#just food for thought - throwing this into the wild to see if anyone would be interested

[tommarvoloriddlesdiary]

i want to get a bunch of people together and do a fic-train or something similar in the tomarry and harrymort fandom where someone starts a fic and then passes it along, etc, until we reach a final person who concludes it - almost like fanfiction telephone?

[hiddenzev]

Second Confession: Part 3

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

Chapter Summary: The aftermath of the confession

Chapter Warnings - Angst, One-sided love, Unrequited Love, Idiots in Love, (let me know if i missed anything)

WC: 5.4K

series masterlist , AO3

A/N: Sorry for the late update, something terrible happened during the week which put me out of the writing momentum I was in. Love all the comments that you guys left and I appreciate it a lot. Hope yall love this chapter as well because I don't know how to feel about it really because my imagination just runs wild sometimes and it kinda went off the rails here. Thank you! <3

You slam the door to your house shut and went up to your bedroom. You throw yourself on the bed and bury your face in the pillow, crying your eyes out. His words are replaying in your head.

“Without them, you’re just another person in Jackson that I don’t give a fuck about”

“We’re in the apocalypse and you’re out here telling me about your little crush on me”

“I thought you’re better than this”

You didn’t expect for it to be this painful. You were up all night tossing and turning in your bed, replaying the whole scene in your head. Not only that, you don’t know how to face him after this. It’s going to be real awkward from here on out. The depressing night ended with you falling asleep for only 2 hours after all that crying.

Awkward tension filled the breakfast table the next day. Only sound of chewing and the utensils hitting the plates can be heard. It’s obvious that you had a rough night. You woke up with swollen eyes and dried tears all over your face. You were so emotionally wrecked and you were conflicted whether to show up for breakfast or not. However, your pride does not allow you to miss the breakfast and allow Joel to think that he got the best of you. You did not expect to yearn for sunglasses so much in the apocalypse.

Ellie had been glancing at you since you sat down at the table. You had your hair covering half of your face to hide your red swollen eyes. She looks over to Tommy and Maria to see whether they will say anything about it but they are clearly giving you some space and time if you needed to talk about it yourself. Ellie couldn’t handle it anymore as expected from her impatience.

“Have you been crying?” She genuinely asks you.

You know she meant well and she didn’t know what happened last night but you just wished that she would not bring it up at the table. You see a glimpse of Joel out of the corner of your eyes turning his head slowly to look at you. You tried to hide more of your face by staring down at your food.

“No. Just had an allergic reaction this morning, It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” You said in a calm tone to hide your embarrassment.

“Oh, I didn’t know you have an allergy,” she asks curiously.

“Yeah I have a dust allergy, it’s minor, really, that’s why I didn’t bother telling anyone about it,” you do actually have the allergy but you just lied to cover up the real reason you have those eyes during breakfast.

Everyone just quietly finish their breakfast after that before parting ways for their own respective duties. You can tell from their concerned faces that they wanted to talk more with you but they let it go for now. Luckily for you, you didn’t have to face Joel for any of the duties that day. You take that opportunity to distract yourself with your duties to ensure that your thoughts are more rational and that you are not high on emotions like before.

For the next couple of days, you focus on doing the things you like so that your thoughts don’t stray away to Joel. You catch up on reading again which you have stopped for a few weeks prior due to your overwhelming thoughts of Joel. You busied yourself with more chores and did extra hours of shift duties. Certain things in your house reminds you of him like your wood carvings and your collection of items that you saved for him. You put those away out of your sight to help you out.

You try to tune out the sound of the guitar when he’s playing it which strangely, he’s been playing it every night recently and for much longer than usual. It makes you fall asleep peacefully with thoughts of him before you close your eyes and even after you wake up in the morning. It’s difficult to just stop thinking about someone that you were so obsessed about for a long time but you hope it will go away gradually as time passes by.

Eventually, everyone in the circle (basically just Tommy, Ellie and Maria) knew about what happened. They knew something was up when your eyes don’t light up as it used to when Joel is mentioned. Also, you can’t lie for shit. You were awkward and stuttering when they ask you about Joel.

You told them everything that happened that night as best as you could remember. Your good heart tried to defend some of what Joel said that you thought were true and they scolded you for it saying you must have lost your mind. Yes, he could be nicer to you but you can’t deny that you took that risk knowing he’s going to be mean. But whatever. You can’t change what happened. Needless to say, they were so mad at Joel for how he had rejected you. They don’t blame him for not reciprocating your feelings but they were hoping he could be gentle about it. You don’t know if they confronted him after that and you couldn’t care less at that time.

The day that you are dreading has come to haunt you. It’s patrol day with the person that broke your heart. You wake up earlier than your usual patrol day to ready yourself to spend almost half of the day with Joel since that painful conversation. You remind yourself to stay strong and just focus on the important tasks that you need to do. You don’t want to be weak in front of him and give him the upper hand.

The time comes for you to make your way to the ranch. You lock your door and as usual, has to walk down the street, passing by Joel’s house. What you didn’t expect is to see him getting out of the house as you pass by. He would have already been at the ranch by now normally. You are slightly annoyed and panicking knowing he’s going to be walking behind you this morning. You don’t like that he’s going to be eyeing you and you don’t want to know what he’s thinking about.

Usually the quiet streets in the early morning is very serene to you but now it's torturing to be able to hear his footsteps faintly behind you. You walk slightly faster than usual to quickly end this misery. Thankfully, you reach the ranch with no complications. You quickly busy yourself with checking your horse and make sure everything is set and ready to go. You barely look at Joel to see what he is up to until the both of you make your way to the gates.

He's leading the way as always and he looks back at you to see if you're ready to go. You stare at him with a cold look in your eyes before giving him a stiff nod reluctantly. His eyes linger on your face before he turns to ride out of the gates.

The tension is the same as the first patrol with him or maybe even higher. The other patrols after the first, were full of you rambling and cracking jokes to fill the silence with him giving you an annoyed look. Different than those days, you do not bother to ease the tension.

The landscape is bathing in the warm glow of the rising sun. The rich scent of nature surrounding the both of you hits you strongly. Unlike the relationship between you and Joel, the sounds of nature are peaceful and has a harmonious symphony.

Joel who is leading the way, steals some glances at you time to time. You try not to be affected by it.

“We’ll stop by the cabin soon.” He states in his husky voice without looking back at you.

You do not reply to what he said knowing there’s no use of it. After a short travel, the cabin comes to sight in a distance. Both of you get off of the horses and check the surroundings before tying the horses to a nearby, sturdy tree. You follow Joel to get in the cabin. Both of you check everything that is needed to be checked before agreeing to have a short break.

You sit at one end of the sofa while Joel sits at the other end. You take out the lunch and drink that you packed from your bag. You fill up your stomach as you lean back on the sofa. Joel eats his sandwich in silence with his arms on his knees. Halfway through your meal, he speaks unexpectedly surprising you.

“Did you have a good sleep?” He asks while chewing on his food.

You turned your head to look at him, not believing what you just heard. He don’t make small talk at all, not once to you, so you are wondering why he’s acting like this all of a sudden.

“Yeah.” You replied him with a questioning tone, not used to him asking you something personal.

He keeps his eyes on the sandwich he’s holding and nods his head after hearing what you said. You take this chance to see whether he will answer you.

“How about you?” You mumble in a low voice, not sure how he would respond.

“Not bad.” He murmurs, still eating his food.

You stare at him for a moment, taking in this rare moment of him being somewhat calm with you. With his patchy salt and pepper beard, a nose that you believe to be specifically sculpted by God, curls that makes you want to tangle your hands in, it makes the walls that you built for the past couple of days to crumble down just by looking at him. It’s so unfair that you still have a soft spot for him in your heart and you’re afraid that any little thing that he do will make you forgive him.

You finishes your meal and lean your head back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. You hear the sound of him storing his food back into his bag before you feel him move slightly through the sofa. In the meantime, you just study the ceiling while everything else just fades in the background. You find the room is silent after getting out of the trance that you were in.

You look to your side to see Joel is staring at you. Has he been staring at you the whole time? Your eyes connect for a few seconds before he look down at his hands. Your heart stupidly starts to beat faster knowing he was staring at you intently. Your body betrays you by blushing a little from his gaze.

He licks his lips nervously while looking everywhere else but you. You sit up feeling the nervousness that he is portraying. You look at him waiting as he seems to want to say something.

“Umm…about what you said the other night…” he fiddles with his hands nervously.

He is having trouble to say what he wants and keeps glancing around. You try to save him the trouble by speaking up, wanting to get over this awkward conversation.

“It’s fine. Just forget about it. If it makes you uncomfortable, let’s just pretend that never happened.” You suggests while looking out the window, away from Joel’s side. It hurts a little for you to say that but you think it’s better this way.

You stands up to dust off your pants before picking up your bag to get out of the cabin and continue your shift duty.

“Let’s go.” You said coldly, making your way out to the horses.

Joel just observes you from a distance with pressed lips and doesn’t say anything to object what you have just said. He ponders for awhile before joining you. You carry on the patrol with much more focus and not bring up any personal topic to him.

Needless to say, the patrol ended with no complications and you did so much better than you expected. At least, you don’t think you made yourself look like a fool still wanting him. Thankfully, he didn’t talk about it after that as well.

After the patrol, Joel is at Tipsy Bison, sitting alone at a booth in the corner. He observes everyone in the bar just having a good time. There are a few couples in there swaying along to the music at the opposite end of the bar. The way they look at each other with so much love in their eyes makes Joel feel envious of them. He does not think that anyone would look at him that way in the apocalypse. He does not think that he deserves it after everything that he’s been through.

That is why when you confessed to him that night, he was taken aback and pushed you away because he doesn’t believe that you knew him enough to truly like him for who he is. He also doesn’t think of you more than an acquaintance of Tommy and Ellie. To hear your confession, altered his brain completely. He doesn’t know what he’s supposed to be feeling.

As he is thinking about you, Tommy comes into the bar and looks for Joel. He makes his way to him after spotting him in his usual corner. Tommy slides into the booth on the opposite side of Joel.

“She’s not coming. Said she wants to be alone for tonight.” Tommy sighs heavily, leaning back while scrutinizing Joel.

Joel just gives a short grunt in reply while munching on some nuts on the table. Tommy hesitantly brings up what’s happening between you and him and leans forward on the table.

“Are you really gonna keep this up with her?” Tommy asks Joel, eyebrows scrunching.

“Keep what up?” Joel looks up at Tommy with a huge frown on his face.

“Well you know, being an asshole,” Tommy added.

“You think I’m supposed to accept her or something?” Joel staring at Tommy with questioning look on his face.

Tommy just shrugs casually.

“That’s ridiculous. I don’t have feelings for her at all and you, of all people should know that I’m not looking for anything in this fucked up world.” Joel gives his reason to Tommy. He’s tired of explaining himself to his brother.

“I get it but you could have let her down gently instead of being rude to her.” Tommy countered with a dull look at his face.

He’s angry to see you heartbroken by his cold hearted brother. He cherish you a lot as a friend and wants the best for you. He can’t help it that you fell for his brother that doesn’t see love as the way you do.

Joel has nothing to say to that. He agrees that he was mean to you. He was not thinking straight at that time and was overwhelmed with so much feelings that he don’t understand. He did reflected on his words and actions after that and it was bothering him still.

“She was not even expecting anything from you but to just listen to what she had to say,” Tommy continues to explain your intention.

“What good does that do to me?” Joel answers with irritation.

Tommy shakes his head slowly before talking again.

“She genuinely cares about you, brother.” He said with a low voice, his eyes not wavering while looking at Joel.

“All of us sees how she looks and acts around you. I bet that you have your own suspicions as well because only a damn fool wouldn’t see it. You don’t want to lose someone that really cares about you in the apocalypse. Especially not her. Maybe she could help you feel a little joy in this, like you said, fucked up world. If you need  some proof, just look at me and Maria.” Tommy tries to convince him.

Joel breaks eye contact with Tommy and sips his drink before looking at everyone in the bar. Most of the people here are smiling and laughing even when they know the situation that they are in.

“I know some people that are interested in her. They’ve been asking me about her for awhile.” Tommy picks up a few nuts in his hands before throwing it in the air and catching it with his mouth.

Joel shifts his eyes back to Tommy after hearing that. His eyes slightly widen than before with a certain glint in his eyes prompting Tommy to explain more.

“She’s been on her own for a long time and I know she’s been feeling lonely. It might do her some good if I introduce her to someone that she could make a new friend with.” Tommy continues to talk while snacking on the nuts.

“If you really want her, i suggest you get your act together and do something about it before it’s too late. What’s the point of living if you’re not really living it,” Tommy raises his eyebrows at Joel.

Joel clenches his jaw thinking about you looking at another man like how you used to look at him. He doesn’t know why his anger is rising just thinking about it.

Tommy stands up to the side of the table before placing his hand on Joel’s shoulder, squeezing it a little.

“I better get going to my wife. I’ll see you around.” He winks at Joel before going.

Joel’s eyes follow Tommy until he is out of sight. He sits there for a moment thinking about what Tommy said before making his way back home.

On the way back home, his head is filled with the thoughts of you. How he first met you, the way you blush when he's near you, how you look at him with sparkles in you eyes, basically everything about you.

However, the patrol earlier with you was different. You were giving him the cold shoulder and didn't act as you usually were. You did not yap about what you like or don't like, not even the weather, like you usually does. It bothers him that he kind of want to hear your cheery voice instead of your deafening silence.

As he is busy in his own thoughts, he didn't realise that he's reaching his house. In a distance, he could see that your bedroom is emitting soft and warm light. He stops right at his house, looking at the direction of your house. For the first time, he wonders what you are up to.

He turns to walk into his house and the memories of what happened that night came rushing back again. Ever since that night, he's reminded of what happened every time he passes by it.

After dropping your gift on the ground and shutting the door on you that night, he hovered behind the door, processing what just happened. He moved to the window near the door and took a peek behind the curtains. He saw that you were staring at your gift right below you with your fists clenched by your sides. While he was feeling bad, seeing you crushed like that, he didn't expect to see you throw the gift at his door angrily before stomping off. It's the first time he saw you that angry.

He opened his door after making sure that you are already in your house. He took your gift inside and sat on his sofa to open it. It's his first time opening a gift from someone after the outbreak except when Ellie gave him one couple months ago.

He opened the small package slowly and froze seeing the contents in it. He took the beautiful horse chess piece and brought it up close to his face to observe it. There were your initials in small letters at the bottom of the piece, indicating that you carved it yourself. He was mesmerised and lost in the details of the piece before remembering the other contents in the package. He placed the chess piece on the small coffee table in front of him carefully.

He took out the small guitar pick that says 'I pick you' on it. He scoffed with a small smile on his face thinking this was corny but cute. He knows Ellie would find this funny because of her lame jokes. He realised that you must have heard him play his guitar at nights. He didn't know that you could listen from that far away.

Lastly, he opened the letter that you wrote for him.

'Dear Joel,

Firstly, I'm sorry to take you by surprise and I feel like the only way I can tell you how I truly feel about you is by writing this. Joel, you caught my eyes ever since you came in here and no one else really matters as much as you matters to me (except for Ellie, Tommy and Maria of course).

It's getting tough for me to keep these feelings hidden away from you so that is why I want to get it out of my chest. I know that your grumpy ass might think it's silly but my feelings are real, Joel. My heart beats faster just by thinking about you and you don't even want to know how it's like to be near you. There's not a single day which I don't think of you. I see you in my head before I go to sleep at night and after I wake up in the morning.

You may think it is selfish of me to be doing this, yes, I don't deny that. I'd rather be selfish than regretting not telling you the truth. I'm not expecting you to return the same feelings for me. I'm not asking you to be my lover or whatsoever. I just want us to be friends. It's fine if you don't want to. We'll just be who we are to each other before this.

By the way, I'm giving you a chess piece which I made specially for you. I've heard from Ellie that you got a little chess project that you're working on. It's not much but it did felt pretty good to carve it. I might just start carving as a hobby, as a matter of fact. Also, you probably would already guess why I'm giving you the guitar pick. I've heard you play the guitar sometimes and I do love listening to you play. Picked that one out just for you. Thought you might find it funny. I know Ellie does for sure.

Anyway, those are just my tokens of appreciation for you. Thank you for not making me feel lonely and boring in here. I truly do like you even if you don't believe it.

Cheers,

Your Neighbour'

Joel sighed heavily while leaning back against the sofa. He thought about you  putting the effort to write this letter, you being thoughtful of getting him a guitar pick and especially about you taking the time to carve a chess piece specially for him, knowing it is something that he loves doing.

He went to sleep that night with so much guilt of being rude to you earlier. He wished to take back the mean things he said towards you. He doesn't know what to do to make it better. He needs to apologise but his harden self doesn't know how to.

Tonight is game night. The last night of every month, Tommy would gather all of us to have a game night at his house. Everyone is seated in the living room facing each other. You are sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace and Ellie is sitting to your right. Maria is sitting on a sofa chair to your left. Tommy and Joel sits opposite of you on the sofa.

You were playing charades for a few rounds with the group split into two, boys versus girls. Maybe because they are brothers, they were sweeping the rounds with ease. It’s annoying to see Tommy with a smug look as he is winning every round with Joel. He even taunted the girls just to rile them up. Joel on the other hand, looks so nonchalant as usual even when he’s playing and doesn’t even react much when he won.

“Let’s play a new game! I played it with my friends recently and it was kinda fun,” Ellie suggested with an excited look on her face.

“What game?” Tommy moves forward slightly to the edge of the sofa, interested to know about the new game.

“It’s called ‘Never have I ever’.” Ellie introduces the game and explains the rule to everyone.

Once everyone understands how to play, Ellie starts first. Each and everyone of you have a turn stating what you all had never done. One round passes and it’s back to Ellie. You had two of your fingers folded already from previous attacks.

“Never have I ever experience living before the outbreak.” she grins mischievously.

Everyone except Ellie groan and complain about what she had just said.

“That’s sooo cheap,” You narrow your eyes at her while shaking your head slowly.

“What? I had to. I want to the be the last one standing.” She reasons her way out before telling Joel to go next.

“Never have I ever worn high heels.” He said as he looks at you and Maria.

You and Maria folded a finger each, cursing quietly under your breath. Tommy  went next causing Joel to fold a finger. Maria has a go for one of Tommy’s.

It is soon your turn and you take a jab at the boys by saying, “Never have I ever have a male sibling.” you cannot contain the small smile on your face after saying that.

You don’t dare to look at Joel so you just keep your gaze on his fingers to see him folding one of it. Tommy curses you and you chuckle softly.

The game continues and mostly everyone have five fingers left except for Ellie who is left with seven. She’s being so ruthless in this game. You cannot expect what she will say each round. Everyone is trying to protect her innocence while she has no filter on and just runs her mouth without thinking twice.

Some of the things she said in the game were, ‘not having a relationship before’ (very mild), ‘never experience sex before’ (okay, chill. Everyone was stunned hearing that from a 15 year old mouth) and in the previous round, ‘never seen her parents before’ (the room totally went silent).

It’s back to her again and the next thing that she said, caught you off guard.

“Never have I ever done any wood carvings.” you glance at her to see that she’s already smirking at you. How did this little shit know about this?

Your eyes can’t help but shifts to Joel and sees that he’s already putting one finger down, leaving him with only three left. He briefly looks at you before looking down at the floor in the middle of the circle. You hesitantly put a finger down and that is obviously not missed by the other two people in the room.

“Oh, you did?” Maria turns her body to you, indicating that you should explain more about it.

“Yeah, I started like a couple months ago,” you give her a short reply and hoping they would move on from this.

“Why didn’t you tell us? You know this man over here does them a lot,” Tommy gives a good grip on Joel’s shoulder and shakes him slightly, “Maybe the both of you could spend some time carving together.”

You and Joel make eye contact for a brief moment. All you can think about is that one chess piece that you made for him. You wonder if he keeps it or he had thrown it away after that night.

Ellie reminds Joel that it’s his turn next but Joel suddenly says that he doesn’t want to play this game anymore and that he wants to go home soon as he is tired. You think that his mood is ruined thinking of the chess piece that you made specially for him. Sadness filled your heart again thinking that he doesn't like it.

Tommy eases up the tension by asking if anyone needs more drinks.

"Me." Ellie said and gets up to squeeze in between Joel and Tommy.

Tommy stands with a groan to get the drinks from the kitchen. Your butt starts to hurt sitting on the hard floor as well so you move to sit on the only available chair beside Joel. Tommy comes back holding drinks on both hands. He hands one over to Ellie before sitting on the arm rest on Maria’s sofa chair. He leans towards Maria and put his arm over her shoulders. They gently smile at each other making you feel slightly jealous of the love that they have.

Tommy turns to you looking as if he just remembered something.

“Hey, you know Emile, right?” He asks.

“Yeah. Always see him in the library. Why?” you asks, not knowing where this is going.

“He’s been asking about you, wondering how you’ve been,” he added.

“Oh, it’s probably because I didn’t visit the library for awhile now.��� you shrug your shoulders.

“Guess he misses you, huh” he smirks with one eyebrow raised.

“Nah, what are you talking about? Stop it.” You chuckles softly finding this is ridiculous. Shaking your head, you slump back on the sofa, sighing.

Emile is one of the librarians in the community. He’s been here for almost half a year and he’s been really nice to you. He’s tall, has short and curly dirty blonde hair, striking blue eyes and quite a gentleman. He’s popular among the ladies for being a sweetheart. He will strike up conversations with you every time you go to the library to browse some books or spend some time reading alone there. You can tell he is into books and love to learn about new things even though he’s clumsy at times.

He’s younger than you by a couple of years and you only view him like a little brother all this time. He’s giving a golden retriever energy and it does make you smile sometimes. He reminds you of the feeling of warmth when hanging out with your close friends before the outbreak.

You were sure that he don’t have feelings for you in a romantic way. Maybe you are wrong. You were too busy focusing on Joel to notice anyone else in the vicinity. 

“Maybe he likes you,” Ellie chirps in,

“No fucking way,” you dismisses that idea right away.

“What if he does?” Tommy asks you seriously.

“I don’t know?”

“What do you think of him?” Maria asks with a soft smile on her face.

God, you wish you could disappear right there and then. You do not look at Joel’s direction but you can see at the corner of your eyes, his fingers are gripping the arm rest on his side really hard.

“He’s a nice lad. Real sweet,” you say hesitatingly, knowing they might tease you with whatever you will say, “always ask me if I’m doing good every time I see him in the library.”

You glance to your side a little bit and spots Joel’s fingers are scratching the arm rest mindlessly. He’s tapping his foot restlessly and something about that makes you want to comfort him.

You’re tired of the pressure they’re putting on you here and especially with Joel in the presence. However, you think maybe you could use this opportunity to see how he would react. Why is he restless? Is he jealous? Or is he just so repulsed by you?

“Maybe I should visit the library tomorrow and see him.” You casually say that, pretending you are happy with the idea of seeing Emile.

Everyone especially Tommy and Ellie are cheering and howling except for the grumpy old man beside you. He soaks in the moment for a few seconds before getting up of his seat.

“I’m going home.” He says to everyone with a strangled voice.

He storms past right in front of you and you can feel the anger seeping through his body without even touching him. In that moment, you take in his earthy and musky scent as he strides pass you. You almost run after him to check if he’s okay. It’s driving you insane that he still have you wrapped around his little finger and you cannot do anything about it.

Is he angry that you’re going to see Emile tomorrow?

Why would he be angry if he rejected you?

Thank you so much for reading this chapter. I will update the next one within two weeks!! Pinky promise <3

Taglist: @greenwitchfromthewoods @rebeccawinters @cuteanimalmama @rodriguez31 @orcasoul @ashleyfilm

[the-kr8tor]

hiii katy. i am officially obsessed with cowboy!hobie and i'm pretty sure i've read everything anyone has ever wrote about him at this point. so here i am asking for more. i have no thoughts - brain empty- but him using his lasso... so maybe? pretty please?

(hope you're having a magnificent day/night <3)

I'm glad you like cowboy! Hobie!! Thank you for requesting, I hope you like it ❤️

Pairing: Cowboy! Hobie Brown x fem! reader

Word count: 1.5k

Tags: no use of Y/N, no specific physical description of the reader, cowboy au, wild west au, cw suggestive, cw food mentions, cw blood and injury. FLUFF

ʕ⁠·⁠ᴥ⁠·⁠ʔ

The smoke from the campfire signals life from just under the cliff edge facing the raging rapids. Pink and orange hues illuminate the vast dusty plains of the west, tumbleweeds pass by with the blowing winds; and the quiet prevails with no one else but Hobie, his trusted horse, and hopefully you waiting under the belching grey smoke.

He fixes his hat on top of his head, piercings glimmering as he smirks triumphantly. Your cat and mouse chase has finally come to an end, all the running and hiding comes to a close when he spots your seated form next to the campfire. The fiery embers illuminate your features, shadows dancing on your pretty face, eyes shining under the destructive fire.

“I was waiting for you.” You flick your eyes over to his form, lips curling into an amused smile. “Your meal's getting cold.”

Hobie chuckles under his breath, the reins under his gloved hand tightens in his hold. “What's for supper?” His horse huffs, hoof kicking dirt and dust.

“Rabbit, specially caught for you. And some beans to remind you of your old country.” You stand up, dusting your pants.

He sucks in his teeth, eyes glancing over to the river nearby. “I don't miss the old country that much.” When his green eyes return over to you, you're sitting on your horse, grinning from ear to ear. His hands slowly reach for his lasso.

“Oh I'm sure you miss something.” You send him a flirty wink. “Me perhaps? Don't pretend you don't like the chase, Hobie.” Your horse neighs in agreement.

He smiles, a ghost of amusement flickering from his jade eyes. “You've had me runnin’ after you for about four months now, love. Sorry for not playin’ along today, just a bit tired is all.” He clicks his tongue to make his horse step closer to yours. His hand wraps around his lasso on his belt.

“Oh poor bounty hunter.” You coo sweetly.

“You know what happens next. You have to come with me, love.”

You feign a tired sigh, your grin says otherwise. “If you tried your luck tonight we would've done just that. Well, after dinner of course, I'm a romantic, you see.”

“I would have said yes but your three grand bounty makes me think twice.” Hobie tamps down a laugh, heat prickling his cheeks. He has found that you've had that effect on him. “You know me, job comes first.”

“That's too bad. Maybe on our next date then!” Rearing your horse, you make her kick the boiling pot, spilling its hot contents and the heated coal all over the ground, startling his poor horse. You leave him in the dust once again.

Hobie bites his lower lip to stop an excited guffaw from escaping. He follows quickly, right after he briefly calms his startled horse.

Wind nips at his cheeks as he jumps over broken down trees, dodges rocks and cliffs, and soon after, he sees your form in the distance. With victory already in his grasp, he takes his lasso, swinging it expertly over his head. Calculating his throw, he aims, lasso flying over head.

“Wha–!” The rope cinches around your torso, wrapping you in its rough hemp, making you fall off your horse harshly on the dusty ground. “Fuck! That hurt, Hobie!” Head throbbing, you hear footsteps running frantically towards you. Instead of meeting with the end of a pistol, you feel his warm hands gently hold you. “Ow. Was that necessary? I thought we had something going on, cowboy.”

Hobie takes his gloves off to examine your bleeding forehead. There's a cut just above your brow, but other than that, you're alright. He sighs in relief, hands still carefully holding you in place. If not for his lasso around you, you'd think your handsome bounty hunter actually cares for you.

“Sure, I'm alright, Hobie, nothing to be worried about.” You sarcastically say, one eye closed as blood ebbs from your cut down to your eyelids. “I just hit my head, no biggie—!” The second you meet with his worried eyes, you clamp down. Hands suddenly clammy, mouth turning dry, and stomach doing somersaults, you haven't seen him this close to you. His eyes are greener than anything you've ever seen, pools of the greenest of clovers; and face chiseled to perfection. He looks wonderous in this light. And surprisingly, he looks like he actually cares. “Shit.” You say under your breath, flirty exterior crumbling around his boots. Your voice wakes Hobie up from his lovestruck gaze.

He clears his throat, palms now hovering above your arms. “You look alright.”

Light lines up with his head, an orange halo appears, bathing him in its glow. “I think I have a concussion.” You swallow down your sudden bashfulness.

His brows furrowed, hand tentatively reaching for your chin to carefully check you again. “Does your head hurt?” His voice is soft, and his hand is warm and softer than you thought despite his callouses. You think it all adds to the mystery of the famous bounty hunter right in front of you.

His touch alone almost made you want to surrender. Almost.

You flutter your lashes, “do all the men back in England look just as good as you?”

Hobie lets out a chuckle. A simple act that has the butterflies in your stomach fly wildly. “Just a handful of us.”

“I'm lucky then.”

Hobie squeezes your chin, for a moment, a comfortable silence hangs in the air. You could sit there forever and just look at him. He feels the same way with his fingers brushing along your bottom lip. The river behind continues to flow, water crashing loudly against the rocky river beds just a jump away from the cliff behind you.

Suddenly, his horse neighs behind him. Popping the bubble of affection around the two of you. Hobie clears his throat, and you look away, flustered. He takes his hand off your chin to help you off your feet wordlessly. Tying the lasso around you, he keeps his hands to himself, or tries to as you watch him with your eyes that are practically shaped like hearts. A trait that is unheard of from a feared outlaw like yourself.

“I have to bring you in.” He sounds like he's trying to convince himself.

Arms bound to your sides, you tilt your head to meet with his downturned eyes. “D’you have to, hm, cowboy?”

Hobie straightens up, lifting your head up with his thumb pressing under your chin. He leans close, stealing the breath from your lungs. “I'm not a lawman. So I don't have to.”

You smile sweetly, “I hear a ‘but’ coming.”

Hobie chuckles deeply. “But three grand is enticin’.”

“More enticing than me?”

Hobie inhales sharply, as if he's trying to restrain himself. From doing what? You suppose you have to find out.

He makes a move to walk away to grab your horse, but you stop him with your hands grabbing at his belt buckle, fingers wrapped around the cold metal as you yank him closer to you. Your arms might be bound, but your hands remain free to your sides.

“Why don't you answer my question, cowboy?”

Hobie's eyes flick over to your hand, heart thudding loudly in his chest as he bracelets his fingers around your wrist. His thumb brushes along your pulse point, feeling your heart sync with his own.

“Because you'd love my answer to that, love. But my debts won't.”

Leaning close, you reach his lips with your own floating dangerously close above it. Briefly, you both stand there, indulging in each other's presence. Feeling like you two are the only people left in the whole world. A life with you flashes in the back of his mind. And your vision fills with only him.

With pursed lips, you slowly let go of his belt buckle. One finger at a time. “Okay then.”

Hobie feels like you've stolen his heart right there and then. Fitting well with an outlaw. Hell, he'd even let you keep it since your heart is in his grasp too.

“‘Okay?’”

You shrug, backing away. “Yeah, okay.”

“Just like that?” His fingers linger on your skin for a second. You're a mystery to him, a mystery he'd like to get to know better.

“Mm-hmm, just like that.”

Hobie blinks, shaking off his doubts. “Stay there.”

“Yep, staying right here, cowboy. Not going anywhere.”

With him walking off towards your horse to hitch it with his own, you waste no time to run off towards the edge of the cliff.

“Shit!” Hobie scrambles to get to you as you jump off. His fingers graze the ropes, and you even have the audacity to wink at him as you plunge down towards the cold water. He yells after you, watching the water with his quickening heartbeat, waiting for you to resurface. “Fuck!” Starting to take off his hat and jacket, he prepares to jump after you. “Hold on!”

Before he could dive, he sees you waving at him as the currents carry you downstream. He sighs in relief, muscles relaxing, chuckling to himself.

“See you later, cowboy!” You yell at him, floating down like you're having the time of your life. Blowing a kiss at him, your eyes stayed on him whilst he watched you go until he's barely a dot in your vision.

He hears your horse gallop away, and he pinches the bridge of his nose. His horse nudges him with his snout, huffing and puffing at him. You've won once again.

“See you later, love.”

[ghostofhyuck]

Dark Fantasy Series 6

Vampire! Zhong Chenle x Human! Reader

Summary: You never thought that Zhong Chenle would like you, heck even go through measures of courting you just to show you that his intentions to you are genuine. Or is it? If you only knew about his real identity. 

Word count: 3.5k

TW: Contains blood, and noncon biting. Read at your own risk.

AN: I skimmed the Dracula plot just for this fic, if inaccuracies occurred, I’m sorry. 

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Everyone would think that you’re just a typical college student who studies literature at her local town college. 

“Oh my god, you have another one!?” your friend shrieks as she sees the bouquet of flowers on your desk. 

Except what makes you stand out from the others is that you’re being courted by Zhong Chenle — one of the most popular guys in your college.

Popularity isn’t just by the looks. Sure Chenle is one of the most good-looking guys in your town, but that’s just a small part of his popularity. He came from a family who runs a centennials-old business. The Zhong family are knit-tighted and are old money. They’re highly influential. Chenle being the second son of the Zhong makes him stand out. Aside from that, he studies business while being the captain of the college’s basketball team.

Girls would die to be noticed by him. But Chenle was dubbed as an “ice prince” due to his cold yet cool image. He rarely engages in conversations with anyone aside from his friends, and has been known to turn down confessions coldly. People’s impression of him as someone who’s untouchable. Even in academic projects, he's as formal as he can be. 

You think of him as someone who’s unreachable. You did find him ideal and handsome but not enough to throw yourself on him. 

That’s why you were surprised when one day he striked a conversation with you. You thought of it as merely a coincidence. You were part-timing at your older sister’s book shop when he entered the place. You never thought that the college’s star athlete would find himself going to a book shop. 

You stared at him unknowingly as he scans around the bookshelves that contain poetry books. You watch as he scans the books, finding himself engaged between the pages, and obliviously, you have your gaze lock on him. Everyone’s right. Chenle does have a strong aura that can make everyone turn their heads on him. 

And there, he started asking you questions. Keeping the conversation going on. You were surprised by the way he talks to you, casually. You always thought that he’s a bit cold who thinks highly of himself. That’s why you’re there, quietly flustered as he gives you a small smile before waving goodbye to you. 

That’s not the only thing that happened to you. The next day, the whole school is buzzing as Chenle drives you to school. They were shocked to see Chenle step out of the car and walk towards the passenger seat in which he opens for you. Due to embarrassment, you ran away without even turning around to look at the crowd. 

You knew that day, you'd end up being the talk of the town. The girl who managed to swoon Chenle. There were a lot of stories and gossip running wild as they tried to decipher how you managed to end up in that situation. Even getting strangers to ask you and ask you what’s your deal with him. 

It didn’t stop there. Everyday, you’d go out to your house and see Chenle waiting for you outside. He’s leaning on his car and has every plan of driving you to school. You told him that it’s fine, but he insists. Even during days where you have classes and he doesn’t have, he’ll still drive you to school. 

Then came the gifts. The foods he brings you, and small gifts that he insists that it’s nothing. You tried to ignore it but you knew where it would lead, and you were suspicious of it. 

“Whatever you’re planning, stop it,” you told him one day. 

Chenle glances at you, dribbling the basketball so casually as he throws it to the ring. It went straight to it and you only watched as he caught it. 

“What do you mean?”

“You can be honest with me, if your friends just made a bet to date me or something, you can now tell me because I don’t have any plans of making myself look like a fool,” you explained, letting out a small sigh. “If you’re doing this because you’re bored, find another girl.”

“You got to stop reading romance novels in your past time,” Chenle mocked instead. “I’m not that type of guy yn, if you want, fine I like you.” 

“Stop fooling around —”

“I’m not, and if you find yourself doubting me, it’s okay,” Chenle said with a serious tone. “Because I’ll prove to you that my intentions are genuine.” 

That’s how you ended up being courted by Zhong Chenle. You know that it’s some old-fashioned thing to do but it was Chenle’s decision to do so. He has every plan of making you his. While you’re just there, accepting all things he does to you. 

You bear no feelings for Chenle at first. You found it suspicious that he chose you out of all the girls in your college. But he explains so casually that he’s just drawn to you. Whatever that means. You think. 

But as day passed by, you slowly opened your heart to him. He’s not the ice prince everyone calls. Chenle also has a side that only he opens to you. He’s good with his words, can be straightforward but you’ll find yourself agreeing with him. He also likes teasing you, and you’d come to realize that you’re lucky that you hear his laughter on a daily basis. 

Soon, you find yourself thinking that maybe being courted by Chenle isn’t that bad at all. 

“Hey!” you looked up to see Chenle in front of you. He’s wearing a plain tshirt and jogger pants. Hair still dripping wet indicating that he’s fresh from the post-practice shower. His gym bag slinged on the left side of his shoulder. 

You only smiled at him as you grabbed your backpack and stood up from the bleachers. 

“Should we go now?” you asked, Chenle only nods. He helped you get down from the bleachers and as you two began walking, he grabbed your backpack and wore it on his left arm. You only smile at his gesture but shift to the book you’re reading. 

“What’s that?” he asked, pointing out the small book you’re reading. 

“Oh, it’s Dracula by Bram Stoker,” you answered, showing him the book cover. “It’s for my Gothic Literature class, I’m doing a novel analysis for it.” 

“About vampires?” he asked. 

“Yeah, why not?” you only smiled. “The plot’s interesting plus the writing style is different.” 

“Didn’t like the novel,” Chenle casually said. “There’s a lot of inaccuracies.” 

You raised an eyebrow, “inaccuracies?”

“About vampires.”

You laughed at his comment. “Okay nerd, are you a big fan of vampires? Next thing you’ll say, twilight isn’t an accurate representation of vampires.”

“You’re right actually,” Chenle pointed out. “Vampires can actually be exposed to the sun, it’s just that they’re just more active during night because they’re more connected to the moon rather than the sun.”

“Okay where did you even learn that?” you raised an eyebrow. “What’s next? they can actually eat garlic and can actually touch silver.” 

“Vampires can tolerate garlic, it’s a food preference just like how you don’t like some types of vegetables while they can touch silver but not those silver stakes that are blessed with holy water. That’ll kill them.” 

“You’re bluffing.”

“I’m not.”

“Then how come you know much about vampires? Wouldn’t be surprised if you’re secretly a vampire.”

But Chenle only laughs at your comment. He swings his arms around you pulling you closer to his stance. “What if I am really a vampire? And then I’m gonna eat you!”

You let out a small shriek as Chenle tickles you on your waist. You squirmed your way out of his touch, and as you catch your breath, you can hear the horrendous laughter from your suitor. 

“You’re such an asshole!” you shouted, playfully kicking his shin in which he was able to dodge it quickly. 

“Sorry, it’s just you’re just too cute!” Chenle squealed, squishing your cheeks before he steals a kiss on your nose. 

“That’s not going to work Zhong Chenle,” you said, sticking out a tongue. 

“Yeah I know, I just want to kiss you,” he smirks. “Come on, let’s just go get some iced coffee for you.” 

-

“Ugh, you reek of her again,” Renjun complained the moment Chenle entered the mansion. 

“Isn’t she sweet?” Chenle proudly said, making his way towards his room while his cousin was just behind his tracks. 

“Not for me,” Renjun pointed out. “She’s too sweet that I’ll get cavities just from a drop of her blood.”

“Well that’s a relief because I have no plans of sharing her to you.” 

The older one only lets out a sigh. “The full moon will be out in a week, if you don’t get the chance to drink from her —”

“Yeah I know, i’ll die from starvation,” Chenle rolls his eyes. “Don’t worry about me, I can handle it.” 

“I just hope you’d do it in a decent way.'' It was the last thing Renjun said before leaving Chenle alone. 

As Renjun’s footsteps started to fade, Chenle could only laugh as he grabbed his phone, revealing a stolen photo of yours. 

“You don’t have to worry about that dear cousin.” 

-

Despite being courted by Chenle for months, you two never really had a proper date. You’re used to him taking you out to eat dinner or lunch just outside your college’s vicinity but the formal ones never really happened. 

So you were surprised when Chenle asks you if you’re free on Sunday night. 

“For what?”

“A date,” he said so casually and yet, it made your heart jump in joy. 

“A date?” 

“Yeah, I mean I’ve been courting you but I never really took you out for a date,” he said. 

“I mean, it’s okay with me but can I ask where?” you asked. 

“I actually wanted to invite you to my place,” Chenle pointed out. “The full moon’s happening tonight and my mother has a garden that’s full of moonflowers. It only blooms during the full moon and I want you to watch it bloom with you.”

“Oh Chenle,” you gasped. Flustered with his words. “That’s sweet of you but I'm scared that I might draw a wrong impression on your family.”

“Oh don’t worry about my family, they already like you,” he brushes it off. “I’ve told them how amazing you are and they couldn’t wait for you to be part of the family.”

You only let out a small chuckle. “Okay, I’ll be happy to watch the moonflower with you.” 

You watched as Chenle’s smile grew bigger to your answer. In a swift second, he gives you a hug and a kiss on the cheeks. “Thanks yn, you’re not going to regret it.”

“Those moonflowers better be worth it.” you teased. 

But you were only welcomed by a small pinch from Chenle. “Of course they will be.” 

When Sunday night arrived, you felt nervous. You tried your best to find the most appropriate dress you can find from your closet. 

With the help of your best friend, the two of you managed to find the most decent yet formal looking dress from your closet. It was a black sleeved dress that hugs your chest area and has an A-line skirt just above the knee. You paired it with short heeled sandals. You let your hair flow, curling the ends and doing light makeup. 

You let out a sigh as you wore the silver cross necklace that your mother gave to you. Adorning it with silver stud earrings to compliment your overall outfit. As the night deepens, you can feel your heart beating fast. The moment you heard the honk from Chenle’s car, you did everything at the last minute and grabbed the small bag that contained your things. 

As you open the gate, Chenle is there, leaning against his car’s hood. He looked exquisite in his black slacks and white sleeved polo, rolled down to ¾’s and two buttons undone. You were in daze, thinking that you indeed scored a good-looking guy as your suitor. 

Chenle glanced at you and did a double take, he was about to approach you when he stopped, you became confused when you noticed the sudden discomfort from his face. 

“Is everything okay?” you asked. 

“Oh I’m fine,” he said. “Your necklace looks nice.” 

You smiled, “really? I got it from my mom.” 

“It’s pretty,” he said looking away. “It’s a shame that I won’t be able to give you my gift.” 

You raised an eyebrow. “A gift?” 

From his back pocket, he grabs something and shows it to you. Your eyes wide at the silver necklace that’s adorned with a topaz trinket. 

“It’s beautiful,” you said, touching the topaz. 

“It’s from my mom,” Chenle answered. “I was hoping if you could —”

“Of course! I’ll be happy,” you only smiled. 

Chenle watched as you took off the cross necklace, he could only sigh internally as you placed it inside your bag. He then carefully places the necklace around your necklace. Clasping the lock before grazing his finger against your nape. 

“It’s beautiful,” you said once again. 

“Should we get going?” he asked, making you nod. 

The Zhong Mansion can be found on the outskirts of the town. It just sinked into you just how far Chenle drives just so he can pick you up. The gesture makes your feelings for him deepen. You watched as you trailed off to a more secluded part, turning left towards a dark road that seems endless to you. 

You would eye Chenle from time to time but it didn’t budge him, he kept on driving until you passed by huge bamboo stalks, swaying slightly against the wind. And from there, you noticed how there’s a few lantern lights from afar. You guessed that that’s Chenle’s place. 

After minutes of driving on the endless road, you found yourself in front of a white steel gate. Chenle honks for a few seconds before the gate opens slowly and from there, your jaw drops. 

A white mansion rests idly on a small hill. Chenle drove further until you two reached the entrance of the house. There, he shuts off the engine while you remain frozen from where you are sitting. You flinched as you felt his hands holding yours. 

“Nervous?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” you said. “Your house is huge.” 

“I know,” Chenle only said. “Let’s go inside? Everyone’s waiting for us.”

Your worries disappeared when you were welcomed by warm hugs and laughter. There were only a few people and just like Chenle said, it was an exclusive party. They keep their life private, away from the prying eyes of the public. Only a few guests are allowed and you’re just lucky that they agreed to invite you over. 

Chenle introduced you one by one to his family, and just like what he said, they seem to like you. You only smile as they give you handshakes or hugs. You found it incredibly fascinating how they’re so pale and seem ageless. You guessed that that’s what happens to rich people. 

“Finally glad to meet you,” you turned around to see a guy around your age. He’s wearing a black sheer blouse that’s tucked in his black slacks. He’s insanely pale and pretty as he gracefully took a sip from the red wine that he’s holding. 

“And you are?” you asked while waiting for Chenle who went out to get you some food. 

“Renjun, Chenle’s cousin,” he introduced. “Care for some?” 

You only stare at the wine he’s holding and you shake your head gently. “Sorry, I don’t drink red wine.”

Renjun laughs, “who says it’s red wine?”

“Then what is it?”

He brings the glass closer to you, “why don’t you find out?”

You stared at him for a second, an innocent smile forming on his lips. You raise an eyebrow before accepting it when Chenle grabs your hands. 

“Chenle —”

“Auntie is looking for you Renjun-ge,” Chenle said with a cold tone. 

But Renjun wasn’t fazed by his cousin’s words. “Alrighty then, see you later yn,” he gives you a wink before leaving you two. 

Chenle lets go of your hand. You ignored the way it hurt you, Chenle placed the plates full of food in front of you and sat next to you. 

“Sorry about that, Renjun tends to be a prankster,” Chenle apologized. His hands make their way to your wrist as he lightly presses it. 

“It’s fine, I get it,” you assured. “What’s in that drink by the way?”

“Alcohol but not wine,” Chenle answered. 

You let it be. Giving him a sign that it’s fine now and you two can start digging in. The whole night, you two enjoyed mingling with his family. Dancing to the music and even talking to his parents. They were lovely people, despite the enormous teasing that you got from them for being the first girl Chenle has brought, you couldn’t help but feel at home with them. 

“It’s almost eleven,” Chenle pointed out. “Should we go see the moonflowers?”

“What about your family?” he asked. 

“I know a perfect spot to watch it, come on,” you weren’t able to say yes when he tugs you away. 

You two walked towards the backyard of their property. A wide grassfield that's a field with nothing but tall trees and wildflowers. You only hold on to Chenle as he finds the route towards the garden of moonflowers.

“Wow,” you mumbled as you two reached the garden. Chenle finds the marbled bench that’s beside a pillar where the moonflower vines crawled. You looked at the white buds, they’re twitching as the full moon slowly rises, gray clouds acting like a curtain opening slowly the bright gleam of the moon. 

You sat there in awe, watching the moonflower bloom slowly and beautifully. Your eyes widen in amazement because it’s the first time you have witnessed a flower bloom, let alone in the middle of the night. 

“This is amazing,” you only mumbled. “I’m so glad that you brought me here. Thank you Chenle.” 

“I’m happy too,” he smiles. 

Silently, you gaze on his eyes. That’s when you noticed how his eyes weren’t in the shade of black, more of a unique reddish brown. The two of you stared at each other for a second before Chenle leaned on you slowly. 

You couldn’t help but to close your eyes as Chenle’s lips crashed onto yours. It was soft, tasted like cherries, so sweet and addicting that you couldn’t help but to kiss him back. You can feel your heart beating fast, the feeling was something new yet blissful. 

Chenle’s arms trailed around your waist, you couldn’t help but to distinctively wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him closer as you two kissed each other under the bright moonlight. 

He breaks the kiss, leaving trails on your jaw, going down and down, earning a moan from you as you feel his lips on your neck, somewhere you’re sensitive the most. 

But your eyes widened as you felt something sharp — a deep sting stabbing on your neck. You let out a mute scream as you tried to grasp for air. The stabbed deepens more and as you try to push Chenle away, his grip on your arms tightens. 

“Chenle…w-what?” you stuttered, finally having the courage to speak. You let out a scream as you felt the stab being removed from your neck. As you come face to face with Chenle, you watch as he licks his lips in pleasure, blood dripping from his fangs — something that you were surprised that he had. 

“Fuck you’re so sweet,” he said. “I’ll never get tired of drinking your blood.” 

“What?” it was the only thing you could say. Your mind is turning hazy, feeling the blood dripping out of your neck. You feel pale and weak, watching Chenle cup your cheeks. His eyes turned red fully. 

“You’re driving me crazy yn, your blood is driving me crazy. You don’t know how much I endure taking you in whenever I’m with you,”

The truth was out. You can feel your tears flowing out from your eyes. No wonder he was drawn to you. It was your blood that he’s addicted to. Chenle’s eyes darken and yet, his thumbs swiped the tears away.

“Oh don’t worry dear, I still love you,” he said. “You’re going to be mine anyways.” 

“What do you mean?” you asked, heart beating fast. 

“It’s easy, you’re going to be mine,” Chenle said, resting his forehead on yours. Eyes gazing at you with every dark intention he had in his mind. From there, he smirks. “We’ll share the same blood and drink from it. You’ll be just like us.”

“No!” you shouted, pushing him away but he was just too strong. You struggled your way out of his grip but Chenle was just too strong for your weak body. He pushes you against the marbled bench, trapping you in between his arms. His left hands grabbing both your wrist to stop you from struggling.

“Don’t worry, it’ll just hurt a little,” he assured, gazing his hands on your cheeks. You watch as he leans close to you once again. 

And you could only let out a guttural scream as his fangs deepened on your neck once again.

[zhukzucraft]

Wild Life - Chapter 2

A fan-made Life SMP session project by Zhuk and Schmomo

>Chapter 1< or >Read it on Ao3<

“So you’re breaking up with us,” Martyn said, matter of factly.

“Is this supposed to be shocking?” Cleo asked, “You leaving to go be with Etho, instead?” She laughed a little, cycling through her inventory for her iron pick. 

“It’s nothing personal!” Bdubs insisted, quickly, “I just feel bad for the guy, you know?”

“He is washed up,” Grian agreed, his voice carrying from up high where he was building up their tower of cobble. 

“Exactly. Wait, no! No, he’s not!” Bdubs huffed, “But it was harsh how we all ditched him.”

Yesterday had been a mad dash for resources, like all first days in the Life games tended to be. Bdubs’ plan for starting the Life game challenge had remained the same as always: stick to Etho. But that hadn’t really played out the way he wanted it to. When he’d circled up with his group near the exposed iron vein on the side of the mountain, everyone had realized at the same time an important fact: He, Impulse, Cleo and Skizz were all dogs. 

Etho was not. 

“He’s a cat, Bdubs,” Martyn said, his tail swishing about in warning behind him, “A filthy feline, if you will.”

“Shouldn’t we be building bridges?” Bdubs tried, his own short tail quite flat against his body.

“No, we’re building a tower,” Grian called from above. 

Cleo snorted, trying to cover her smile with her free hand. 

“The man is lost without me,” Bdubs continued, “And I really just want to check on him, is all. Don’t you trust me?”

“Not at all,” Cleo said with a smile, “But go on then, find your cat boyfriend if it’ll calm your anxious heart.”

Bdubs rolled his eyes, turning away and padding to the edge of their platform. After the iron had run dry, Skizz and Impulse had ventured further up the mountains. Bdubs knew his history with fall damage well enough to stick to more solid ground. Cleo had decided to join up with Martyn and Grian who were discussing some grandiose plan to take control of the entire lake. He had followed them without a second thought. 

Now, he stared out at the vast expanse of water before him, “You know, we really should build a bridge–”

“No bridges!” Grian shouted, “That’s the whole point!”

Bdubs threw his hands up in the air, defeated with his teammates–former teammates? It was unclear at this point. Bdubs was about 65% certain he would come back to them. Maybe less so now that this base Grian and Martyn were insisting on would prevent him from any kind of sustainable horse travel. 

He pinched his nose and jumped into the water, shuddering as the cold temperature hit him. He pushed through, diving down past the many salmon and cod to head to shore. By the end he was doggy paddling, which was fitting he supposed. When he reached the shore line he shook himself out, his ears floppy atop his head and smacking him ever so lightly. 

His comms buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out. 

Solidarity has made the advancement [Diamonds!] Smallishbeans > ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Smallishbeans > HE’S THE FIRST ONE?????? Smajor1995 > just wait for the swimming in lava message to appear soon enough Skizzleman > i don’t have anything to contribute but as another S name i felt the need to say something GoodTimeWithScar > same! Grian > Your username starts with G, scar GoodTimeWithScar > are we starting our own train now, G? Solidarity > DOES ANYONE HAVE FOOD THEY CAN THROW DOWN MY HOLE?

“Poor fella,” Bdubs sighed out without even a hint of pity. He put his communicator away. He glanced around, seeing the remnants of other players from the falling leaves and missing dark oak trunks. He decided to keep to the edge of the forest, just in case. After a few hundred blocks, the dark oak gave way to a plains biome and–

“HORSE!” Bdubs shouted, sprinting over to the magnificent herd of beasts. There were six of them, all deep browns and blacks. Some were even spotted with white. “What beauties,” he praised as he petted one of the wild mares, who shook her mane out at him. He hauled himself onto her back, only to be bucked off. He was no stranger to the process, however, and kept at it, taming the entire herd by the time the sun was shining directly above him. 

“Now I just need a saddle,” Bdubs said aloud, before frowning. Right. He needed a saddle. What were the odds he’d stumble upon a dungeon anytime soon? He wondered if they were using the leather recipe in this game. That would be oh-so-fortuitous. 

He hadn’t been paying attention, and the horse he was seated upon had wandered further into the plains, toward the great big snowy mountain they’d all pillaged for iron yesterday. He wondered if Skizz and Impulse were still up there. Why were all his friends moving into such horse-hostile environments? Bunch of scum, the lot of em. 

The land opened up in front of him and he let out a surprised shout of terror. He quickly jumped off the horse, only to land precariously at the edge of the gaping ravine. 

That was a close one, Bdubs thought to himself, imagine being the first to die. And to fall damage too. 

He scurried backwards, giving himself a few blocks of distance. Sheepishly he looked around to see if anyone had seen him shrieking. Luckily, no one was around. 

Where the heck was everyone? Had no one decided to settle in these plains? He frowned, turning all the way around before getting himself dizzy. How was he supposed to find Etho with everyone hiding? Everyone was still green for void’s sake! There was no need to be so un-neighborly yet. 

“Cowards! All of ya!” he shouted out to no one in particular, cupping his hands around his mouth to make sure his important message carried. 

“Is someone out there!?”

Bdubs startled, looking around for the owner of the voice. 

“Hello!?” 

He narrowed his eyes, following the voice several blocks to the right. He stopped right before the ground gave way to another hole. 

“OH THANK THE VOID!”

All the way down below, surrounded by dripstone, was Jimmy. In full diamond armor. 

“BDUBS YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!” Jimmy shouted, “I'VE GOT HALF A HEART AND NOTHING TO MY NAME!”

“I don’t know about that,” Bdubs called back, sitting down on the edge of the hole, “You’re covered in diamonds.”

“I’ve got no wood, no tools and no food,” Jimmy lamented, “Please, do you have any food to spare?”

“How’d you manage this?” Bdubs asked, his ears perking up.

“There was some mild panicking when I dug into lava,” Jimmy said, “Very mild. I may have thrown half my inventory into it. These are minor details. Anyway, can you spare a mutton? I’d take it raw at this point.”

Bdubs cringed, “You’re lucky Scott didn’t hear that. He’d never let you live it down.”

“Scott’s dead to me!” Jimmy shouted back, “He and Joel and Etho found me just to laugh! The nerve!”

“Etho?” Bdubs blinked, honing in on his mission with laser focus, “You know where he went?”

“You get me outta this jam, I’ll take you straight to him, I swear on my half of a heart.”

“And one of your diamond pieces,” Bdubs added, standing back up. 

“You’d take the shirt off my back in my most trying time?”

“If it’s made of diamonds? Of course!” Bdubs replied, rummaging through his inventory, “After all, my hand might slip and grab my lava bucket instead.”

“ALRIGHT!” Jimmy shouted, “Just please! I can’t live down being yellow first again.”

Bdubs chuckled, taking mercy and flooding the hole. Jimmy quickly swam up, clawing his way onto solid ground and giving himself a firm shake to dry himself off. His long fluffy golden tail rained water droplets everywhere.

“Ah, a fellow dog of culture, I see,” Bdubs noted.

Jimmy cracked a smile, “Once a big dog, always a big dog. Woof, woof.” He picked himself up, taking off his diamond boots and handing them over. “Now please, some meat would be nice.”

“Oh I don't have any food on me,” Bdubs replied casually, slipping the armor on. “Should have probably grabbed some before leaving my crew, now that I think about it.”

Jimmy let out an anguished cry, hands shooting out to take hold of Bdubs shoulders. He dug into the iron armor there, “Are you KIDDING ME?” he shouted, close to tears, “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through!? Wave after wave after wave of creepers and zombies hounded me down there. Half a heart, Bdubs! I could trip and it’d be the end of me.”

“I’ve got a bed if you want to set your spawn here,” Bdubs offered with a bright cheery smile. Jimmy screamed out in aggravation. Bdubs patted his shoulder.

“Oh, that explains it.”

Jimmy and Bdubs turned at the sound of a third voice, and emerging from one of the rolling hills of this biome was Mumbo Jumbo of all people. 

“Mumbo!” Bdubs exclaimed, giving a friendly wave. “And on top of a mound!”

“Hmm? Oh! Yes! Once a mounder, always a mounder,” Mumbo replied with a grin, carefully hopping down the blocks to make it to their sides. His skin black and white tail shot out for balance. “Although, I’ve graduated to new heights this go-around. You could say I’m a mountaineer, now.”

“Well, ain’t that nice,” Bdubs complimented, “Are Skizz and Impulse with ya then?”

“Oh yes!” Mumbo assured, “BigB too.”

“Lovely catching up,” Jimmy interrupted, eye twitching, “But we have pressing matters at hand! Mumbo, do you have any food on you, bud?

“Hmm? Oh. Oh right, food. That would have been a good idea, wouldn’t it have been.” Mumbo realized aloud, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

“YOU PEOPLE ARE IMPOSSIBLE!” Jimmy screamed.

Bdubs laughed, patting Jimmy’s shoulder and spreading his other arm out over the horizon, “Look, we’re in a plains biome, I’m sure we can find ya something to munch on.”

“All the animals are gone already!” Jimmy snapped, “This is the life series not Hermitcraft!”

“There’s plenty of horses,” Mumbo pointed out, unhelpfully. 

“I CAN’T EAT A HORSE.”

“Not hungry enough, eh?” Mumbo replied. 

Jimmy paused mid scream to laugh, “Alright, that’s a good one.” He then returned to screaming, “I’ve got two ticks left in my hunger bar before I starve to death. And that’s gonna be on both your consciences now, I hope you know.”

“I’m sure I can convince Etho to part with some snacks when I find him,” Bdubs assured.

“Isn’t Etho a cat, though? At least, that’s what Impulse told me,” Mumbo said, “Why are you looking for him?”

“Because I’m me, Mumbo, that’s why,” Bdubs snapped. 

“Right,” Mumbo said, “Should have expected that. Anyway, if you’ll excuse me I need to collect some redstone down in that ravine. No reason, of course.”

“Of course,” Bdubs played along. He waved as Mumbo pushed past them, black and white spotted tail wagging behind him. He turned back to Jimmy, “Now which way did Etho go?”

Jimmy sighed,  “He went further up, toward Scar’s place, I think. Have you been there yet? Last I saw him he was making some sort of shanty on the lake edge.”

“And that’s where we shall go,” Bdubs announced. 

“I can’t sprint,” Jimmy said, looping an arm around Bdubs’ as a preventative measure. “Don’t you dare leave me behind.”

Bdubs laughed, but acquiesced. Slowing his pace down as they walked through the peaceful meadows. It was strange to see so few mobs and people. Eerie, really. But eventually from the fog appeared a new structure at the lake's edge. A fishing hut made of oak and spruce, already with a nice pier jutting into the water. 

Scar came into view first, arms waving about as he spoke to three other players. Even before he rendered, Bdubs could tell the tallest silhouette to be Etho, most likely standing beside Joel and Scott based on Jimmy’s previous recollection.

“ETHO!” Bdubs shouted, abandoning Jimmy completely to sprint over to him. 

Etho’s head shot up, and there was a soft crinkle around his eyes as they lit up in recognition. “Oh snappers, it’s a Bdubs!” he exclaimed, lifting  his hand to wave at him. 

“Why, hello there, Bdubs,” Scar intercepted, coming in between them before Bdubs could go in for the hug, “Welcome to my dock.”

“Right,” Bdubs nodded. “It’s a nice dock.”

“Thanks, I made it myself. Took all my wood,” Scar continued proudly, his gray and black tail swishing dangerously behind him.

“That’s not even true,” another voice snapped, and Bdubs quickly saw Lizzie coming into view. She was munching on a fish, her small ears folded close to her head, “I made the dock. You only made the shanty.”

“Details,” Scar waved off with his ever present smile. 

“Food!” Bdubs shouted, pointing at the half eaten cod in Lizzie’s hand, “Jimmy needs some! Lizzie can you spare a fish  for the starving man behind me?”

“Oh, Bdubs,” Joel groaned, his striped tail drooping in disappointment, “You actually helped him?”

“He was supposed to stay in the hole.” Scott clicked his tongue, shaking his head. 

“Dogs, amiright?” Joel offered cheekily. Bdubs couldn’t help but let out a petulant little huff at that. 

By that point Jimmy had finally staggered over to them, doubling over to rest his hands on his knees. “One tick! One tick left and I die before your callous eyes!”

“I’ve got food, Jimmy,” Lizzie assured, digging through her inventory, “But you’ll have to swear your undying loyalty to me first.”

“FINE!” Jimmy agreed. 

“See, this is how you get into so much trouble, Jimmy,” Scott commented, “You agree too quickly to things.”

“The man’s on death’s door, Scott. You can’t blame him,” Scar defended, even as he took out his own cooked cod to eat in front of him.

“To seal the deal I shall give you this!” Lizzie announced, handing over a bone. 

“Am I joke to you?” Jimmy growled, holding the bone, “You expect me to eat this? Just because I’m a dog? Har, har, har, everybody.” He pretended to give the bone a bite, only for his jaw to snap right through it. He blinked, surprised, nostrils flaring and bringing the bone to his mouth to properly chew on it. 

And then he ate it completely. 

“Oh,” Lizzie said, dumbfounded.

Joel started to laugh, “Did he seriously just–”

“There’s a terrible bone joke just waiting to be made here,” Scott snickered, politely covering his smile with his hand. 

Jimmy’s face colored, “Shut up! Just hold on a second,”

“Did it work?” Bdubs asked, intrigued. His floppy ears did their best to perk up.

“It…worked,” Jimmy confirmed, eyes widening 

“So I can punch you now? Thank void I’ve been having to hold back this whole time–” Joel started, pushing his way forward and winding his arm back.

Jimmy screeched, high pitched. Etho’s arm shot out to grab Joel by the scruff of his shirt while the poor golden retriever quickly ran behind Bdubs. “It didn’t FILL me up! I’m not anywhere close to healed yet. Get away from me, Joel!”

Lizzie stared at one of her bones, appraising it. Carefully, she raised it to her mouth and gave it an experimental gnaw. She grimaced.

“Let me try it,” Bdubs pawed at the bone, curiosity having gotten the best of him yet again. He immediately managed to snap it in half with his teeth, despite missing several. His eyes widened, “Huh. It’s not half bad!”

“This must be a dog thing,” Lizzie murmured, putting a finger to her chin, “I mean you can feed bones to wild wolves so it sort of makes sense.”

“Wait a tick,” Jimmy said, straightening up, “Wouldn’t that…Wouldn’t that mean…” He let his voice fade off as he rifled through his inventory to pull out a piece of rotten flesh. 

“Oh that is vile, Jimmy!” Joel snapped. 

Jimmy took a bite. His eyes widened. “NO WAY! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”

Bdubs tilted his head to the side. Jimmy handed him another piece of the zombie flesh and he took a brave bite. An explosion of flavors hit his tongue all at once. Savory rich barbecue with just a hint of heat at the edges. He could feel himself salivating for more as he gobbled up the supposed rancid meat. “Oh my! This is gourmet!” 

“Are you telling me, I’ve been panicking for the past few hours when I could have eaten any of the 40 pieces of rotten flesh in my inventory!?” Jimmy cried, sinking down to his knees. 

“This is amazing,” Joel snickered, “I’m glad you dragged us out here, Scott.”

“I’m full of great ideas,” Scott preened, flicking his hair back to emphasize the point. His blue gray tail swished behind him for added effect.

“Anyway,” Etho said, finally making his way to stand by his old friend, “Fancy seeing you here, Bdubs.”

“Etho!” Bdubs shouted, remembering the whole point of the day. 

“Shouldn’t you be with your pack?” Etho faux sniffled, turning his head to the side. 

“I came to check on you!” Bdubs insisted, pushing toward him. “Sure, I was led astray momentarily, but here I am in the end! That’s got to count for something, right?”

“I’m not letting more people move in with me,” Joel growled, putting his foot down. 

Etho patted Joels’ shoulder, lifting his other hand to scratch the back of his own neck, “Ya see, Bdubs, after that whole debacle, I kinda joined my own alliance. A Fe-liance.”

“Oh.” Bdubs took a step back, wounded. “Oh, I see.”

“Aww man, Joel,” Etho caved immediately, turning to the tabby cat, “Can’t we keep him?”

“Absolutely not.”

“But look at him. How could you say no to that face?”

“Easily,” Joel said. Scott laughed. 

“Gentlemen,” Scar clapped, grabbing everyone's attention once more. Lizzie made a loud ahem, her tail lashing out in warning. Scar quickly amended, “And Lady. Although this has been quite the joyous reunion, I do believe you three came here for business?”

“We came for information, actually,” Scott cut in, taking a step forward, “From Lizzie, really. I hear you’ve got quite the advantage in this game, this time around.”

Lizzie blinked owlishly, “Whatever do you mean?”

“Oh, she’s good,” Bdubs whispered to Jimmy and Etho, who were standing closest to him. 

“That’s the same look you pull half the time,” Etho huffed, crossing his arms.

“Game recognizes game,” Bdubs nodded. “Did I say that right? Gem taught me that one.”

“Joel told me everything,” Scott said bluntly. Joel’s ears pinned back, betrayed. 

Lizzie scowled, turning to her husband, “Joel! You had one job!”

“I didn’t know it was a secret!” Joel snapped, tabby tail lashing behind him.

“Of course it was a secret!” Lizzie huffed. She crossed her arms, glaring up at Scott. “Well, you already know, then. No fall damage.”

“No fall damage?” Etho repeated, eyes widening a fraction. 

“At all?” Bdubs added. “Well, wouldn’t that be nifty.”

“Interesting,” Scott continued tapping his chin, “What else do you know?”

Lizzie glowered, “Maybe that’s all I know.”

“Oh, come on now,” Scott started, his tone lilting as he bent forward to get closer to Lizzie’s face,  “You expect me to believe the great LDShadowlady spent all of her imperial days as a cat and learned only one thing?”

“Oh, Scott,” Lizzie said, turning her head shyly to the side, “You’re gonna make me blush.”

Joel visibly scowled. 

“Anybody got blocks?” Etho asked, “I gotta try this no fall damage thing.”

“Oh, it’s amazing Etho,” Joel egged on, eager to latch onto any distraction from his wife’s annoyance at him, “I went all the way to the height limit. You saw!”

“I did see,” Etho agreed with a light laugh. 

“Lizzie’s got cobble in her chest,” Jimmy pointed out, uncrouching from the chest he’d been rifling through.. 

Lizzie whirled around at him, “Jimmy! I saved your life and you’re going through my things?”

Etho grabbed two stacks easily, turning towards Bdubs, “What do you say, wanna give it a shot with me?”

Bdubs reddened, but he took the offered stack, “Oh, well, when you ask so nicely how could I possibly refuse?” Then he pocketed the stack and put his hands on his hips, “Are you CRAZY? I’m no cat! You think me a FOOL?”

Etho cackled, “Just keeping you on your toes, is all.” He wiped at his eye, and hopped up onto a block, “I’m still gonna check it out for myself, though.” 

Bdubs watched with growing wariness as Etho ascended upwards. He could hear the bickering around him start to die down as all eyes veered toward the white cat in the sky. 

“You know, this has me thinking,” Scar started, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “We could be a whole traveling circus. Think of all the trapeze arts! No safety nets. It’d be spectacular. People would pay a fortune to see it. And there would be absolutely no clowns.”

“Shh,” Joel shushed, “He’s gonna jump. Jump into my arms Etho!!” he extended out his hands, only to be nudged in the side by both Scott and Lizzie adding up to one solid tick of damage against him. 

Etho did jump and, without a drop of water,  landed on his feet before them. His tail pointed straight out for balance and his own eyes were wide like even he couldn’t believe it. Then he turned toward his audience and asked, “Did that make you jump?”

“Oh, BROTHER,” Bdubs lamented, rolling his eyes. Hopefully, his lambasting would cover up the jealousy and admiration festering just underneath the surface. 

“I didn’t go that far up,” Etho admitted sheepishly after a moment, stepping away from his stack, “But you know what, Bdubs? I bet you could water bucket clutch from that height.”

“No way,” Bdubs said.

“Perhaps we should change the saying from scaredy cat to scaredy dog,” Joel goaded. 

“Good one,” Scott replied flatly. 

“It was NOT,” Jimmy snapped, “Don’t listen to them Bdubs! You don’t need to prove nothin’.”

“Of course I’m not doing something that stupid,” Bdubs assured. 

“I’ll give you this saddle,” Etho offered. 

“Alright,” Bdubs sighed, pulling out the stack of cobblestone and starting to hop up into the sky. He ignored Jimmy’s squawking and Joel’s cackling, instead focusing on not slipping off his precarious tower. As he reached the halfway point he realized very quickly how stupid he was being. “Committing to the bit never did me wrong before,” he murmured to himself. He blinked and then snapped aloud, “Except for every time it did! What the heck am I doing up here!?”

He stared down at his audience and pursed his lips. He couldn’t mine down to them now. He’d never live it down. He’d bring great shame not only to himself but to all of dogkind. Plus, he really did want a saddle. 

“You’re a professional, Bdubs,” he reminded himself, shaking off his nerves and squaring his shoulders. He pulled out his bucket of water, counted to three, then counted to three again, and then finally psyched himself out enough to just jump at the number two. 

BDoubleO100 fell from a high place. ImpulseSV  > OH NO! IntheLittleWood > First Blood TangoTek > Jimmy you can breathe now! ZombieCleo > I let you out of my sight for FIVE MINUTES

Bdubs opened his eyes at spawn and let out a frustrated scream. He stomped around trying to let the anger out. Oh, he was going to murder Etho, his eternal alliance be damned. He started hoofing it to the otherside of the lake, lamenting his lack of horse. His lack of anything. Especially with the sun already starting to set. It wouldn’t be long until night befell them. 

“Bdubs! Over here!” he heard Jimmy shout. He turned his head to see that both Jimmy and Lizzie were running toward him, meeting him about halfway. 

“We grabbed your stuff,” Jimmy said quickly as he started chucking items out of his pockets and onto the ground. 

“I gave Etho quite the tongue lashing too,” Lizzie assured, “Put the fear of the void in ‘im for messing with my dogs like that.”

“Your dogs?” Jimmy questioned. 

“I gave you each a bone, didn’t I?” Lizzie reminded him. 

“I’ve got a bone to pick with a certain someone,” Bdubs interrupted, pushing past them after accounting for his relatively small amount of things.  He sprinted the rest of the way and in no time he found exactly who he was looking for. 

“ETHO, WHAT THE HECK!” Bdubs shouted, glaring as the white cat seemed to curl in on himself nervously. His white ears pinned so close to his head they became lost in his unruly hair.

“I swear I was gonna put down some water as a safety last minute,” Etho muttered, not looking him in the eye. He rummaged through his inventory and pulled out a horse saddle, “You still want the saddle?”

“I don’t want your BLOOD SADDLE!” Bdubs bellowed, stomping his foot for added effect. “I want my life back!”

“Uh,” Etho started, glancing over to his alliance for help. 

Joel stepped in easily enough, “Sorry, Bdubs, we don’t speak dog.” He grabbed hold of Etho’s arm, pulling him away, “Etho! Scott! Uh, we should go work on the base! That isn’t here!”

“Right,” Etho agreed as he allowed himself to be dragged, “We’ve got a tree to build.”

“You’re even building trees without me, now?” Bdubs called out, “I hate you!”

“Quite the tragic break up we’re witnessing, huh boys,” Lizzie commented, shaking her head solemnly where she stood between Jimmy and Scar. 

“What, you and Joel?” Scar blinked. 

“What? No! Bdubs and Etho!” Lizzie snapped. 

“But you’re sticking with me right? Not following your husband out there? I take loyalty very seriously here, Lizzie,” Scar warned. 

“Of course!” Lizzie waved off, “That man’s dead to me.” She ignored the strangled cry of I heard that from Joel, instead giving Scar a bright cheery smile. He echoed it and the atmosphere seemed to grow a bit tenser, enough for Jimmy to take a wary step back. 

“Timmy, where are you going?” Scar asked, turning towards him.

“Yeah, Jimmy, you’re one of us now, remember?” Lizzie cautioned. 

Jimmy swallowed, “Uh, right, about that. You know, you two being cats, and us being dogs–”

“The circus doesn’t discriminate,” Scar waved off. 

“You took the bone, Jimmy,” Lizzie reminded him sternly.

“Erm, Bdubs, what do you think?” Jimmy tried, turning desperately to the silent pug still watching the trio retreating in the distance.  

Bdubs ignored him entirely, instead screaming out “WAIT!” at the top of his lungs. 

Jimmy blanched as he watched his fellow dog sprint away from him, calling out a desperate plea of, “Don’t leave me here alone!”

Bdubs caught up to the cat trio easily enough. He stood right in front of Etho, who still looked too sheepish to meet his gaze. With his sternest glare he demanded, “Give me the saddle.”

Etho gave a nervous chuckle but handed over the item all the same. “So…we’re good now? No hard feelings?”

“Nope,” Bdubs answered with a cheery smile, “You’re absolutely dead to me!” He then swiveled round, racing back to  join Lizzie, Scar and Jimmy where he left them. 

“Oh, thank the void you didn’t abandon me,” Jimmy sighed out in relief. 

“Abandon you? No! Never!” Bdubs assured, throwing an arm around the taller dog, “We’re bone brothers now.”

Lizzie cheered and Scar gave his own approving cackle as he swept them all in for a group hug. From within the inner circle, Bdubs continued, “Alright, new family, here’s the deal. I’ve got intel I can share about a whole host of these TRAITORS on this server.”

Still, even as he shared all he knew about the locations of the other players and their species, he couldn’t help glancing behind his back every now and then, just in case. And each time his eyes met only the empty landscape, he felt the cold wrap around his heart just a little bit tighter.

[inktailsaystuff]

Kaveh and Alhaitham Relationship Headcanons~

Tw: none

Pre-relationship~

Alhaitham was the #1 Kavetham denier

Kaveh was aware of his feelings and just kinda moped about it

Poor man thought Alhaitham didn't like him back so he would just be all sad

Alhaitham was in denial

He didn't even realize that he had been crushing on Kaveh for the longest time

He just thought that he had grown attached

Kaveh brings Alhaitham food whenever he goes out (THIS AINT A HEADCANON THIS IS CANON AND WE ALL KNOW IT)

Alhaitham's face is on like every page of Kaveh’s sketchbook

They bicker a lot but the moment Alhaitham thinks he's genuinely hurting Kaveh he gets all apologetic and switches topics

Because Alhaitham doesn't talk to people a lot Kaveh didn't really get jealous when someone flirted with Alhaitham

BUT ALHAITHAM- 

Naur this man was so down bad without even knowing it if someone got too “close” with Kaveh he would try to one-up whoever the offending person's intelligence

Everyone but Alhaitham can see how Kaveh is desperately pining after him

No one can see Alhaitham pining after Kaveh other than Nahida 

They just think it is an L for Kaveh and many people tell him to move on

(Kaveh does not move on)

When Kaveh gets too drunk and starts getting sad Alhaitham will “rEluCtanTly” console him.

Cyno and Tighnari have a bet on who will confess first because Tighnari heard with his massive ears Alhaitham consoling Kaveh while he was blackout drunk

Eventually Nahida steps in, after watching Alhaitham read every book in the library to try and figure out what his feelings are

Alhaitham denies the claims, and Nahida just is like: You gay. 

Kaveh confesses first and has this whole rant where he's like “I know you don't feel the same way and you can kick me out of your house.” 

Alhiatham just went “I like you too.” he won at life and was having an internal party

Cue awkward staring 

Alhaitham just kinda asked if Kaveh wanted to kiss and they did 

Dendro gays are official :D

Relationship~

They have separate rooms but despite that, Kaveh likes sleeping in Alhaitham's room since he likes being close to him

Alhaitham likes having Kaveh’s presence nearby

Alhaitham actually struggles to sleep if he can't feel Kaveh’s presence nearby 

When they get into an argument Alhaitham will steal Kaveh’s keys to force Kaveh to talk to him

Despite his appearance, Alhaitham requires at least one physical contact a day with Kaveh, aka buff abs man needs a kiss to function 

Alhaitham does not want Kaveh to move out, one time Kaveh mentioned it, and Alhaitham just flat-out said you're not leaving. 

Alhaitham doesn't do much physical contact but he just likes having Kaveh near him, like as long as Kaveh is within arms reach he is happy

They will have dates where Alhiatham reads and Kaveh draws him

Alhiatham fills Kaveh’s sketchbook more than ever 

Alhaitham likes looking at the drawings Kaveh made

Kaveh constantly gets hit on by other men because of how feminine he looks and Alhaitham just kinda glares

He wont say anything to get people to back off, he’ll just glare or move closer to Kaveh

Alhaitham is so soft for Kaveh its like wild and at the same time hes the biggest jerk to Kaveh

One of their love language is bickering, 

No you can't change my mind

They will nitpick each other's tastes but never go as far as to actually hurt each other's feelings

When Kaveh cries Alhaitham just throws all his brain cells out the window, now he is just fussing over Kaveh, holding him and whispering reassurances his brain turns to mush and the only thought is to make Kaveh feel better

If anyone other than Kaveh knew about this he would kill himself he never wants this to get out

Inktail’s Dendro bonus of a wedding plan~

They both get each other rings, well Kaveh makes his for Alhaitham, and Alhaitham just buys one.

Kaveh took on like a million commissions so he could get the materials for the ring

He has an entire sketchbook dedicated to ring designs

Alhaitham just gets a simple gold ring with their names engraved (it costs more mora than the rent)

Alhaitham proposes first and after calming down a Kaveh crying from joy Alhiatham receives his ring. 

While it is somewhat bedazzled and has a pair of jewels Alhiatham still wears it since Kaveh gave it to him  

Kaveh got a green jewel that matched Alhaitham’s boob gem 

Kaveh cried at their wedding, 

Alhaitham was internally combusting at their wedding

Nahida was the officiator

Collei was the flower girl

And Scaramouche was the makeup artist

[orphicrose]

Can you pls write Hosea (rdr2) x teen reader where the reader was caught stealing from the vamp and Hosea tracks them down and sees that maybe the reader was trying to save a injured horse or any other animal. I was thinking that the reader has been living on the streets/wild for a while and looks the part, so he knows how to survive and doesnt trust anyone really and when Hosea sees that the reader stole to help he was kinda moved and approached the reader and asked them to join the group because their thieving/stealing skills could be useful, and maybe a few reactions when Hosea brings back the teen. I imagine Hosea to be just really kind to children and teens

Stray (Hosea x Child!Reader)

Absolutely! Love this idea, thank you for the request

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

The camp was no stranger to crime, being on the dealing end of it the majority of the time. But they weren't to used to being the receiver, and by a child of all things. Over the course of a week, little things had gone missing through the night. Being camped up in horseshoe overlook meant they were subjected to rats, which was plausable. But medicine, Hosea didn't think rats were that advanced. It wasn't just a little, it was a whole crate worth of canned food and horse tonic that had vanished.

"What you planning, Hosea?" Charles appeared in front of the old man, who was sat on a stump cleaning the barrel of his gun.

"I'm going to catch the theft in action tonight" He stood up, throwing the gun over his shoulder. "I'm not convinced we have rats."

"No?"

"No. Rats don't drink horse tonic."

Charles hummed in response, amused by his answer. "Well, have fun old man" he patted his shoulder before he left to his tent. Leaving Hosea to himself in the darkening night.

The night was cool, calm and very uneventful. Everyone was asleep peacefully in their tents, except Hosea. Waiting. Back leant against a tree as he was planted on the floor, gun in hands at the ready. His eyes began shutting on him as he heard small footsteps creeping up on him. Keeping his composure, he sat still, giving the impression of him being asleep. In the corner of his eyes, a small person snuck up behind some bushes towards Strauss carriage. A small bottle was snatched from the side of the structure and then figure disappeared back into the night.

It was but a kid. Hosea had a pain in his gut, at the thought of shooting it. The child's scruffy appearance resembled that of a stray dog, making him feel sorry. But his effortless skills in thieving had potential, showing similar traits of Arthur when they took him in. Perhaps they could help each other.

Usually, Hosea would have waited till morning. To tell someone of his plan. But he felt this was too urgent to wait hours for morning to roll around. His gun was equipped to his back, and he took it upon himself to follow the figure on foot. Finding the little footprints in the dirt to catch up with him.

There they were. The child was almost sprinting across the train track. Hosea had to pick up his pace a little to ensure he didn't lose site of them, coughing a little as he turned to a light jog. Keeping far away enough to prevent the child from spotting him.

They must have travelled at least half a mile through the heartlands, stars illuminating the paths around them. The figure stopped abruptly in the field, hunching over into the tall grassy land. Hosea knelt down as he closed in, keeping his breath steady.

The closer he got, the closer he could make out a small dog. Seemingly passed away as it was sprawled across the grass.

"Horse tonic wont be any good for that, kid"

The child spun to see the old man, a look of fear crossing his face as the gun on his back gleamed in the light. Eyes switching between the metal and the old man.

"I.Im sorry. I just-" they stuttered, falling to the ground.

Hosea put a hand out, other hand dropping the gun from his shoulder to the floor next to him. "I wont hurt ya" He half laughed, now kneeling to the floor to show his good intentions. A hand was placed on the dogs neck, in attempts to find a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. "What happened?"

The child pointed to a bite mark on the dogs paw, two holes indicating a snake. Hosea nodded, scooping up the dog in his arms.

"you know when it happened?"

"A few days ago. I thought the tonic would help" The child fiddled with his hands, avoiding eye contact.

Hosea took a second to admire the wound, nodding his head. "He'll be fine. He would have died a while ago if the venom was strong enough" he took a second to cough into his elbow, clearing his throat. "Must have acted as an aphrodisiac"

The child looked up at him confused

"What's your name, kid?"

"Y/n"

"okay y/n, come with me. Lets get some proper food in you" He motioned his hand in the direction of his camp, flinging the small animal over his shoulder.

Clearly exhausted, y/ns movements slowed down drastically, struggling to remain awake on the journey back to camp. Not even sure if they were walking into their doom.

"What you doing out here alone?" Hosea looked down.

"My ma and pa were sick" a sigh escaped their lips, Hosea nodding sympathetically to the answer.

"What are ya? 11? 12?"

"I'm 12 soon"

"Jesus" Hosea mumbled under his breath, readjusting the animal on his shoulder to a more comfortable one. "Well... we got room" he began. "There's another kid back at camp, who will appreciate the company I'm sure"

Y/ns face seemed to lighten up a little more at the mention of another kid. That most likely meant he was safe from whatever they thought was going to happen to them.

Camp rolled into view, the campfire gleaming through the shadows of the forest.

"Where did you get off to?" Dutch marched towards him, having just woken up. The sun began to unveil itself from over the horizon, offering a warm glow to the dim landscape. "Off hunting this early?" He chuckled, motioning to the stray dog.

"Not quite" Hosea looked down to y/n, Dutch following his line of vision. A small 'oh' leaving his mouth. "I solved our little rat issue"

"He reminds me a little of john" Dutch put a finger to his lips, thinking. "Are you suggesting we take him in?"

Hosea shrugged "He wont be no trouble. He even came with a hunting dog"

Dutch chortled, walking back towards the camp. "Suppose we should introduce everyone, shouldn't we?" He turned to the child. "And your name is?"

"Y/n... sir"

"y/n!" He repeated. "Hosea, take that dog to heir Straus. I'm sure he will take care of it"

Y/n was offered food from Pearson shortly, who didn't question the new member. Having seen many of the camp come and go by this point. The women made quite a fuss of him, cooing about how sweet he is. Especially Abigail.

"Abigail!" Dutch called her over, who soon came rushing over with jack following closely behind her. "Yes Dutch" She looked down towards y/n. Confusion on her face.

"This is y/n, Hoseas most recent adoption" He motioned down to the child "I don't suppose you could make him feel more welcomed here. Perhaps introduce them to Jack?"

Jack hid behind his mothers leg, appearing shy. "Hi" he whispered, letting his hand wave a little.

Abigail nodded softly to the suited man, looking down to y/n. "I'm Abigail, this is my son jack" her hands rested on his shoulders as she forcefully brought him forward.

"Come with me, darlin, I'll show you where you can get some shut eye" She motioned for him to follow, noticing the drowsiness on his face.

A small bedsheet was laid out in hers and Jacks shared tent for y/n. Leaving him to catch up on some well earned sleep.

"But i wanna play" Jack moaned, as the tent was zipped up. Leaving y/n to some peace.

"You can play later, Jack. The poor kid needs some sleep"

Weeks had passed with the new recruit. Settling in rather quickly. Abigail had taken it upon herself to practically adopt them, her maternal instincts getting the better of her. Scolding them when she deemed fit and offering motherly love that she saw was deserving. Hosea, of course, became an authoritative figure. Spending quite a lot of time with y/n, reminding him of young Arthur and John. Making him feel slightly younger.

Everyone else was accepting, apart from Micah. Who gave y/n grief occasionally, but was dealt with by who ever was closest. Which was usually Arthur or Charles.

And Jack... Jack adored y/n. He always wanted a sibling, or a friend. Plus, he got a dog. Which survived and returned to a playful little thing with just some food, rest and water. Y/n would go on to remain in Abigails and Johns custody later in life, and become a vital aspect of the gangs family.

[miheartsedthings]

good morning, with billy !

Lovely ~ @billysbot

Thanks for being patient while I worked on this. It's kinda angsty, but ends on fluff. Hope you like it!

Words: ~ 3,000

SFW Billy x Reader

Summary: Billy moves back to California with scars and unfinished business with you. He shows up to a party you're throwing. As usual, the two of you are the last ones awake, and it's finally time to settle your childhood beef.

Warnings: Aggressive behavior, angst, Mind Flayer, fluff

Billy’s been home a few months already. He has a job at his buddy’s surf shop and an apartment Susan insisted on putting him up in. What he doesn't have is the nerve to call you. The events at Star Court left him changed, and as he sat in the hospital through graduation, he couldn’t stop thinking about the road that had led him there. All the anger and resentment he’d brought with him to Hawkins, all the ways those negative emotions had torn through him, bringing out the very worst. Sure, some of it had been that monster, but there was plenty of darkness for it to feed on. Wrath he’d cultivated and thrived on. The Flayer had only taken advantage, turned it on him so he could feel it just as harshly as he inflicted it on others.

Steve, Nancy, and the kids all regarded him differently. With reverence and a little weariness. They had never trusted him, and now they never would. The only exception to this was Max. After the Mind Flayer was gone, she treated Billy like a brother, and in his injured state, he was in no position to refuse it. She visited him in the hospital, with food, and mixtapes she'd made of new songs coming out. He was grateful for her, happy the rest of them were alive. But he needed to get away. 

Hawkins was a different place in the wake of that nightmare. Every shadow filled with movement, every sound insidious. Even the buildings themselves were strange. Besides, he was shaken, and there was no more energy for keg stands and ripping around town in the Camaro. He needed to rest in a place that felt safe. To rediscover the person he’d been before Hawkins, before his mom’s desertion. He needed to go home.  

As soon as he was well enough, he packed up the Camaro and took off, bound for California. Max refused to cry but he could tell she was sad. It was wild for Billy to think his little brat of a step-sister would miss him. Back in Cali, the scenery was brighter, but Billy was flooded with memories of his childhood; days that were full to the brim with you. 

The two of you met as kids, taking swimming lessons at the local pool. You were partnered up one day and from then on you were inseparable. You went to different schools, which didn't stop you from meeting every weekend to go swimming or hit the arcade or the movie theater. You spent Summer days riding your bikes around town trying to find trouble. He was the person you'd talk to when you fought with your girlfriends. Your house was where he ran when things got hard with his dad. You were best friends until the day his mom disappeared. 

It was your junior year of high school. You'd watched each other change and grown attached to each other's company. Even though you'd both dated and cared for other people, you'd never felt for anyone else the way you felt about each other. The line between friendship and love was so thin the slightest pressure could’ve broken it. You thought you’d have the courage to confess your feelings that summer before senior year. Then, one day, he didn't wanna talk to you anymore.

“Are you kidding?” 

You sat there on your bike, watching him flick a lighter over and over just to see the flame spring to life before letting it extinguish. All you knew was that his mom was gone, not how, or when or why. 

“You're really not gonna tell me what happened?”

He sat on his porch steps, his face etched into a frown. He was acting tough but you could tell he'd been crying. When his eyes lifted to yours you expected they would soften like usual, but he glared at you. 

“Hello?” You called. 

He looked away. That's when you hopped off your bike, letting it fall in the grass, and snatched for the lighter. He shoved you away. You landed hard on your wrist, an instant burst of pain making you cry out. Usually when you horsed around and one of you got hurt, the other would snap out of it. Apologize. He just stood there on the porch steps, glaring down at you. 

“Don't act like you care.” He sneered.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

He turned to walk inside and something desperate let loose inside you. The need to reverse whatever was happening by whatever means necessary. 

“William.”

He stopped in his tracks. 

Slowly, he turned, his eyes full of ice. For a moment you thought good, I have his attention. Then, he came down the steps and grabbed you by your injured wrist, yanking you to your feet. It didn't seem to matter that he was hurting you. He got in your face, glaring with such coldness. 

“Don't you ever. EVER fucking call me that.” 

His eyes were stone, his lips pinched into a tight line, and for the first time in your life, you were afraid of him. You felt yourself shrinking away, and when he let you go you stumbled back, tripped over your bike, and landed hard on the sidewalk. 

The boy you'd grown up with was gone, and in his place was someone too full of anger to get close to. He was a burning sun. 

The two of you stopped speaking. 

A couple of weeks later you heard a rumor he was moving, and then he was gone. 

Billy has looked back on the day he pushed you so many times. Every time he remembers the look on your face, all that pain and confusion, it fills him with regret. He wanted more than anything to call you and apologize, but every time he picked up the phone he found himself frozen, just staring at it. What would he say? How could he explain? In the end, he heard from one of his old buddies that you were throwing a party, and he resolved to be there. He'd say what he needed to say. One way or another. 

“Happy Youcla?”

Piper makes a face looking at the banner Tracy made, and Tracy makes a face back. 

“You-C-LA. It's like, an acronym. For UCLA?” 

“Okay. Why?” Piper asks. 

“It's fine,” you interject before the two can start fighting again, “It's cute. It's unique, Trac, I love it.” 

Your friend group is…eclectic, and only on special occasions do they tolerate each other for your benefit. Your college going-away party is just the thing to bring them all together for one night. Which didn't stop it from being nerve-wracking. The house is yours for one more weekend, your parents away on a strategically planned vacation, giving you space for one final iconic L/N bash. Your friends have pulled out all the stops, decorating, sourcing booze and grass, one of them even offering to DJ. 

The party is going well, friends from high school plus some people you’ve never even met crowd into the house, sitting along the stairs and standing in the halls. Filling the house with noise and laughter. You quickly get lost in it, drinking and dancing. Your head is empty until Billy walks in. 

He takes you completely by surprise. You recognize his face, of course (who could forget that face?) but the rest of him is a shock. Growing up, both of you were a couple of dorks. Your mothers dressed the two of you in corduroy and plaid. Matching Mickey Mouse sweatshirts. Now he's wearing denim and leather, putting a cigarette out in an abandoned solo cup. His chest is clearly bulky under his red button-up, and he saunters through the foyer with an undeniable magnetism that draws dozens of eyes. 

He's fucking hot.

His eyes scan the crowd, and then he sees you. He pauses mid-stride and stares at you for a long moment, a little smirk curling his lips. You turn away, your whole body flushing hot. God damn. Your childhood bestie is a certified smokin'-hot baddie. When you glance back he's flanked by a few of your friends who didn't grow up around here. He gives them well-meaning smiles, but his eyes come back to yours, making you look away again. 

Fuck.

You thought you'd be ready when B-boy came back, but you can hardly stand his gaze. You didn't expect he'd be this fuckin fine. You’d always found him cute, but it was nothing like this! Now, he's being mobbed by girls the second he enters a party. You find yourself wondering how you look compared to your old self. Billy used to tease you about your looks, and now here he is. You move around the corner into the living room, taking another long drink to take your mind off things. 

“Is that who I think it is?” Piper says, coming into the living room with you. “Is that B-boy Hargrove?”

You make a weak, anxious noise and drain your cup, your body buzzing. 

“Holy shit.” Piper continues “He’s a fuckin smoke show.”

You have to buy yourself time to figure out how to talk to him without losing your mind. What on Earth would you even say? You spend the night dodging him. Luckily, everyone's eager for his ear and keep flocking to him, flooding him with questions. You’re sure he hates it, the smell of desperation always annoyed him, but you aren’t ready. Your wrist had been sprained that day and ever since it tends to ache when you’re upset, as you are now. Your heart is thumping out of your chest, and old bitterness is filling your throat. 

At some point, you're heading into the garage for more beer, and just as you're opening the extra fridge the door to the house opens and there he is. Billy stands there looking you up and down. Your body is warm and you're full of nerves. 

“Hey.” You manage. You clear your throat and grab the six pack you'd come for. “I don't know why everyone insists on these being ice cold.” You say, at a loss for words. At least, words that make any sense. “I mean, of course, you don't want warm beer but it gives you a damn brain freeze sometimes.” 

He's standing there stone-faced, looking at you so seriously you wonder if he's come with bad news. 

“We should talk.”

Your breath catches in your lungs, staying there for a moment. 

“About what?” You shrug, panicking. 

Of all the ways you thought you'd react to Billy coming home, you didn't think it'd be like this. At the moment, all you want is to scramble away from him. Escape the tangle of emotions welling up inside you. The anger you thought you’d let go of, and the sadness underneath it. He’d thrown you away. There's so much you wanna say to him. Too much.

“Ya know, we were kids, B. It's whatever. I gotta get this beer inside, though.” 

You approach him, hoping he'll move, and when he doesn't you're forced to confront the reality of how he looks. He’s fucking beautiful, and he’s looking at you like he wants to say something. You're right in front of him and memories are flooding you, rushing around in a whirlpool. 

The time the two of you hid in the mall until it closed, or hacked one of the PAC Man games at the arcade and used the bounty of quarters to go hog wild in the candy store. The night you had your first kiss stolen by some jerk at summer camp and Billy kept ranting about finding the guy and beating him up for you. 

His desire to defend you had put you at ease. 

“You're a babe now, but you're still a chicken.” He says with a smirk. 

“You're one to talk.” 

You brush past him, successfully avoiding him for the rest of the night. 

The house is quiet and littered with abandoned cups. Here and there things are where they shouldn’t be; a throw pillow on the stairs, a desk lamp in the bathroom. It’s so close to sunrise and you’re so tired, but you can’t sleep. You can never sleep after a party. So you go downstairs, finally leaving your room where you’d been hiding out (crying), and make your way to the living room. Someone left the TV on, and Singin' in the Rain is playing at a low volume. Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor are tapping through the opening number. You pull a throw blanket from the floor and wrap it around yourself. Just as you’re getting comfortable on the couch, you hear rustling in the kitchen. Billy emerges with a coffee mug. 

You both pause, and he leans against the archway, looking as comfortable as ever. Like he belongs there in your home.

“Can’t sleep.” he says.

You're too tired to scurry away and let him sit beside you.

“Since when do you drink coffee?”

“They gave it to me all the time at the hospital.” 

This gets your attention.

“You got hurt?”

“It's a long story.” 

The two of you sit side by side, falling into a comfortable silence. His presence beside you is warm and familiar. 

“You’re different.” he says. 

“Yeah well, so are you. Ladies man now.”

He smirks a real cocky little grin that doesn’t last. It melts away while he’s looking into the mug, and it's replaced with a forlorn expression. He’s nervous. You can always tell when he’s nervous.

“For a while, I thought I’d never see you again," you say. 

His grip tightens around the cup. It’s the novelty mug you got from Virginia Beach the summer you turned 12. A vacation you'd shared with Billy and his parents. 

“How was Indiana, anyway?”

He groans, leaning back against the couch. 

“A fuckin nightmare. And I mean that in so many ways, when I tell you about all the shit…” 

He looks at you, his eyes groggy from alcohol and lack of sleep. 

“It was like that time I got stuck in the Devil's Mansion at the county fair.”

You nod at the memory.

“I remember. You freaked out, and started breaking all the puppets.” 

His eyes are clouded with memories, and the kind of fear you haven’t seen in him in a long time. He’s come home haunted. Injured. Your heart beats hard in your chest. 

“There's so much I wanna tell you.” he says. 

“Just start by saying you're sorry.”

His blue eyes are the ones you recognize. 

“I am, Y/n. I think about that day all the time.” 

You look at him and see the boy you grew up with. 

“What happened?” 

He sighs, taking a beat to reach that tender place he hides away. It's hard for him, even with you. 

“She left. She just left that morning and she didn't say shit to me.” 

Your eyes tear up as he lets this out, replaying the day he’d hurt you. 

“But that didn't mean I had to take it out on you.”

You bit the inside of your cheek to keep the tears at bay. 

“It kinda…you kinda fucked me up that day..."

Your voice is strained, feather fragile. He sets down the coffee and turns his body to face you, pulling his leg up on the couch so there’s only a small wedge of space between yourself and his lap. His face is tight, and he runs his hands into his hair the way he does when he's frustrated. 

“I know, I'm- I'm fuckin sorry, I…I've been thinking about all this shit lately. I've hurt a lot of people, and it all started that day. You were the first person and you didn't deserve it.” 

You can't help it anymore, you're swelled with emotions and the tears start coming. You wipe them on your sleeve. He looks so sad to see you cry, his face growing red. 

“Ya know,” you begin “My biggest fear for a while was that you'd never apologize, and we'd never go surfing on Lizard Island.” 

He laughed. It filled him with so much relief that you were the same sentimental weirdo he'd left over a year ago. 

“You forgive me?” He asked. 

Outside, the first rays of sunlight were peeking through, and on the screen, the trio tapped across a grand foyer singing ‘Good mornin’, good mooornin’!’ 

“Yeah, B,” you manage, your voice breaking “I forgave you a long time ago.” 

He smiles, and in the light of morning, it’s the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. You can't stand it anymore, you lean over and kiss him and he pulls you into his arms, your body falling into his warm lap. He kisses you deeply, taking your lips and tongue in a greedy show of affection. 

The sweetest ‘Good Morning’ you’ve ever known. 

 

Thanks for the request! ~

[jackoshadows]

The most ridiculous aspect of all this 'it's just sisters being sisters' nonsense is that we actually do see an example of siblings being siblings with the other Stark kids.

The affection and concern for each other amongst the Stark brothers - Robb and Jon embracing each other fiercely in their parting goodbye, their care and concern for each other, Robb telling Bran they can visit Jon at the Wall, Jon nearly deserting the NW for Robb and Robb telling Catelyn - “You forget. My father had four sons.”

Are the 'this is just how sisters are' folks implying that the boys can be loving and affection brothers with each other while 'sisters being sisters' is just bullying, shaming one's appearance and nonconformity and not caring that their little sister has been literally attacked with a sword? How very sexist of them.

Jon and Robb have that complex and very human sibling bond, where when they were little children Robb hurts Jon with his words and now in their teens, Robb has a deeper empathy for Jon than anyone else.

There's a reason Arya felt really alone and missed her brothers while in King's Landing - that was where the real sibling love was.

That was when Arya missed her brothers most. She wanted to tease Bran and play with baby Rickon and have Robb smile at her. She wanted Jon to muss up her hair and call her "little sister" and finish her sentences with her. But all of them were gone. She had no one left but Sansa, and Sansa wouldn't even talk to her unless Father made her. - Arya, AgoT

She went back to the window, Needle in hand, and looked down into the courtyard below. If only she could climb like Bran, she thought; she would go out the window and down the tower, run away from this horrible place, away from Sansa and Septa Mordane and Prince Joffrey, from all of them. Steal some food from the kitchens, take Needle and her good boots and a warm cloak. She could find Nymeria in the wild woods below the Trident, and together they'd return to Winterfell, or run to Jon on the Wall. She found herself wishing that Jon was here with her now. Then maybe she wouldn't feel so alone. - Arya, AGoT

So we do see siblings being siblings amongst the love the brothers have for each other and their love for their sisters, especially Jon's concern and love for Arya. Bran is concerned for Sansa's well being and Sansa is confident that Robb will win. This is all siblings being siblings - not bullying and throwing siblings into danger for selfish reasons.

So it's not that GRRM cannot write affectionate and complex sibling dynamics and siblings being siblings - he has done so with the rest of the Starks. It's just that the character of Sansa was created specifically to create that discord amongst the Starks and so we end up not getting a loving sisterly relationship between the Stark sisters like we do with the brothers.

Now one can criticize the author for choosing a female character to create that discord or for not writing in a strong sisterly female relationship like he did with Jon and Robb or Robb and Bran or even the beautiful brother/sister relationship we get with Jon and Arya.

That's perfectly legitimate to critique the narrative from a Doylist perspective and, if Sansa is one's favorite character, to call out GRRM for not giving Sansa the same sibling dynamics he has done for Arya, Jon and Bran.

What is not okay is to equate Sansa's treatment of her little sister Arya in AGoT as 'just sisters being sisters', or even more egregiously 'that's just how older sisters are' and attempting to normalize the bullying and mocking of one's appearance.

An elder sister is typically one of the most protective in a family, IMO and we see that in Arya's concerned thoughts about Bran and Rickon in Winterfell after she goes on the run and in how Bran clutches Arya's hand for protection when Robb/Jon prank the younger ones with a ghost.

We have Sansa's POV chapters and at no point is Sansa ever concerned for Arya the way Jon and Bran are concerned for their sisters in King's Landing in their POV - which is what siblings being siblings means in my books. Quite the opposite - Sansa victim blames Mycah and Arya for sadistic Joffrey's actions, throws Arya under the bus by telling Cersei that it's Arya who is the traitor and forgets to even ask where Arya is and what happened to her when things go south in KL.

AGoT Sansa is a rather shitty elder sister to have. However, Arya has loving brothers in Jon and Bran and I can't wait for her to reunite with characters who genuinely love her, want to protect her, look after her and have showed concern for her well being.

And wanting Arya to be with characters who have shown her that love and affection in the actual text of the books instead of a sister who bullied her and didn't care a bit for her is not sexism, no matter how much one attempts to gaslight the fandom with faux feminist nonsense.

[skippyv20]

Life with Ellie, Oliver and Jaxon😄

Well, Ellie it seems has found her own personality now. She is loving, cuddly, sassy and a little manipulator, intelligent, scruffy! She is all those things. Oh and part “raptor”.

Oliver is still very proud and happy to have his “puppy”. She has him twisted around her little paw. She has put him in charge of treats. Oliver now demands treats for him and Ellie. She gets 2 very small treats, and he gets a little more….and when I tell him “she has had her treats” and he sees her eating them, then he will have his. Always he will gently push one over to her. Oliver loves to share, always has. She tells him when she wants outside, and he lets me know. He still is waking at 7:3o/8:00…and is always watching her. When she plays with Jaxon, if Oliver deems it too much or too rough he barks for them to stop. He loves his walks, but is so happy on the way back home because he knows Ellie’s little face will be at the window. They do cuddle up for naps, side by side more and more all the time.

Ellie is still loving sticks, leaves, twigs and stones. It’s a battle with her. Of course she still sneaks into the house twigs for me. Of course, she gets a treat in exchange. One day last week, she was outside playing. I thought a leaf had flown past her, but it was a little butterfly. I told her to let it go. Then I called her into the house. As she usually does, she went right to her play blanket. She opened her mouth, and out flew the little butterfly!!!! I picked it up ever so gently and put it outside. She is such a sneak! I don’t know how she fooled me. My guess is I turned away for a second. So now, when she is throwing tantrums because she can’t do walks with Oliver…I tell her “until you stop eating leaves, twigs, sticks and stones and butterflies you can’t be trusted to go with him”. Oliver is always wanting me to open the door and to let him take her out alone, but I can’t. She is too busy, and has to be supervised. The day will come when they can go out together, but not for a long time.

I usually fall asleep for my nap on the couch. Ellie of course, goes and lies with Oliver for nap time. Well, her favorite thing to do is to wake me up. She gets on the couch, and crawls on me, and attacks my face with kisses. I opened my eyes and ask “is that you Ellie”….she goes wild! She is like a little raptor. She is vicious!😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

So, every once in awhile Oliver likes a light lunch snack. He really is a supper guy. He doesn’t do breakfast, never has. Well, at lunch when I prepare Ellie’s food and put it down, I noticed she won’t leave the counter where I prepare her food. Yeah, I have to prepare a dish for Oliver! She won’t go to her dish until I place Oliver’s food on the floor. He won’t eat it, but she needs to know he has his food. They really have bonded and look out for one another, it’s so cute.

Jaxon and Ellie are playing much better, much calmer now. Ellie is losing that over excited baby. That seems better for Jaxon. She does go after him like a sumo wrestler though, and she loves to touch his tail. He hates anyone touching his tail, even though he taunts her with it. They do talk. They have great conversations. Jaxon meows, she barks. I do wonder what they are saying. It’s quite comical. Then at times Oliver joins in.

Walking Oliver is hard for me. Being outside in the yard is hard too. I miss Cathy and Panda. I think of them all the time. Ellie does help to distract me of course, but still my heart breaks. I do find comfort thinking how much Cathy and Panda would have loved Ellie. I still do see much of them both in her, but mostly now she is Ellie with her own personality, just mixed with the best of both of them. This is the most wonderful thing….she has a little bit of white fur on her chest….just like Cathy. Now though she also has…the ends of her tail are grey, Panda was grey. It’s so strange. I have never seen a tail like that. All black, with grey at the tips. It makes my heart smile!

Thank you for allowing me to share my Ellie, Oliver and Jaxon with you all. I would love to hear your pet stories as well. 🙂❤️❤️❤️❤️🐶

[flowerandthesongstress]

Requesting something heartwarming and sweet with Rafael!

awww come o-ooon be more specific 😅

G to T; 1300w, Warning for swearing, mild suggestive themes, implied self-esteem issues, and an out-of-character, hyperbolised-macho Pablo — for narrative and comedic purposes; nonetheless, if you feel like the latter notion might distress you, skip this one.

“Dearest Valentina, I am writing this letter to you because I want to ask you for a favor.  News has reached me that you are scared of me and everyone who looks like me. I hope that, upon reading this letter, you will understand that I’m not scary at all and that I am worthy of your trust. But first things first. Please allow me to explain who I am and what it is that I do.  Long ago, I was tasked with collecting baby teeth from children and turning these teeth into magic, the magic that makes teeth grow. Just like you, I live in a big house with my family who all help me with this task. Our house is made of cheese. It is a very tasty house, but we only eat small bites of it, because we are tiny and do not need a lot of food. My job is very important and cannot be disrupted, because if I don’t collect baby teeth, children will never grow new teeth. And if they don’t grow new teeth, they will never be able to eat delicious food. And if they cannot eat delicious food, they will never be able to enjoy the taste of the finest cheeses. When I learned that you lost your baby tooth, I was overjoyed! But when I heard that you were unwilling to give it away, because you think that I’m scary and will eat it or do something nasty to it, and how you told your mother that you’d rather throw it away than give it to someone as ugly as me, and how you couldn’t sleep because you thought I would steal your toys along with your tooth ... I grew sad.  Your fear is normal and nothing to be ashamed of. I understand why you might be scared. Not all of my cousins are as well-behaved as me and my immediate family. You had a less-than-pleasant encounter with one of my cousins years ago, and I understand why you might be scared. I know that cousin, his name is Hector, and he’s the shame of our whole family! He loves to startle humans and then laugh about it! What a reckless bully. Bullying is never okay. I am disheartened about his bad behavior, and I do apologize for it.   But I wanted to tell you that it’s not right to judge a whole group by the behavior of one of its members. You are a very smart girl, and I hope you give this idea some thought.  I assure you that there is always enough cheese for us, and we would not bite you nor anyone in your family. Humans are not tasty. If you see any members of my family in the wild, please know that we are around not to bite, or to steal from you, or to cause any harm, but to help you. We are here to bring you joy. We might not look the prettiest, and our voices might be too high-pitched and not be the most melodic, but this is just the way we were created. We can’t speak the humans’ language, but at least we can write letters.  It is a good idea to stay away from members of my family, because we’re tiny and humans are huge and can harm us. It is a good idea to not feed us, because we already have a house made of cheese.  Please, dear Valentina, leave your baby tooth under your pillow, so that I can collect its magic and make it grow back. To show my good intentions, I have arranged for an exchange gift to be sent to you. The fire agate you are receiving along with this letter, is my way of saying how much your courage and trust would mean to me and my family. 

With best wishes, including a wish for more baby teeth to fall out soon, so they might become magic teeth and help you grow a healthy smile,

—el Ratoncito Pérez, also known as the Tooth Mouse.”

~*~

“Dearest Valentina: We are writing you this letter to explain why your gifts arrived with a delay, and how it has nothing to do with your character. In fact, you have been very good this year, diligently cleaning your room, brushing your teeth, doing homework, and being nice to your friends. Your parents are proud of you, never doubt that! They informed us how good you were, and we felt proud on their behalf. We couldn’t wait to deliver the gifts to you and to reward you for making an effort.  On our caravel meant for delivering gifts to children who live on islands, we set out early on.  Yet then a treacherous storm unexpectedly caught up with us. Dark clouds surrounded us, blacking out the sun, wind rose and with it, the waves. Tall and roaring, they were threatening to break our ship into pieces. We had to tie ourselves to the main mast, and could only pray for the storm to pass.  How stupid of us to store some of the gifts right on the deck of our ship! Some of them were grabbed by the waves and washed into the sea!  Luckily, the tide brought them to the island before our arrival, and just in time, but, naturally, we could not have known that they would, and thought the gifts for your friends would be lost forever. By a strike of luck, they were not, and this is the only reason why your friends were fortunate enough to receive their gifts on time. In the end, we survived and mastered the treacherous storm which carried us so far from our destination, that it took us two days to map our way by the stars and find your island. Yet we only had time to pass the gifts over, before leaving in a haste. Such is our lot, but we never lament it, for we live to reward well-behaved children like you.  We hope that you will show understanding in regards to our predicament, and we hope that the weather will be much better next year.

Con todo nuestro cariño, 

—Los Tres Reyes Magos.” 

~*~

Suki M. >Rafi I don’t know how to thank you >Again! >I owe you one 🙏

Rafael S. >no, you don’t >I’m always happy to help, Suki >Just please don’t tell her it was me >ever

Pablo S. >primo ¿what the fuc? >¿¿you srsly frgot youre own hijas bday??

Antonio M. >I was busy

Pablo S. >busy boning that puta turista >puto perdedor >I kick you ass >and then bone youre ex >twice

Antonio M. >I don't care > >you’re more than welcome to my leftovers, primo. 

Pablo S >thats it your fucked 

Pablo S. >kicking primos ass today  >your coming with me >that pendejo forgot vals bday >she is sad

Rafael S. >No need. >It has been dealt with, Pablo.

Pablo S. >¿already you beat him up? >nice >then ill go drop by suki 😏 >hold the fort

Rafael S. >I’m sorry, I can’t.

Pablo S. >why

Rafael S. >I’ll be taking Valentina to see her friends. 

Pablo S. >with any luck will be  >boning her mama  >today

Rafael S. >Yes, so I gathered.

Suki M. > >Rafi you'll make such a good husband and father one day

Rafael S. >That’s very kind of you to say. >But I doubt the day would ever come. >who would want me

[mymoodwriting]

25.6K, werewolf, vampire, hybrid, blood, gore, kidnapping, experimentation, drugs, torture, needles, death, claws, fangs, murder, biting, mating, smut, non-con, knotting, mind control, manipulation, compulsion, self-harm, trauma, magic, yandere (@starillusion13)

“Did you miss me?”

    Today was supposed to be uneventful. Just a gathering of the elders, and the higher ups from the pack to celebrate your fifth year wedding anniversary, as well as the anniversary for the unification of the packs. There were cheers, and congratulations, an endless amount of alcohol flowing as well. This was cause for celebration, but you weren’t in a festive mood. So you sat quietly at the main table next to your husband, a simple smile on your face to keep up appearances. Everything was going well until some unexpected guests interrupted.

    It seemed that some unknown pack had come to ruin the festivities. Although there was something off about their scent. Everything had gone quiet as the situation needed to be assessed, but everyone was on alert. The intruders were already causing trouble, the pack members stealing food and drinks while climbing on top of tables. Only one appeared calm, most likely the alpha, who approached the main table. His gaze was fixed on you which was rather intimidating but you stayed calm. Your husband had already gotten up and had no issue confronting this intruder and getting his attention.

“Who are you? How dare you storm in here and run wild!”

“Me? In all honesty, I’m disgusted. After all these years, I return to this?”

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

“Silence.” The wolf growled. “This betrayal will not stand!”

    A thunderous roar startled everyone, and suddenly disruption turned to rage. The other wolves began attacking, and soon a fight had broken out. The assumed alpha charged up to the main table, climbing over it and easily tossing anyone who wasn’t you. He grabbed your husband by the throat, digging his claws into their skin before throwing them to the side. You had been too stunned by the whole ordeal to move, and now this wolf was staring you down with fierce red eyes.

“Let’s see what I missed!”

    You only saw a flash of silver fangs before they were buried deep in your neck. The pain was unlike anything you had ever felt before, and then just as quickly as it came, it was gone. A feeling of euphoria began to overtake your senses, and in the moments before it took over you thought to yourself, vampire. That didn’t make sense though, he smelled like a wolf, he roared like one too, yet there was something off about him. You could only be left to wonder as your thoughts slowed and you sunk down into a void.

🖤

“Sangyeon, come on! I want to show you something!”

    When you got up and saw yourself in the mirror you were overjoyed. You quickly dressed and found a hat, sprinting off to Sangyeon’s house to get him. It was still early in the morning but you knew he was already up. As soon as you found him you took his hand and pulled him along into the woods. He laughed and asked you where you were going but you said it was a secret. You kept running, going outside the pack’s territory and finding some nice shade under a tree.

“What’s this about?”

“I wanted you to be the first to see!”

    You took off your hat, revealing your wolf ears. Sangyeon’s eyes went wide, and he couldn’t help but reach over to touch them. Your regular ears had gotten slightly bigger, changing shape and were now very soft and fuzzy.

“Your ears shifted!”

“I’m so excited! And I want you to help me learn how to control them!”

“What they say about your family is true, your powers develop so early in life.”

“You’ll get your powers soon too!”

“When I do you’ll be the first to see, promise.”

    The two of you stayed out in the woods as you tried to figure out how to control your ears. You were just kids so no one would really be looking for you, and the rest of the pack would know you’re together. Neither of you really understood what being betrothed to each other meant, besides that you were going to get married when you were older, but it was a great reason to hang out together. You were introduced to each other a few months back and became fast friends. Now you did everything together which pleased your elders.

“This is so hard!”

Sangyeon chuckled. “You’ll get it though. You just have to keep trying.”

“I’m tired…”

“Then let’s take a break. Should we head back? I’m sure your parents want to see you too.”

“No, I want to get this right so I can show them!”

“They’ll be proud either way, and they can probably help you more than me.”

“I know…”

“Come on, let’s go back.”

    Sangyeon reached over to pet your head, scratching your ears a bit before taking your hand and helping you to your feet. He always brought a smile to your face, and you were happy to have him as your best friend. As you were walking back to the territory you suddenly came to a stop, Sangyeon pulling you to the ground. Before you could ask why you heard an arrow fly over your head. You whimpered, and Sangyeon covered your mouth, raising a finger to his lips. Moments later you heard footsteps around and you both knew what they were, hunters.

    You were still rather far from the border of your pack’s territory. Hunters knew better than to cross the line, but that wouldn’t stop them from lingering around just outside every now and then. Unfortunately today had been one of those days, and you’d surely be spotted if you just made a run for it. You couldn’t just hide either, as that was just as dangerous. You were terrified, and Sangyeon was well aware of that too. He carefully led you over somewhere else to hide, assuring you that everything was going to be alright.

“Y/n, listen to me closely. I’m gonna draw the hunters away, and I want you to go get the pack for help.”

“But what about you? What if something happens…”

“We’re both fast. I can out run them so you can get help.”

“No, no I don’t like this plan. Sangyeon-”

“Sh, everything’s going to be alright.” He pet your head again. “We’ll play together again, I promise.”

“Sangyeon…”

“When it’s clear, I want you to run, got it?” You nodded. “Good. Run as fast as you can.”

    Sangyeon smiled so brightly at you before running off. Soon enough you heard footsteps following after him. Once things had gotten quiet you ran towards the border, towards your pack. You were in tears when you finally found one of your elders, babbling nonsense about hunters and how Sangyeon was still outside pack territory. You wanted to go back out there with the ones that were sent out, but you were just a child and had to stay. Your parents asked you what happened, and then it dawned on you that this was your fault. You had taken Sangyeon outside the territory, and put him in danger. Many tried to say that wasn’t the case, that this wasn’t your fault, but when the others returned without Sangyeon it got quiet.

    You were locked up in your room after that, not because you were forced to stay there, but because you didn’t want to leave. After the incident you heard the Lee family over at your house a few times, arguing with your parents and wanting something to be done, but there wasn’t really a solution. You didn’t know what to do anymore, you didn’t know how you could face anybody ever again. They all had their reasons to be mad, or even resent you, but no one hated you more than yourself. After another long night of crying you found yourself staring at your reflection in the mirror, your eyes fixed on your wolf ears.

    Just seeing them upset you, knowing full well those stupid things were the reason for all of this. The night you snuck into the kitchen and stole a knife, staring in the mirror as you planned to cut off your ears. The pain was bad enough that all you could really manage were a few deep cuts on your left ear, and nicking a bit off the tip, before your parents found you and stopped you. The wounds healed, but the scars remained. You wore a headband after that, always hiding your ears, never bothering to learn how to actually control your power and just ignoring it. If you could ignore the world for the rest of your life, you would have, but that wasn’t an option for you.

    Your pack, and the Lee pack, lived together, and claimed the same territory, but they were still separate. The idea had been that your marriage with Sangyeon, being that you were the children of the alpha from your respective packs, would unify everyone. Without Sangyeon, that unification was left floating in limbo, but sooner or later it had to be discussed. As you were coming of age the situation was brought up, and the Lee family were refusing to go through with the unification. They rightfully hated you and blamed you for the death of their son. You felt the same way, carrying that guilt with you, but even if you’ve neglected your responsibilities over the years, you had to do something about this.

“Please accept me, I beg of you.”

    Making your way to the Lee house, and begging on your knees was certainly humiliating, and causing quite a scene, but you didn’t care for that.

“I am a murder, a monster who took your son away from you. My actions should not be the cause of suffering for either of our packs.”

“Your pack? What have you ever done for them besides being a burden?”

“All I can do for them is make sure that innocent lives aren’t taken. If our two packs don’t unify, there will surely be a war, innocent blood will be spilled, something that neither of us want.”

“You’ve already spilled innocent blood!”

“I know I have done you wrong by taking your son from you, and I am here now offering you my life.”

“Your life?”

“I will wed whoever you deem worthy, and step down from any and all positions of power. The pack that will form from this union will be yours. I will be nothing but a stepping stone for you in this matter, one that’s to be forgotten afterwards. Whatever you want of me, I will give it to you, all I ask is that you accept my pack as your own without harboring any ill will towards them. I bear all the responsibility and guilt in the matter of your loss, not them.”

    You were thrown out of that house without an answer, but with a notion of consideration. That’s all you could hope, left to anxiously wait for their response. When you said you would do anything you meant it, and the Lee’s were going to take you up on that. They’d accept the union under the promise you’d never shift, which included your first. To anyone else such an ask would be horrifying, but you accepted without hesitation. Ever since the incident you abandoned your wolf side, and since you lived like you were dead, nothing properly developed either. Of course that wouldn’t stop the power of the moon once you were of age, which meant you’d need to take suppressants.

    You had no problem with that, you just had to make sure no one found out, especially your parents. If they knew about this they would never allow it but this wasn’t about them but what’s best for the pack. It wasn’t easy getting suppressants, but you managed. The bright side of being a loner all your life meant you didn’t have to worry so much about being caught. Over time you certainly began to feel different, a lot weaker than normal, and then came the big day. There wasn’t much of a celebration for your eighteenth birthday, but there was a lot of anticipation for your first proper full moon. You already knew how it was going to go down, but your pack didn’t.

    It hurt that night, on so many levels. The moon was calling out to you, but you resisted and fought back. Even with the suppressants, you didn’t want this, not just because it was part of the deal, but because the wolf inside you was a monster. One that should never see the light. There were a handful of witnesses to watch you struggle, to them appearing like you just couldn’t shift, that you didn’t have any power at all. Your parents were heartbroken to see that. To them that trauma of that day had affected you so severely you couldn’t even shift, in a way they were right. After that night they certainly worried about the union, given that you weren’t really presenting as the alpha you were expected to be.

    As promised the Lee family took no issue with that, and assured your parents, and your pack, that the union would continue on as planned. That’s around the time you were introduced to Junwoo, properly introduced that is. You remembered him a bit from your childhood, having played with him and Sangyeon a handful of times. He was a cousin in the Lee family, and had been chosen to marry you. With the announcement made you two began to spend more time together, and he assured you that he would do right by you. He knew your situation, not just the inability to shift, but about what happened when you were a kid and how that’s affected your life.

    You appreciated that, although it wouldn’t change much about your feelings. From the beginning you could tell he really liked you, maybe even had a crush on you when you were little. If you could choose, you’d never want to marry anyone, or play with their feelings, you didn’t feel you were worthy of love, but this was your responsibility and you wouldn’t let others suffer for your mistakes. The wedding was grand and celebrated by all, even if you would catch the occasional whisper about your condition, questioning your own ability to lead. Still you put on a smile and acted the part of the happy wife. Then came the mating. It was part of the deal, uniting the packs, so you couldn’t refuse.

“Can I mark you where I want?”

“Uh… I’d prefer it if it was somewhere hidden… if you can…”

“Sure.”

    Junwoo ended up marking your shoulder, low enough as well that a simple shirt would cover it up. You marked him in a similar position, having to mentally lower your guard so you don’t unintentionally resist. You let the bond wash over you, feeling this connection to Junwoo settle. His feelings became more apparent, and he probably realized just how much you were dragging yourself along. Even if you didn’t want this you’d be good to him, and he’d do the same. As promised you stepped away and never really made a move to run things. So you didn’t attend gatherings with the elders, and you weren’t involved with affairs of the pack. Junwoo would still tell you about things and ask your opinion, but you never over stepped. 

    You became more of a house wife, staying home and filling your time with books, or learning to cook among other things. Even if you didn’t think you deserved happiness, there were some moments. At least you were living the quiet life you wanted, knowing there was peace among the pack and everyone was alright. You were content that way, and didn’t notice the passage of time until your fifth year anniversary came around. It was cause to celebrate, since it wasn’t just about your union but the union of the packs. So you couldn’t avoid the situation. You figured it would be a rowdy night of joy, until some party crashers arrived and turned everything on its head.

🖤

    Sangyeon pulled back from your neck, mouth full of blood. He inhaled deeply, letting the haze of memories sink in. His rage from before settled down, replaced by a sense of guilt. He gently cupped your cheek, seeing how out of it you were. When he saw all of this he thought you betrayed him, but now he knew that was far from the truth. It was a long shot but he let out a low roar. You whimpered, but given your weakened state you obeyed him, your ears shifting to your wolf ones. Sangyeon took them in, gently reaching over to your left one. It never healed properly, so it was decorated with scars, a few bits missing as well. For this he felt responsible, for all the pain you suffered over the years as well.

“I’m sorry I made you wait so long, love.”

    Sangyeon’s eyes glowed and he roared loudly. Everyone was stunned for a moment, and then his pack began howling. Beforehand things were just rowdy, countless fights breaking out, but he was done with games. He was still angry, but for different reasons now. Multiple growls and snarls filled the air for a moment, and then things got violent. Blood was spilled and screams of agony were heard. Death began to surround everyone, but Sangyeon kept his attention on you. He bit into his wrist, deeply, then pressed his wound against your lips, encouraging you to drink from him. In your dazed state you didn’t understand what was happening, so he grabbed your head and held your mouth open.

“Don’t touch her!”

    The one who had been next to you regained their senses, growling and lunging at Sangyeon. The boy roared and attacked, clawing up his attacker. He cut deep enough to draw blood, but also tore up their clothes. That’s when he saw the mating bite on their shoulder and growled.

“I hate that.”

    Sangyeon jumped the other, pinning them to the ground, clawing up their chest. His victim was coughing up blood, soon choking on it as well. He didn’t stop until there was no longer a heartbeat, digging his claws into the dying wolfs mating mark. You screamed from the pain, from the sudden ache in your soul over the death of your mate. It stabled your mind and you could take in the carnage around you. Countless members of your pack were death, and all you could see were these silver fanged monsters standing above them. Your eyes then caught sight of Junwoo, his body lying beneath a red eyed monster.

“No… no…”

    You stood with the intent to go to him, only for his killer to rush back over to you and pin you back down in your chair. You screamed and squirmed, tears blurring your vision. This pain was like no other, and all you wanted to do was fight, but you had no strength. Even in all this your own wolf side couldn’t help, years of repressing couldn’t disappear at will.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, everything will be okay. I promise.”

“You… you monster! You… you…”

    Sangyeon bit into his wrist again, shoving his bloody arm into your mouth. Now you were horrified to see what was going on. You tasted blood, and desperately wanted to spit it out, but he was holding you firm. You had to swallow in order to breathe, but taking in air also meant taking in more blood. You didn’t know how much you swallowed, but you felt sick. When he finally moved his arm away you wanted to throw up but he placed a hand over your mouth, getting you into a headlock.

“Everything’s going to be alright, I love you.”

    You couldn’t process his words, fully overtaken by panic and fear. Then you caught a certain hint of something. After all these years you still remembered, you’d always remember. You stopped your struggles, a name slipping past your lips before everything went dark.

“Sangyeon…”

🖤

    You gasped awake, your hands shooting up to your neck. A moment ago you had been in agony, a mixture of disbelief mixing in before your life cut to black. Now that you were awake you had this lingering pain in your neck, it felt rigid, but slowly it began to feel better. You began to take in your surroundings, not recognizing anything. You had been laid atop a bunch of bare mattresses, and were left completely alone. Memories of the wedding celebration began to surface, you remembered the slaughter, the attackers. There was so much more there but you couldn’t stick around to face your kidnappers.

    You found a way out of this room, carefully making sure no one would hear you. As you continued to move about silently, you managed to get outside. There was nothing but wilderness around you, so you just chose a direction and ran. Your heart was racing, your mind was too, but you needed to get far away before you could figure anything else out. The sun was blinding and irritating, your throat was dry too. You swear you were just running around in circles, but you kept going. That is until a howl startled you and made you stop. You couldn’t tell where it was coming from, so after the initial panic you continued to run.

    A moment later a wolf jumps in front of you, forcing you to stumble in your steps and collapse to the ground. You crawled back for a moment, quickly getting back up and intending to run in another direction only to see another wolf, and another, and another. In less than a minute you were surrounded by what seemed to be a whole pack. You thought to fight, even though you were outnumbered, and your power would be no match for them. One wolf began to approach you, and then shifted before your eyes. You immediately recognized them as the alpha who crashed the party, the one who killed your mate and attacked you.

“Easy, no one’s going to hurt you.”

“Who are you… why did you kidnap me!”

“Y/n… it’s me…”

“How do you know my name?!”

“I’d never forget it. You’re all I’ve thought about for the last decade…”

“Who… who are you…”

“You don’t remember me? I mean, I know that’s not true, you do but things have changed.”

“What?”

“My scent isn’t the same, so you couldn’t recognize me earlier, but there is still a hint of my original scent you’d know.” He held out his hand. “Please.”

    Even if he was being kind, you knew you didn’t have a choice here. So you carefully approached him, taking his hand. He quickly pulled you into his arms and held you in his embrace. You cautiously leaned forward into the crook of his neck, taking in his scent. You smelled the undead, so he was certainly a vampire, but you could also smell a wolf. Such a combination didn’t make sense, but as you breathed in his scent, something started to click. You took in a deep breath, wrapping your arms around him, holding him tight and starting to tremble.

“Sang… Sangyeon…”

“I told you we’d play again. I’m keeping my promise.”

“Sangyeon…”

    You started crying, hugging Sangyeon tight as you buried your face in his chest. After all these years, at some point you had accepted his death, to some degree, so you couldn’t believe he was here with you now. After a while you pulled away, sniffling.

“You… you’re real… right… I’m not dreaming… I’m not dead…”

“No, no, no, baby. I’m real, I’m alive and well.”

“What happened to you?” You were a sobbing mess. “It was all my fault! If I hadn’t dragged you out there…”

“Sh, sh, sh… it’s okay y/n, everything’s okay. None of this is your fault.”

“Where have you been… what happened…”

“It’s a long story, but let’s get you back. You still need to rest.”

    Sangyeon didn’t wait for a response, picking you up in his arms bridal style and carrying you. He brought you back to the place you escaped from, as this seemed to be his home. Your tears had passed for the time being, but you had so many questions.

“Sangyeon…”

“Hm?”

“Your scent… how is it different?”

“What does it tell you?”

“Well… you still smell like your old self, but it’s not the only thing… you also smell… dead…”

“So what’s the conclusion?”

“You’re still a wolf… but you smell like a vampire too… how is that possible?”

“Because I’m both.”

“What? That… that’s impossible…”

“I thought so once too, but I’m living proof of the impossible. All my boys are.”

“So you’re all… hybrids?”

    On the journey back, once you had calmed down, you did a quick little head count. A total of ten wolves had been following you and Sangyeon. Now that he had confirmed your suspicions you looked back at all of them, realizing their scents were strange too. 

“But… all of you… how?”

“A story for another time.”

“Wait, what about my pack? You just showed up and attacked everyone and-”

“Those mutts aren’t your pack.”

“Uh… what? They’re your-”

“A pack doesn’t treat you the way they did. They got what they deserved.”

“That’s not on them. What happened was my fault…”

“No it’s not. Those hunters were hanging around outside the territory. Anyone who got close to the border could have been attacked.”

“But I’m the one who dragged you out there…”

“We were kids, you were a kid y/n, how could you possibly know?”

“We were always told not to go outside the territory…”

    You got back into the house. Now that you were taking it in you could see how big it was, and how run down it was too. Sangyeon set you down on another miscellaneous bare mattress around. He knelt down, wiping away the silent tears that had been falling.

“I don’t blame you for anything that happened, love. I’m here now with you, that’s all that matters.”

“I’m sorry…”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Everyone thought you were dead…”

“Far from it.” Sangyeon pet your head. “You must be hungry. Let me get you some food.”

    Sangyeon stepped away, leaving you in the room with the rest of what you assumed was his pack. You still had questions, but you were definitely feeling hungry. You looked yourself over, seeing you were in the same clothes as before, but with bits of dried blood. You reached up to your biting mark, only to discover it was gone. You quickly pulled your shirt down and saw your shoulder, smooth and unmarked. You couldn’t believe it, frantically looking around for a reflective surface and finding a mirror. You rushed over, seeing that it was true, your mating mark was gone from your shoulder, but there was a new one right in the crook of your neck. You ran your fingers along the new mark, feeling a tingling sensation. This didn’t make sense, you watched your mate die, yet you didn’t feel any pain from that loss. Now you had a new mark, wondering where it came from when the answer appeared behind you.

“You noticed.”

“Sangyeon.” You turned around to face him. “Did you bite me? When?!”

“When I brought you home.”

“What?! But… Junwoo-”

Sangyeon growled. “Don’t mention that mutt.”

“He was my mate! And you-”

“I’m your mate! You were always supposed to be mine!”

“How did you get rid of my other mark? How come I don’t feel his loss! What did you do to me!”

“I changed you.”

“… what?”

“The only way to set you free from all that was to turn you. I fed you my blood and then…”

“You… you killed me…”

    You thought back to the celebration, remembering Sangyeon force feeding you his blood while telling you everything was going to be alright. The pain in your neck suddenly made sense, considering he had your head in his hands before everything went dark. If you died, just as your mate did, that would completely dissolve your previous bond. So once you were alive again, even if you weren’t conscious, Sangyeon had bit you, claiming you as his own.

“I changed you. Made you like me so we could be together.”

“You killed me…”

“Y/n-”

“You marked me without my consent!”

“You’re my mate!” Sangyeon growled. “Do you have any idea how I felt when I returned and saw you married and mated to someone else? I thought you betrayed me only to discover you had been forced into all of this for the sake of the pack, for the sake of peace. None of them treated you properly! I had to get you out and set things right!”

“Sangyeon-”

“Did you want to stay there?”

“…”

“Why are you upset with me then?”

“I… I… I’m still processing everything okay… this is a lot to take in…”

“I know.” Sangyeon took a breath. “Just forget about that other guy and everything else, let’s focus on the present, okay?”

“Okay…”

    Your head started to feel a bit fuzzy, and Sangyeon noticed. He took your hand to assure you, and held up a flask.

“Here. You’re surely hungry.”

“Thanks.”

    You took the flask, popping open the lid only for the smell of blood to hit your nose. You nearly dropped it but Sangyeon caught it.

“What’s wrong?”

“I... I…”

“Sorry. I should have mentioned it first. Since you’re a vampire now…”

“Blood is part of my diet…”

“Yeah.”

“It’s really good!” One of the boys commented. “You’ll like it.”

“Eric.” Sangyeon growled. “Quiet.”

“Sorry…”

“It’ll take some getting used to.” You said as you took the flask. “And it does explain the dry throat.”

    You tried not to let the smell get to you, and tipped the flask against your lips. When you had tasted Sangyeon’s blood before, it was rather gross. Although now, when the red substance hit your tongue, it tasted quite divine. You emptied the flask, licking your lips and getting a chuckle out of Sangyeon.

“Good?”

“Yeah.”

“I got more for you, so you can have your fill. Come on.”

    One of the boys cleared their throat, and Sangyeon glanced over. They had all been quietly watching and fidgeting around while you both talked. Although before you left there was clearly something to say or do.

“Yes?”

“You haven’t introduced us yet…”

“Right.” Sangyeon held your hand. “Y/n, this is my pack. Boys, this is y/n, my mate.”

    They had been around, and heard everything, but the words being spoken aloud caused them to start howling and cheering. It was unexpected and embarrassing, but they all seemed very happy for their alpha. Sangyeon eventually got them all to calm down and introduce themselves to you. It was nice to put names to faces. 

“So, where’s your mate bite Sangyeon?” Jacob asked.

“Oh, well about that…” Sangyeon glanced at you, seeing you were nervous. “That’s more of a private matter. You all just behave yourselves alright.”

    With that said Sangyeon led you to another room. Ignoring the whimpers from the rest of the pack, but soon enough you could hear them messing around with one another. Sangyeon wound up taking you to what seemed like a proper bedroom in comparison to where you had woken up before.

“Sangyeon… about the bite… I…”

“Let’s get you some food first, and then we can talk about that.”

“Okay.”

“Good. I’ll be right back.”

    Your head felt a lot better now that you’ve had some blood, and you certainly wanted more. While you waited your eyes wandered, and eventually landed on yourself. You stared down at your hands, starting to wonder what you had become. You never really lived as a wolf, and now apparently you were a vampire too. Your life had changed so fast, just like that day years ago. You didn’t notice the tears until they fell to the floor. You never had an answer as to who you were.

“Y/n…”

    Sangyeon found you with tears in your eyes, putting down the bottles he had brought with him and kneeling down before you. He gently wiped away the tears.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

“I… I don’t know… I don’t know…”

“Sh, sh, it’s okay.” Sangyeon pulled you into a hug. “It’s gonna be okay, we’ll figure everything out together.”

    You don’t know how long you cried for, but there was a lot you needed to let out. Years of your life had gone by, living as if you were dead. Punished by the world and yourself for the actions of a child. Just holding Sangyeon again made you realize how much you had lost. He held you and whispered words of assurance that he didn’t hate you or blame you for anything. Once you finally started to calm down he had you eat, wanting to make sure you had enough. So you ate your fill, and then rested your head in his lap as he pet you.

“So… what happens now?”

“I’m not entirely sure. It hasn’t been that long since we escaped. We just found this place and kinda settled in before I could figure out how to go home… that didn’t go to plan, so I guess this is home now.”

“Escaped… Sangyeon-”

“I’ll tell you another time. I want you to adjust and be alright before we talk about my past, okay?”

“Alright… but…”

“Hm?”

“The bite…”

“I know we should have talked about it before I did anything. It wasn’t fair to just assume things were still the same after all these years. I know at this point I’ve basically forced your hand but you don’t have to do anything right now.”

“I’m not complete though…”

“What?”

You sat up. “It’s weird to have a mating bite and not… feel the other person… and it probably doesn’t look good to the rest of your pack if you aren’t marked despite introducing me as your mate… so…”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to do this right now.”

“It was always supposed to be you, so I don’t really have any problem.” You took Sangyeon’s hand. “I’d rather be mated properly and figure things out from there.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am…”

“In that case… I would like you to mark me in a similar place, but you don’t have to.”

“No, that’s okay… I like it. I’m sure your pack will love teasing you about it too.”

    You crawled up onto Sangyeon’s lap, helping him remove his shirt. You took him in for a moment, starting to feel nervous about the whole thing. He assured you that it would be alright. You took a deep breath, focusing on bringing out your canines. He happily watched you, and guided your head into the crook of his neck. You only took a moment before sinking your teeth deep into his skin. The taste of blood was quite delicious, but you weren’t feeding off him. You stayed like that for a moment before pulling back.

    For a while you thought the mark might heal, given he was a hybrid now, but it remained, just as yours did. Despite being something new, the powers of a mating bite remained the same and left a mark for others to know you had bonded with your mate. As everything began to settle you felt a new tingling sensation, your own mark burning as the bond actually completed. You could feel a part of Sangyeon weaving himself along your soul, assuring you all the more that it was truly him. The lover you had lost, having made their way back to you. It brought more tears to your eyes, and you hugged him tight.

“I’m right here… I’m right here love…”

    Now Sangyeon could really tell how deep your disbelief and joy went in regards to seeing him again. So many years just wallowing in guilt, he wished he could just wash it away, take all your pain and make it disappear. He had so much time to make up for, and he wanted nothing more than to make you happy every moment going forward. The two of you stayed in each others embrace for a while, letting everything wash over you and settle into place. The future was scary to think about, but you’d face it head on without fear as long as you had Sangyeon by your side. That’s all you’d need.

🖤

    Adjusting to the life of a hybrid wasn’t easy. It was a rebirth. You had never really been a wolf before, but now you were more than that. Being a vampire brought on a lot of new changes in your life. For starters you didn’t have to worry about the sun burning, since your hybrid nature seemed to protect you from that. Although sunlight could become irritable if you didn’t eat properly. That was another thing, your diet had completely changed. Blood was your main food source. You didn’t really need anything else, but you could still enjoy it if you wanted to. Not that you really could. This new home, which Sangyeon had found, needed a lot of work done.

    The thing is you wanted to bring it up, but you didn’t know how. There were so many things you still didn’t know about him. Specifically what had become of him and what happened to him the last decade. At some point you’d have to talk to him about it, but you weren’t sure when the time would be to ask. You also wanted to give him space, and let him come to you when he was ready. Whatever happened must have been traumatic, so it wouldn’t be right to press the matter. So you’d wait, and see what this new life had to offer you. For starters this new pack was something else.

    All these boys were so energetic and carefree. They got along well with each other and Sangyeon, although you wouldn’t really call them a pack. More like a bunch of wolves living together, and recognizing Sangyeon as their alpha. You figured you might have to step in at some point to teach them proper etiquette, but then again you didn’t see them interacting with other packs down the line. The world didn’t even know such a creature like a hybrid even existed. So for the most part you just stayed at Sangyeon’s side. You spent the days just talking, mostly you, as he wanted to know everything he had missed out on.

    You were more than happy to share with him your little moments of happiness. Even if it was hard to hide the fact you didn’t really live much without him. He still wanted to know. So that’s how you spent your days, just telling stories. For the most part you stayed in Sangyeon’s room, just hearing the others messing around in the other rooms. Although at night it would get quiet. It wasn’t that the boys were sleeping, but they always seemed to disappear at night. Not every night of course, they needed to rest too. You weren’t entirely sure what was going on until one day it came to your attention.

“She’s so cute!”

    Sangyeon immediately shushed Kevin, not wanting to wake you. After eating you had fallen asleep, resting your head in his lap. He wasn’t gonna disturb you so he let you sleep, softly petting your head. After a while he began to feel something furry, looking down to see your ears had shifted. It was adorable, and a good sign that you were comfortable. Of course around that time Kevin had come into the room and noticed your ears as well, immediately excited. He reached over to scratch them softly, finding your whines adorable. Although he could only do so for a bit before you began to wake up.

“Hm…”

    You slowly lifted your head, looking around. You knew Sangyeon was with you, but it took a moment to register Kevin.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you, but your ears were just so cute.”

“My ears?”

    You reached up to your ears, feeling the fur and quickly slapping your hands over them. You were suddenly very shy and nervous. Sangyeon could immediately tell and reached up to place his hands over yours.

“Hey, hey, you don’t have to hide them. It’s okay.”

“…”

“They’ve healed up properly now, so you don’t have to worry.”

“They have?”

    You got up and stepped over to the mirror, taking a look at your ears. You were left speechless seeing that there weren’t any scars or injuries. They were perfectly normal, and they hadn’t been like that in years. You figured this was the result of your transformation, and that the change actually healed you. Still, it wasn’t something you were entirely comfortable with, so you closed your eyes and focused on turning your ears back to normal. Which you accomplished.

“So, can you fully shift too?” Kevin asked. “I’m sure we’d all love to see your wolf form.”

“Uh… well… I…”

“Kevin.” Sangyeon interrupted. “What is it that you came here for?”

“Oh, right. I was gonna ask if you were joining us tonight.”

“I’m afraid not. So you all have fun.”

“Alright…”

    Kevin let out a low whine, but excused himself. That certainly got your attention, and you watched the boy as you made your way back over to Sangyeon. You sat down in his lap, getting yourself comfortable, but he noticed you had something on your mind.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing just… what do they do at night?”

“They’re just out hunting.”

“Hunting?”

“For food, and also just playing around.”

“Oh… shouldn’t you go with them?”

“I don’t want to leave you alone.”

“But they’re your pack. You need to spend time with them too.”

“Do you not see them as your pack?”

“I’m your mate, so of course they’re my pack.” You nuzzled his chest. “I’m just not used to socializing in a pack… and they seem to be a lot…”

“I’ll talk to them.”

“You’re just gonna embarrass me.”

“But it’s important you all get along.”

“I know, I know… you should go out with them too though. If you don’t, you’ll get distant and that’s not good. You’re their alpha, you have to take care of them.”

“And you’re my mate. I have to take care of you too.”

“You can do both.”

Sangyeon chuckled. “Alright. Tomorrow night I’ll go out with them.”

“Good… I can have the bed all to myself.”

“Ah, is that your true intention here?”

“Maybe…”

    As much as you wanted Sangyeon to yourself, you knew he had to take care of the boys, and someday you would too. You were still building up to that, but now that you would have some time alone, you could focus on yourself. It was embarrassing to admit you didn’t have much control over yourself, especially now. You wanted to practice, and you didn’t want anyone else seeing that. You told Sangyeon to have fun and not to worry about you. When he got back you’d be right here waiting for him.

    Once you were alone you went to your bedroom, the one you shared with Sangyeon, and sat down in front of the mirror. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes, deciding to focus on your claws. You tried to bring them out, but every time you opened your eyes you saw your nails were normal. It was a bit frustrating, but you knew it was because you weren’t used to this. Your fangs could come out normally, and you had great control over those. Afterall it was important to your diet, so it made sense. When it came to anything relating to your wolf side though, you struggled. Somehow you had managed to get your canines out with Sangyeon in order to mark him, but that was an important moment whereas now you were just sitting alone.

    Even the incident with your ears from the other day felt more like a fluke than any real progress. You hadn’t even been awake, and were more used to forcing your wolf side down in a panic than bringing anything out. Looking at yourself now you felt kind of embarrassed. Kevin had asked you if you could shift, even though you didn’t answer him, the fact was that you couldn’t. If you weren’t capable of half shifting, how could you ever fully become a wolf. You weren’t gonna be an embarrassment to Sangyeon and his pack, so you had to gain control. Besides that, as a hybrid now, if you wound up losing control things could be much worse.

    Over the days you felt you were making progress, but very little. Your ears were easier to control than your canines or claws. You were proud of yourself, but you didn’t mention it, wanting to have actual control when you showed Sangyeon. So the nights you had to yourself you’d practice. For the most part you were alone, but then you were met with an unexpected surprise. You were focusing on summoning your canines when you suddenly heard laughter, and realized it was multiple people. You quietly opened the door to the bedroom, hearing the voices out in the main area. You snuck over, seeing Juyeon with two others. They were all smiles and laughter, then Juyeon sunk his fangs into one of them.

    The smell of blood hit you immediately. You ate well, and certainly ate enough, but your vampire instincts would always call for blood. So upon smelling food your fangs came out, a part of you wanting to go over there and get a taste. You held yourself back though, not wanting to intrude on whatever Juyeon had going on. You would have snuck back to your room, but Juyeon had sensed your presence, maybe caught your scent too, and glanced over at you, fresh blood staining his lips. His words certainly caught you off guard.

“Mommy?”

    You choked on air a bit, wanting to believe you had heard wrong, but with super hearing like yours, it was highly unlikely. Still, you felt exposed having been caught spying, and felt the need to apologize.

“Uh… sorry I… I… I didn’t mean to bother you… just heard noises… I… I’ll leave you to it.”

“Do you want one?”

“What?”

“I don’t mind sharing.” Juyeon took the hand of the one he hadn’t bitten, bringing them over to you. “Here. This one is for you.”

“Uh…”

“Drinking fresh blood is the best.”

    Juyeon shoved the human forward, and they seemed more than happy to offer themselves up. Even exposing their neck and giving you a welcoming smile. As much as you might have wanted to decline, now that they were so close you could hear the blood running through their veins. It was hard to resist, and your fangs were already present. You took a step closer, letting your own desires guide you to sink your teeth into their neck. Sweet blood flowed into your mouth, so warm and delicious that you let yourself get lost in it. You weren’t aware of Juyeon watching, licking his own lips and wanting to join you.

    He didn’t say anything about it either, merely stepping closer, and then sinking his own fangs into the persons shoulder. The blood was delicious, but it tasted better knowing he was sharing with you. Of course a person wouldn’t last long if two vampires were latched onto them, but it was still something to be enjoyed. You didn’t realize Juyeon had joined you, not paying attention to anything but the need to continue drinking. You remained like that until you were interrupted. Another boy had returned home, all alone, and stumbled upon quite a sight. They weren’t too happy about it.

“Ya! Why do you get to share with her!”

    Chanhee immediately ripped Juyeon away, yanking the human away from you in the process. They collapsed to the floor from blood loss, and you were left to come back to your senses. While you came down from your high the two boys had quickly gotten into a fight, baring their fangs and hissing.

“What the hell is wrong with you!” Juyeon yelled. 

“Me? Who said you could privately share a meal with mom!”

“At least I brought back some food to share! What about you then?!”

    Chanhee snarled and attacked Juyeon, tackling him to the ground. The two rolled around on the floor trying to pin each other down, growling and digging their claws into one another. They kept at it until you suddenly screamed. Once the haze of blood drinking had settled your eyes wandered over to the body on the floor. You could barely hear a heartbeat and that terrified you. A scream ripped from your throat and you collapsed to the ground. Tears started to build up, and you felt like a monster.

“I… I…”

“Mom?” Juyeon wondered. “What’s wrong?”

    Everything around you was fading away, the voices becoming muffled and your sole focus becoming the human on the floor with their slow heartbeat. You felt like you couldn’t breathe, thinking you were about to be sick when Sangyeon was suddenly in your field of view, drawing your attention.

“Hey, hey, what happened? What’s wrong, love?”

“I… I killed…”

“What?”

    Sangyeon looked around and noticed the human on the floor with two bite marks, as well as the other just standing around, clearly dazed.

“No, no, baby, they’re not dead. You didn’t kill anyone, I promise.”

“But… but…”

“Sh, it’s okay, it’s okay, you didn’t hurt anyone.”

    Sangyeon pulled you into his arms, cradling your head and trying to call you down. He growled at the others gesturing for them to get the humans out of here. They scrambled to listen, all of them having been distraught over seeing you in tears. After a moment Sangyeon picked you up and took you to the kitchen, helping you clean off. You began to settle down there.

“I…”

“We don’t kill people. I wouldn’t leave a trail of bodies to attract the attention of hunters. No one died tonight.”

“I lost control though…”

“No you didn’t, someone just decided to join you and that makes things dangerous.”

“Still…”

“You didn’t hurt anyone. Everything’s okay, I swear.”

    You were still sniffling, trusting in Sangyeon’s words, but that didn’t make the fear and panic go away easily.

“So when you said they go out hunting... for food… you meant…”

“Yes. There’s quite a lot of us, so we need a lot of blood. The boys usually go off hunting to feed at night, but I do also need to gather food for you.”

“… you... drain people…”

“I don’t kill anyone. None of us do.”

“…”

“Why don’t you get some sleep, baby.” Sangyeon suggested. “A lot’s happened and some rest would do you good.”

“Yeah... yeah that’s not a bad idea…”

    Sangyeon finished cleaning you up then took your hand and led you back to the bedroom. He joined you in bed, pulling you into his arms and holding you close. He hummed softly, gently rubbing your back and lulling you to sleep. Once he was sure you’d be alright he snuck away and found the rest of the boys gathered around in the living room area.

“Juyeon, Chanhee, get up.” He ordered. “What the hell happened?”

“It was Juyeon’s fault.” Chanhee admitted.

“Ya! I didn’t do anything!”

“You made mom cry!”

“Mom?” Sangyeon questioned. “That’s not important right now. Someone better start talking.”

“Juyeon came back early and brought two humans with him. I saw him and followed him home because you said we shouldn’t do that.”

“Correct.”

“And when I got here I saw him sharing a meal with mom.”

“And your jealous ass had to pull me away and startle her!” Juyeon retaliated. “This is all your fault!”

    The two started baring their fangs and growling at each other before Sangyeon let out a low roar to shut them up. They both whimpered and lowered their heads.

“We don’t bring people home.” Sangyeon reminded. “Especially not with y/n here.”

“I just wanted to make sure she ate…” Juyeon mumbled.

“What?”

“She doesn’t go out hunting with us... I wanted to bring her back something to eat…”

“Juyeon-”

“Is she okay?”

Sangyeon sighed. “Yes. I cleaned her up and put her to bed.”

“She doesn’t like us much… does she?” Haknyeon said. “She’s never around…”

“That’s not true. She’s still getting used to everything. Especially having a pack that actually cares for her.”

“But she was in a pack.” Sunwoo stated. “She was married and mated too.”

“Those mutts were not her pack, we are and I’m her mate. A pack wouldn’t isolate you, and only care for you when it was convenient for them.”

“Were they really that bad to her?”

“That’s all a story for another time. She doesn’t hate you, she’s just not used to all this, but she’s getting there. I promise.”

    As much as Sangyeon would want to scold them over the nights events, he couldn’t really blame them. He was more worried about you and how you would take this going forward. He hoped for the best, but he expected trouble, and that’s what he got. The day after you were pretty quiet, and he could sense you were still stressed. He offered comfort without bringing up the topic, but he was well aware that you didn’t have an appetite. He let it slide for a day, but when you straight up refused to eat he knew he had to change things.

“Y/n-”

“I’m fine.”

“You say that now, but you can’t just stop eating. Blood is your primary food source. Starving yourself won’t go well.”

“I can’t… I don’t want to…”

“Why?”

“You just… you just go out there and drain people…”

“I told you we-”

“Don’t kill, but that doesn’t change the way you go about this…”

“What else would you have me do? We need blood to survive, you need it too. I won’t let you starve yourself just because you aren’t happy with how we get it, so please, tell me, what can I do to make this better?”

“…”

“Y/n, this isn’t healthy, and you’ll worry the whole pack if they find out you’re not eating.”

“Tell me what happened…”

“What?”

“That day… these last couple years… tell me the truth.”

“Y/n… why now?”

“Please. There’s so much I don’t understand about you or this pack. I lost you when I was barely getting to know you… and when you miraculously came back years later as a hybrid with your own pack… I couldn’t believe it, I still can’t…”

“You already blame yourself for that day… I don’t want you to feel even more guilt about it…”

“But I want to know, I have to. We’ve got forever now, don’t we? You have to tell me at some point.”

“Alright.” Sangyeon pet your head. “Promise me you won’t blame yourself for what happened.”

“I’ll try.”

“And you will eat afterwards.”

“Promise.”

🖤

“We’ll play together again, I promise.”

“Sangyeon…”

    The fear on your face was very clear, which was all the more reason to protect you. It was Sangyeon’s duty, and he would fulfill it. He told you to run once he drew the hunters away, and made sure you understood what you had to do. He didn’t want to leave you alone either, but this was his way of keeping you safe. Sangyeon gave you a reassuring smile before running off, purposely making noise and drawing attention to him so you could get away. He kept running without looking back, believing he could out run these hunters and hide only to wind up right in their trap.

    He wasn’t really looking where he was running, stepping into a net that lifted him up into the air and wrapped him up tightly. He was immediately constrained and found himself in an uncomfortable position with no real way to move around and free himself. Even though he was the one trapped he was worried about you, hoping you hadn’t gotten caught like him. Sangyeon did try to free himself, but ultimately failed, and eventually the hunters found him. They seemed proud of themselves for their catch, cutting him down, but keeping him trapped in the net. They dragged him along the ground, throwing him into the darkness of a crate, and taking him away.

    His situation was terrifying, but he took comfort in knowing it was only him who had been captured, and you were back with the pack and safe. While in the dark he did manage to free himself of the net, but he was still caged, so it didn’t do him much good. He waited patiently to see where he was being taken, trying to think of the best way to escape and get back home, back to you. He was so young and barely had any power of his own, but he never gave up hope. It was probably a foolish thing to do, but with no concept of time, it was rather easy to keep his belief that one day he would escape, especially once it became apparent the hunters weren’t going to simply kill him. That was both a blessing and a curse.

    After being in the dark for who knows how long he found himself somewhere very bright, and empty. He was completely alone, and surrounded by solid white walls. The lights from above were blinding, but he wasn’t bothered by it all that much. As he tried to make sense of this place a strange smell began to fill the room and knocked him out. After that he only regained consciousness for moments at a time, excruciating pain overwhelming him before his body completely shut down again. He didn’t know how long that went on for before he was returned to the white room. It took a while before he was able to take everything in, processing the lingering aches, and seeing how messed up his body was.

    His healing factor wasn’t fully developed, so he had lingering puncture wounds from needles, countless cuts decorating his skin, and dried blood all over his torn up clothes. He felt so weak, like he was dying, but he had to stay strong. One day he’d get his chance, and it really did seem possible. Now he had a collar around his neck that would electrocute him to keep from getting violent with his captors, but they still took him back and forth between his cell and some type of facility. There were all kinds of unfamiliar equipment and tools around him. He was quite afraid, but he did his best to hide that. He paid attention to his surroundings, trying to make out all the doors around him, and the possibility of them leading to an exit.

    As time went on he felt himself getting stronger, forming a better plan to escape. He thought for sure it would work, that is until he found himself in a new confinement. He had been dragged over for more experiments. He expected the usual torture, but instead he came across a lot of blood. He could immediately tell it wasn’t human, and when he noticed someone holding a needle of it, he began to panic. He struggled desperately in his restraints, but they were strong, and he was certainly still exhausted from yesterday’s experiments. He didn’t want this substance in his system, but he couldn’t stop them, only watched as one needle of blood after the other was emptied into him.

    He didn’t feel anything at first, and then slowly began to feel this power growing inside him. It felt good, and he thought perhaps he’d have the strength to fight off his captors, but then there was another needle in his arm. This one wasn’t full of blood, but something else entirely. Whatever it was quickly took effect, making him scream and thrash around like never before. He actually broke his restraints and fell to the floor, but once he stood he immediately felt dizzy. He was growling and snarling, losing his vision and stumbling around until he collapsed to the floor. Darkness overtook him, although things felt different this time around. Still, he couldn’t do anything but fade to black.

    When Sangyeon regained consciousness he took in a deep breath, feeling as if he had been deprived of air. He was back in his cage, but things were different, he felt different. For starters his throat was incredibly dry, and his senses were all overwhelming him. The sound of the lights buzzing was incredibly loud and his own footsteps seemed to echo loudly in his ears too. It took a while to stabilize himself, trying to process everything. He could vaguely recall what had been done to him last, and as he was trying to remember a blood bag was suddenly tossed into his room from a hidden compartment. His body immediately acted and went for the blood bag, ripping into it and drinking its contents.

    Afterwards he could process, realizing what he had just done, and that he liked the taste. Sangyeon reached up to touch his fangs, poking his finger with one of them and seeing the drop of blood bloom. He wanted to throw the blood up, to wake up from this nightmare, but he had plenty of those since he was taken captive, and this certainly didn’t feel like one. He was still a wolf, he could feel that, he knew that, but he couldn’t deny his vampire tendencies either. He stared down at himself in disbelief, in horror. This couldn’t be possible, and yet here he was, an abomination, a real monster.

    Now he wasn’t sure he’d be able to go home, or that he should. Although the choice was certainly taken out of his hands. By now he had no idea how much time had passed, but he had his claws and canines now, and with this new power he was all the more dangerous, so they properly locked him up. Sangyeon wound up in some type of containment unit, hands chained above his head and held away from him. His ankles were chained to the ground, and the collar remained, now with a chain connected to a wall. The position was certainly uncomfortable and left him exposed but that wasn’t the worst of it. This strange device was placed on his face, hooking into the gums of his mouth. It was painful and he had no idea what it was at first, overtime coming to realize this thing was literally extracting the venom from his bite. It was poisonous to vampires and could be a powerful weapon for hunters. They never took it off, resorting to an IV drip and occasionally feeding him blood through a tube.

    Any idea of escape seemed impossible now, and he was actually giving up on it too. He was insanely restrained, and he knew he wasn’t at full strength either. Along with all that the agony of the new experiments certainly made it hard to do anything but breath. Then again, given what he had become, he wasn’t entirely sure he could go home, that he could face you now that he was a true monster. These hunters weren’t going to kill him anytime soon, and he felt more like a living corpse. Time passed without any real meaning. He was alone and kept alive for a purpose that was not of his choosing. He thought that’s how things would remain until one day he was introduced to three other wolves. 

“Where am I? What is this place!”

    They all seemed so young, maybe around his age too. They were scared and confused, and when they noticed him on the other side of the glass they rushed over, begging for help and answers. He wished he could tell them to be strong and fight, to escape this place by any means necessary, but with his confinements he could do nothing but gaze upon them in despair. Moments later the IV was removed and the hunters began to draw blood from him, a lot, and he realized what they were going to do. For once he tried to fight, not wanting his fate to befall others, but he was truly helpless in his restraints.

    He watched as the other wolves were knocked out and then given his blood. Now he knew how he had been turned, watching as the boys were poisoned. He felt their deaths, wishing to rip apart all the hunters for this. Although he was grateful to see them come back to life. Even if what had been done to them was horrific, he felt less lonely, not just because he wasn’t the only prisoner anymore, but because they were like him, hybrids. They weren’t the only ones either, over time other wolves were brought in and turned into hybrids too. He didn’t know why the hunters were doing this, until he saw it for himself.

    It was a strange situation to wake up to. All the boys were on their knees and collared, even had tags on their ears like cattle, he probably had one too he hadn’t noticed. One of the hunters was yelling at them to behave themselves and follow orders. If they disobeyed there would be consequences. Sangyeon thought he was about to witness them get hurt, instead he was the one who felt excruciating pain. His collar going off after so many months, and clearly at a new voltage. All the boys growled and attempted to make a move, but it just got them electrocuted, Sangyeon as well. That’s when it all finally clicked. He was their sire. His blood had been used to turn them, and beyond that, they had all come to recognize him as their alpha. His pain was theirs, and they didn’t want him getting hurt because of them.

    It still took a while before he came to learn what was going on. The boys would occasionally see him, a reminder that their sire/alpha was being held captive, and if they stepped out of line he’d get hurt. Sometimes he saw them covered in blood, and he could see that they were getting stronger. It wasn’t until one day he overheard the hunters talking about the boys, letting him know that they had been training them, using them as hunting dogs. He couldn’t let this continue. They were all being exploited, and Sangyeon felt the most responsible for it. He may have given up on escaping, but they gave him a new purpose. So he began to devise a plan.

    Sangyeon couldn’t really speak because of the device in his mouth, and he was always separated from the rest of the boys, so the hunters never worried about him being able to command them through the sire bond. He didn’t know much about it anyway, but there was something that had been overlooked. He may be their sire in terms of vampire nature, but he was also their alpha, and that was a whole other set of rules. Even if he couldn’t speak, he did have the ability to growl and roar. That’s how he started, simply testing his limitations. On occasion he’d growl and tug on his restraints to make the hunters know he was displeased, but they tended to laugh it off since they knew he couldn’t escape on his own.

    He managed to normalize that enough that they’d pay his actions no mind at all, and that’s when he began the next step. Every now and then when the boys would be in the other room he’d growl or release a low roar, seeing the reaction he’d gauge from them. It took a bit of trial and error, figuring out exactly how loud he needed to be, but despite separation, he realized they could in fact hear him. They seemed happy about the realization too, but understood to keep this hidden and not draw attention to it. Now it was a matter of saving his strength and picking the right moment.

    It wasn’t often that all the boys were gathered together in the room next door. The hunters had the right idea not to allow that, but on occasion they would do so anyway. That was his moment to strike. At best he understood he would only really have one chance, and he couldn’t waste it. For his sake, and for all of them. Even if he knew so little about vampires, he knew one thing for sure. The blood of the sire could provide great power. Sangyeon took a deep breath, hoping his actions would not be in vain. He waited for a moment when the number of hunters around him was low before he braced himself for the first real roar of his life.

    His actions actually startled the hunters, but this wasn’t for them. It was a call to action, an order, his boys, his pack, would not refuse. Even if it didn’t make sense, in the moment they just acted. All ten of the boys roared and bared their canines, running up to the glass and with their combined efforts breaking through. The hunters immediately began to panic, clearly outnumbered and overpowered. Some of the boys attacked the hunters, ripping into their throats and clawing them open, getting revenge for all the pain they caused. The rest went straight for Sangyeon, ripping him out of his restraints and then sinking their fangs into any bit of exposed skin they could get to.

    They each had a mouthful or two, howling with blood dripping down their face, hunger and new power coursing through their veins. Sangyeon held his tongue, unable to think clearly as his pack drained him. He wasn’t strong to begin with, but he hoped to give his pack the power to fight. The last he remembered seeing were the lights turning red and the sirens going off before he blacked out. He had no idea how much time had passed, but he groggily awoke to the taste of blood on his lips. The sweet taste gave him some strength, his fangs appearing and a wrist being presented for him to bite into. With every mouthful he got stronger, sitting up and glancing over to see the body he was feeding off. A hunter clawed up but alive enough for him to feed off, that is until he drained them.

    He growled as he pulled his fangs away, taking in a deep breath. He took in his surroundings, seeing the bodies laid out before him, barely alive, and jumping on the nearest one to feed off. Little by little he was regaining his strength and so much more. When he heard footsteps approaching he snarled, more than ready to strike only to see two boys dragging some bodies into the room. They were glad to see he was awake and feeding off what they had brought over. Sangyeon was also happy to see they were alive, blood staining their lips and clothes too. Eventually all the others gathered around, assuring him they were all okay.

“We need to get out of here.”

“Where would we go?”

“I have an idea…” Sangyeon ripped the tag off his ear, looking it over before tossing it aside. “But for now we go anywhere else.”

    Despite drinking plenty of blood, Sangyeon still had a lot of recovering to do. He hadn’t used his legs in who knows how long. Two others had no problem helping him out, all of the others discarding their own tags and escaping that place, not caring about the bodies they left behind. For a moment Sangyeon feared the sunlight would hurt them and they’d have to wait until nightfall, but it turned out to be harmless. Perhaps a benefit of being a hybrid, but it gave them the chance to flee. Along the way they didn’t run into anyone else, but they were traveling with no destination in mind. As the sun began to go down Sangyeon knew he needed to find a place to stay.

    They all found a river to rest by, and clean up a bit. Sangyeon tried to get his feet under him, but he wasn’t quite there yet. The sun was nearly gone by the time they got back on the road, Sangyeon still needing assistance. By the time they found a place to properly rest it was well into the night. Some went off to find firewood while others explored this abandoned building, seeing if there was anything of use. The excessive amount of mattresses would at least give them somewhere soft to rest, unlike the cold cement floor they had gotten used to. Now was the time Sangyeon could finally get to know them, putting names to faces and finding out how they ended up like him.

    Some had been abandoned by their own packs, out all alone when they had been taken. Others kidnapped like he had been, and some were the only ones left of their previous pack. All they really had now was each other, and they all seemed to be alright with that. Soon enough they found the nearby towns, giving them access to food, and managing to get some other necessities. Took a lot of practice and some mess ups before they got the hang of compulsion, making their lives much easier. Even though they were doing alright, Sangyeon had a promise to keep. So he told the others that when he was well enough they’d come with him back to his pack, and they’d have a proper place to call home. They all seemed happy with the idea, and Sangyeon really wanted to go home. Although he had no idea what awaited him after all these years.

🖤

“Sangyeon…”

    You couldn’t help the tears running down your cheeks. Sangyeon found them endearing, gently reaching over to wipe them away.

“I’m alright. I’m here now. Everything’s okay.”

“All those years… I thought… I thought…”

“Sh, you don’t need to think like that.”

“I’m so sorry…”

“None of this is your fault.”

    You cried for a while before you calmed yourself. You did feel guilty, but you had promised Sangyeon you wouldn’t let that swallow you up, so you stayed strong. He was here with you now, and that’s what mattered.

“You went through so much… all of you did…”

“It made us stronger in the end.”

“But why… what’s with the silver fangs?”

“I didn’t know about them at first. I’m not entirely sure, but considering they were constantly draining venom from me, and my boys were used as hunting dogs. They must have done that so our teeth wouldn’t break so easily under the stress they put us under. No real idea how or when they did it. Why? They’re pretty cool, aren’t they?”

“They’re unique.”

“Alright. I’ve told you the truth. Now you have to hold up your end of the deal and eat.”

“…”

“Y/n, we agreed.”

“I know… I just…”

“If I could feed all of you with my own blood, I would, but there’s not that much of me to go around. So you need to eat.”

“But…”

“If there was another way to get food, believe me, I would, but it’s not like I can just go to a blood bank and get what we need.”

“Actually…”

“What?”

“That is… a thing…”

“What is? Blood banks?” You nodded your head. “You’re joking right?”

“No… that’s how vampires get their food without harming humans and attracting the attention of hunters.”

“That sounds so fake.”

“I know. I didn’t believe it either, but it was all something I learned growing up.”

“You still did all the studying of a pack alpha even though you gave up the title.”

“I had a lot of free time on my hands…”

“Alright. I suppose we could do things your way.”

“There’s just one problem.”

“What?”

“Us.”

“Us?”

“We’re… we’re not something that’s supposed to exist… right now no one knows about us, about what we are, but if word gets out… we’d attract a lot of attention from both the humans and supernaturals…”

“Then what do you suggest we do?”

“I… I think I know of a place we could go… and possibly get some help…”

“Okay, pack trip then, should be fun.”

    The idea of changing how you got food certainly raised some questions, but the boys were all eager to see you around and taking charge. As the mate of their alpha should. You were anxious though, doing everything based on a theory with no real idea if this would work, but you had to try. That night you had the whole pack come with you.

“So…” Eric wondered. “Where are we going?”

“A club.”

“… why?”

“It’s a vampire club.”

“What! That’s a thing?”

“Yeah.”

    Your words stirred up excitement, but Sangyeon was rightfully concerned. It would be a rather dangerous place for them to go, so he made sure to tell the boys they had to behave. If they didn’t, he swore they’d be in big trouble.

“How can a vampire club exist?”

“Many tend to be underground.” You explained. “And humans don’t really know about them. It’s a whole thing really, but it works.”

“And we’re supposed to get help there?” Sangyeon questioned.

“That’s the idea.”

    You led them all down into the sewers, which certainly didn’t sound nice, but it was necessary. They thought they’d wind up in some filthy type of place, but were surprised to see that the underground passage you took them too was far from dirty. It was more of a proper tunnel, lined with metal and low lights, leading off into a void. There were a multitude of other tunnels leading elsewhere, which made it seem like it would be easy to get lost, but as long as one followed the smell of blood, they’d find their way. Soon enough they noticed red lights off into the distance, coming upon metal double doors, and a sign.

“Asinis?”

“It’s the name of the club.” You explained. “It means blood.”

“Very original… I guess.”

    You took a moment and then knocked on the door. A disembodied voice suddenly spoke, asking for a password. You looked around for a moment and then found the camera off to the side. You bore your fangs in its direction. After a moment a compartment in the wall opened up and revealed a needle. You pricked your finger on it, blood sliding down, then the needle disappeared. As you understood, one had to prove they were a vampire before being allowed in, that was how you got into these types of places, and you were correct. Eventually the doors swung open, the subtle smell of blood becoming much more prominent, and music beginning to fill your ears. It all sent a rush of excitement through the boys, but you kept your head. You walked in, remaining together, and taking in the sight before you.

    The main entrance led straight onto the dance floor. The loud music made the whole place shake, and you could see vampires dancing in the crowds, some even feeding off humans too. Of course there were drinks and tables to rest at, but you weren’t here to have fun. You wanted to speak to the owner, perhaps strike a deal. It wouldn’t be easy, but you underestimated how complicated things would get. You weren’t there for long when what you presumed to be security approached you. One of the gentlemen made a move to grab you, but Sangyeon was quick to stop them, growling and flashing his eyes.

“As I thought. A bunch of dogs snuck into our place.” The vampire hissed. “Now get lost, we don’t serve your kind here.”

“My kind?” Sangyeon scoffed. “You haven’t met my kind before.”

“What did you say?”

“Sangyeon.” You stepped in front of Sangyeon, grabbing his arm. “We’re not here to cause trouble.”

“They started it. We just-”

“Sangyeon, this place is full of blood and vampires, only part of us fits in here, meaning our wolf side noticeably stands out. Besides that our mating marks are mostly visible. You know vampires and werewolves don’t exactly get along. So calm down.”

“Listen to the little bitch here. She’s got the right idea.”

    Sangyeon roared, now attracting more attention, but you stood your ground. You roared right back at him and showed your own red eyes. You had never done that before, but in the moment, you had to protect him, even from himself, and protect the pack, your pack. He remained at odds with you for a moment before calming down and letting go of the vampire. You took a moment to compose yourself too before turning around.

“We don’t want trouble. We just want to talk to the owner.”

“And if we refuse?”

“Then we’ll go to a competitor, and you’ll forever regret turning us away.”

The vampire scoffed. “We’ll take our chances. So fuck off.”

    You weren’t going to argue and cause more trouble, there were already so many eyes on you. There were plenty of other places to go, so you wouldn’t give up on your plan just yet. As you made a move to leave, someone else spoke up, grabbing your attention. Another gentleman had made his way to the front of the security crowd, looking you up and down.

“Why do you want to speak to the owner?”

“I have a proposition for them.” You explained. “One they’d be foolish to pass on.”

“Hm…”

“You can’t seriously be-”

“Quite, Mingi.” The gentleman stepped towards you, forcing you to hold a hand out to keep Sangyeon back. “You seem very interesting, so I’ll indulge you and your little request. I sure hope it’s worth my time.”

“Are you-”

“Come now.”

    The gentleman started walking off, the other vampires stepping aside to let them pass. They didn’t move though, meaning they were waiting on you to follow, which you quickly did. You were led up to the second floor of the club, where private rooms were, and taken over to the side which seemed to be the owners office. As you stepped in you noticed a vampire at the main desk, looking at a computer screen. They paid you no attention until your scent hit, then they were very curious.

“Seonghwa, what is this?”

“Something interesting. This little wolf here wanted to talk to you. She has a proposition she says you’d be a fool to pass on.”

“Is that so?” The owner got up and poured themselves a drink. “Well then, you better get straight to your point my darling, I’m not a fan of having dogs in my place.”

“That’s my first point. I’m not just a werewolf.”

“You’re not?”

“I’m a hybrid. One of twelve in existence, as far as I know.”

“A hybrid?”

“Half wolf, half vampire. How exactly do you think we got in? Vampire clubs are known to have good security. A werewolf can’t just waltz in so easily.”

“Hm… and how exactly can you prove that?”

“My scent alone can speak for itself.”

“Come here then.”

    The owner held a hand out to you. Sangyeon didn’t like the idea, but you gave him a reassuring look, stepping towards the owner. Even if there were a total of eight vampires in the room, you and your pack still outnumbered them, so there was no need to be so worried. You took the owner’s hand and immediately got pulled closer. They buried their face in the crook of your neck, breathing you in for a moment before stepping away. You could tell Sangyeon was tense by the whole ordeal but he was putting his trust in you.

“An interesting scent indeed, but there is a better way to confirm your true nature.”

“What do you mean?”

“A taste.”

“No.” Sangyeon stated. 

“Sangyeon.” You glared back at him for a moment. “You are a vampire, so you know blood.”

“I do.”

    You offered up your wrist, watching as he took in another deep breath of your scent and then sank his fangs in. A low growl escaped Sangyeon’s lips, but he remained where he was. After a mouthful the owner pulled away, licking their lips.

“A unique taste indeed. How is it that such a creature like you exists.”

“We’re not here to talk about me, but an opportunity for you.”

“Yes, of course. Why don’t you have a seat, and let’s see what you have to offer.” The owner sat back down at their desk. “The name’s Hongjoong by the way.”

“Y/n, and this is my mate Sangyeon, and my pack.”

    The boys all seemed to perk up by your words, but kept themselves quiet. You sat down with Sangyeon at your side, the others quietly gathered around you. Sangyeon immediately grabbed your wrists and started kissing it, wanting Hongjoong’s scent gone. You could sense he was worried and wanted to ask what you were doing, but he was keeping it to himself to see where you would go. You gave him a reassuring look, and offered him a small smile over his actions. You had to remain serious for this.

“Now, you say I’d be a fool to pass up your offer.” Hongjoong said. “So what is it that you are offering me?”

“A partnership.”

“Partnership?”

“Your territory is vast, and I’m sure you handle things just fine, but it wouldn’t hurt to have great power on your side.”

“And that would be you?”

“My kind is powerful beyond your imagination, and far from easy to kill. Besides that, our venom is all the more deadly to your kind.”

“I’ve seen what a werewolf bite can do to someone like me, and you’re saying you can do worse?”

“I’m more than happy to demonstrate.”

“Seonghwa.”

“Hm?”

“Go find me a volunteer, please.”

“Of course.”

“So, hypothetically speaking. If this partnership were to happen, what is it that you want?”

“Blood.”

“Is that so?”

“I am part vampire, and need to feed like the rest of you. As you can see I have a whole pack, and given what I am, I can’t just walk into a blood bank.”

“You don’t wish to expose your existence to others?”

“As if you aren’t nervous having us here. We’re something new, perhaps an abomination. Our existence goes against nature and balance, I don’t want unnecessary trouble. Which is why I need a stable and peaceful source of blood that doesn’t involve us going out to hunt.”

“I see. My club has a steady flow of blood coming in, and you want a cut of that.”

“Yes.” 

“So this partnership is more like your life line.”

“If you don’t want to cooperate with me, I’m sure I can find someone who does.”

“That’s not what I’m getting at, little wolf. I’m just trying to see how this actually benefits me.”

“What is it that you want?”

“Well, I must admit. If your venom is as dangerous as you say, it wouldn’t hurt to have some for myself to use as I please.”

“Absolutely not.” Sangyeon growled. “We won’t give-”

“Sangyeon.”

    You took Sangyeon’s hand and looked him in the eye. You knew where he was coming from. For years of his life he was hooked up to a machine that just extracted his venom. He wouldn’t want anyone else ever going through that process. You understood that, but you also needed all of you to have a way to survive that wouldn’t be putting you at risk. Everything was still up for negotiation, so you were asking him to be patient and trust you.

“Your request can be considered.” You stated. “Is there anything else you want to put on the table?”

“In fact there is. Your blood.”

“My blood?”

“The blood of a hybrid is a very unique taste. As you’ve said, the only source exists in this very room right now. If my club were to offer such a rare delicacy, well, the profits would increase dramatically. Thus you can be provided with proper compensation.”

“Speaking of compensation. Blood isn’t all I would need from you. If we provide for your club in such a manner I think it’s only fair we get a cut of the actual profits. A good percentage at least.”

“Now this sounds more like business. Trading in blood and money. What would you need with money?”

“What I do isn’t entirely your concern is it? And if I give you my venom, what you do with it I wouldn’t question.”

“Hm, fair point.” Hongjoong took a sip of his drink. “While we’re still putting things on the table. Is there anything else you’d like to bring up?”

“I want a room.”

“A room?”

“Yes. One of your VIP rooms. If we’re to work together, I think it’s only fair that my boys and I can enjoy what your club has to offer. It would also give you a good space to collect blood, and maybe other things.”

“Hm…”

    Before the conversation could continue, Seonghwa returned with someone in tow. The vampire was trying to explain themselves and apologize but they wound up getting shoved onto the ground before Hongjoong’s desk. They had yet to notice you, simply getting on their knees and begging Hongjoong for forgiveness.

“I don’t mean to cause trouble. I was just having fun and-”

“So, who’s going to do it?” Hongjoong asked, looking at you. “He’s your volunteer.”

“I’ll do it.” Haknyeon offered. 

    You gave Haknyeon your approval, and he walked over to the vampire. That was when the smell of wolves finally registered for them, and now they were very nervous. They crawled back for a moment, starting to mumble more apologies, making all kinds of promises so they would be spared.

“Hold him.” You ordered.

    Kevin and Jacob went over and grabbed the vampire, holding out their arm as Haknyeon dug his teeth into them. A loud scream was ripped from the vampire’s throat. They were released once it was done, Haknyeon licking the blood off his lips. Usually the venom of a werewolf would work slowly, giving the victim some time before signs of deterioration begin to show. In a matter of minutes the vampire was seizing on the floor, already far closer to death than one would think.

“Fascinating.” Hongjoong said. “Deadly, and painful, with no mercy. I like it. Seonghwa.”

“Hm?”

“Is VIP room one currently occupied?”

“No.”

“From now on that room belongs to our new friends, and no one else. Understood?”

“Yes.”

“If you’d like, your pack can enjoy what Asinis has to offer as you and I discuss the finer details of our partnership.”

“I’m alright with that.”

    It was a dangerous idea to let the boys go off, but you wanted to show trust, and expected to receive it in return. Besides, all of this was for the sake of getting food without putting yourself or others in danger. The boys were all excited about getting to enjoy themselves at such a club, and you trusted they’d behave. One of Hondjoong’s men escorted them out, and Sangyeon went with, but he said he would return. Hongjoong got you a drink as well, moving over to sit across from you.

“A hybrid, very interesting. The power you possess must be incredible.”

“I’m not trying to make a big show of myself.”

“But you are intriguing. I’m glad to know you’ve chosen me to be your partner. Although I must ask, where does your pack reside? Without a proper place to call your own, you might still find trouble.”

“My pack has made no man’s land our home. I know no one bothers with the area, so we’re fine.”

“Hm… true. Although I could provide a bit of help with that.”

“What?”

“I could acquire the land you call home, keeping it under my name to make sure it’s left untouched. Now don’t get me wrong, I have no intention of owning you or making you an enemy, just wanting to provide more security with your home.”

“In exchange for what? Nothing comes free.”

“A guarantee I get to have your venom.”

“Do you even have the means of extraction?”

“It wouldn’t be hard to acquire. I understand your mate was very much against the idea, but you seem to be in charge.”

“I am merely doing what is best for my pack, and I make my decisions with him.”

“You’ve been making all the moves tonight. Solo.”

“A demonstration of trust.”

“Hm. I’m just offering up my help, a mutual pact of protection works best. I get my own personal hunting dogs and you get to keep your pack safe from everything else that would wish to do you harm.”

“And you think I’d be so sure to trust you’d never betray us?”

“Believe me when I say this, I do not wish to make you my enemy, little wolf. Good things can come from our partnership, and I’d be a fool to ruin it.”

    You both talked over drinks, properly drafting up a contract so no one took advantage of the other. Sangyeon eventually returned, telling you the others were having fun and wouldn’t cause trouble. Things were going well overall until the discussion of venom came up. Again Sangyeon stated he was against it.

“Sangyeon, I never said you’d be the one giving it.”

“You’re not doing it either.”

“I can do what I want with my body. I understand it’s not a comfortable procedure, but I can do whatever is necessary for my pack.”

“Y/n-”

“Please don’t argue with me about this. I’m not doing this for free. This is a partnership, give and take, not me being forced into something.”

    You knew Sangyeon was never going to be happy over this, but for now he’d yield. Both sides came to a fair arrangement, already figuring out how to start things. As of now Hongjoong did have the means to draw blood, and you had no problem giving some now. You went with Sangyeon to the VIP room, the smell of blood hitting you immediately. They boys had drinks, and a few humans hanging around with them. You didn’t have to worry about things going far, knowing the humans that were in these places were well cared for, and hurting one will get you thrown out, or worse, killed. When the boys saw you they began howling and cheering.

“Look at mom go!” Sunwoo cheered. “This is awesome!”

“I told you guys to stop calling her mom.” Sangyeon stated. “It’s embarrassing.”

“But she is pack mom…”

“That doesn’t-”

“It’s funny.” You interrupted. “A bit weird, but I don’t have that much of a problem with it.”

“See.” Changmin added. “You’re dad, and she’s mom, you’re both mated, so it makes sense.”

“You guys are all ridiculous.” Sangyeon rolled his eyes. “I need a drink.”

“Yeah, let’s party tonight!”

“How did it all go?” Juyeon asked. “We good?”

“Yes.” You assured. “We’ll rotate in regards to giving blood, and I will also be giving venom.”

“What? Just you?”

“I’m not going to-”

“I’ll do that.” Sangyeon cut in. “I’ll be the one giving venom.”

“Sangyeon, we already talked about this. I said-”

“I’ll do it. You’re crazy if you think I’d let you, or any of them, go through that.”

“You’ve suffered enough for that. Let me take on the burden-”

“You said this was for the benefit of the pack, I can do anything for them.”

“Sangyeon.”

“I’m used to it, so it’ll be easier if I do it anyway.”

“That is not what we agreed to.”

“They’ll take our venom regardless of who gives it.”

“Sangyeon!”

“Mommy and daddy are fighting.” Eric mumbled. “Awkward.”

“We’re not fighting.” You said. “Just a minor disagreement. We’ll talk about this later.”

“That’s fine. Besides, tonight is cause for celebration. Your mothers…” Sangyeon took a moment, ignoring the giggles. “Y/n has done a lot for us, something I didn’t think to do for you, so, to y/n.”

“To y/n!”

    You were shy over their praises, but you were just glad that things had worked out this way. You had blood drawn, as did a few others, only heading home once everyone had enough and had recovered. The sun was peeking over the horizon by the time you got back home. The boys still had some energy but you retired to your room with Sangyeon. After all, the two of you still needed to discuss somethings.

“I’ll be giving venom.”

“And I said you don’t have to.”

“I won’t let you do it.” Sangyeon stated. “Any of you.”

“I don’t want you putting yourself back in that situation.”

“So you think I’m gonna stand back and watch you do it?”

“Sangyeon. You’ve suffered enough with this, let someone else take on the burden. I’m your mate, aren’t we meant to share everything?”

“Not this. It was hell for me, what kind of a mate would I be if I let you experience it?” Sangyeon took your hand. “I don’t want to do this either, but if it’s for the good of the pack, I could do anything.”

“I can’t-”

“Sh. I’ll deal with this, and I can get through it because unlike before I have you by my side this time.”

“I can do it as well, if you ever need a break.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Sangyeon kissed your head. “Although I do wanna ask, why did you ask for money?”

“What do you mean?”

“We don’t really need it. We just hunt, well, not anymore, but all we need is blood.”

“And the rest of you go out and compel everything else right?”

“Maybe…”

“Well a pack should be more honest. Besides, I want to properly fix up this place, make it a real home, and that requires money.”

“I see.”

“Why? Is that a problem or something?”

“No, no, I’m just amazed. The boys are right to call you mom.”

“Oh stop it.”

“You’re a good alpha, and mine.”

“You’re embarrassing me.”

“I know.” Sangyeon kissed you. “Speaking of venom… how did you know ours was more deadly?”

“Back with my old pack… I had heard rumors of vampires dying in a more painful and quick way. Everyone thought the hunters had developed some new kind of weapon, it seems I wasn’t wrong.”

“Huh… so they were using it like that…”

“No one ever figured out the cause, and it suddenly stopped, guess I wasn’t wrong.”

“Not at all.”

    You weren’t one for the club scene, so you didn’t go often unless it was your turn to provide. No pushed you to go, but the boys would always ask if you wanted to join them. Sometimes Sangyeon would go with them, and sometimes he would stay with you. They always brought blood bags home, your due payment, along with money. It was a good ordeal, and everyone was happy about it. Of course when it came to the venom, you always went so you could be with Sangyeon. He wouldn’t let any of you actually be at his side for the whole thing, but you were there to look after him when everything was done. He was quite adorable and needy, cuddling you up and not caring for all the comments from the others.

    In your spare time you’d be examining the house, and making plans of what you wanted to do. Of course this wasn’t kept a secret as you wanted input from everyone in the pack. You intended to give everyone a room, but for the most part they wanted to share with another, so you just made sure they were spacious and comfortable for two. Even if normal food wasn’t necessary you still had a kitchen and dining room set up. You were used to cooking, and you did want to cook for them at times. They were always excited for pack dinners, even slowly getting themselves in the kitchen to help. Cooking for twelve was not easy.

    You were very adamant about having a huge communal shower type thing connected to the house as well. Since the boys were no longer out hunting for food, they’d rough house a lot more out at night, especially on full moons. You did not want them dragging mud into the house, and insisted they clean up before entering. They did whine about that a bit, but ultimately complied with your wishes. Although they had a demand too, they wanted a big living room area, but had named it the den. A nice wide open space that was cozy, and also served as an indoor space to shift and stretch around. It’s why you made the halls bigger too, in case someone wanted to lounge about in wolf form all day.

    Now this place certainly felt more like a home. It felt right, like this was how things were supposed to be for you from the start. You and Sangyeon with your pack, living peacefully. As much as you loved it, there were still things that needed to be addressed. You wanted to do it on your own terms, but there were many around to take notice. Especially now that you were around the house more often, and they were getting to know you. It was a quiet night as you were unwinding, Sangyeon in his wolf form, resting his head in your lap as you ran your hands down his side, loving how soft his fur was. Chanhee made his way over to you, also in wolf form, resting his head next to your leg, looking up at you with big eyes.

“You want me to pet you too?” Chanhee whined. “Okay, okay.”

    You reached over and pet his head, scratching behind his ears. He whined happily, ultimately getting Sangyeon’s attention. He moved a bit, trying to push Chanhee away, making you laugh.

“Easy now, no need to get jealous.”

“How come we’ve never seen your wolf form?” Younghoon suddenly asked. “I bet you’re just as cute too.”

“Uh…”

“That’s true.” Hyunjae added. “What does your wolf look like?”

“I…”

“That’s enough.” Sangyeon shifted back. “That’s not something you just ask.”

“Huh?” Kevin questioned. “It was just-”

“Drop it.” Sangyeon growled. “Now.”

“Sangyeon…” You reached over and took his hand. “It’s okay… it was bound to come up eventually…”

“Is… is something wrong…” Sunwoo mumbled.

“No, it’s just me.” You explained. “I…”

“Y/n, you don’t have to do this right now.” Sangyeon said.

“I know, but I shouldn’t hide this either.”

“Is everything okay?” Eric asked. “You’re scaring me…”

“I’m okay, Eric.” You assured. “It’s just… I’ve never shifted before…”

“What?”

“It’s a long story but… I don’t really know how to shift… I barely have any control over my wolf form, but I have been trying when I’m alone…”

“Is that why you don’t go out with us on full moons?” Jacob asked.

“More or less… I kinda got my ears down, but everything else is still a struggle… I’ve had my moments, but I don’t think I can fully shift just yet.”

“We can help you!” Changmin eagerly offered. “Together we-”

“No, no, it’s alright. I’m getting there on my own. One day I’ll be able to do it, so you can all cheer me on until then.”

“We’ll look forward to it.”

    Having that out in the open made you less shy about it. There were still moments you’d lose control, your claws poking out while in the kitchen, or your ears suddenly shifting without your knowledge. You didn’t freak out, but took some time to focus and calm yourself, the others sometimes offering tips on how they do it. You felt a bit childish, like you had never actually grown up, but to a degree that was the case for you. When the next full moon came around, they didn’t ask you to join them, but assured you they’d wait for the day they could. This time though, Sangyeon stayed with you.

“Aren’t you joining them tonight?”

“I want to stay with you, and help you.”

“It’s fine. I like working on it myself.”

“And that’s not fair.”

“Huh?”

“I know you struggle with shifting because of what happened.”

“Oh…”

“Even though you’re trying, you can’t let go.”

“I really am trying…”

“I know, I just want to help reassure you that it’s not your fault.”

“…”

“It’s true. You didn’t do anything wrong that day, love.”

    You couldn’t help the silent tears that slid down your cheeks. You wouldn’t want to admit that maybe a part of you still felt guilt, and that guilt was holding you back. Once you calmed down Sangyeon brought you over to the den, the two of you sitting by the fireplace.

“I know you said you wanted to do this on your own, but I really can help. I am your alpha after all.”

“And my sire, you have power over me.”

“I would never use the sire bond on you or any of the others. Despite being vampires, I consider us to be wolves more than anything.”

“Me too.”

“So let’s see what you can really do.”

    As your alpha, Sangyeon had the power to call out to your wolf side and practically summon it. That wasn’t his intention though, to force you to shift, but be more of a guide. He’d call out to your inner wolf, letting you adjust to the sensations, and figure out control on your own terms. He was like your anchor, and you didn’t have to fear something going wrong because he was right here with you. On the nights he didn’t go out with the boys he helped you out. Now you felt like you were making better progress at a better pace. You were still nervous of course, but he helped you feel confident in your abilities. You kept at it until you thought you could do it all on your own.

“Boys… I think tonight is the night…”

    You knew the best time for your first would be on the night of a full moon, when it called to your inner wolf. The boys were all excited for you, finally able to see you as a wolf, whereas you had already seen them that way. As you headed out with the pack the boys would shift and run off, already going wild. Sangyeon held your hand and stayed with you, assuring you not to rush it and do so when you felt it was right. You walked together for a while, and at one point you stopped, looking up at the moon and letting its light wash over you. Shifting was something you never really thought you’d do, so you wanted to cherish every moment.

“Sangyeon…”

“Hm?”

“Can you go off with the others, I think I’m a little shy.”

“Alright.” Sangyeon kissed your cheek. “You got this.”

    You watched as Sangyeon shifted and ran off into the woods. You had a soft smile on your face, starting to walk about slowly. You almost felt like you were dreaming, feeling dizzy as a new power took over. It felt so smooth, the transition, how in the blink of an eye the world had suddenly changed. The shift was practically painless unlike what you had been told, perhaps a benefit of being a hybrid. You looked down at yourself, seeing the paws and fur, completely overjoyed. Once you got your footing you began to run, loving how the wind felt. You eventually came to a stop, looking up at the moon and howling for the first time. Everything felt so incredible, and then you heard some howling back. You eagerly rushed over to find the others.

    It wasn’t long before you found Sangyeon, immediately pouncing on him, and roughing him up a bit. A while later the others found you two, so happy to see your wolf form, although they noticed something odd. You appeared to be smaller than them, and just as one was about to comment on it Sangyeon growled at them. So they let it go, just enjoying the full moon and the night. Now all together you’d run around, some already starting to fight, getting out their aggression while also being playful. You wanted to join in and threw yourself into the mix. They didn’t realize until one of them had tossed you off to the side, making you crash against a tree and collapse.

“Y/n!”

    They all quickly rushed over, some even shifting back into a human. They were all asking if you were alright, others apologizing but you merely got back up and shook it off.

“What are you all apologizing for? I don’t recall having any pups in my pack.”

“Huh?”

“Is this how Sangyeon’s been raising you all? I shouldn’t be surprised, he never learned much pack ethics beyond the childish things.”

“What?”

“Come on. You think I’m some weak girl that needs protection? Did you forget who your alpha is! Let’s see who’s stronger!”

    You roared and flashed your eyes, tackling the nearest boy. The others needed a moment to process before understanding what you meant. You were their alpha, and being a girl meant nothing, so they shouldn’t be treating you any different. Besides, you were clearly all riled up, and they’d be foolish to let the energy go to waste. With that settled the night could really go on properly. All of you running around and certainly getting covered in mud, but you could all clean up later. You were having so much fun, until everything came to a sudden stop.

    You were running when you heard a sound, almost like a whistle, and stopped in your tracks. As you did so an arrow flew in front of your face, embedding itself in the tree next to you. Everything changed as you knew what that meant, hunters. Any sense of logic was thrown out the window as this sense of dread overcame you. Without thinking you shifted back into a human and started calling out for Sangyeon. The other boys knew what was going on now as well, Juyeon quickly grabbing you and putting a hand over your mouth, telling you to quiet down. You didn’t listen, biting his hand and running off.

“Sangyeon! Sangyeon!”

    Tears began to blur your vision, finding yourself living through that day all over again. You just wanted to find Sangyeon, every moment that went by made you feel that you had lost him all over again.

“Sangyeon!”

    You felt like you couldn’t breathe, like everything up until now was for nothing. You kept screaming his name, stumbling around as you couldn’t see much through the tears.

“Y/n!”

    You thought you were hallucinating when you heard your name, only to suddenly be pulled into someone’s arms. You caught Sangyeon’s scent, burying your face in the crook of his neck and sobbing. You wrapped your arms around him tightly, shaking. He wasn’t sure what was wrong, but the sudden distress from you scared him. He was desperate to find you as well, and now that you were in his arms he held you tightly. The rest of the boys eventually found you both, gathering around.

“What happened?”

“Hunters.” Hyunjae stated. “Not far off. We can-”

“Retreat.”

“What?”

“We’re going back to the house.”

“But-”

“Now!”

    Sangyeon did not intend to repeat himself, and the boys got the message. They shifted and made their way back to the house, Sangyeon carrying you and following behind them. He made sure to keep you close, while also listening to make sure the hunters didn’t get close. Everyone got to the house safely, going into the showers to wash up. Sangyeon hoped you would have calmed down a bit, but you still refused to let him go.

“Y/n, baby, we gotta clean up.”

“…”

“Alright, we can shower together.”

      None of the boys commented as Sangyeon sat down with you under a shower head. Usually you’d strip clothes, but he didn’t mind getting soaked fully dressed. You both stayed like that long after the others left, although you couldn’t stay forever. Once Sangyeon was sure you were clean he did his best to dry you up before taking you into the house. He wanted to make sure you wouldn’t get sick, so he took you over to the den where they had a fire place. Some of the others mopped up the water that had spilled along the way, and another got the fireplace going. No one wanted to go to bed, so they all quietly stuck around. At some point you had fallen asleep in Sangyeon’s arms, still holding him tight though.

“Is she okay?” Juyeon asked. “She freaked out back there.”

“Are you?” Sangyeon questioned. “Your hand, she bit you?”

“Yeah… she was screaming for you and I didn’t want her drawing attention to herself. I thought I could get her to quiet down, but she bit me…”

“I’m sure she didn’t mean to hurt you, she was in a state of panic. Does it still hurt?”

“Just a bit… but it’s not healing properly…”

“Wounds from an alpha take longer to heal, especially from your own alpha. You’ll be okay.”

“And will she be okay?”

“Why didn’t you let us rip those hunters apart?” Eric stated. “Even if we were outnumbered, we overpower them easily. A whole building of them didn’t-”

“Hunters follow a code themselves. Most do anyway. They stay out of territories from packs that isolate and haven’t hurt human lives. I, the both of us, came from a pack like that. Besides that, no one is supposed to know we’re even here, and even then, this is our territory and we don’t hurt people. Those hunters had no business attacking us, and I wasn’t going to give them a reason to come after us.”

“If they’re not supposed to know we’re here, then how did they find us?” Kevin wondered. “You told us this is our territory, and Hongjoong just owns the land to keep others out, especially hunters.”

“I don’t know… I’m going to need to speak with him about this…”

“… sangyeon… sangyeon…”

“Sh, sh, it’s okay, I’m right here, everything’s okay.”

    Even in your sleep you were still worried. Sangyeon gently hushed you, rocking you back and forth like a baby, assuring you that he was here and alright.

“Why was she screaming for you?” Jacob asked. “She was fine, and then suddenly so scared…”

“Because she was there with me that day… the day I got taken by hunters… we were a ways away from the territory when an arrow flew over her head… I told her to run back to the pack and get help while I distracted the hunters… I never came back… she must have been afraid of leaving me like before… of losing me…”

“Oh…”

“She hated her wolf form after that… even took suppressants… probably why she’s smaller than us… don’t bring any of this up to her later.”

“We won’t…”

“Good. Younghoon, tomorrow you and two others need to go to Hongjoong and tell him what happened. I want answers by the time I talk to him.”

“Got it.”

    Sangyeon held you by the fire for a while longer before deciding to get you to bed for some proper rest. By sunrise you were still sleeping, but you weren’t stressed anymore, so he stayed in bed with you curled up in his arms.

“Sangyeon…”

“Sh, it’s okay, I’m here.”

    You had slowly started to wake up, the first thing you wanted was Sangyeon. Hearing his voice immediately put you at ease, and you snuggled up against him. The memories of the night before surfaced, but you told yourself everything was alright. You still had Sangyeon with you.

“Is the pack okay?”

“We’re all fine.”

“I don’t hear eleven heartbeats…”

“I sent some boys out on an errand today.”

“What errand?”

“Something small, you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Everyone’s okay… right… you’re not lying to me…”

“They’re your pack too, you’d know if something was off.”

“True…”

“We’re okay. I’m gonna get you some food, so you just stay here.”

“Hm…”

    Sangyeon expected you to need time to recover after that night, but he underestimated how you would take it. He let you lie in bed for a day or two, but it was starting to become clear you didn’t want to get up. He wasn’t sure how to help, but you were worrying him more and more. One night he woke up to the smell of blood, seeing that you were dreaming and clawing at your ears. He quickly stopped you and startled you awake.

“I hate my… Sangyeon…”

“Are you okay?” Sangyeon reached over to your ear, seeing some blood already dry on the fur. “Why would you do this?”

“It’s nothing…” You pulled his hand away. “Just a bad dream.”

“I can see that.”

    You got out of bed and rushed over to the bathroom, washing your ear and claws, cursing under your breath. You didn’t realize Sangyeon had followed you.

“Nothing happened that night y/n.”

“… I know…”

“But it’s still bothering you?”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t claw at your ear if that’s the case. I know you did this before when I…”

“I said I’m fine.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Sangyeon…”

“You’re worrying me. You haven’t gotten out of bed in days now, you’re barely eating and now this. It’s fortunate you can’t hurt yourself so severely anymore, but still.”

“It’s nothing. Like you said-”

“I’m right here, you don’t have-”

“You didn’t come back the first time!”

“What?”

“You didn’t come back…” You had tears building up. “You didn’t… and I… it was all my fault… what if something happened again… what if I’m just dreaming…”

“You’re not, y/n this is real, I’m here with you.”

“I’m not so sure…”

    You sank down to the floor crying. Sangyeon came over and pulled you into his arms. He thought you’d get better on your own, but after so many years, experiencing something so similar to that day, you’re spiraling down grief and guilt from before. He feared you’d only get worse, and he didn’t want that to be the case. The rest of the pack was already worrying about you. Sangyeon thought for a moment, knowing he had a solution, but not really wanting to use it. He was born a wolf, and felt more like one, but he couldn’t deny his vampire nature, and what came with the title.

“Y/n… everything’s going to be alright… I promise…”

“I don’t wanna lose you again…”

“You won’t, you never will again, I swear on my life.” Sangyeon took a breath. “I need you to look at me for a moment.”

    Sangyeon gently moved away so your eyes could meet. He wiped away some of your tears, cupping your cheek. You seemed better, but he couldn’t risk you falling apart again.

“I want you to forget about the hunters the other night.”

“Hm…”

“Your first full moon with the pack, you shifted and we played all night long. The boys had so much fun, and they can’t wait to do it again. That’s all that happened, okay?”

“Okay…”

“Now let’s go back to bed.”

    You were still a bit dazed, but Sangyeon took your hand and led you back to the bedroom. He made sure to hold you close and pet your head as you drifted off. You were a lot more at ease now, and he was glad for that. In the morning you still seemed a bit unsteady but better overall.

“Y/n.”

“Hm?”

“I need to pay Hongjoong a visit, will you be alright while I’m gone?”

“Of course. I have some cleaning to do around the house.”

“Okay. I’m taking some of the boys, and I won’t be gone long.”

“Be safe, love you!”

“Love you too.”

🖤

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

    The club wasn’t open during the day, but there was always a lot to be done, and of course being a source of a rare menu item, they were welcome in at any time. Sangyeon had been assured that Hongjoong was aware of the hunter situation, and had said he’d look into it. Now Sangyeon was here for answers.

“The situation is a bit complicated.”

“Then just give it to me straight.”

“Taking no man’s land as my own hasn’t gone unnoticed. Most think I have it so I don’t leave myself open, but the rumors going around lately have created a new possibility.”

“What rumor?”

“That I have hunting dogs, and the new land is where I keep them.” 

“That’s not entirely wrong, but regardless, we don’t hurt humans. Hunters had no business coming after us.”

“I don’t like the idea of those things on my land either. I’m still looking into it, to see who’s crossing the line, but I don’t have much else for you. I do hope this doesn’t interrupt business.”

“Not at all, just something else to look out for.”

“Then, it’d be no trouble to give you another task?”

“Who is it this time?”

    It was annoying that Sangyeon didn’t have a name, but this matter wasn’t his to deal with alone. He never liked the idea of hunters, and over time he had developed a personal hatred for them. This incident was just another thing on the list of reasons he wanted them dead. When he got back home you were running around the house with the others, playing a game of tag or something. It eased his concerns just to see you happy and getting along with the others. The burdens of your first full moon completely gone, but something still lingered. Despite your energy that night you weren’t eager to go out the next time they invited you, but no one made a comment and just promised to behave themselves.

“Ya! Sangyeon!”

    Even if everything seemed okay, Sangyeon still worried about you all night. When they got back to the house he immediately wanted to go check on you, but you caught him before he set foot in the house.

“What did I say about dragging mud into the house!”

“I just wanted to see my baby.”

“Well she will be right here and waiting once you clean up.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Then maybe…”

    Sangyeon pulled you into his arms and started kissing you up and down, getting you covered in mud and all dirty. You were yelling at him to stop while also laughing.

“Ya!”

“Looks like you’re all filthy now too. You can’t be in the house like this.”

“Obviously.”

“Guess you have to shower with me now.”

“Yup.”

“Let’s go.”

    Sangyeon happily carried you over to the showers, the other boys howling and laughing when they saw what had happened. You giggled but just told them to quiet down, getting under a shower head with Sangyeon. He was more than happy to clean up his mess.

“You’re still in trouble for this.”

“I’m sure I am.”

“Will you be joining us tomorrow mom?” Haknyeon suddenly asked.

“Tomorrow? For what?”

“A hunt.”

“Hunt? I thought you didn’t do that anymore?”

“No, no, not that type of hunt.” Sangyeon corrected. “Hongjoong needs to send a message, so he gave us a job.”

“Oh… that kind of hunt…”

“Is something wrong?”

“No. That was part of the deal, and it’s just us upholding our end of it.”

“You don’t have to come. We’ve done plenty already so it’s not something new or dangerous.”

“It’ll be a lot of fun.” Sunwoo added. “All the blood and fighting. Really good to get out the urges.”

“Sure.”

“What?”

“I’ll go. Seems like a good pack bonding experience actually.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Awesome!”

    The boys were quickly excited, talking about how awesome tomorrow would be. After showering you retired to your room with Sangyeon, already exhausted from the day and the shower just relaxed you all the more. You still wanted to yell at Sangyeon for his actions, but you’d let it slide this time. You wanted to be well rested and ready for whatever tomorrow’s hunt brought. You knew wolves would also hunt the undead if it called for it, especially way back when. So this was something you never really thought you’d do. You were looking forward to it, seeing all your loved ones in action.

    You didn’t actually know what to expect, so you just followed along. Sangyeon had the details and took the lead. You ended up somewhere completely new, at least for you. The area was one you hadn’t been to before, and it seemed so full of life. A lot of businesses were open and busy, people constantly moving around. It was like one big party, but you weren’t here to mingle with the crowds, just following Sangyeon to a certain place. Most vampire clubs were underground, but some weren’t exclusively for the undead. That’s where you ended up. On the outside it looked like a normal place, but you could sleep fresh blood as soon as you walked in.

    Places like these were more complicated, only those who were part of the supernatural could get into VIP areas, besides the human food and entertainment of course. So you acted like a party, coming in for drinks and to celebrate. There was always something to get excited over, and after a bit, getting some attention too, Sangyeon asked about having some more fun. You flashed your fangs at the barista, yours weren’t silver after all, and they understood right away. The VIP area was much more lively, and the smell of blood was intoxicating. You had to focus though, you weren’t here for fun, but a job. At least getting wasted wasn’t easy for you, not that you’d ever really know. So you played your part until the time came.

“Never seen you around here before, you new?”

“Something like that.”

    You had stayed with Sangyeon the whole time, so when an unfamiliar face approached you got a little stiff. Sangyeon on the other hand seemed fine.

“How did you find this place?”

“A friend.”

“Well, I think-”

“I’m here on their behalf.”

“What?”

“You were warned about staying out of another’s territory. You only get that mercy once.”

“Seriously? So the rumors are true? The bastard has mutts-”

“You won’t live to tell the truth.”

    Sangyeon didn’t hesitate to pounce on the vampire’s neck, giving them a dose of venom and getting a taste for themselves. That was the cue for the rest of the boys to act, jumping on the nearest vampire and attacking. The place soon erupted into panic, the music being drowned out by screams. It was easy to tell who was who then and there, the humans running off while the undead were ready to fight. They didn’t all have to die, they could run too, but as you had learned, a nest was loyal to the sire, the way wolves were to their alpha. You were just watching all the chaos when a vampire suddenly attacked you.

    They really caught you off guard, but you were far stronger than them. This was a hunt, you were allowed to let loose. You growled and let your eyes glow before running at your attacker. You didn’t hold back, letting your wolf side take over and do what just felt right. It wasn’t long before you were covered in blood, from fighting and taking a few sloppy drinks here and there. Vampire blood certainly tasted different. You got lost in the chaos of it all until things quiet down, seeing the rest of your pack bloody and breathless, smiles all around. Some jumped over to the bar, getting something to wash down all the blood.

“Did you have fun?”

    Sangyeon came over to you and offered you his hand to get you up. You smiled up at him and took his hand, going over to the bar.

“How many times have you gone out hunting?”

“Just a few.”

“I’m coming next time too.”

“Alright, full pack hunting!” Hyunjae cheered. “Gonna be awesome.”

“So now what?”

“Just relax a bit.” Changmin said. “The idea is to leave a message, so we’ll leave in a bit.”

“I don’t know how you are still drinking, I’m kinda full.”

“Really one of the best things of a hunt.”

    You did have another few drinks despite what you said. It took a while before anyone seemed to notice the massacre in the VIP area, but by then you were long gone. The night was still young and you were all traveling back home. Everyone was still full of energy and you could tell how some of your boys had a bottomless hunger. Juyeon wandered over to a nearby road, getting a car to stop and scaring the people inside with his bloody face. You scolded him and told him to leave them alone, he had enough for one night. He was pouty but listened to you, getting back with the pack. You pulled him close and pet his head, getting a happy whine from him, and some jealous looks thrown his way.

“Can we gather by the fire after we clean up?” Sunwoo asked.

“Sure, we can all wind down together.” You said.

    You all went into the showers, some of the boys partially stripping down. Although you quickly noticed something was wrong. When you turned the valve no water came out, and it seemed none of the shower heads were working. You never had a problem before.

“I’ll go check.” Sangyeon volunteered. 

    As he was about to step out some water suddenly started coming through, except it was different. The pressure was strong, and the water wasn’t water. It burned the second it touched your skin, and then the smell hit. Holy water with a mix of wolfsbane. You ran for the door as the others did, but they were locked, and the atmosphere inside was already weakening you. With the exits closed off you risked the burn to shut off the water. You only did one before a loud ringing sound filled your ears. The world was suddenly spinning, and as you regained your senses you noticed the sight before you, horrified.

    They boys were all fighting one another, clawing and biting, eyes glowing a bright golden color, except for Sangyeon. You screamed at them to stop, trying to get in between them all, the burning almost becoming secondary to your concerns. Although your attempts were in vain as they quickly turned on you and attacked without mercy. It hurt far worse than what you had experienced earlier that night, and they quickly overwhelmed you. Your vision was fading and you had no idea what was going on, besides knowing this had all been some sort of trap. The last thing you could make out was a loud roar and red eyes looming over you.

🖤

    You gasped awake, falling out of the bed you had been laying on. The fall made you wince, as you were still in pain from the attack. You could see lingering claw and bite marks, feeling the tears in your eyes. Wounds from your own pack took time to heal, but most of all you were worried about them. You couldn’t find their scents anywhere near you, so you feared the worst. You took in your surroundings, feeling a vague sense of familiarity. When you tried to get up you heard footsteps approaching, making you tense. You were prepared to fight even if you weren’t in a condition to do so.

“Y/n!”

“Soohyun?”

    You were suddenly pulled into a hug, your mind still processing and ignoring the pain for a while. Although once you snapped out of it you pushed your cousin away, sitting back down on the bed.

“What… what’s going on?”

“Are you okay? We’ve been looking for you for months. I feared you were dead.”

“Dead? What… what are you…”

“The massacre at the wedding anniversary. Everyone was dead, and you were missing.”

“Wedding… who’s anniversary?”

“Yours… y/n it was your wedding anniversary with Junwoo.”

“Who?”

“Your mate… don’t you… how is it that you have a new mark? What-”

“My mate…” You grabbed your head. “No… I never… then how… Sangyeon messed with my head… I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Sangyeon? Y/n he’s been missing for over ten years now. Presumed dead.”

“No! No he’s alive. He came for me, and his pack… my pack…”

“This is your pack y/n. It’s been chaos since you went missing, but now that you’re back. I’m not entirely sure what happened to you but you’re stronger. You can lead the pack as you were always supposed to.”

“No… this isn’t my pack… it never has been.”

“Y/n, take a deep breath. I’m sure you have a lot on your mind right now, but you’re home.”

“Home… I have to find Sangyeon, we were all attacked by hunters and-”

“We told them not to hurt you.”

“What?”

“…”

“Soohyun, what are you talking about? How did you even find me? How is it that I’m here?”

“…”

“Soohyun!”

“We were making any progress. It’s like you disappeared off the face of the Earth. We didn’t want to believe you were dead, so as a last resort we spoke to some hunters. We told them what happened that day… and they seemed to have an idea…”

“You… you basically led hunters to our doorstep…”

“They were there to rescue you! Just look at yourself? Those other wolves marked you up and-”

“They weren’t in control of themselves! We were attacked with holy water and wolfsbane, trapped in a room! They went crazy and were hurting each other as well!”

“That’s what they did?”

“You think hunters are to ever be trusted? They want us all dead even if they respect our territories and isolation! Do you-”

    Your words cut off as you slapped your hands over your ears, hearing this ear piercing whistle overwhelm you. It was only you though as Soohyun seemed just fine, but concerned over you.

“What is it y/n?”

“Didn’t… you didn’t hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“I… I don’t-” A howl suddenly caught your attention, and you recognized it immediately. “Sangyeon?”

“What?”

“That was Sangyeon… I have to-”

    You got up, only to collapse to the ground. Your injuries were still holding you back, and your head was spinning from the whistle. Soohyun helped you up.

“Take it easy. I’ll go check that out.”

“It’s Sangyeon, just bring him to me.”

“Just wait here.”

    Even with what Soohyun had told you, there was still so much you didn’t understand. For now you’d wait. At least you knew Sangyeon was alive, so that little bit put you at ease. That is if you weren’t hallucinating. Now that you were alone and allowed to think things over, you thought back to what happened. Hunters certainly attacked you, but if they were supposedly helping you get back to your old pack, why wouldn’t they kill the rest. Perhaps Sangyeon and the others escaped, but something still felt off about all of this. Then you heard screams.

    They weren’t familiar, but the growling and roars were. You got up and ran to the door only to collapse to the ground. Your heart was racing and you had to know what was going on outside, but in your panic state with your broken body, you could barely stand. You forced yourself up and managed to open the door, mainly crawling around and looking for a way outside. Screams came from all directions, and you began to smell blood too. Somehow you managed the energy to stand, getting over to the nearest window and looking out. People were running around, others fighting. You had no idea why, and then a giant wolf pounced on someone, ripping them to pieces.

“Sangyeon…”

    You would know him anywhere, but his piercing red eyes locked onto you, sending shivers down your spine. You immediately collapsed out of fear, crawling back and away from the window. Hundreds of questions were running through your head, but that was all interrupted as you screamed, seeing the wolf jump through the window. Those red eyes stared into yours, no signs of familiarity, low growls making you cower in fear as they got closer and closer.

“Sangyeon… Sangyeon, it’s me… I’m your mate… whatever is going on… please… snap out of it… we got attacked by hunters… we… hunters… what did they do to you?”

    Sangyeon roared and jumped on you, pinning you down. You yelled over the ache of slamming your head on the ground, but mostly over the weight suddenly on top of you. If you tried to get him off he’d surely attack you, so you were completely at his mercy. His snout was right in your face, and you could smell all the blood dripping from his teeth.

“Please… Sangyeon…”

    You shut your eyes, not wanting to see him like this, and turned your head, hoping things happened quickly. He breathed down your neck, and then you felt a tingling sensation. He was sniffing your mating mark, and having him so close made you shake, giving you a slight dizzy feeling. 

“Sangyeon…”

“Mine…”

“Huh?”

    You opened your eyes as Sangyeon shifted, his hands grabbing yours and keeping them pinned. His eyes were still red, and you weren’t entirely sure if he was back to his old self. Although you were still at his mercy as he drew his canines and bit right into your mating mark. You screamed from the pain, something completely new and foreign, but so full of adrenaline. Despite his bite hurting, this was something he had done to you before, in the exact same spot. Once the initial sting faded away, you found yourself slowly floating up to cloud nine. You could barely register Sangyeon was pressing bloody kisses to your cheek, his hands letting you go and reaching for your body.

“Mine…”

    You felt a chill as your clothes got torn open, vaguely realizing Sangyeon was shirtless. A shaky hand reached over to caress his face, seeing his eyes had returned to normal, but there was something there that had replaced the rage. He looked at you for a moment before he was kissing down your bare chest, his hands caressing your body and traveling down with him. You closed your eyes for a moment, taking in his touches, forgetting about all your worries for the time being. Before you knew it you felt Sangyeon pushing your legs apart, something pressing against your core, making you shake in anticipation. You had never done anything before, with anyone, and you never would have thought your first would be like this.

    You instinctively grabbed Sangyeon as he pushed in, showing you no mercy and filling you up in an instant. Nonsense spilled from your lips as you took everything in, feeling something new. You were so blissed out you weren’t sure if Sangyeon was speaking as he peppered your neck with kisses, especially kissing over your freshly pierced mating mark, making you all the more dizzy. Somehow he still managed to be gentle, at first anyway, getting you into a nice rhythm with one wave after another hitting you with pleasure. You were already shaking under him, but he was far from done with you.

“You’re mine… all mine… gonna fill you up… gonna have my pups…”

    At times you did try to speak, but you were still only capable of incoherent mumbles. He was keeping you in the moment, your only focus on him and what he was doing to you. Things were bound to get rough, and when his grip on your hips got tight you knew he was close. Wolves were aggressive, and he was taking out a lot on you, adding to your injuries, knowing very well the marks would stay for a while to remind you who you belonged to. Even with your own limited strength you held onto him tightly, letting every possible sound spill from your lips as he pushed you over the edge, making you shake from a whole new sensation. You swear your eyes rolled to the back of your head, and your reaction was enough to get him to climax as well.

    You felt something warm inside, filling you up to the brim, and it felt so right. Somehow you found Sangyeon’s lips, kissing him until you were out of breath. Now that you looked into his eyes, he seemed more like your Sangyeon. You gently cupped his cheek, offering him a ditzy smile. He gave you a smile in return, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. You two remained in place for a while, then you felt something else going on and held Sangyeon with all your strength. He chuckled into your ear, moving ever so slightly to make you whimper, despite your mumbles for him to stop.

“Fuck… Sangyeon…”

“Sh, it’ll go down on its own.”

“You… fuck… are you okay?”

“I should ask you.” Sangyeon looked you over. “You’re hurt.”

“So are you… what happened? Hunters attacked us and I woke up here… back with my old pack.”

“Is that where this is?”

“You don’t recognize it?”

“I didn’t really grow up here…”

“Right. I’m sorry, this is my fault.”

“How is any of this on you?”

“My old pack was looking for me, so they contacted some hunters and…”

“That’s not your fault. I was the one who-”

“You messed with my memories.”

“Wa… what?”

“Soohyun told me about Junwoo, my mate, I-”

“You don’t have any other mate besides me!” Sangyeon growled. “These mutts made a deal with the devil to take you from me!”

“Sangyeon-”

“You were taken from me, from your pack!” Sangyeon stared into your eyes, his own glowing red. “These mutts are nothing to you, and they’re all dead anyway.”

“Wa… what! Sangyeon-”

“Do I make myself clear!”

“Sta… stop it! This isn’t fair! You can’t-”

“Look at me!”

“Sangyeon…”

“I’m your mate, and I’d never do anything to hurt you.”

“… you’d never… hurt me…”

“No, never.”

    Sangyeon pulled you into a deep kiss, holding you tight. Your head was already fuzzy from the pheromones, and he basically made everything go blank for a moment. You whimpered and leaned against him. He gently got up, making sure not to cause you discomfort, going off to find something to wear given he had torn your clothes off earlier. He found some clothes for you, also getting a blanket to wrap you up in.

“Sh, everything’s going to be alright.”

“The others… they’re okay right…”

“Yes.”

“What happened…”

“I don’t know. We were attacked, and then everything went red…”

“Red?”

“All of a sudden I felt angry… like I wanted to rip something apart… it wasn’t until I got close to you that I seemed to calm down…”

“Weird…”

    A sudden howl startled you and you grabbed onto Sangyeon. You had completely forgotten about the outside and what had been happening until now. Sangyeon was about to say something when another wolf came in through the broken window, Jacob. His eyes were w fierce gold and he looked just like Sangyeon did before. All it took was a roar from Sangyeon to calm him down. As the boy shifted you noticed his confused face as well.

“What happened… where am I?”

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Uh… we went home after the hunt… but the showers… mom, are you okay!” Jacob suddenly rushed over to you, seeing your injuries and whimpering. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. Everything was burning and then things went… I don’t know…”

“Sh, it’s okay.” You ran a hand through Jacob’s hair. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me. That whistle nearly drove me mad too.”

“Whistle?” Sangyeon questioned. “What whistle?”

“I heard this like whistle back home… and a while ago too, but I was the only one that heard it.”

“Something is going on… hold on.”

    Sangyeon went over to the window, howling up at the night sky. You did get a bit tense, knowing he was calling over all of the boys, and if they weren’t in their right mind, you’d definitely be outnumbered. You weren’t wrong to be worried as within a few minutes, the others were breaking into the house, looking at all three of you in a hostile manner. Thankfully Sangyeon just needed to roar and remind them all who their alpha was to get them back to their senses. Just like Jacob, they were confused about what had happened.

“Something’s going on…” Changmin mumbled. “We were attacked by hunters… I get why you’re alive but why are we?”

“Hybrids aren’t easy to kill.” Sunwoo said. “I’m actually not sure if we can die…”

“Then how did we end up here?” Haknyeon questioned. “We got taken by hunters.”

“This was a hunt.” Sangyeon realized. “We were practically released into this territory and killed everyone…”

“But you weren’t in control of yourselves.” You reminded. “How can this even be a hunt.”

“Cause we’re the hunters hunting dogs…”

“What?”

“The ones that took us, and turned us into hybrids, they used us as hunting dogs. You even heard rumors of us. It always seemed that they controlled my boys by threatening my life, but that never made much sense. So they have an ulterior method. You said you heard a whistle?”

“Yes…”

“Something that drives us mad and makes us attack anything that isn’t human, or our own kind.”

“That’s why you didn’t hurt me right away. But, I thought you killed all the hunters that kept you captive.”

“We did, but we didn’t destroy the place. Someone else must have found it and became aware of our existence. They don’t know about you though.”

“What do we do now?” Kevin asked. “If those bastards have something to control us with, how can we stop them?”

“It doesn’t work on me.” You stated. “I could-”

“No!”

    They all practically yelled together, startling you. When they realized they quickly apologized, but you understood where they were coming from.

“I get your worried, but none of you can even get close to the hunters. I can.”

“And what if they make us hurt you?” Chanhee whined. “What if we can’t stop ourselves?”

“I snapped Sangyeon out of it… and he snapped you out of it.”

“How did you do that?”

“I… I’m not entirely sure…”

“Maybe it’s cause you’re mated.” Eric suggested. “That kind of bond is strong, isn’t it…”

“That could be it…”

    You reached up to your mark, feeling the freshly dried blood. There was no way to confirm that’s how you got through to Sangyeon the first time, but you were willing to try.

“I have a plan.”

“No.” Sangyeon stated. “You’re not putting yourself in danger. We’ll just run away.”

“And go where? They invaded our home Sangyeon. Even if we go to Hongjoong for help, those hunters know about us, they’ll come after us. If all it takes is some damn whistle to turn you into their hunting dogs, then you’ll never be safe.”

“What about you then? If this doesn’t work, you think they won’t make us tear you to pieces.”

“I don’t know… but I also don’t want to live our lives on the run and afraid…”

“Y/n, you can’t ask me to put you in danger.”

“I’m not asking permission. This is my pack too, and I will do anything to protect them. And this isn’t just about us. Under someone else’s control we’re dangerous. You whipped out a whole pack just now, imagine what else they might do.”

“Y/n…”

“Trust me. I’m not just going to run away here, and you know we’d have to take a stand and fight at some point.”

“What if you get hurt?”

“Then I’ll heal with you by my side, all of you.”

    You knew Sangyeon wasn’t happy about this, and the others probably didn’t like it either, but no one wanted to run away either. You explained to them what you had in mind, and they reluctantly agreed to let you go. You certainly weren’t at full strength, but you could walk, for the most part. It was hard to ignore all the bodies and blood around, but you focused on finding the hunters, and doing what was necessary to protect your pack. Once away from the massacre, you caught onto the scent of humans, following it cautiously until you began to hear voices. Your own nerves kinda worked in your favor as you began stumbling about, somewhat accidentally getting their attention.

“What do we have here? Looks like a little wolf escaped.”

    Even if you were practically immortal, the hunter’s presence alone struck fear into your heart. Your legs gave out and you collapsed to the ground. The men slowly approached you, finding you amusing.

“Impressive, but whatever.”

    You noticed as one pulled out what seemed like a dog whistle, but with strange markings about it. Not hard for one to realize it had magical properties. You didn’t even think to brace for the noise as it suddenly went off. You screamed and covered your ears, curling up on the floor.

“Huh? You can hear this? I thought only hybrids could.”

“She was with them for a while, I guess they turned her too.”

“What do we do with her then? Can the others even kill her?”

“Not sure, but I think it’d be a waste. At least now they’d have a little bitch to play with.”

    You growled at that comment, but it wasn’t smart to start a fight. Besides, you began to hear footsteps, smelling a familiar scent. You were nervous, afraid this wouldn’t work, but you had to try anyway. The rest of your pack soon appeared, all shifted and eyes glowing. Seeing them like this scared you.

“I suppose we should leave then. They seem to be done.”

“Sang… Sangyeon…”

“Shut up!”

    One of the hunters hit you over the head with a rifle, causing a rise out of Sangyeon. He got closer, growling up at them this time.

“Look at this mutt, protective over the female.”

“Sangyeon, it’s me! You have to fight this like before! You’re not some attack dog for them-”

    You got hit again, far worse this time. You curled up on the floor grabbing your head, the pain mainly bearable, but Sangyeon couldn’t just stand still and watch you get hurt. Perhaps he was still enraged, but his anger shifted towards your attacker. It startled the rest of the hunters, unaware he could even do that. Sangyeon only stopped for a moment to order the rest to do the same, and it was an easy fight. You stayed put, all curled up and making yourself small, not wanting to get involved and accidentally get hurt. You didn’t know it was over until you felt someone tickling you, opening your eyes to find Sangyeon nudging you softly. You got up and reached over to pet him.

“We’re okay.”

    You crawled over to the hunter’s body, finding the one that had the whistle. Despite the magic it had, it wasn’t indestructible, so you easily snapped it in half and threw the pieces off into the woods.

“Let’s go home…”

    You managed to get on your feet, but were still unsteady. Sangyeon shifted back and picked you up in his arms, insisting on carrying you back home. It was a long journey, not really making it back until the sun was up. For once you’d allow everyone into the house despite the filth, you had showers inside too. Sangyeon joined you for yours, helping you clean up and making sure you didn’t hurt yourself. He dried you up too, going off to get you a change of clothes as well. You were already thinking of cleaning up and fixing the outdoor showers but Sangyeon told you those were all problems for later.

“Aren’t you going to bed?”

“Hm…”

    You knew Sangyeon was right. You all had just been through such a great ordeal, and it was best to just recover first. You were tired, but you didn’t want to go to bed. So you made your way over to the den, shifting into your wolf form and curling up by the fire. Sangyeon watched you for a moment, fond of you and remembering why he loved you so much. He shifted as well and joined you, hoping you’d warm up and fall asleep soon enough. One by one the others noticed and joined in as well, adding to the pile, and laying down to rest. You were home, safe and sound with your mate and your pack. This was where you wanted to be, and where you would stay forever.

[tuiccim]

Relief Mission (Part 1 of 2)

Pairing: Bucky x Female!Reader

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: Mutual pining, fluff, masturbation

Summary: Your first mission together ends a motel room with only one bed. Bucky is pining and has the hots for you. How the hell is he gonna survive a night in the same bed?

A/N: Special thanks to my beta reader @whisperlullaby. This one's for you @weekendgothgirl.

Bucky kicked back on the bed in your motel room after a quick shower. The one bed. After the two of you had completed your mission, you had hightailed it out of there and driven until you were well away from the mayhem. Unfortunately, the roadside motel only had singles left and the “queen” size bed was more like a double. Bucky looked around the scant offerings of the motel room and steeled himself for a night of torture. This had been your first solo mission together but you had captivated him from the moment you joined the team. 

You return from grabbing dinner soaked through from the storm that was rumbling the walls. Setting the soggy bag of food on the dresser, you pull your jacket off. Bucky can’t help but watch as your chest flexes forward, showing off your breasts in the damp shirt. 

“Fucking monsoon outside,” you shake yourself. 

“Thanks for getting the food,” Bucky says, reaching for the bag. 

“Yeah, no problem,” you lean back in the only chair and set your meal on your lap. Starving from the mission, you devour your food fairly quickly. 

Bucky watches your mouth as you suck a drop of sauce off your thumb and his mind runs amok. He was never gonna survive sleeping in this tiny bed with you. He shifts uncomfortably trying to hide his arousal. Covertly, he watches as you throw your trash away and rifle through your duffel bag. His eyes are lingering on your ass when your voice breaks him out of his reverie. 

“Fuck! I forgot,” you pull out your ruined t-shirt. You had used strips of it to prepare a couple of molotov cocktails on the fly but it left you without anything to sleep in except the wet shirt you wore now. 

“I have an extra,” Bucky grabs his pack and hands you the shirt. 

“Thanks,” you smile at him. “I really didn’t want to sleep in this wet shirt.”

“Yeah, that’d be uncomfortable,” Bucky says lamely. 

“I’m gonna get a shower,” you say and move to the bathroom quickly. 

Fuck, Bucky thinks as his sits back down on the bed. He’s not gonna survive the night. You, freshly showered, laying next to him in his shirt would make anyone feral. His cock was hard just thinking about it. He listened as you turned the water on and his thoughts went wild thinking of you naked on the other side of the wall. He could picture you naked, standing under the spray of the shower. His mind wandered to joining you. He wanted to feel your wet skin under his hands, to pick you up, press you into the wall, and bury himself deep inside.

He roused himself from his fantasy, feeling like he was doing something wrong, using you unfairly. But his cock had other ideas. It was hard and straining to be released from his sweatpants. Bucky went through his options but he knew he’d never sleep if he didn’t get some kind of relief. He puts his hand down his waistband and wraps it around his cock.  He tips his head back from the small measure of relief it gives him. Listening to the water flow through the wall, his mind returns to the fantasy of you wet and wrapped around him. 

Bucky knows he doesn’t have a lot of time but he wants to savor the thought of you. To him, you're perfect. He strokes himself, imagining your wet heat squeezing him. His hips buck up into his hand thinking about having you. He squeezes his eyes shut and pictures you above him, riding his cock. Fuck, you’d be so beautiful. Flush and warm and so damn hot as you took his cock so good. He curled his fingers more tightly around himself. His balls tightened as he brought himself closer to release. He could see your face, looking down on his as he grabbed your hips to slam into you harder. He wondered what sweet sounds you’d make and if you’d cry his name as you came. It was that thought that sent him over the edge. He came and rope after rope of cum hit his stomach. 

He laid there for a moment, breathing hard, but then he heard the water shut off. Quickly, he grabs some leftover napkins to clean himself off and waits for you to emerge. You do so almost shyly wearing his shirt and a pair of sleep shorts that were almost completely covered by it. 

“It’s all yours,” you gesture to the bathroom. 

“Uh, thanks,” Bucky uses the bathroom and brushes his teeth. When he comes out, you’re curled up on the side of the bed closest to the door. Bucky’s protective instincts kick in and he stands awkwardly at the end. 

“We still have a long drive tomorrow. Should probably get some sleep,” you give a small smile. 

“Yeah, doll, that’s true. Um, I should probably sleep on this side of the bed though.”

You look at him with a confused expression but decide not to push, “Um, sure, okay.”

“Just, you know, in case,” Bucky glances at the door. 

“Oh,” you smile as realization dawns on you. “Of course.” You hold in your giggle and move to the far side of the bed. 

“Are you sure you’re okay with this? I could sleep on the floor,” Bucky fidgets. 

“But, then if there is an intruder, they’d probably trip over you and land right on top of me. We can’t have that.” It’s taking all of your wherewithal to keep a straight face. 

“Right,” Bucky eyes you. 

You break and a grin spreads across your face. 

“You’re sassing me? This is you sassing me?” Bucky growls. 

Rolling your lips in to keep from bursting out laughing, you nod and go, “Mm-hm.”

“I see how it is,” Bucky tries to be stern but you look so adorable trying not to laugh that he can’t help but chuckle. 

You let out a light laugh and then pull the covers down for him, “Night, Bucky.”

“Night, doll,” he slides in and settles down. 

You turn over and bite your lip. You had gotten a genuine laugh out of the Winter Soldier. It was the most beautiful thing you’d ever seen. You had such a stupid crush on this man. You’d never been so attracted to another human being, God, sleeping next to him tonight was going to be torture. 

Part Two

Updates and taglist: Due to the unreliable nature of tags, I no longer keep a taglist. Updates for series will be made on Sundays Central Time Zone. Please follow my sideblog @tuiccimfanfiction and turn on notifications for updates. All series and new stories will be reblogged to it. You will only receive notifications when a new part or story is out! Nothing else will be blogged to the page. I can’t thank you enough for your support!

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[reallyromealone]

FORTUNE TELLER 9

Part 8 🌸 current 🌸 part 10

Warning: swearing, Bonten, Sanzu as a concept, avoiding kidnapping, shit gets boring then really wild

(Name) couldn't sleep much, the nightmares waking him but that didn't matter much to him.

His body wasn't sore anymore so he might as we get a move on.

He was a sitting duck like this.

Getting up and getting his bearings he checked around the shrine before continuing his journey, if his memory was correct if he went east he would end up in Tottori, he heard it was secluded.

It was perfect.

It would take him six days if his math was correct.

It was worth freedom.

Leaving the shrine he stuck to the shadows and out of the sight of people, hiding at anyone who vaguely looked like they could be gang related.

So basically anyone to (name) at this point.

Everyone was a threat.

He managed to find change along the way, getting a water bottle from a vending machine, the journey would be long after all and he could survive without food for a week.

He couldn't survive long without water.

"...shit!" (Name) said ducking in an alleyway when he saw those familiar black cars stroll by.

It was a manhunt at this point.

And (name) knew they wouldn't stop till they found him.

And he couldn't let that happen.

God knows what they would do when they got him.

They were probably livid.

God his mom would have been so worried for him.

X

Naoto felt awful, he had barely gotten away from Bonten and he lost (name).

Hopefully he's hiding well.

Half of Tokyo was looking for him, both Bonten and the police and people were starting to notice.

"Don't worry, we'll find him" an officer said trying to calm down the angry detective but it fell to deaf ears.

What if they already found him?

Just pretending to look for him to throw the Tokyo police off their scent?

The possibilities were endless.

They were so close, but of course Bonten would have something up their sleeves.

X

(Name) was tired.

He had been walking for hours through the back streets of Tokyo and avoiding anything anyone and for once.

He wished he could see his own future.

Maybe then he could know what to avoid.

When to hide.

He couldn't even call anyone.

He hoped Naoto was alright, he felt bad dragging him into this.

Hopefully the detective would get to go to his sister's wedding, the dress looked lovely.

"I'm looking?! How hard is it to find one fucking person!" Sanzu yelled to Ran causing (name) to duck behind some trash cans, heart racing as he overhead the conversation.

"Well we better find him! Mikeys tantrums are only getting fucking worse!"

"We all want him back, but you bitching won't fix it!"

(Name) tried not to move a muscle as they got closet, still not aware he was just feet away as they argued.

"We have everyone hunting him down, a bounty on him it's only a matter of time before he shows up on our radar"

And at that moment (name) knew he needed to get the fuck out of Tokyo.

Soon.

Eventually the Bonten men left and (name) took in a shaky breath before getting up and running.

"Are you alright?" A voice broke him from his thoughts and shakily he looked at a pretty man who looked at him worried "a-ah yes! Sorry" (name) said almost frantically as he stared at the golden eyed man with long blond and black hair put in a bun.

"Are you sure...?"

(Name) just nodded before bolting again, he's wasting daylight talking to someone who would just be in danger near him.

It was night time and he managed to end up in a park, the moon high as he planned his next course of action.

"You hear? Bonten put an 173 million yen on some guy, apparently it's the leaders lover or something" some thug said and (name) hid in a tree as he thought about what they said.

'lover...?' he thought, confused as he continued to eavesdrop on the conversation before him only to lose his balance a bit from the lack of food and exhaustion, catching their attention.

"Who the fuck is that?!" One of the men yelled out and (name) felt all his exhaustion leave him as he bolted.

"Get the fuck back here!"

(Name) felt his heart leap into his chest as he ran through the park and out into the streets, weaving past people.

"SHIT--- (name)?" A voice he wished he didn't hear as he locked eyes with Koko, the man exiting a club.

"Nononono!" (Name) said teary eyed as he looked at one of the men who haunt his nightmares.

"We been looking everywhere baby, come on don't you want to see the birds?" Mochis voice snapped his attention behind him as the tall bearded man rested his hand on (name)s trembling shoulder "we missed you, didn't you miss us?"

No absolutely not.

The concept of them made him want to throw up from fear.

"Now let's go home, Mikey's been missing you"

[baocean]

SOMETHING LIKE THAT - JOHN B ROUTLEDGE

Pt 3 of country songs series

John B Routledge x kook!reader

Summary: Both you and John B are forced to go to the fair by your friends, not knowing it would be a weekend you wouldn't forget.

Warnings: swearing!

Your plans for Labor Day was to lay by the pool and fall asleep, not attend the fair the island was hosting to raise money to help clean up after the storm.

Because you were turning into college applications soon, you volunteered to do a lot of clean up the first few days after the hurricane hit. You had spent all of your summer so far helping clean up the island, you wanted to relax.

You even told your friends, Abby and Jahnia, you would not be going to the fair days ago but still, they showed up at three all dressed and ready to go, wondering why you weren't.

John B was being dragged by the rest of his friends. He thought it was a perfect day to go out on the boat. He thought this fair was a waste of time, the money raised wouldn't go to their side of the island anyway.

When he and his friends finally arrived at the carnival way past the time they wanted to, Kie hurried to get in line for tickets. The three boys followed her over. John B was falling back, scanning the crowd to see if anyone was as lamed out as he was, when he saw you.

You were standing just a few groups in front of him, in the ticket line. You were talking to a brunette and redhead girl, throwing your hands around as you spoke.

He swallowed thick at your skirt, a simple, flowy, white one that was so short he wobbled.

You rolled your eyes and laughed, turning away from your friends and finding John B's eyes. When he realized you had caught him staring, he wizzed around to talk to Pope and JJ.

"Dude, that super hot girl over there is looking at you." JJ leaned in to tell John B about the way you were staring holes into his head. You were convinced he could feel it.

The boy you had caught staring at you was actually really cute, you thought. His hair was longer than his friends and sort of messy. He was wearing a white crewneck and a pair of khaki shorts, he wore a bandana tied up around his neck.

When he turned around and looked at you over his shoulder, it was your turn to blush and turn away.

"Go talk to her, JB. It'll give you something to do while we deal with Kie." Pope said, Kie turning around with a sour look.

"Nah, no." He pushed his friends suggestions off, still watching you.

When you walked off with your friends, you gave him one last glance over your shoulder and gave him a smile.

It was in the line for one of the food trucks when John B finally had the guts to talk to you.

"What are you going to get?" He was behind you in line and you turned around, confused at first.

When you saw the boy from the ticket line, you lit up. John B's heart rate picked up.

"Probably just a lemonade. You?" You answered.

He shrugged, trying to read over the menu. When it was your turn to order, John B paid for your lemonade and got himself a hotdog.

The first bite of his hotdog landed on his sweater and you let out a laugh. "Fuck." He muttered. He looked up at you, his cheeks turning pink. John B thought you were going to think he was a loser. You thought he looked cute.

The sunset on the water was gorgeous. The two of you snuck away from your friends to sit on the dock near the venue. John B was so nervous, he had been acting like a super gentleman the entire night, hoping to get even a kiss on the cheek from you.

You would grab onto his hand or make him wait as you re applied your lip gloss and it would make him go wild. It was your tan line from earlier in the day that really made his head spin.

As he skipped rocks out onto the water, you watched him. You thought he looked so handsome like that. His dark hair was tucked behind his ears, his tongue sticking out just a little as he tried to concentrate. John B was trying to make the flat rock bounce at least four times.

When you kissed him, he thought to himself that if he died right there, he would be perfectly okay with it. Even if he never got to see a rock skip four times, he would be content. It was perfect, the sunset was coming to a close and the fireworks were starting. You were feeling the same way as John B right about now.

You and John B spent the rest of the two summers you had left together. It was hard to be with John B in the winter since you guys went to different schools and you were so busy with extracurriculars. At eighteen, you went off to different colleges. John B stayed close to home with JJ, you went to New York City for Law. As much as you wanted to stay together, it was hard. It wasn't much further past your third week in NYC when you both decided to call it off.

It was year before you started Law school at UNC. You decided after a long four years in the city, you were meant for the beach. You, Abby, and Jahnia were headed to Mardi Gras as congratulations gift to the three of you for making in through college.

Getting through security had been a nightmare, having to get padded down twice. After grabbing a snack, the three of you were finally boarding your plane for your vacation.

You saw him before he saw you. When you saw the familiar brown locks and freckles, you lit up.

"Hey, stranger." You spoke.

He looked up, confused at first, but saw you and a face of comfort replaced him confused expression.

"Bet you don't remember me." You laughed and he joined in , shrugging.

"It's what, only every other memory?" John B answered.

You looked down at your ticket and located your seat, right next to him. Silently thanking whatever higher power put you two together, you slid into the empty seat next to him.

The flight to New Orleans was filled with the two of you catching up. He caught you up on all his crazy memories from college and you told him about your hard classes.

You touched on when the two of you first met, how he had the red stain on his sweater, he informed you that he never got that stain out. In the back of John B’s mind, he didn’t want to. It reminded him of you.

He told you he was going to grad school at UNC, the same place you would be attending Law School.

By the end of the two hour flight, you felt completely caught up in each others lives. When you told him you were flying with Abby and Jhania, his face lit up. He told you he was meeting Pope and JJ.

Spending Mardi Gras together was exactly what the both of you needed. Spending it with an old friend.

It was night time, the party still full ablaze. John B was watching you smile and dance, he thought you looked so perfect. It was when you turned to him and held your hands out for him to dance with you was when he realized he still loved you.

All that time he spent with you all those summers ago, all that time he loved you.

The heart does not forget something like that.

You weren’t on the same flight back, it didn’t matter though. You had all the time in the world to spend with John B.

…..

[fatguarddog]

you’re so CUTE! you act so big and tough, but you’re not so scary, are you? I love the confidence you have and the way you throw your weight and dominance around in this community, but isn’t a guard dog’s ultimate wish to please? and I just kinda think it would make me so happy to bring you home and spoil you. keep you nice and warm by the fire while I go find all those leftovers that I had no idea what to do with and would be such a waste to throw out. especially when they just so happen to be all your favorite treats. I know, I know! you’re so big and bad! I promise I won’t tell anyone how fast your tail wags and how quickly that bravado melts into unabashed giddiness when I roll out shiny carts full of steaming comfort food. oh, and that little glint of excitement, or maybe, fear that shone in your expression that’s usually so foreboding when you noticed the barrel of melting ice cream in the corner? your secrets are safe with me, sweet boy. so, you can lay back into my lap and let all that stubborn tension that supports that huge frame of yours melt away and be replaced with that strange warmth that you are getting used to already. The one that you feel in your steely jaw (maybe not so steely anymore) as its softness gives under the cup of my massaging hands. The one you feel like strange, soft rising bubbles between the malleable muscles in your abdomen and the soft plush that sits on top of them. The one that quickly replaces that feeling that you’ve hit your limit every time it whispers. I know you’re busy stuffing your face with prime ribs and burgers and mashed potatoes, but hover your paw over that little mound under your bellybutton. wait a second… see? Isn’t it cool how fast your tummy got all swollen and met your hand where it was at? But, that’s enough thinking for now, isn’t it. I’ll bet that warmth is in your head now, and it probably feels like you’re being enveloped by some soft, white, hedonistic light. eat as much as you want, but I would really appreciate it if you would take care of everything cause I really don’t have room in my fridge for any of this. I know you’re a wild thing, and it wouldn’t be right to keep you all locked up here, but, if you ever find yourself weary and tired of acting tough, find your way back here and I’ll take care of you. It would be my pleasure. -🎀

Oh well this is absolutely heavenly isn't it ❤️

I love the idea of a rough dog like me having a secret space to get pampered and grow so fat and soft in someone's tender care. You'd look after me so well and make sure that all my worries and thoughts melted away into that blissful warmth you've filled my body with by feeding me just so much food ❤️ I'd become so dazed and docile under your care, still a guard dog capable of protecting you with my heft, but no longer the tough beast I once was... this life is just So comfy though

So please, let me lay my head on your lap will you pet my softening belly and place treat after treat in my hungry mouth 🐺