#kinda hate that the staircase/entrance hall only opens to one hallway though it looks like?

[rose-of-the-valley]

Screencapped the HoL 1st floor map from my PC so it's actually readable!

[strangeradventuresofp]

emotions (klaus x reader)

We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals - 1

warnings : implied sexual assault, swearing

word count : 3984

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4

A/N : hey so !!! i’ve wanted to write a canon fic for so long but it took me a while to establish a story line and i haven’t completely finished it yet but i hope you like this!! kinda long and it’s basically just the first episode as in introduction but i rly hope you enjoy it!!<3 xo p

On the 12th hour of the first day of October, 43 women around the world gave birth. This was unusual only in the fact that none of these women had been pregnant when the day first began.

Sir Reginald Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire and adventurer, resolved to locate and adopt as many of the children as possible.

He got eight of them.

~~~

Your eyes flashed with horror as you looked down at the man in front of you, sprawled out on the path. His limbs were mangled and the pool of blood beneath him rapidly increased as it leaked out of his body. Glancing down, you noticed that upon your shaking hands were red stains, and your mouth turned dry while you walked away, shoving your hands in your pockets. Hopefully no one would find him, and if they did hopefully no one would find your fingerprints on his skin, after all, you didn’t even remember doing it. You felt bad, perhaps he didn’t deserve to die, only be injured. Your mind battled with itself as you remember how he had touched you and cornered you into the alleyway. How his fingers dragged and raked across your flesh and grabbed mercilessly at your clothing. He deserved it.

Murdering people wasn’t new to you. You had been forced to do it when you were a child, in an attempt to create an emotional disconnect from a young age. You didn’t hate doing it. Some people deserved it. You just hated that most times you didn’t know you had killed someone; you had lost control and adrenaline consumed your entire body and mind.

The door to your apartment faced you as you pulled up short, checking every pocket for your keys, trembling still as you managed to push them into the lock after numerous previous tries. You used your elbow to push the handle down, hauling open the door with your body weight, kicking it closed. The bag you carried dropped to the floor at the sound of the door closing, and you made straight for the bathroom, ready to wash away the awful day that you had had.

It wasn’t long before you stepped out of the shower, drying your body off and changing. A towel was still in your hands and you continued to pat down your hair as you trudged into your living room, feet grazing along the wooden floor. The noise of the TV droned in and out of your ears, combing through your dampened hair.

“…Little bit of rain potentially, later in the week…” The refrigerator door opened when you pulled it, your fingers reaching out for a carton of orange juice. The glass filled as you poured in the juice and began drinking from it.

“We’re going now live to a breaking story,” you lowered your glass from your lips before dragging your tongue across them, picking up what was left as you turned towards the TV. “Moments ago, police reported the death of the world’s most eccentric and reclusive billionaire, Sir Reginald Hargreeves.” Your heart startled at the words, and you felt unsure of whether to be relieved or not. Although he was your Father, he was never a Dad to you. He had created a robot, Grace, which you were expected to call Mom, and she looked after you, because Reginald could never be bothered. You often thought of what your ‘biological mother’ would be like and maybe you would have felt more comfortable if you had never been adopted. Obviously, you knew that was untrue. She had given you away for a suitable compensation, although she had never meant to give birth in the first place. But, you really enjoyed the thought of having a completely different life.

You had hardly spoken to any of your siblings for a while. Once in a while you received a call from Diego, just checking to see how you were. Sometimes Vanya phoned but it was very rare. Allison was always too busy with her movie, you wondered if she would even turn up for the funeral. Klaus hadn’t been seen in a long time, and Luther was still on the moon. You had been close with them when you were younger, but now it felt weird to be so intimate with each other’s lives after you had all left the academy; talking felt forced and uncomfortable so you avoided it at all costs. It was going to be different again after the funeral. You would all be expected to keep in touch, something you honestly didn’t care to do. Though it might be nice to see them again, you cringed just imagining it.

Soon, you shuffled off to your bedroom, turning out all of the lights on the way there. As you lay down, pulling the blanket over your body, you sighed, pinching in between your brows before closing your eyes and willing yourself off to sleep.

~~~

The pavement scuffed your shoes as you lazily made your way from your cab to your childhood home, breathing deeply while the cold air hit your face. Just as goose bumps prickled your skin, you found yourself wrapping your fingers around the metal gate, your feet stepping up the concrete stairs, face to face with the door. Suddenly you remembered how small you still felt against the mansion’s profile. Your nose burnt as you took one last deep breath, thrusting open the entrance, stepping inside.

Your eyes immediately scanned every inch of the lobby, and they rolled as you noticed that everything was exactly the same. The chandelier still hung at the same height, gently swinging left to right, right to left. The lights were still very dim and still flickered occasionally. The windows behind the staircase still allowed light to gleam through the ornate balustrade. The pillars holding up the second floor were still separated by wooden archways. The circular table still stood in the centre of the space; its feet lay on the partially patterned floor. The rest of the floor was still filled with the ugly black and white tiles that remain dull even after being polished. Nothing had changed.

Slowly, your feet took you into the living room, your eyes darting around to scan for something different once again. The fire still roared in the fireplace. The fireplace was still surrounded by the mantelpiece, Five’s portrait dangling high above it. The couches were still the same red, the table, the stools, and the bar, even the contents of the bar hadn’t changed a bit.

“Miss Y/N.” Your head whipped around as your eyes met those of who the voice belonged to, and you smiled.

“Hey, Pogo. How are you doing?” Your question brought a smile to the chimpanzee’s face and he moved over towards you, leaning on his walking stick. He hadn’t changed, either, apart from a few tufts of hair beginning to turn grey on his chin. He still possessed a set of glasses, a red overcoat with a purple waistcoat, and a red and blue patterned tie. He owned other ties, but that was always your favourite. You leaned down to hug him, which he returned immediately, pulling away after a few seconds.

“Is anyone else here?”

“I am aware of Master Diego's presence, although the others I haven’t seen, yet.”

“Thanks, Pogo.”

~~~

“What exactly are you looking for?” Luther spun around to see you leant against the door frame of your Dad’s bedroom, with your arms folded, brows knitted together. “They’re all locked. Diego already checked.”

“No forced entry, no sign of struggle. Nothing out of the ordinary.” Diego’s figure moved past you, entering the room that Luther seemed to be inspecting, leaning down slightly to get a better look as he neared him. “Oh, you got big, Luther.”

“Understatement.” You snorted, chipping in.

“What’s the secret, huh? Protein shakes? Low carbs?”

“What do you want?” Luther frowned as his arms were brought up slightly, gesturing his confusion as to why Diego was teasing him. His brows furrowed more as Number 2 stretched for his back pocket, silence filling the room for just a moment. He held a creased, folded piece of paper in his hand, extending his arm out to Number 1.

“The autopsy report. I broke into the coroner’s office.”

“Well, that was stupid.” Your hand found its way to your hip as you stared in disbelief at him, who was now sitting down, way too comfortable. He shrugged at you, before continuing.

“Surprise, surprise, Dad’s death was… normal. Just boring old heart failure.”

“Yeah, so?” The larger boy asked as he scanned over the piece paper after opening it.

“So, stop looking for something to prove that it wasn’t.” Luther’s eyes looked over to you, annoyance clearly present in your voice. “He’s dead. That’s it. No mystery.” You pushed yourself off the door frame before walking down the hall, hearing Luther and Diego mumbling to each other still, not knowing exactly what they’re saying, and not exactly caring. They were annoying to listen to, one always trying to outdo the other. The truth was, Diego didn’t like being Number 2, and Luther liked being Number 1 too much. He always thought that because he was Number 1 it made him the leader, but it didn’t. It was something that irked all of you, but Diego felt it the most. You couldn’t stand their pointless bickering when you were children and you certainly couldn’t stand it now.

It had been a few years short of a decade since you had left the academy, but it honestly felt like you hadn’t been gone at all. You had expected some sort of a change to have been made, but then again, you expect too much. The interior design was outdated and sickening to look at. It reminded you of everything that had happened when you were children.

Stepping along the hallway, numerous paintings, all very similar, caught your eye. The famous family portraits. The first contained all of you, apart from Vanya. She wasn’t ever included in things like that. The way her eyes turned sad whenever your Dad told her there was nothing special about her broke your heart. The second was the same, excluding Number 5; taken after he had jumped through time and not returned. It had been 16 years, more or less, and he still hadn’t returned. You often wondered if he was even alive, wherever he was. It was safe to say you had a fear of losing people after what had happened to Five. The third contained five of the children, Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus and you. It had been taken a few weeks after Ben had passed – something you hated to remember; it made your entire body ache.

You peeled your eyes away from the paintings, looking down. Tears glossed over your eyes as your mind flooded with thoughts about what had happened that day. It was horrifying. The way it happened had been completely erased from your memory. It all happened so quickly. All you can remember was seeing his lifeless body spread out on the floor. Your Mom had tried to save him, but in the end, there was nothing she could have done. Pogo had sat you all down in the lounge and broke the news to you. That day was one of the most miserable.

“Y/N? Hey, are you okay?” You hadn’t even realised you had started crying; not expecting to get so emotional, it was never a good thing for you. Looking up through misty eyes, you saw Klaus, frowning instantly, moving away when he stepped towards you. “Still mad at me?” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously while you rolled your eyes, angrily swiping at the loose tears that had fallen onto your face.

He hadn’t changed. His hair was the same length and texture. His facial hair looked as if it hadn’t grown the tiniest bit. His eyes were still that gorgeous green colour and were paired with slight bags underneath. He still wore those pants with the gaps in the side that you loved to wear, and the battered sneakers that you would have thought were his only pair of shoes. A bushy coat wrapped itself around his shoulders, hugging around the top of his body and the shirt he wore ended just below his belly button, exposing a thin strip of his flesh.

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fi—“

“I said I’m fine!” Klaus winced, nodding slightly before strolling down the stairs, glancing up at you after every couple of steps.

Huffing, you walked into your old bedroom, lying down and closing your eyes, calming down as you focused on your breathing. You hated that it still got you so riled up after so long, groaning in frustration as you tried not to think about it. You clenched and unclenched your fists every few seconds, breathing in sync.

Children behave, that’s what they say when we’re together.

A smile slowly crept onto your face as you heard the familiar words, sitting up. It was something you and your siblings listened to often, when your Dad wasn’t around. Smile turning to a grin, you stood, moving your arms and feet in time with the music. Nothing mattered at that moment. You weren’t thinking about Five, or Ben, or Klaus. You weren’t thinking about anything, just losing yourself in the music.

I think we’re alone now. There doesn’t seem to be anyone around.

I think we’re alone now. The beating of our hearts is the only sound.

The music stopped as quickly as it had started as everything suddenly went dark, the sound of thunder clapping so loud, as if it was outside your door. Gasping, you threw your door open, rushing downstairs as fast as you could, opening the door to the courtyard, eyes widening at the sight of blue electricity. Soon enough, your siblings joined you outside, confused looks plastered on all of your faces. Diego stood protectively in front of you, Luther by his side, Allison holding his hand.

“Don’t get too close!” Allison exclaimed, worry coating her voice.

“Yeah, no shit.” Diego replied, brows furrowing at what stood in front of you all.

“Out of the way!” Klaus came running out of the house, pushing past all of you, holding a fire extinguisher in his arms, attempting to spray what looked like a temporal anomaly, or a miniature black hole, one of the two. He rolled his eyes as it did nothing, throwing it instead, watching as it was consumed by the blue.

“What is that gonna do?”

“I don’t know. D’you have a better idea?” You reached out, latching onto Klaus’ sleeve, pulling him back to where you were standing. He looked over his shoulder, flashing you a smile before looking forward once again. Just as you clutched his wrist, a boy hit the floor, wearing a suit that was much too big for him, the electricity fading away quickly afterwards. He groaned, stood, and dusted off his suit, and your jaw dropped, feeling your heart miss a beat.

“Does anybody else see little Number 5 or is that just me?” Klaus questioned as you lunged forward, pulling Five into a tight hug, a couple of tears escaping your eyes as he returned the embrace. He looked exactly the same as he did when he left so, had he not aged? Was he permanently going to stay a 13 year old, now? So many questions raced through your mind at a lightning speed, but you really couldn’t care. Your brother was finally home.

Shortly after, you had all made your way in the kitchen. You perched on the side of the table, beside Klaus and the rest of your siblings, watching Five collect the things to make a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich, a cutting board and knife already laid out on the table.

“What’s the date? The exact date.” The boy abruptly asked, and a couple of your siblings turned to look at each other in confusion.

“The 24th.”

“Of what?”

“March.”

“Good.” His eyes flickered for a moment, as if in concern, but you shrugged it off after realising nobody else had noticed.

“So… Where did you go?” Your voice came out a lot more nervously than you had meant it to, afraid of what his answer would be, in case he said something bad.

“The future. It’s shit by the way.”

“Called it!” Klaus looked up at you after yelling out and you frowned, almost as if scolding him for speaking when it wasn’t his turn. As the others spoke, you watched Five intensely, with a burning curiosity about what he saw in the future, wondering how bad it could actually have been. After all, Five didn’t look like he had done too bad for himself during whatever it was that he went through. But something about him was off. His eyes looked dull, like he’d been traumatised by one thing or another, like he had seen it all. Your body shivered imagining all the things that he could’ve seen.

~~~

The rain pattered on the concrete whilst you advanced once again into the courtyard. Looking around, you noticed the statue that stood in the centre and looked to the floor, sighing as Klaus gently pulled you along by your sleeve, an awkward but genuine smile passing between the two of you. Being mad at him was the least of your worries right now.

“Did something happen?” Your mother held her umbrella, a smile plastered on her seamless face, the same smile she always wore. Her eyes glanced around at you and your siblings, whose eyes also gazed around to look at each other. Your knuckles turned white as you gripped your own umbrella tightly, angry at her for even asking the question. Your jaw clenched and your other hand balled itself into a fist before Klaus nudged you subtly and you relaxed, his eyes searching yours as a look of distress fell over his face, a cigarette hanging limply from his lips.

“Dad died, remember?” Allison tilted her head at your mother, watching her terrifyingly realistically happy face fall into one of sympathy. Diego turned to face her in alarm as her red lips turned downwards.

“Oh. Yes, of course.”

The sound of footsteps allowed you to look away from your Mom, instead watching Pogo as he joined you and your siblings in the courtyard. Luther held your Dad’s urn and looked towards the chimpanzee just as Klaus sparked up another cigarette, this one looking just as miserable as the last.

“Whenever you’re ready, dear boy.” Number 1 took a deep breath at Pogo’s instructions, waiting a few seconds before extending his arm up to grasp the lid of the urn, taking off the lid. The metal scraped against itself as Luther dropped the lid-holding hand to his side, tilting the urn 180 degrees. Klaus cringed and you could barely hold back a giggle when the ashes all fell to the floor at once and Luther awkwardly shifted from one foot to the other as Pogo started to speak, but before he could finish, he was interrupted.

“He was a monster.” Your eyes darted to Diego, knowing he was right, but wanting to hear the rest of what Pogo had to say. Klaus let out a breathy laugh and the chimpanzee looked hurt, to which you frowned in empathy. “He was a bad person and a worse father. The world’s better off without him.”

“Diego, stop.” Knowing he was right but knowing it wasn’t the time made your voice waver as you spoke.

“My name is Number Two. You know why? Because our father couldn’t be bothered to give us actual names. He had Mom do it.” Turning your head to look at Klaus, silently begging him to help him shut Diego up. He took a drag of his cigarette before flicking his eyes to you, subtly shaking his head, causing you to look around at your other siblings as your Mom said something, locking eyes with Luther for a brief moment before looking away again. “Look, you wanna pay your respects, go ahead. But at least be honest about the kind of man he was.”

“You should stop talking now.” Luther warned, allowing you to snap your head up to him, watching the two of them, grasping tightly onto the bottom of Klaus’ coat, sharing a frown with Five before turning to view the scene they had created once again. “Diego, stop talking.”

“He couldn’t even stand the sight of you!” The two began to fight, and your hands tightened around the fabric in anxiety before loosening against your will, earning a look from Klaus after he had decided to egg on the fight happening before you. Trembling, you followed Five inside, whipping your body around when you heard a loud thud of something hitting the concrete, tears welling in your eyes while you watched Ben’s statue fall, hurrying inside before any tears spilt. Your feet reverberated in the empty hall, gasping as Luther came hurrying past you.

“Are you okay?” You hadn’t expected an answer from him, frowning when you saw him seizing his left arm, a cut hiding beneath his hand. Your body rotated, eyebrows puckering when you saw Diego and your mother step through the door. “What the hell did you do to him?”

“Nothing bad.”

“You hurt him, Diego.”

“Do you kids want to make cookies?” Storming away at your mother’s request, you fished through your pockets to find your apartment keys, shoving the umbrella on the floor after closing it, leaving as fast as you could, not caring to slam the doors once you had left. Pulling up the hood of your coat, shoving your hands in your pockets, walking away from the house you used to live in. You felt as if your feet were thundering on the pavement, afraid that if you stepped in the wrong place that you could cause the pavement to crack under the pressure.

You only ever saw your siblings at Weddings and Funerals, although you heard that none of you had attended Allison’s wedding. But, then again, what did she expect when she held it in L.A, as if all of you could afford to travel there simply for a wedding and then travel back afterwards. You had no idea why your siblings just couldn’t get on for a few hours at the very least. The tensions irked you like nothing else. You were siblings; you should act like siblings, not enemies.

~~~

Loud, rapid knocking on your apartment door woke you from your sleep and you groaned, pinching the bridge of your nose before throwing off the blankets, standing, trudging over to your front door. The knocking stopped and you wrapped your hand around the handle, looking out of the peephole. Opening the door after not seeing anyone, you stepped out to look into the corridor, shrugging when no one seemed to be there.

“You should have locks on your windows.” You let out a squeal as a voice spoke out from behind you, whirling around to see your brother stood in front of you.

“What? How did you—“

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Is that blood?” Glancing down to his red-stained arm, he shrugged off your question before you frowned, standing. “Five.”

Minutes later you joined him back in your lounge, with a first aid kit held in your hands. After pulling his sleeve up, you winced, taking a few minutes to clean his wound before bandaging up his arm, closing the first aid kit as he opened his mouth to speak.

“When I jumped forward and got stuck in the future, do you know what I found? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The world ends in eight days, and I have no idea how to stop it.”

my masterlist

[mybiasisexo]

Desperado

Genre: Angst | Highschool!au

Pairing: Sehun x Reader

Length: 3.6k

Warning: Language | Unfinished 

Summary: Your high school sweetheart left you... while still in high school. Cradling a heartache like this is difficult, but you are able to confide in an unlikely student who is just, if not more, broken than you are. Based on the song Desperado by Rihanna. 

Author’s Note: This was going to be the first Sehun scenario I posted but idk I kinda just lost interest in it. I plan on finishing it, I swear! Also, this orange hair??? God tier!!!!! BRING IT BACK!!!!

MASTERLIST

credit

Heartache is never easy.

Especially when it is still fresh.

A sigh escapes your mouth as you squint up at the ominous building. Already the cacophonies of voices swim around you like the wind, sending a sharp chill down your spine. You can do this, you remind yourself. You have before.

You rush through the doors and scan the crowded hall. You missed school the day before and now need an assignment for your calculus class. The first person you find that you share said class with makes you cringe—it is Oh Sehun. You bite your lip; contemplating whether going up to him is even worth the effort, but you really need that assignment, so you give yourself a pep talk as you make your way towards the tall young man.

He’s at his locker, lazily spinning the lock back and forth as you approach him. “Um, Oh Sehun?”

His head slants over to your direction, dark eyes piercing.

“Yeah?” He asks nonchalantly, popping the lock and opening the metal door.

“I, uh, was wondering if you could fill me in on the calculus assignment from yesterday? I missed it.” You hate how soft spoken you sound, but you realize that’s the only way you talk on campus now.

“We have Calc together?” He wonders. You nod quickly and he shrugs. “Never seen you in there before.”

You pout slightly but dismiss his comment, not taking it personally. Oh Sehun never really notices anything anymore, apparently.

“Well,” You continue awkwardly. “We do. So, do you have the assignment?”

He digs through his locker, ignoring your presence, but you remain standing there, pride holding you prisoner. As you wait for him to do something, your head turns on its own accord across the hall. There you see a familiar man leaning against his locker with a pretty girl pressed against him. The pair giggle and share a sweet kiss.

Byun Baekhyun.

This man once held your heart. Unfortunately for you, he decided to crush it into nothing but powder without any warning. 

For two and a half years he was your world. The two of you were deemed the Odd Pair because you came from different worlds, but somehow you both made it work.

He was the popular, smart, rich kid that everyone knew would own his own multimillion dollar business someday, and you were the quiet girl nobody seemed to notice.

But Baekhyun noticed you.

You and Baekhyun had been making plans for the future. Talking about colleges and whether to get an apartment together and the closest bus stops near campuses. Now there is nothing ahead of you. Baekhyun snatched your future and gave it to somebody else and now there is nowhere for you to go.

You are stuck.

Your breath catches in your throat and you try to focus back on Sehun, but your eyes are stuck like glue to the pair. The man cups the girl’s chin, thumb rubbing the flesh tenderly, and you feel the ghost of the familiar action on your own skin. Their happy faces blur, unshed tears obstructing your vision. You don’t try to blink the water back; knowing the fall of droplets will expose your weakness.

You vaguely register paper rustling and a pressure on your hand and your vision clears. You inhale sharply, like you’ve broken the surface of the ocean and notice the math assignment in your hands.

Sehun is watching you intently, you can feel it and when you dare to meet his stare you both stay like that for a long moment—having a silent conversation you are too terrified to actually interpret. Finally, he makes a noise in the back of his throat and closes his locker.

“Tough break,” he murmurs, throwing a strap of his backpack on a shoulder before spinning away, blending in with the rest of the school population.

“You would know,” you reply quietly to yourself, wiping the moisture from under your eyes.

~*~

You notice Oh Sehun quite a bit after the day at his locker. Notice him walking in the halls, somewhat aimlessly, taking his time. Notice him grab his lunch in the cafeteria and leave with it, never sitting with the rest of the students. Notice him in your shared calculus class, never interacting with anyone and always acing the tests. Notice him in the school parking lot, leaning against a rusty Monte Carlo as he puffs on a cigarette.

You notice how he is always alone.

He doesn’t interact with anyone. He never even seems to notice anyone else. He walks with his head held high, but his eyes glazed over, as if he’s going through the motions.

You notice how much he resembles yourself.

~*~

You have one class with Baekhyun—History, ironically—and decide that today you can’t do it.

So you skip it. 

It is stupid and reckless and the first time you have ever in your entire academic career done it, but you refuse to watch them act all lovey dovey. 

There’s only so much your crumpled heart can take.

You stealthily make your way down the stairs that lead to the gym but pause once you notice someone sitting at the bottom steps. You easily recognize the tall frame and wild bright orange hair and carefully slide to the bottom. Once your feet land on the last step, you find yourself sitting beside him for some reason, making sure to keep some feet between the two of you.

“Hey,” you greet nervously.

He only nods in acknowledgement.

You sit there silently staring ahead at nothing for five minutes. The whole time you fight with yourself, wondering why you are even sitting there in the first place, but you can’t deny how comfortable if feels. Especially the silence, it is well needed.

Finally, Sehun leans back against the giant banister and faces you. “So, how are you feeling?”

The question catches you off guard and your body jerks around to face him clearly. His sharp features are unreadable, but his eyes seem bright, the dark chocolate brown melting and twirling in what appears to be concern.

“I—I…It still hurts,” you stutter, still shocked by his sympathy.

“It gets better,” Sehun informs you in a quiet tone. He avoids your teary gaze, finding solace in watching his fingers knot together. “It might not feel like it right now, but it will.”

~*~

Oh Sehun.

Your Junior year Sehun was a bright friendly kid. He was a part of the male dance team and was dating the third most popular girl in school, Lee Hyunhee. The two appeared to be in love—at least, Sehun was genuinely head over heels. Baekhyun’s crowd somehow blended with Sehun’s—you assume populars stick with populars no matter what clique—so you had hung out with the pair a few times, although you wouldn’t have called Sehun a friend. You remember him being happy. 

But Hyunhee broke his heart.

Cheated on him with one of his ‘friends’ on the team and then had the gull to get angry with him once he found out. She broke up with him in front of the entire school, in the busiest hallway, and stormed off with his friend in tow.

You caught the entire fiasco. Watched as Sehun ran away as if someone were chasing him, all while gripping tightly to Baekhyun’s hand.

Now you held a similar pain.

Summer came soon after and once school started again he was different.

He was a loner. He didn’t address anyone, didn’t acknowledge anyone. He never talked and didn’t rejoin the dance team.

He became invisible.

~*~

“You really need to go to class,” Sehun softly scolds you as he watches you make your way beside him on the stairs.

You haven’t returned to your history class for a week now. Instead, you have been joining Sehun at the gym staircase.

Despite his statement, he scoots over a little, allowing you room on the step he was residing on.

“I can say the same to you,” you reply. He shakes his head in disbelief but you’re pretty sure you catch a small grin on his lips. “I brought us something.”

You yank your backpack onto your lap and rummage through it until you find the gift. Pulling out a brown paper bag, you hand it to Sehun who takes it graciously.

He peeks inside and pouts immediately. You can’t help but to be entranced by his eyebrows bunching together.

“It’s crushed,” he whines, pulling out the giant yet flat cinnamon roll you bought. 

You roll your eyes and snatch the dessert from his grasp. “It’s been in my bag all day.”

Taking a bite, you lean back on the stairs. “It still tastes delicious.”

Sehun sighs and you feel his fingers break off a piece. You study him as he chews thoughtfully.

“I guess you’re right,” he allows with a shrug. He then leans forward and takes a giant bite right from your hand.

“Ew!” You squeal, laughing loudly from his antics. He doesn’t join in though, just continues chewing with a look of content. 

Slowly. Slowly you and Sehun have been getting closer. You wouldn’t say you are friends just yet, but you are definitely more than acquaintances. 

You see yourself in him and you believe he sees the same in you. Both have felt heartache like no other, both of you have to look at the person who broke your heart everyday, both of you are still attempting to heal.

But now neither of you has to do it alone.

“Sit with me at lunch,” you say to a busy looking Sehun in your calculus class.

He scoffs, not taking his eyes off the sheet he’s finishing.

“Sehun,” you whine. “You never sit in the cafeteria.”

“Yeah because I hate it in there,” he murmurs.

You sigh dejectedly. 

“You can join me though,” he offers nonchalantly.

You blink up at him. “Really?”

He sits up slowly and finally glances down at you. His face is as unreadable as always, but his eyes are a dead giveaway to you, and now they sparkle with excitement.

“Yeah. I mean, why not?”

“Okay!” You agree quickly, a huge smile on your face. Sehun scoffs again at your reaction, but he doesn’t look away.

The two of you make your way towards the cafeteria. Sehun’s long lanky legs carries him a few steps ahead, and you’re sure he’s doing it on purpose, to keep eyes off of you both. You bring the book you’re carrying closer to your chest, trying as hard as you can to not draw attention to yourself, to stop your heart from beating any faster than it already is.

You can admit you’re excited. Sehun is slowly opening up to you and you feel honored that out of all the people he could do that to, he has chosen you. 

You glance up quickly and, of course, just so happen to lock eyes with Baekhyun. He’s talking to his close friend Kim Jongdae. His sentence carries as your eyes remain locked, but he quickly shakes off whatever it is he is thinking and continues with his conversation. You quicken your pace so that you’re closer to Sehun. He feels it and peeks over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow but you ignore it as the pair of you enter the cafeteria and join the line.

It’s silent as you grab your food and take Sehun’s lead to, unsurprisingly—although a tad disappointing—the staircase.

“So is this our staircase now?” You ask with your mouth full of food.

He starts coughing, choking on the bite he just took and you quickly pat his back and hand him his water. He chugs it empty and then pins you with his dark glare, eyebrows seeming sharper with his intense stare.

“I always eat here.”

You raise your hands in defeat. “But now I’m eating here too.”

“That doesn’t make it ‘ours’. I found it first.”

“And I found it second,” you shrug; enjoying the reaction you’re getting out of Sehun.

He glares at you again and you chuckle softly.

“Are you okay?” He asks, changing the subject.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” 

“Baekhyun.” His name alone causes your blood to run cold. “I saw him look at you on our way to lunch. Are you okay?”

“I….” Your heart is racing, but it is less because of Baekhyun and more because of Sehun’s concern for you. “I’m fine… now.”

“Oh.” Sehun blinks in surprise before facing away from you awkwardly. “Well, that’s good…then.”

The pair of you continue eating in a somewhat awkward silence for a chunk of time before Sehun is calling your name.

You turn towards him. He’s still facing forward as he clears his throat. “You know, you can…well, we can come here to eat lunch. That way you won’t feel the need to keep skipping history. I know you’re getting behind.”

You suppress a grin. “I’d like that, Sehun. Thank you.”

“Yeah, whatever.” He shrugs, eating again.

~*~

Time is going by and you’re finding yourself gradually getting over Byun Baekhyun. You deny the cause having to do with spending a lot of time sitting on stairs, that surely has nothing to do with you moving on. You’re relieved all the same, the stinging in your heart now a mute thud from time to time. School no longer is a chore to you—something you have to just endure. You find yourself actually looking forward to it, looking forward to him.

Your friend, Oh Sehun.

It’s mildly hilarious how in the span of a couple months you have grown rather close to the tall young man. You’ve seen sides of him you doubt most have in years and his odd charms draw you in like a spell.

That being said, you can’t find it within yourself to truly like him romantically. There is no denying Baekhyun took something from you when he left. Made you hard, and you are afraid to let anyone else get that close. Afraid of trusting someone just for them to turn on you without any remorse. 

And you know Sehun feels the same way.

Because there are times when his stare lingers a little longer than appropriate. Times when he accidentally slips and says something that makes you lose your breath. Times when he moves his body so close to yours you think you might burst into flames. 

But he always pulls back.

The reality is Sehun is just as broken emotionally as you—if not more. He never talks about Lee Hyunhee, and you’re too nervous to bring her up. There is this unspoken rule between the two of you that she is off limits in conversation. It’s as if you’ve built your wall out of wood and Sehun out of concrete, there is just no getting to him.

But that’s what makes the relationship work, the fact that you both understand that and try your best to help the other.

Isn’t it amazing how healing friendship is?

Not to mention refreshing. Having someone around who gets exactly where you’re coming from without any judgment is a welcoming feeling, something you lacked in your life. You are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and it’s because Sehun is guiding you.

You just hope you’re doing the same for him.

Okay so yeah, you’re getting over Baekhyun, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t still feel some type of way watching him and his girlfriend being all mushy in your shared class with no regard of who may or may not be watching.

They sit directly in front of you and have been touchy since class started and you can’t take it any longer so you ask to go to the bathroom.

While wandering the empty halls, you consider skipping all together, but know Sehun would rip you a new one so you just continue to the bathroom. 

On the way back you hear some voices and pause.

One of them sounds like Sehun.

“I saw you with her.” The other voice, a female, says coldly.

There is a scoff as a reply and now you know that’s Sehun.

“So what if you did?” He snaps. “It’s none of your business who I hang out with. It hasn’t been for a year.”

“So I can’t be concerned for you?” She counters. The question confuses you. Who is Sehun talking to? “Sehun, I still care for you no matter what happened in the past.”

“You never cared about me, Hyunhee!” Hearing her name is like having a bucket of ice cold water poured over your head. “You broke my fucking heart! Someone who cares about someone doesn’t do that!”

“Sehun,” Hyunhee purrs and you scowl. Unable to fight it anymore, you peek over the wall out into the hallway they are in. Just as you expected, Hyunhee is resting a hand on Sehun’s taunt forearm. “I’ve always cared about you. And regardless of what I’ve done, I still consider you a friend. So, as your friend, I’m telling you that hanging out with her is bad news.”

Sehun squints his eyes at the beautiful girl. “Why would that be bad?”

“Because she uses people, Sehun. She used Baekhyun and now she’s using you.”

Baekhyun? Was Hyunhee…talking about you?

“That’s ridiculous,” Sehun dismisses and you swell with pride.

“Is it? Byun Baekhyun is the most popular guy in school and he left her. He was her ticket. Now that he’s with Choi Somin she has to find someone else. The thing is nobody wants her.”

“But I’m not popular.” His voice softens drastically and it makes you nervous. 

“Oh, yes you are, Sehun. You will always be one of us. No matter how hard you try to shut out the rest of the world. We all still see you.”

He remains silent and it urges her to continue. “She sees it, Sehun. You’re vulnerable. She can manipulate you.”

Your body moves on it’s own accord and before you know it, you’re right in front of them.

“Sehun,” you call his name loud and clear. They both turn towards you. Hyunhee does with disgust and Sehun in a daze. He blinks at you lazily.

“Sehun,” you repeat, your voice now lowered to almost a whisper. Tears spring in your eyes and you bite your lip to hide the trembling. “You don’t honestly believe her do you?”

“Looks like it’s time for me to go,” Hyunhee says, collecting her bag from the ground. She throws a look at Sehun. “I’ll talk to you later.”

Neither you nor Sehun break eye contact as Hyunhee saunters off, clearly satisfied. 

Your chest heaves and your hands curl into fists. You’re pissed, but don’t know at what exactly. 

Sehun murmurs your name but it doesn’t hold any warmth. 

“Please,” you beg. “Please tell me you don’t believe her.”

The bell rings, but neither of you register it. Doors swing open and students pile out in waves, yet you both stay frozen staring at one another trying to convey your true intentions.

Sehun’s emotions are always bared to you through his eyes, but right now you can’t decipher anything and it’s driving you crazy.

You’re also drawing attention. Those walking around you slow down and take in the stare down with curiosity. You can feel their eyes on you like pinpricks and it’s adding on to the rising anxiety. You’re going to burst at any minute you can feel it.  

Your name is called and you jolt as if being awoken. Byun Baekhyun is cautiously making his way towards you, girlfriend in tow. They both seem apprehensive, but it might have more to do with the aura around you and Sehun, who is still glaring at you unblinkingly.

“You left your stuff,” Baekhyun says. His eyes jump from you and Sehun but he doesn’t say anything about it. He clears his throat. “I thought I’d bring it to you because, well… yeah.”

You’re speechless. Your throat burns painfully as you take your bag from him and bow thankfully.

“I…” Again he takes in Sehun’s frame. He then leans in closer and whispers with concern, “are you alright?” 

You break. 

Gulping back the bubble forming in your throat you glare at him. “How could I possibly be alright, Baek?”

He flinches at your hostile tone and the use of the nickname you had given him.

“I just… Sehun’s glaring and… you look upset—I—”

“There are people here who think I only dated you because you are popular and that leads me to believe you believe that! I gave you so much of me! I gave you two years of my life and you just left me, Baekhyun! You left me!”

You are yelling now and a crowd is forming, but you are beyond reasoning right now. You never got closure with Baekhyun, never sat down and discussed anything, you guess now is a better time than any.

“I want to hate you so bad for what you did to me. You destroyed me yet have the gull to be friendly and bring me my stuff all the while your girlfriend—my replacement—is right there! You are so cruel, Baekhyun. People think I used you, but the truth is you used me!”

Baekhyun’s face is flaming red with embarrassment. He keeps opening and closing his mouth but nothing is coming out.

A hand wraps around your arm and you see Sehun through blurry eyes.

“Let’s get out of here,” he says. He tugs you gently out of the hall and everyone parts for you. Once you’re out into the parking lot you break down. Loud sobs shake your frame violently. 

Suddenly, you’re engulfed as Sehun wraps his arms around you and pulls you into his embrace. This only causes you to wail harder, soaking the front of his shirt with your tears.

“That’s right,” he encourages. “Let it out, Babe. Don’t keep it in anymore.”

[dobriking]

Bend Into A Break (4)

Summary: Not one, but two vlog-squads came with the death of Vine. And the rumored beef between you two is absolutely true! So, you and David (begrudgingly) set up a month long-retreat among your groups to film team challenges and go against each other. Y’know. For views. Pairing: David Dobrik x Readers, Enemies to Lovers, living together. Warnings: Profanity, mentions of drinking.  A/n: A bit of a filler chapter for a transition. Next part though... :) 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 

The drinks got the better of them so you and David stand alone in front of the Houdini Mansion waiting for the bus to catch back to the route after God knows how many pitstops it took for extended bathroom breaks.

It’s cold this high up. With that and the strange-car ride you had with David, you’re anxious to get inside.

Suddenly you realize this is all very real, happening in real time and no longer just an idea.

You’re proud to say so but worried at the same time.

David has to work the doorknob, pushing with all his weight (a little too much) to get the door open. You step in after him, hugging yourself (slyly) and keeping behind him as you step into the entrance room. Just as advertised. Beautiful, dusted, slick, pristine, but dark indeed.

“Geez.” He chuckles, setting down his suitcase. “You really outdid yourself Y/n.”

You take a breath. “Tell me about it.”

“This place is insane.” He picks up a flower pot placed on a thin side-table by the door and under a thin window. You catch him sniff it and his eyes go wide (for whatever reason) before he sets it down immediately and hurries into the next room — the kitchen.

He lets out that high-pitched, giddy little laugh of his and you jump but choose to ignore it for his own good. He’s messing with things on the counter and you head up the stairs, gripping the railing and letting your palm slide along the shining wood as you test the creakiness of the steps.

They’re all good, fortunately.

But at the top of the stairs is one continuous hallway going in both directions, left and right. A good handful of the rooms promised are in this one hallway, with a bathroom at the end of each hall. Every light in the place gives its room a warm yellow tint and its actually quite flattering, especially with the heaps of glass decorations you’re sure will be added to fees in damages. And each bedroom has two twin beds, and two of each other accommodation.

You look over all the little knick-knacks.

Maybe the bus getting here a little late is working out better than you thought.

You jog downstairs to see David having trouble with the curtain by the front door. And you hold your fingers to the bridge of your nose as you try to gain your composure — why on Earth did he decide to mess with the thing in the first place? He yelps as the pole falls from its confines…

He senses your presence and turns slowly, a crooked smile on his face.

You take a deep breath, waving him off. “David, get the bags.”

“Got it.” He hurries with his head down.

You pick up the pole and stand on your tiptoes to raise it back where it can be hooked in place. David comes in, his backpack over one shoulder, your backpack over the other, and both suitcases in hand. “Uh, where should I—?”

“Just leave them there.” You finish with putting them in place and do what you can only hope he intended to do with the curtains, pulling them back and tying them away from the window. “And then uh,” you swipe your hands down your chest, brushing off any dust, “follow me.”

He drops everything though is a little late to follow as he works on keeping the bags upright. He skips after you, watching you observe the downstairs hallway just past the double-set of staircases.

Quite claustrophobic indeed.

You open some doors, first finding an office area, another bathroom, a closet, a door leading to a basement which you promptly close and yelp at, then you find a master bedroom with a door attached directly to the aforementioned bathroom. And that isn’t even all of it.

David hums, impressed.

“Okay,” you clap, “we’ve got two master bedrooms. One down here, one up there, and…” you backtrack, going down the opposite side of the hallway, “four regulars down here, four regulars upstairs. So, pick one — up or down.”

Even without a specified time limit, David’s jittery with the pressure. “Uh, ah-ah UH, DOWN?!”

You pat him on the back before passing. “Okay, you get that room.” You point to the master room at the end of the hall. “I’ll take the other master, and the others can room together.”

“What about Scott, Natalie? Amanda, Toddy?”

“What about them?”

He holds still, his only hint being a slight raise of his brows.

You roll your eyes. “Well, they’re adults? They can do whatever the hell they want.” But then you stop to think about their partners and the hatred on top of the potential discomfort with sharing a room with someone of the opposite whatever. “Uh, fine.” You pinch your nose. “Scott and Todd can share a room, Amanda and Natalie can share a room. Which kinda works in one way I guess — anyway, uh, can you check the pool and see if it needs to be filled up?”

And yes, it does.

You see for yourself when looking out the window. David’s jog slows as he approaches and he turns, finds you in the window, and throws his arms to his sides as he shrugs. The only thing in it is leaves, thankfully, and you suppose not too much dust that’ll flake off when filling it up.

He hops in and plucks them out, and that’s when you stop looking, afraid of what stupidity he may subject himself to in an empty pool.

You suppose that could be the subject of a vlog or something.

But still, you pout realizing just one more thing to do. On top of the empty pool there’s no food (as expected) so surely you’ll be arguing among 18 others on what to order, this is likely the last moment of bliss you’ll have before they start pouring in, and you have no idea how this room situation is going to blow up in your face. What scares you the most is how vicious everybody might be over dibs and who gets to use the bathroom first…

And on top of all that, the glass sculptures irk you dearly. You go around collecting them, cradling them in your arms, and transporting them to where you’ll be staying. You store them in the closest provided alongside some extra blankets and pillows.

Frankly, you doubt the owner would care if you broke them (they’re only getting twenty-two thousand from you alone with this little trip) but you really don’t want to add anything on that from plain-old negligence. You don’t worry about ‘improper’ placement of the knick-knacks because only a person who buys with intent to consistently rent a place like this lives outside of it.

While you’re at it you rearrange and hide other decorations too, brittle or not. Despite the size of the mansion, it’s still too cozy for 18 people to sit in comfortably. At least in the case of everybody in one room at once. While knowing it won’t be like that all the time, you know it will be at one point or another

You slip off your jacket and set it on a chair in the living room, the heat of running around getting to you.

And to also help with the heat you step outside into the chill and catch David chewing gum with a limp hose in one hand and his phone in the other.

“What are you doing?” You ask, keeping your distance.

He nods at you, then the pool. “Filling it up. Says it’ll take like, a day, so.”

You bite your tongue but just say it. “Y’know, I was thinking we could leave it empty? For now at least?”

With as volatile as the overall group is, he doesn’t think it wise to leave a concrete pool empty and free to fall into. Quite a morbid thought but a genuine one.

You cross your arms. “For like, extra vlog footage. We could do a balloon-fight test run…? Or I dunno, turn the hose on everybody? Isn’t that like the shenanigans you put in yours?”

He looks at the pool, “Uh, yeah,” and kicks some dirt into the pool.

“And before you think it, I’m not letting you put dry ice in the pool.”

“Dammit,” he hisses.

You roll your eyes though not out of malice. “Look, I’m trying not to get anybody seriously hurt here. I’m sure you have enough of that to fulfill your followers’ needs, so.” You shrug.

Another talking point about this project was the month of July being somewhat of a true vacation. To get everything as crisp and pristine as can be, to give your mercy time to brew, and to not waste any pre-existing footage, you’ll both be keeping your mouths shut about this for the time being, editing ‘regular’ vlogs for June alongside this project’s vlogs for July. You’ll actually get some time to exist without pointing a camera at everything after this.

“If you need some dry ice and if that’s really what you had in this month’s roster, then you can put it in any pool that isn’t the one we’re separately,” you emphasize, “paying twenty-thousand to use this month.”

He hates how right you are.

The others did get evicted that one time.

“Save all your crazy content for your usual stream, alright?” ‘Crazy’ isn’t quite objective and you know that but you don’t correct yourself. Instead, you leave, hoping he won’t grasp onto that.

David grunts, stomping at the ground and flailing the hose around a bit before tossing it down in the pool and heading inside.

“What, am I just not supposed to get any ‘crazy’ content from this, then?”

“No, you can.” You sit on the chair with your jacket over it. “Just nothing that gets us paying fucking 5k extra in damages! Actually, you know what? You can do whatever you want with the pool and anything else in this house but if it gets added, I’m not paying.”

“Fine! Deal.”

You roll your eyes. “Geez David. It’s just some stupid dry ice. Can you try and respect where you are for once?” Your voice is sincere, far from condescending. But still, David jumps, offended. You lean on the armrest and hold your head up with your hand, closing your eyes as you try to deal with your own irritation. The stress of knowing damn well you won’t be able to bring yourself to let him pay for whatever damages by himself is just adding onto the incoming doom that is your drunk friends. And thinking back on the car ride (which began quite scandalously before ending productively with a slew of new challenge ideas), you don’t like David’s silence.

You don’t want to sour the day completely, so you continue, “Just, whatever ‘crazy’ students you have in mind, can you tone them down?” You look at him, pleading. “Please? You don’t need to throw Zane out a fucking stained glass window for your audience to be entertained. I don’t want anybody getting hurt here.”

HIs fingers go to lips, a small, very sarcastic gasp escaping as he thinks ‘Man that would have been cool.’

But he laughs at himself, which shocks you. The sarcasm in his gasp wasn’t exactly clear.

He shrugs, “I mean, sure,” and plops down on the couch across from you. You squint, looking him up and down and waiting for a sign that what he’s agreed to isn’t true. But he’s focused on the couch, bouncing on it and pressing his palms in to question the cushions. His lips go tight, impressed, and you take a strained breath before hopping up.

He watches you leave and gets up after.

His hands slip into his back pockets. “Hey, do you think we should go back to some of the ideas we had?”

You’re already kneeling by your backpack in the entrance room with the same idea but say “Yeah, sure,” and promptly pull out your laptop. He stands in the doorway like a goof (focus a bit wonky) and he recalls himself as such after you awkwardly squeeze past him. He thinks to collect his own things but sees no use. He sits on the couch again, this time leaning forward to try and peak at your screen, his elbows on his knees.

You get up and sit by him to avoid straining his neck so early into this thing.

“Number one—“ you start, he holds up a finger, “—lip syncing contest.” You type into a word document as you speak. “Number two—“ another finger goes up, “—either a scavenger hunt or a treasure hunt. Number three is a cooking challenge right around the time Heath goes crazy. Four is Assassin, five is…?” You’re stuck.

“That like — us pretending to be stranded on an island, right?”

You chuckle. “Yup.” Quite the strange idea indeed but you can see it working. “We’ve got a murder mystery, going to an escape room for another, the quiet game—“ David hisses, knowing without a doubt his team will lose that one. But he still lives to see everybody’s reaction upon realizing they’re out of the game. “We’re gonna see who can stay up the latest so I guess the…24 hour challenge?”

“Yeah yeah.”

“Then there’s Youtube challenge day…” You shiver at the thought. Being subjected to some of the most infamous challenges in youtube history all in one day…the only thing keeping you up for it is the exclusion of things like the cinnamon challenge. Again — you’re not aiming to get anybody killed.

“Uh,” David pinches his nose then snaps at your screen, “That one we talked about.” You blink. “The horror movie one.”

You look out the window. There is indeed a forest surrounding the house — specifically the pool. The group didn’t even let you explain how the place isn’t haunted. The challenge you had in mind (and David thankfully added to) was to try and get each other to think it was haunted. To ‘tag out’ anybody who went to lengths to ease their fears. But with everybody thinking it’s haunted with Zane’s outburst, David suggested you tell campfire stories, set up some rules, and whoever needs to comfort themselves when they find themselves scared is out of the game. A bit of the same but the alternative would be to stay in the house which could have been enough of a threat on its own.

“Yup, yup.” You squint, typing it in. “Got it. Okay, and there’s also the Newly Wed game thingie, right?”

“Mhm. Make sure to have Scott and Natalie as hosts cause like—“

“Got it.” Can’t have those two knowing too much about each other when the rest of you are against your destined enemy.

“Okay, what else?” David asks as he comes to sit on his knees. But at that moment he looks over the back of the couch and through the window, hearing the low rumble of an oncoming vehicle. You look at each other for a moment before David jumps up and hurries outside.

You close your laptop and tuck it under your arm, then take your bags upstairs to your room. You put David’s too so nobody’s drunk ass trips over them.

You get to the middle of the stairs but stop when you see David welcoming people in, thankfully assisted by more than you both expected. Cody, for one, gives David a flat-lipped smile as he assists him and Chloe in helping Carly into the house. Erin’s behind them. She���s not exactly stumbling but rather lip-syncing to a song playing in her head that you can only assume she played on repeat during the drive.

You wince, realizing the repercussions of a bunch of hungover people who also happen to hate each other in the same house. But you’ll deal with that when the time comes.

You pinch your nose seeing the chaos steadily rise, and David is close to doing the same. He decides to stop helping (they’ve got it on their own) and watch people come in instead.

Once Carly is dealt with (sat down in the living room), Chloe comes to Emily’s side. Their bags are at their side and they have impressed grins as they look around the room.

“Nice.” Emily looks up at you, hair whipping over her shoulder. “Sure you want to get puke on all this mahogany?” You roll your eyes. Always been a bit snippy with you, huh? She forces a smile as she and Chloe stomp up the stairs opposite you.

David nudges you with his elbow. You squint at him, then he nods up the stairs where the two are headed with their bags.

You groan and run after them, skidding in the hallway and creating a squeeeaaaak with the soles of your shoes in an effort to approach them. You’re successful and get between them without retaliation. You grab their shoulders and mutter, “Let’s just wait to get set up, shall we?”

They’re curious and irritated but don’t do anything about it.

They follow David into the living room. He looks at you past their shoulders, and you give him a reassuring smile. He returns it, but neither of your efforts makes it seem like you think it’s going to be okay. You run out and help the bus driver take everybody’s luggage from the bus. You tip him again and give that familiar, solemn look. One that says ‘I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through.’ And he nods as though to say ‘Don’t worry about me.’

He steps back onto the bus to do a sweet-through, makes sure nobody left anything.

In your solitude, you put our palm to the bus and lean against it. You close your eyes and put the back of your hand to your forehead, thinking this all over.

“Good door,” Cody says, breaking your silence. He’s suddenly in front of you and pulling at the handle of his suitcase. “I mean it. IT was disgusting being on a bus with a bunch of drunks but better than it would have been if we were in our right minds.” Despite the sentiment, it’s hard to tell when Cody’s serious or sarcastic.

“But,” he presses his lips tight, looking at the ground before squinting at. you, trying to ignore the wind in his eyes, “never do this again.”

You deflate. “Wasn’t planning on it.”

He pats your shoulder and heads inside. He grimaces at his surroundings.

You give the area as thorough a look as you can from your single spot. You suppose this is the closest you could get to a cabin in the woods type get-up around here. There’s a good amount of tees (not too dense to get lost in but not too spread apart to see creepy things in the distance) and a pretty significant path from here to the next wherever. You turn in a circle to survey everything. And you scratch the back of your head, staying in this position as the wind blows. Some strands of hair flow around.

You drop your hands; figure its best to head inside now, lest leaving David too overwhelmed.

Tags

@wefracturedmotivation @blackhood5sos @i-heart-movies @sinfulmango @edalalalalalala @mostlydobrik @latelycrazy @zavidzobrik @thetrickster67

[lyssala]

Missing

Pairings: Terra/Aqua, Kingdom Hearts

Setting: Post series, right after they come back to the Land of Departure

Rating: K

Notes: I didn’t mean to make this quite as emotional as I did haha but I’ve been having a lot of emotions for what they’ve been through that it kinda happened. This is from a prompt @mimiplaysgames sent me! Though I didn’t write it down which means I misremembered it as always haha but the basic point is still here ^^

“Have a character think they misplaced something that in actuality an acquaintance took without anyone knowing.”

AO3

Terra thought it was a little unusual. He didn’t have that many clothes to begin with, he wasn’t quite sure how he could lose the few he had.

His dresser drawer was open in front of him; that’s how little clothes he had, just one drawer fit everything. He shoved it all aside once more to flip through in case he missed it. There were the usual clothes he wore during the day, one set of training or work clothes (that were admittedly a bit too small since he found them in the castle back from when he was younger), his sleep pants were on him already, then some socks and underwear.  

He reached up to run a hand through his hair. There should be a shirt, one he usually wore to bed but that was absolutely missing. Terra turned around to glance at the floor of his room in case he tossed it off this morning instead of putting it somewhere else but the floor was remarkably clean. Not that the room was ever anything but clean, he had no other possessions outside of what was here already; his real room was still in the part of the castle that hadn’t been fixed yet. He managed to get the work clothes but most everything else was either too small or wasn’t worth the trouble of digging through at the moment. They hadn’t really had much time to go somewhere to shop for new ones either.

With a sigh he headed to the door, swinging it open. The hall was otherwise empty, moonlight shining in through some of the nearby windows to give some illumination. They were staying in the guest wing till the residential hall was finished; Ven had wanted to start there for the sake of finding some comfort in their old spaces but it hadn’t worked out that way. Even after a week of working they still hadn’t managed to get that far.

Magic helped significantly but hard work was still involved in restoring their home to its former glory. Terra felt the ache in his arms, his legs from another day’s work and really all he wanted to do was go to sleep. He hated such a stupid thing like a shirt was bothering him but it was one of the few things he had that was his own. For him, for someone who spent so long away from anything that was his, he felt the unrest in the pit of his stomach at the thought of missing it.

Light shone through the crack of one of the doors, catching his eye as he stepped out into the hallway. He walked the short distance and knocked on the door, the sound echoing in the otherwise quiet area. At least that he was used to; even before it was only ever four of them. This place was always quiet.

“Yeah,” Ven’s voice called, his invitation to come in.

Terra turned the knob pushing it open so he step into the room Ven was staying in. He had a lamp on the nightstand but otherwise the room was dark as he laid on his back on the bed, holding a book above his head. He looked over at Terra when he came in, though didn’t move elsewise.

“What’s up?” Ven asked. He was already in his own pajamas, ready for bed but clearly unable to sleep. Terra couldn’t remember the last time he saw Ven willingly reading a book. The sleeping through the night seemed to be an issue for everyone here.

“I can’t find my shirt.”

Ven tilted his book up higher, amused grin already pulling at his lips. “Clearly.”

Terra probably should’ve expected that. “Knock it off, do you have it?”

“As flattered as I am that you think I can fit into your shirt, no, I don’t have it.”

“You haven’t seen it anywhere?”

Ven shrugged, looking back up at his book. “What’s the big deal? It’s not that cold tonight. Just go to bed.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Terra said. “But it is mine and it is missing so I’d like to know where it went.”

“Where was the last place you had it?” Ven asked, though this time he closed the book, tossing it on the bed. Terra was thankful Ven seemed to understand without asking more questions.

“This morning but it’s kind of a haze as to where I put it after that.”

“Did you ask Aqua? I think she was on laundry duty today.”

Terra hesitated. “No, I saw your light was on so I came here first.”

“Well, go ask her then. She’d probably know. It’s not like her to lose things.”  

No, it wasn’t but lots of things had changed since they last lived here. Aqua did her best to put on a brave face for everyone but he knew she was having just as much trouble adjusting. He just…didn’t know what to do about it which only made him feel worse; once upon a time he used to know exactly how to help her.

“Think it’s in the washroom?” he asked instead.

“Could be,” Ven said, perking up a little at a possible solution.

“Alright.” Terra nodded his head towards the hallway. “Let’s go then.”

Ven snorted. “Why do I have to go?”

“Because you’re awake, and I hate going down there.”

“Okay, Mr. Hero of Worlds, scared of the washroom.” Ven rolled his eyes but he did kick his legs off the bed before pushing himself to his feet.

“Hey, it was a group effort,” Terra said, pushing at Ven’s head as he walked by to get to the hallway. “You know, you were there.”

Ven didn’t say anything else, just dropped his hands into his pajama pants pockets and gave that usual grin of his. Terra followed after; only the sound of their feet padding against the carpet, the tick of a large clock that stood in the entrance hall, the creaks of the old castle were heard as they walked.

Ven seemed to be doing the best since they came back. He was his usual active self, eager to help and eager to be of use. He was growing too, at an almost alarming rate. Terra wasn’t sure if it had to do with the suspension his body was put in when he was hidden, but it seemed like he grew by inches every day.

Though Terra couldn’t tell if it was Ven just being himself or he was intentionally being extra active because he knew how Aqua and Terra weren’t adjusting quite as well.

He was happy to be home. He thought it would help him put the past behind him, but it was proving harder than that. Around every corner was a memory from a time when everything seemed like it was going to be okay, and then it wasn’t, not even a little bit. He couldn’t take those things back, but living with them, with the guilt, was proving difficult.

Ven jumped up on the bannister of the main staircase, sliding down to the bottom before jumping off. He held his hands up like he expected some sort of praise.

“It’d be more impressive if I didn’t see you fall off a few dozen times in the process of learning how to do it.”

“Always a critic,” Ven said, pushing his shoulder into Terra’s side when he stepped off the last step.

He rolled his eyes but it was hard not to smile. In the very least they were together again, and that was something Terra had started to doubt would ever happen again. Regardless of how they got here, they were home and they were together.

Ven turned so he was walking backwards down the side hall they took. “So you gonna tell me why you’re avoiding Aqua so much?”

Terra nearly halted in his steps. “What? What makes you think I’d do that?”

“Cause you could’ve avoided walking all the way down here if you just asked her if she saw your shirt.”

That was…a fair point. “She could’ve been sleeping. I think you know she hasn’t been lately. I didn’t wanna bother her.”

Ven made some unconvinced noise. “I don’t think you’ve ever bothered her.”

“Yeah, you weren’t around us when we were kids. I absolutely bothered her. It’s a miracle we’re still friends.”

“You are though,” Ven said. “She’s always been your best friend hasn’t she?”

Terra hesitated and Ven must’ve noticed because he laughed.

“I won’t be offended. Even I can’t compare with feminine charms.”

“I suggest you be careful or I’ll make sure you fall off the bannister next time.”

Ven held his hands up in defense. “All I’m saying is I know you. I know you’re dealing with things your way and I know you might think it’s for the best, that you’ll make it worse. Just remember what she needs too, cause really you’d know best no matter what’s happened.”

He stopped in front of the door nearly at the end of the hall. “Let’s be real, Terra, I can only feed her so many half burnt cookies before she gets tired of pretending they taste good.”

Terra snorted, reaching off to ruffle Ven’s head as Terra went to open the door. “Maybe if you’d stop getting distracted and get to the cookies before they burn you wouldn’t have that problem.”

“Hey, that’s besides the point.”

Terra flipped the lights on, illuminating the old stone staircase that led down to one part of the basement. He always hated it down here. It wasn’t off limits, even when he was a kid but there was just something about the vastness of it, the dark that he could never quite get over. He supposed it was worse now. He headed down the steps, Ven following close behind.

Sure enough, the room was empty of clothes. There was nothing on the table, nothing hanging on the ropes to dry, nothing left in the wash bins, nothing fallen on the ground forgotten.

“So can I tell you I told you so yet?”  

Terra turned to push Ven back up the stairs, flipping off the light and closing the door. He looked a little amused but he was much more solemn on the way back up, opting to not even say all that much; mainly because he couldn’t stop yawning.

“Alright, to bed with you, kid,” Terra said when they reached the guest wing again. “No staying up trying to finish reading.”

Ven waved Terra off but still walked back to the room. “Night, Terra. Hope you find your shirt.”

“Yeah, night, Ven.”

He closed his door behind him. It took a few moments but the light flickered off and Terra was left alone in the hallway.

It was stupid, right? It was just a shirt. He didn’t even really need to sleep in one. He should just try and get some rest. They had another long work day ahead of them.

Terra glanced towards Aqua’s door.

He really shouldn’t bother her. She needed to sleep…but he supposed if she was still awake it couldn’t hurt to ask? If she was sleeping then at least he’d know she was getting the rest he wanted her to have.  He took two steps towards her door. Terra almost turned and went into his room, but he put his hand on the doorknob and carefully pushed it open.

The room wasn’t as dark as he expected. The curtains were thrown open, moonlight shining in and she also had a small nightlight tucked in next to the bed, one her recognized as Ven’s when he first moved here; he must’ve dug it out of the rubble for her. Terra would have to make sure to go easy on Ven tomorrow for that.

Aqua was curled up in bed, her back to Terra, blankets pulled up to her chest. The room was spotless of course, though he wasn’t sure if that was because she kept it clean or just didn’t choose to keep any possessions in it like him. He couldn’t quite see if she was asleep or not so he carefully walked around the floor till he could see her face in the moonlight.

Her eyes were closed, blue hair sprawled out on her pillow, mouth slightly open as she breathed rhythmically. Terra breathed his own sigh of relief that she was able to sleep, and looked fairly peaceful at that. He was about to leave, but something caught his eye; the color of the sleep shirt she was wearing. Not that it was usual, but it was the same as the one he was looking for.

Terra crouched down next to the side of her bed, as carefully as he could moving the blanket off her shoulder. Sure enough, it wasn’t just the color but it was his shirt; he could tell how big it was on her even as she was laying down.

She had to have known it wasn’t hers the moment she put it on, but she left it. While his feelings for her weren’t a surprise to him anymore, he was a little caught off guard at the affection he felt at seeing her sleeping peacefully wearing something that belonged to him.

More often than not he wanted to hug her, to run his fingers through her hair, to tell her everything would be okay, but he didn’t, he never did even though he swore to himself stuck in that goddamn prison in his mind that if he ever got the chance he wouldn’t make the same mistakes with her. He wasn’t avoiding her like Ven said, but Terra would admit he thought putting distance between them would help. Whether it would help him feel less guilty or help her feel better he wasn’t sure but it obviously wasn’t.

He should’ve known it wouldn’t since that was part of what started this whole mess in the first place. He absolutely was making the same mistakes.

There she was, sound asleep wearing something that was his maybe because it was comforting to her or maybe it was because she missed him; which spoke a lot for his behavior when he was right across the hall. Maybe she didn’t want the space he was giving her but she was respecting what he wanted when all he was trying to do was respect what she might want.

How could they always be so close but still so far?

Terra placed the blanket back up around her shoulder, brushing her hair lightly as he did. Carefully he pushed himself up to his feet so he could leave the room as quietly as he came. He turned around to look at her again when he was in the doorway; how he didn’t notice she was wearing his shirt when he came in was beyond him because it looked ridiculous on her small form. She was still sleeping though, still peaceful. He didn’t know what he had ever done in all the many mistakes in his life, all the ways he hurt her to be able to cause her some form of comfort but maybe Ven was right after all (not that Terra was going to tell the blond that). Terra closed the door behind him, facing his still open door and a bed that seemed pretty inviting now.

Aqua could keep the shirt for as long as she wanted it.

[livefreeordie13]

#86 it’s just you and me Hit me with that fluff, or angst turned fluff??

Alright, more painfully innocent fluff with a dash of teenage hormones. No I’ve never written a souyo fic without sexual tension.  No I’ve never tried.

(Sorry, this one’s a little meatier; it kinda got away from me. ;___; And forgive me but I cheated just a SLIGHT bit on the actual prompt line. The version I went with just sounded better in my head.)

(The Strategist)

For all his hatred of school, and the work therein, Yosuke Hanamura rarely skipped class anymore.  He used to do it in middle school a little, before his parents found out and scared the wits out of him with various threats to his person and property.  Since then, he’d basically gone to school six days a week when it was open, sans the occasional sick/mental health day.  

But Yu Narukami?  Yu Narukami didn’t strike him as a skipper.  Not remotely.  

In fact, he was so uptight about attending school and performing well at it that his attitude often had Yosuke pine for those middle school days when he and a few friends would shuffle out of the stairway exits and make their way down the street to the arcade.  Sure, maybe those hadn’t been the best of times, but, in all fairness, none of his pre-Inaba memories could really compare to the ones he’d been creating with Yu and the Investigation Team.  

He didn’t quite get why simply knowing someone who actually liked school would get him to want to skip it, but maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was constantly uncomfortable (with himself, but also) with literally everything Yu did.  At any given time.  And because he had a fairly massive crush on Yu that he hadn’t been able to resolve to his satisfaction.

He huffed and rapped his pencil impatiently on his desk, just loud enough so that in front of him, Yu turned his head to look at him through his peripheral.  Yosuke straightened in his chair immediately and whispered, “Sorry,” (although he didn’t mean it), and Yu quirked a small, understanding smile at him before turning back around to the lecture.

Yosuke huffed again, albeit much quieter this time.  Yeah, he had to get Yu to skip.  This was unbearable.

The next day after school, he’d implemented all of his charm as he proposed his skipping idea, winking and promising more fun than he was sure they’d actually have.  Yu looked suspicious of him from the moment he approached, but, to Yosuke’s surprise and delight, did eventually agree.  

“Wha-really? You’ll do it?!” Yosuke’s voice went to a much higher pitch than he’d wanted it to, but he tried to ignore how annoyed it made him feel.

“I think it could be fun, sure,” Yu shrugged. “If you know what you’re doing,” he prodded.

Yosuke stammered and pulled at the hair on the back of his head. “Y-yeah of course! It’ll be a blast! We’ll head out to Okina or something - you know, catch a movie or … whatever.”

“Now that sounds like a date,” the boy teased, with a small cock of his head.

Yosuke rolled his eyes and slapped both hands to his cheeks.  “Oh~ I can’t believe I get to take the popular Yu Narukami out on a date! What on earth will I wear?”

Yu punched his arm lightly and the two chuckled as they headed off the school grounds and back to the Dojima residence for homework.  Yosuke dutifully completed every assignment he was given that evening but spent much of the time excitedly formulating a plan in his head for the next day.  

The next day came, and Yosuke was not prepared.  

Well, he was kind of prepared.  He knew what kind of fun things he wanted to get up to in Okina, but exactly how to get out of the school?  He’d kinda given up on that … He knew enough about the building at this point to guess where all the least-populated places might be, but he hadn’t really successfully strategized their grand escape from said building.  A part of him that he didn’t completely want to admit to secretly hoped that Yu would be able to come up with some ideas.  

Slipping out during a class transition was easy enough - Yosuke had at least been able to think that far.  But his creativity hit a roadblock once they entered the hallway, and it must have been obvious, because Yu suddenly took the lead as effortlessly as he did in the other world.  Yosuke was a tiny bit disappointed in himself, but Yu was their leader for a reason, after all.  If Yosuke was good at anything, it was falling in line behind him.

Although … now that they were walking down a barren hallway towards the main stairway (at Yu’s silent order), doubt was clouding his mind.  Thinking about even attempting the main floor was what had given Yosuke so much heartburn the previous night.  Why Yu was choosing it now was beyond him … maybe he didn’t know another way?  Yosuke found that unlikely, though. Everyone knew that the first year hallway was always occupied with faculty.

Yosuke didn’t like the way his nerves were beginning to twinge in his belly as they traipsed down the steps towards the shoe lockers.  They huddled on the stairway against the wall, listening to the rise and fall of their teachers’ voices chattering outside the faculty office.  All the while, Yosuke mentally shuffled through the array of video games he’d have to sacrifice once they got caught. Seriously, Partner, why choose the main entrance?!  If only Yosuke had just had the nerve to admit that he’d come up blank earlier, they could have planned this out beforehand just like they did in the TV world …

Suddenly, Yu turned to him with wide eyes, and that was when Yosuke could tell that one of the voices was growing more distinct and - even more frightening - much closer.  

Yu shoved him back up the stairs and Yosuke nearly tripped over them he was in such a rush to obey.  They shuffled, bumping into each other, back around the bend of the staircase while the teacher neared the bottom and passed it.  By that point, both boys were upstairs in the second year hallway again, panting and trying to control their racing hearts.

“Hey, why don’t we just go through the gym or something?!” Yosuke whisperscreamed when he was fairly confident no one else was around.

“Way too populated. I thought the first floor would be the quickest since it’s closest to the entrance. I … kind of forgot about all the teachers down there.”

Yosuke rolled his eyes in exasperation and scanned the hallways, paranoid that someone would poke their heads out of one of these classrooms any minute now.  “You know, partner, you might be a lot better at this in the TV world,” he whined.

He was considering suggesting the hallway towards the practice building when Yu smacked his arm.  “Yosuke!”

He turned towards him and assumed Yu must have seen something down the hall, because before he could open his mouth Yu had grabbed him and pulled him into a nearby supply closet.  

It was completely dark and Yosuke had no idea what he was stepping on (in??) and this was not how he imagined his afternoon going.  They were supposed to be on a train right now to Okina, not shoved against each other in a pitch black closet filled with the potent smell of cleaning supplies.  It was hot in here, too. Stuffy.

Yu had his hands braced against the door on either side of Yosuke’s head, his open jacket flaps brushing against Yosuke’s stomach as the boy leaned towards the door to hear better.  This brought his face very near to Yosuke’s face, and the proximity made his skin buzz.  He decided he didn’t really like being trapped here with Yu hovering so near to him.  It made a wretchedly familiar pang of arousal leap through his gut, and he hated that possibly even more than he hated school.  

He tried to tune out the fluttery feeling racing through him by listening to the sounds beyond the door.  He heard nothing - not the sound of walking, no doors, no screech of shoes over the worn tile.  He wondered what Yu had seen that had made him drag them in here.

After several agonizing seconds of Yosuke desperately fighting the temptation to lean in and smell him, Yu broke the silence.  His voice sounded calm and clean as it brushed passed his ear. “They’re gone,” he declared, yet remained stationed with his hands against the door and his body hovering close to Yosuke’s.  

Yosuke’s heart thudded fiercely in his chest.  He wished he could tell what was going through his partner’s mind, why his secret crush was subjecting him to this.  

Then Yu moved his head so that he was facing him, and Yosuke’s stomach dropped out when the other boy smiled at him and mumbled, darkly, “Looks like it’s just you and me.”  

Yu leveled his gaze at him, and Yosuke realized in that instant that his partner was a much more brilliant strategist than he’d just given him credit for.

fin

(Aaaa sorry it ended so abruptly but I didn’t want it to just drag on… I’m pretty sure at this point Yosuke just gets super flustered and breaks out of the closet and makes so much noise that they both get caught and are given punishwork and they never skip school again the end)

(Okay but it is a funny couples-story they eventually tell the IT like years later because it was when Yosuke first realized Yu liked him)

Okay, well that was the last prompt I’ve gotten thus far, so feel free to submit more at your own risk. I think I’ve gotten better at turn-around but can’t speak for the quality, unfortunately. Oh well!  At least I have fun writing? 

[batsoulscrolls]

PMD: Unbounded Fates

Chapter 7

A different view

[PEV] [NEXT]

Ruby arrives at the apartments where she lives. The apartment building looks somewhat rundown, tucked away in the forest close by the guild but hidden away from it. Ruby finds her room and enters it, the room is small and has no windows. Ruby tries to make her shabby home a little liver with some hanged cloth and rugs. The hanging cloth at each wall has a different pattern and color from each other except the one above her bed which depicts Ho-Oh with her three eternal champions Raikou, Entei, and Suicune all gilded in gold.

Ruby put her Poké into the cabinet where the rest of the poké is stored, maybe just 5 more jobs then she could pay her bail and get out of this place. Ruby gets into the thin bed and sleeps but she can’t no matter how long she eyes she cant go to sleep. Is it that Zoroark talk is making her lose sleep, not likely the last two pokemon she's been with had the same almost the same talk with her. Both decided to switch her out right after. But this one sounded genuine like he meant what he said and not because they were tired of her. But now her mind on the Zoroark even though they been partnered for three weeks, yet she cant help to notice the small odd things about him like how he walks it doesn’t look right like he has a slight limp and his accent is odd too the best compression she could make is a mix from the great green plains and the dryon desert

Ruby continues to think about the Zoroark then she remembers a very old tale that her mother used to tell about how very powerful pokemon would send a Pokemon named Human from another world to help them in the most despite times but their true forms are altered to look like normal looking pokemon you would see across the street but act differently from any other pokemon and have no memories of their past.

Ruby gives a short laugh of the thought of the Zoroark being human. Ruby gets up feeling extremely exhausted and leaves her apartment, it's morning. Did I stay up that long?

Ruby makes her way through on the dirt path to the town and at the board. But no pokemon is posted there, only one thing why this would happen its review day. Ruby just walks away and goes into town, she finds Jax cafe then enters. She takes a seat at the counter across from Jax “Jax I need a Chesto berry drink and put it on my tab.”

Jax gives a supposed look “I didn’t know you like that kind of drink but here. Also you need to pay that tab before I stop serving drinks.” as Jax says giving Ruby her drink

Ruby scoffs down her drink trying to minimize the bitterness of the drink “Yea I hate chesto berries, but I need this. I didn’t sleep at all last night.”

Jax comes closer to Ruby integrated by the odd behavior “Losing sleep that is so unlike you, what made you not get your sleep?”

“That's none of your business Jax.”

Jax backs off as he was needed to attend to some customers, Ruby leaves the cafe, makes her way out of town, stops at a path that leads to the guild and waits.Then Zoroark arrives a lot earlier than usual to take the review. He almost passes Ruby only stopping after Ruby makes a short cough. “Seven can we talk, somewhere private.” Ruby suggested

“First thing you owe me because I covered for you with the review thing, second thing my name is Sevin not Seven.” Sevin says

“I don’t care about that but we need to talk right now.”

“Fine, what is it then?”

Ruby signals Sevin to follow her which he does. After Ruby cuts through the forest to a familiar sight to Sevin the lake where he was first woken into this world. Sevin turns to Ruby waiting for her “Look I’m not sorry about leaving you yesterday but I should have said something to you. Soo say what you want about me, tell me how bad of a pokemon I am, tell me how I am a jerk to you. Come on, tell me.” Ruby says

“You didn’t hear the part that I covered for ya?” Sevin states

“What do you mean you covered?” Ruby questions

“What I mean is that I lied about the review I gave you, and said that you are ok but still rough on the edges.” Sevin says

“Are you insane, why did you lie?!?” Ruby exclaims

“I….I don’t know.” Sevin admits

“You don't know?!? Dear Arceus, I swear your head has a thicker skull than a drednaw.But I do have to admit….I do kinda have to respect that” Ruby tells

“So…wanna get something to drink?” Sevin says

“Sure I got nothing to do.” Ruby replies

Both went back into the forest cutting though, but as they made through the forest Sevin can't help see the trees are coming closer, almost herding the both of them. Ruby stops at her tracks then lets out an angrily groan “We just walked into a mystery dungeon!”

“A mystery dungeon? What a mystery dungeon?” Sevin ask

“Do you have a thick skull or you REALLY don't know about mystery dungeons? Whatever I just tell you, mystery dungeons are self explanatory, they are dungeons with a “mystery”. Some of them have entrances but others don’t, a lot of them are permanent but a few are seasonal. Also the pokemon that roam the halls of the dungeons are pokemon that got lost in these dungeons and promptly went insane or illusions of pokemons. Finally the layout of the dungeons are random so each time you enter it is different.So that is why we call them mystery dungeons. Now we need to find the stairs and get out of here.”

So Ruby takes the lead as she enters further into the dungeon. Sevin takes in the environment, the trees that guide their way are tall and posing and almost alive with the vines that binds them together. Ruby enters into a small square room and a staircase going down “There's the exit, let's go.”

Sevin nods and follows Ruby down the steps and the environment warps and contorts until the lake with a sunset is in clear view. Ruby is conflicted because no dungeon is that short but glad they're out of there. As she turned to Sevin but he was nowhere in sight, then she realized she was kicked out of the dungeon. Ruby rushes into the forest trying to get back into the dungeon but is met by the town. Then she sees Trev by the board updating it like she always does, Ruby rushes to Trev “Trev I get some help. Sevin in a mystery dungeon and the damned dungeon kicked me out and I can't get back in.”

“Look slow down Ruby, I can report it and put it on lo-”

“No, we need to go now, Trev. We don't know how he can handle himself so-”

“Ruby, that dungeon kicked you out and can't come back in. so we need to wait until it becomes available again. So go home Ruby, I will take care of this and make sure he gets back.Ok friend?” Trev finally says

Ruby grits her teeth as she leaves and goes home hoping Sevin will be fine.

./.

Sevin is currently losing his breakfast after the nauseous reality warping staircase. After recovering he looks around to see Ruby is nowhere in sight “Ruby where are you!” Sevin yells but he gets no response. Sevin is lonesome again. I’m starting to see a pattern

Sevin retakes his surroundings; it's the same tree, same vines, same floor, same very thing and the same room where stairs used to be. But now there are two hallways opposite from each other, he takes the right one on the idea that right is alway right. As he treds through the hallways making more turns and taking different routes until the claustrophobic halls open up to a large room, Sevin goes in and finds the staircase. He goes to the stair until he hears a click as he looks down, a rush of gas fills the room. Sevin already took a breath of the gas, he unties his bandana and covers his mouth and nose. But it is already too late. The environment spirals around him, then he falls and the world turns black.

Sevin wakes up feeling like he had one bad hangover. He gets up as he does and realizes he's no longer at the dungeons as he finds himself sleeping on a bed and surrounding walls are covered in cloth. Then the wall of coth separate in the middle in front of Sevin to reveal Cindy who looked shocked then relieved, then she hugs Sevin “I’m glad your ok Sevin” she whispers

“Thanks Cindy….hey you know where I could get some fresh air? My head feels a bit heavy.”

Cindy losen her grip on Sevin “I guess you can get some air and me too”

Sevin follows Cindy outside the room and into a long hallway with the same wall of cloth separated by logs in between. As they make it at the end of the hall Cindy makes a right into another hall then a left at a doorway to the outside. Sevin steps outside onto the balcony to see a small western town. Sevin turns around to find the doorway is gone. He has to be dreaming or at least hallucinating.

Sevin takes in the environment better to enjoy the dream. The town looks like a mixture of an old weastern town from the movies on VHS he vaguely remembers and the current town he only knows. The town it's placed in fits exactly what he told Doc it is dry,hot,dusty, and barren. Oddly it feels very homely to Sevin.

Then Sevin finds himself back at the dungeon with the stairs next to him. He takes the stairs diving deeper into the dungeon.