And the other is from the library!"

She laughed but her hands remained behind her back.

"We have copies for both in the second building. Don't worry about it and accept them! Or if you want a different book you couldn't read yet, we can check if there's a copy of that one instead."

"There's... There's really no problem? Just like that? Are the librarians fine with it?"

"As long as there's at least one copy left they can remake again, they won't mind because it's me asking."

He looked torn, but the power of free books won.

"...I have enough notes for this one, so I want to check out this world atlas I saw," he said. "After we pack our bags, though."

"Sure thing. You guys take your time."

"Doesn't Zeno get presents...?" Shin-ah asked after munching a pistachio.

"Zeno got new robes," Zeno grinned, laying in bed on his belly and chin cupped inside his hands. "Also, just being with Kaya for a few days is my present."

"Smooth," Jae-ha teased.

"Ah, is it okay if we pass by Ryusui first?" Kaya asked. "They have a really nice marketplace and I want some supplies that are cheaper there."

"Sure! It sounds like fun," Yona smiled.

"It's a gorgeous town. We'll have lots of fun seeing the stands there," Kaya nodded.

"Its settled," Yoon said. "Let's hurry and pack now, rare beasts. I still have to check the books."

"Yeeeeeees!"

Kaya was sure it was going to be a lovely trip.

Notes:

Well, here it is, the last part. I want to thank you guys for your patience. I've been building up to this chapter since even before I finished the main fic, especially the "you can't adopt your mother-in-law!" joke. So here it is and I hope you've liked this miniseries. I don't know if it met your expectations but that's how I envisioned the way they'd meet Kaya and how they'd get along with her. There's a lot of stuff to explore in their dynamics, so feel free to leave drabble requests for interactions or even just unrelated-to-HHB Everlasting Flower prompts if you want, either here or on my Twitter (username is the same everywhere, taotrooper) or AO3 comments. I have no idea if I'll be able to get inspired or fulfill them, but I'll be taking notes and we'll see.

The timeline for The Library is between the Lushing Forest arc and the Sei arc. They're still stopping by the same marketplace so the canon events (meeting Ayura and Tetora, Yona buying the lapis lazuli for Hak) should still happen despite Zeno not needing a new outfit anymore.

I hope you enjoy!

[undeadpsycho13]

a cup of coffee to warm my icy heart

GUYS GUYS GUYS THE COFFEE SHOP AU THINGY IS DONE (first chapt at least. this whole thing is going to be AT LEAST 5 chapters)

imma tag these people, for wonderful awesome ideas: @puzzle-of-life-reason-for-death​ (for coming up with the headcanon/awesome au), @baitsakhan-adlai​ (for glaring at me constantly across the room telling me telepathically to hurry up), @13thendgameplayer​ (for the beautiful pickup lines you supplied, truly they were amazing, i swear to god imma use more of them in the next chapts), @redheaded-sniper-girl​ (this is to repent my sins, im sry this part wasnt mac’s perspective, i promise at least some of it will be, i hope you like this), and @baitsabeeisreal​ (bc even tho she didnt really contribute, she’s like the #1 baitsabee fan out there)

okay, yeesh, long boring credits are over, now lets get on with the show!! :D

CHAPTER 1: HOT, DARK, STRONG, JUST LIKE ME

The first time was an accident.

Baitsakhan didn’t really mean to walk into a coffee shop that wasn’t Starbucks, it just kind of happened.  His legs kind of just… carried him away from the Starbucks nearest to his house, and since he couldn’t be bothered to walk an extra block to the second closest Starbucks, he decided to try out that shady looking “Endgame” cafe.  Edgy name, Baitsakhan thought absent-mindedly.  Well, technically he did have reason, and it wasn’t really an accident, but hey, he can’t just say he didn’t want to go back to the Starbucks because he was pissed at the cashier.  That Hilal something, who was all about niceness and world peace and all that other nonsensical bull.  It just pissed him off, how people could be so cheery and kind.  The Incident last week, involving at least a dozen pamphlets on saving the environment and using Baitsakhan as a bulletin board, was the final straw.  He couldn’t go back to Starbucks after that, and what right did the world have to take away coffee from a poor, sleep-deprived, coffee-needing teenager, right?

A text lit his phone just when he was about halfway across the street.  He ignored the faint vibration.  Really, it could only be three people: Jalair, his very over-protective brother who wouldn’t let him do anything remotely fun (“Baitsakhan, what are you doing to that poor kitten?” “Oh, I don’t know, maybe just cutting off his tail with a butter knife if you suddenly went blind today.” “How could you do that to poor Muffin??!!”), his horribly awesomely social sister Sarangerel who had a bajillion times more friends than Baitsakhan (“A bajillion times zero is still zero Baits.” “That’s not my point.”), or his Chinese friend (read: only friend) An Liu (contrary to popular belief, Baitsakhan did have one friend, though even he didn’t care to admit it).  Turns out, curiousity got the better of him, and after another five or six continuous obnoxious buzzes (by now he was sure it was Sarangerel), Baitsakhan whipped out his phone angrily, prepared to type out a biting lecture about why friends and family should not double text and annoy the hell out of him in the process, when he realised –– with a frown –– that the number displayed on his phone was an unfamiliar one, labelled neither “Mother-Hen”, nor “Social Butterfly”, nor “Asian Hacker Lovebird”.  In fact, the area code displayed it wasn’t even from the area.

And all of them, every single text, was the same thing: bring me the goddamned ice cream.  A final: ais ik ur redin these txts topped it off.

The atrocious grammar pissed him off.  So did the fact that this person called him freaking Ais.  What kind of name was that, anyways?  Typing furiously, a long paragraph was added to the message: F off, I’m not Ais.  You’ve got the wrong number idiot.  Besides, who would give ice cream to you??  Loser.  By the way, don’t text me back.  Like ever again.  Delete this message immediately, or my weird hacker friend will be out to get you and possibly put a bullet through your head with a drone if you don’t.  Have a nice life!

Feeling pleased with his impeccable grammar, and his nice little response, Baitsakhan continued along towards the coffee shop.  The a hidden speaker above the door emitted a faint ringing noise, which was, too be honest, quite annoying.  He didn’t understand how anyone could stand hearing that sound hundreds of times a day.  For once, he kind of felt bad for the baristas.

The coffee shop was surprisingly quite crowded, at least compared to what Baitsakhan’s expectations would be.  In the far corner, a sturdy-looking dark-skinned girl sat opposite of another one, except slim and of Indian heritage.  Closer to the entrance sat a woman, hijab covering half her head, alone, sipping a cup of coffee with an icy expression on her face.  Near the cashier, three people were chatting animatedly, a guy with a scar on his face holding hands with a blond girl, sitting across from a pretty Native-American girl.

Baitsakhan made a face.  He really should have just sucked it up and settled with Starbucks.  All these annoying people… at least the Starbucks was relatively quiet.  Sighing, he made a mental note not to come back again, before begrudgingly trudging up to the counter.

The boy standing at the counter was presumably in his late teens, his hair honey colored with streaks of something darker tied up into a short ponytail, displaying a set of silver earrings that contrasted nicely with his immaculate jet-black suit, though steaks of it were already coming loose.  It suited him nicely, Baitsakhan couldn’t help but notice.  His electric blue eyes, wary like that of a predator’s, flashed eagerly at having another customer, perhaps saving him from his endless boredom.  A nonchalant expression crossed his face, followed by a knowing smirk, and then was once again replaced by a mockingly polite look as he called out,

“How may I help you?”

Baitsakhan stared unabashedly at the guy, unamused.

“I thought this was a coffee shop.  Get me some goddamned coffee.”

Something akin to surprise appeared in the cashier’s eyes, but like every other emotion quickly disappeared.  He probably didn’t get rude comments like this often.  Serves him right, thought Baitsakhan, trying to ignore the boy’s undeniable hotness as a feral grin spread across the guy’s face.  The name Maccabee was written on a pin proudly hung from the guy’s breast pocket.  Baitsakhan duly noted this, for no reason at all.  He had no reason to store away this kind of information.  He totally wasn’t planning on coming back again.

“Okayyy then,” he drawled, every word unnecessarily lengthened, “How would you like your coffee?”

“Hot, dark, strong.” Baitsakhan had no time for this nonsense.

“Just like me then,” Maccabee said, waggling his eyebrows.

Baitsakhan stared, unimpressed,

“Do you flirt with everything that walks on two legs?”

Again, the guy looks surprised.  Probably hasn’t had a pick-up line thrown back at his face before, Baitsakhan thinks with a smirk.

“Nope, just cute ones.”

The barista turned to make the coffee, and thank God he turned to make the coffee, because Baitsakhan has chosen just the right time to have his face turn completely red.

Ugh.

He really should have just gone to Starbucks.

A/N: 

cringey title, cringey chapter title, cringey everything… sounds about right

i should have mentioned before, YES I TOTALLY SHIP AN AND BAITS AS A BROTP EVEN THO ITS SUPER WEIRD AND THEY PROB HATE EACH OTHER CANON BUT WHO CARES.

also, sorry about the non-typical depiction of maccabee, i kinda just imagined him with long hair one day and it… kinda spiralled off into the void?? idk.  i kinda like it.

ALSO, i sorta maybe incorporated a wrong number!au into this also. sue me, i was playing around with thing and it got outta hand, ok

next chapt will be up by the end of the week (hopefully earlier, i have an hr to write tomorrow, and this chapt only took an hr, so… possibly tomorrow :) no guarantees tho)