#mei needs more ways to angst her where's the rest of her besides caring for mk and being raaaa fire!!!! friends!!!!!!!

[ninja-knox-ur-sox-off]

Mks angst - existential crisis. his friends being hurt or taken from him. Being abandoned. Failing. Being seen by others the same way they see swk maybe???

Swk angst - just indescribable physical pain being inflicted on him. Loneliness. Losing Mk

Mei angst - familial. Losing mk. (with the samadhi fire it was having a power she couldn't control ig but that was short-lived:( so) not being strong enough maybe???

Pigsy angst - losing his kid. Losing his shop. Being a lazy good for nothing. Being Zhu Bajie

Tang angst - being useless. Being left behind. Being seen as useless by his friends

Sandy angst - becoming violent/blackout rage. Causing harm

[skywalkerstyles]

Kissing Lessons pt7

Pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x Fem!Reader

Warnings: domestic violence, abuse, angst, fluff and more angst

I’m still in disbelief when I wake up the next morning. I look at my arm, it’s bruised, you can see the impression of his fingers. I put long sleeves on. When I look in the mirror I can see the bruises on my chin. I put concealer over that. No need to have anyone else worry.

Except Katsuki.

He saw the bruises. Does he know? I’m a terrible liar and I’m nervous to face him, but when Mei knocks on the door telling me breakfast is ready I take a deep breath and head out to face the music.

He doesn’t look at me, speak to me or acknowledge me in any way during breakfast. I try to act normally, but the tension radiating off of him is palpable.

“What crawled up your ass this morning?” Mei asks him, Katsuki shoots her a glare and says nothing. Nobody comments again after that.

I’m washing the dishes when he comes up beside me. He says nothing, just begins rinsing and drying them as I wash them. “What are you doing Y/N?” He asks me after his mother leaves the room.

“What?” I ask, unable to look him in the eye.

“You lied to me.” his voice is filled with hurt, I scrub the dish in my hand hard, trying to remain passive. “You said Ash wasn’t at that party...So what? You don’t trust me now?”

“I do.” he rolls his eyes, turning to face me, he places his hand on my wrist, and takes the plate from me, dropping it back into the soapy water.

“Then tell me the truth...Did Ash do this to you?” Before I can protest he rolls up my sleeve, his eyes widen in horror as he takes in the purple and blue markings around my elbow. I pull my arm away, rolling my sleeve back down.

“You already know the answer.”

“Yeah cuz you’re a terrible liar.” he lifts my chin gently, looking me in the eye. “Are you gonna see him again?” I pause, trying to think of what to say, but I take too long. He sighs, dropping his hand from my face. “Y/N….I know you don’t want me to tell you what to do-”

“Then don’t.” I turn around, flicking my hands as I march from the kitchen. I’m irritated. I just need to talk to Ash. Get his side of the story and everything will be okay.

“If you don’t slow down and think about this you’ll end up just like your mother!” That stops me immediately. His face is red, eyes troubled. He lowers his voice. “I don’t….fuck,...I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Fuck you.” I say. That hits him and I instantly regret the words. He looks heartbroken, unsure of what to say now. “Ash cares about me. He won’t do it again.” Katsuki snorts crudely and rolls his eyes again.

“That’s what they all say.”

Monday rolls around all to quickly. I’m nervous about what’s going to happen when I see Ash. I don’t know what happened after the party, if he even remembers what he did. My elbow still hurts but the bruises on my chin are fading. I see him as soon as I step inside the building. He’s standing by my locker, a box of candy in his hands. I try to smile but my face feels tight.

“Hey,” he holds out the chocolate to me.

“Hey.” I take the chocolate and open my locker. He shoves his hands in his pockets and leans against the lockers.

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry….about the other night. I didn’t mean it….I really didn’t. I just….”

“It’s okay.” I pull out my history book, placing the chocolates carefully in the text book’s spot.

“No it’s not,” he shakes his head and lightly places his hands on my hips, I still at the contact. ��I would never hurt you...I’m so sorry.” he kisses me, it’s mild and delicate, and not at all like the monster I met on saturday night. I decide to give him another shot. He pulls away and wraps his arm around me as we walk down the hall, kissing my hair as we go.

“Thank you for the chocolates,” I say as we get to my classroom. He releases me with a smile, kissing my hand. I love how affectionate he’s being.

“Meet me at my car after school. I’ll drive you home.” I give him a slight wave before entering the classroom.

The day passes quickly. I feel much better after talking with Ash, I knew I was overthinking things. Katsuki is waiting beside my locker. I look at him confused. I had already let Mei know I didn’t need a ride. Besides, Things have been awkward since the argument in the kitchen. I don’t really know what he wants at this point from me. I feel like he’s hot and cold.

“Ready to go home?” he asks.

“Ash’s bringing me.” Katsuki narrows his eyes.

“Absolutely not.” I scoff.

“You’re not my father.”

“Y/N.” he grabs my wrist as I turn away from him and pulls me close, his eyes are serious. “Y/N….He bruised you.” he whispers the last part. I pull my hand away, taking a couple steps back.

“Katsuki stop. We talked okay. It’s done. Let it go.” he opens his mouth to speak and I raise my hand. “Enough Katsuki. I’ll be home in a bit.” I leave him standing there at my locker, I don’t look back.

Ash’s car is parked at the far end of the parking lot. I hurry over to it, seeing that it’s running and he’s waiting for me. I open the passenger door quickly and got in, shutting it quickly behind me. He doesn’t say anything.

I turn to look at him, ready to apologize for making him wait on me. But I don’t even get the chance. He turns, an expression on his face that I have never seen before-distorted in anger- and backhands me across the face. The force sends my head slamming into the passenger window. He grabs the front of my shirt, bawling it in his fist and yanking me towards him.

“Where the fuck were you?” he snarls, his eyes are wild and I’m scared. I can taste blood in my mouth. He reminds me of my father.

“Katsuki-” I gasp. “He was-” he slaps me again, keeping his hold on me tightly.

“I am so sick of that dude I fucking swear,” he scream in my face. I am terrified. I stammer, trying to explain, he shoves me back, releasing me and putting the car in drive. He speeds off before I can even get my seatbelt on.

He rants, the whole way to my house. I cower against the door, hand pressed to my cheek. It stings.

“....And I don’t wanna see you talking to him again okay? I’m over it.” he slams on the breaks outside of my house. I jerk forward and slam back into the seat. My head is throbbing and I can feel tears burning against my eyes. He grabs my chin, very much in the same way he did Saturday night, forcing me to look at him. “If you just do what I say things will be easier for you.” he slams his lips against mine hard, I scream internally from the pain.

I quietly enter the house, listening for any hint of sound or movement. It doesn’t seem like anyone is home yet. I shut myself in the bathroom and flick on the light.

My cheek is pink, it may not bruise but my lip is swollen, blood trickling down my chin. The concealer I put on my chin has rubbed off, the bruise looks a bit darker. I lean forward in disbelief, touching my face and wincing as I do so.

“My god.” I mumble to myself. “My God….”

The cycle continues all week. Everytime I do something Ash doesn’t like, as soon as we are alone he hits me. He keeps telling me that things will be easier if I listen to him. I try to. I really do. But nothing I do seems to be good enough, satisfying enough for him. He brings me presents, apologizes, promises not to do it again, and then as soon as I do something.

The morning of homecoming, I wake up feeling anxious. I have a panic attack in the shower. I don’t tell anyone. I don’t really want to go at this point, even as I roll over and look at Mei sleeping away blissfully. I know I would have a good time if it were going to be just us….But it’s not.

I get out of bed and pad to the kitchen. Katsuki’s there, sitting at the kitchen table reading a book and eating cereal, he glances at me as I walk by but says nothing. I’ve caught him watching me quite a bit lately. It perks my curiosity, but I never ask him about it. I get my own bowl and pour my own cereal before sitting down beside him.

“So….”He says, trying to start conversation. “You excited for tonight?” I shrug my shoulders. I appreciate the effort, but I’m still angry with him for what he said about me being like my mother.

“Not really…”

“You wanna stay home?” I shake my head.

“Mei would kill me.” he smirks, nodding his head in agreement.

“Yeah. You’re probably right.” we the rest of our respective meals in silence. The awkward tension relaxing a bit.

By ten, Mei and I are huddled on the couch in the living room watching YouTube updo and makeup tutorials. Matsuki makes us lunch and we eat while we decide on our hairstyles. Everything moves quickly from there. Mei is blasting music so loudly it shakes the floorboards in her room. It’s a good thing their father is working today. We would have gotten into so much trouble.

Around four, we’re scrambling to finish, I try to put on my dress on in the bathroom, but Mei calls for help at the hair station, I open the door to sneak across the hall at the exact time Katsuki comes out of his bedroom too, and he gets an eyeful of me in a strapless black bra and matching underwear.

“Oh my god,” he says, and claps a hand over his eyes. “Will you put on some fucking clothes?” His cheeks flush bright red.

“You know not to come out when we are getting ready. What if I had been your sister.” he makes a disgusted noise.

“I need to go to the bathroom!”

I put my hands on my hips and wait until he lowers his hand, when he sees I’m still standing there he groans covering his eyes again, “Go away.”

“Why?” I smirk teasingly, taking a step toward him.”See something you like?” I feel bold, I know I’m crossing some line, but teasing him is too much fun to pass up.

He opens his eyes and stares me down, as if to say, Is that how you want to play this? And when I keep my stance, he accepts the challenge, his eyes wander all the way down my body and back up, resting for a moment on the fading bruise on my arm before finding it’s place on my face again. I suddenly feel very small, rooted to the spot as he steps closer to me.

He swipes my hair back from my face and whispers in my ear, “Thanks for the show.” I can feel him grinning against my cheek, like the little shit he is. It feels almost normal, like how we used to be. Before the kissing lesson. Before Ash. He steps around me, giving me one last look over before winking and going into the bathroom.

The boys will pick us up around seven. No one wanted to go to dinner first so we waited until it got close enough to just go to the dance. My dress is lavender colored, it looks like a ballgown. Mei wore it in a beauty pageant she was in a few years ago. It’s amazing it fits me, but I love it either way. I grab my wristlet off the bed in Mei’s room and head down the hallway, Katsuki sitting on the couch when I pass by the living room. He calls out to me.

“Hey.” I do a small spin, grinning at him. “What do you think?” he studies me, my hair and makeup, my dress. It feels like he’s staring at me forever before I finally get a response.

“You look….You look-”

“Hey!” I jump, turning to see Matsuki behind me. She’s grinning at me, it’s infectious. “Lookin’ good sister!” she pulls me into a quick hug. “Mei said the guys are here, they’re waiting for you.” I nod, throwing Katsuki a quick smile before hurrying to the front door.

I sit beside Ash in the back of Kai’s SUV. His hand squeezes my thigh hard. He’s angry I wasn’t waiting for him at the door with Mei. Katsuki had told him I was talking to Katsuki. He leaned over and whispered to me viciously, “When we get to this dance….” He doesn’t finish and I know what’s going to happen. It makes my blood boil. Katsuki’s words about my mother ring in my ears. He was right.

When we get to the dance I jump out of the car, slamming the door. Mei and Kai walk around the front of the car while Ash meets me behind it. He stands in front of me, towering over me. “I told you not to talk to that fucking guy. Why don’t you ever listen?” He pushes his forehead against mine. Hard. Fear rises like the tide,but I shove it down. I will not let him conquer me. I shove him away. He stumbles, caught off guard.

"I don't think I wanna do this anymore." I say to Ash. He looks surprised, taken aback. But I won't be my mother. I will be better than her.

"It's that guy isnt it? That Katsuki guy, Mei’s brother."

"No-"

"I've seen the way he looks at you. But you are mine. You belong to me." I grit my teeth, I have to be brave.

"I'm done Ash....I don't want to see you again."

"You want me to ask for forgiveness again? You're an ungrateful bitch you know that." He raises his hand and I close my eyes, waiting for the slap. Instead I hear the undeniable shriek of my best friend and the pound of heels against pavement.

"You don't touch her!" I look just in time to see Mei swing her purse at Ash, hitting him square in the face. He raises his arms to cover his face as she continues to hit him with it, screaming at him. “What the fuck is your problem?! Were you seriously bout to hit her?” Kai stands off to the side, clearly not willing to step into Mei’s path of rage.

“I wasn’t!” Ash shouted. “I wasn’t gonna-” she punches him, blood spurts from his fingers as he covers his nose with his hand. “Mother fucker!” he shouts angrily, stepping towards Mei.

“Hey man,” Kai does step in now, moving forward slightly. “I think you’d better go.” Ash glares at me for a moment, before turning around and walking towards the end of the parking lot. I’m shaking, my nerves on fire, I stood up. I actually stood up for myself.

Mei embraces me, wrapping her arms around me tightly. “Y/N. Are you okay?” she asks, pulling back to look at me. I nod and pull her in again, unwilling to let her go. I am so grateful to have her in my life. But I’m not much in the mood to dance and party now.

One of the teachers lets me use the office phone to call home. Katsuki agrees to pick me up and Mei sits outside waiting with me, sending Kai off to hang out with his friends. I tell Mei everything. She’s shocked and a little hurt that I kept it from her.

“You’ve been through so much shit Y/N,” she says in amazement. “I don’t know how you handle it.”

“I don’t really have a choice.” she smiles sadly, laying her head on my shoulder.

“I’m sorry you couldn’t tell me.” I rest my cheek on the top of her head.

“It’s not your fault Mei....Thank you”

“I would have killed him if I could have.” Katsuki pulls up a few minutes later. Mei hugs me once more before walking back into the auditorium. I watch her, to make sure she gets inside. The car is warm, no radio on as I climb in. Katsuki glances at me as we begin the ten minute drive home.

“That was quick.” he says finally. My forehead rests against the window, I watch the houses go by.

“Yeah.”

“What happened?’ He asks. I sigh.

“Ash was mad that I was talking to you when he came to pick me up. We got into a fight. He tried to hit me but Mei stopped him.” I explain how Mei hit Ash with her purse and finally socked him a good one. Katsuki smiles, proud of his sister. I feel a little better as we pull up in front of our house. He parks the car but neither of us gets out.

“I’m sorry Y/N….” I look at him, his eyes are distant, far off, he’s staring at the street in front of him. “But I’m glad you finally realize you deserve better.” He smiles, it’s small and beautiful. The adrenaline is still pumping through my veins. I lean over, placing my hand on his cheek, I tilt his face towards mine. His eyes hold a question, a curiosity. I answer it by pressing my mouth to his and kissing him as passionately as I can.

He’s breathless and wide eyed when I pull away. It’s a beautiful, satisfying expression.

“Yeah,” I trace his bottom lip with my fingers. He never takes his eyes off me. “I deserve someone like you.”

[imissjoongsmullet]

My Prince (5)

Pairing: Minghao x reader

Genre: fluff/(angst)

Summary: Life is not exactly easy being the royal gardeners’ daughter but at least it’s simple. When you’re suddenly called upon to serve as the prince’s personal servant, things get a little more than complicated, especially considering the secret history you and the prince share.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Warnings: general angstiness, a bit of a slow burn, very romantic, very soft, the fact that this will most likely become a long series cause I have no chill

Word Count: 7K

Author’s Note: this is long overdue but also, this is just long! I just couldn’t stop writing and so now this chapter is 7K so yeah ENJOY!! ✌️

Let me know what you think, good or bad, I love the feedback ♥

►

Fine.

Those last words he'd said to you kept playing in your mind the following days. Technically he'd said other words since but they'd been cloaked in formalities; commands from a prince to a servant, nothing more. You'd really screwed up this time, you'd lost him forever. It was a thing you'd known would happen from the start but that didn't soften the pain now festering in your chest.

Minghao had met with Zhong Mei, as he had supposed to that day. He'd been a perfect picture of royalty, graceful and pleasant; and she'd been lovely as she always was, smiling all the way through the meal. Meanwhile you had stood flanking the wall with Tou Ma, trying to keep your tears from spilling over. You'd kept your eyes down, counting the colorful mosaics that threaded the shiny black flooring until the whole thing was over.

Not that any of it was over of course.

After the prince and his bride's first official meeting, the two were ushered out into the gardens to "spend some time alone" while you helped Tou Ma with a another seemingly endless string of wedding-related tasks.

Slowly but surely your body reverted to autopilot, working your hands raw and your legs sore. You barely realized you were spacing out until at last, you lied down in your sheets on the floor of the maid's quarters and cried. You cried and cried in stuttered silence, praying the sun would not come up again. You didn't know how you'd face another day. You thought about feigning illness but knew Tou Ma would not be so easily fooled.

*

“You’ll be out in the gardens today,” the head maid explained with a weary expression. This whole wedding business seemed to have taken a toll on the old woman as well. “Floral arrangements need to be decided on and I need you to oversee the whole thing gets done in time. Can I trust you with that?”

Your head bobbed up and down faster than was polite. A rush charged through your chest at the idea of spending time with the flowers. Despite your frequent complaining as a gardener, you’d always enjoyed taking care of the vivid, fragrant plants that grew in the royal gardens. But more than that, you knew what this request must mean.

“Mother!” you cried, breaking out into a run. She looked older and shorter somehow, but her embrace was as tight as ever.

Of course, your parents would be working on the flower arrangements as well.

“Look at you!” she said, holding your face in her dirt-stained hands, “my daughter, a real part of the castle.”

Overwhelmed with grief for the life you’d left behind, a sob welled up from the back of your throat but before it could break free into the morning air, Tou Ma interrupted.

“There is lots of work to be done so we better start at once,” she said matter-of-factly, unrolling a long piece of parchment, “I have sat down with both the royal family and the Zhong family respectively and decided on a theme and color scheme for the celebration. I have listed all requirements specifically. The types, the arrangements, the placements, all of it has been meticulously planned.” She then turned her head your way. “I’m leaving you in charge of making sure everything is accounted for on the day. This is a big task, but regrettably, I am far too busy taking care of everything else to take this on as well. And you are the gardener’s daughter, after all. Do not disappoint me.” With another one of her stern looks, she handed you the scroll, gave a curt bow to your parents and walked away.

Now this was a task you were up for. You gazed around you, at the stretches of colorful flowers that ran as far as the eye could see. There were rows and rows of chrysanthemums that spawned in colorful formations, bushes of peonies flanking cobbled pathways, a whole field of the most delicious-smelling lavender, lilies and azaleas and roses and narcissus flowers and you felt all at once, at home. For a moment you seemed to forget the prince and your feelings. It was like a giant slimy toad had just slipped right off of your shoulders, leaving you feeling light as air.

Looking over the list, you were up for quite the challenge. The sheer amount of flowers that would need to be harvested for this event, on such short notice, was startling. But with the help of your parents and their staff, you were confident you’d be able to pull it off. You spent the whole morning and most of the afternoon rushing from one end of the garden to the other, figuring out which plants would be needed, when they’d need to be cut and who would craft what particular piece. It was a little strange, being in charge when all the gardeners were quite a bit older and definitely more experienced than you, but your parents kept encouraging you whenever you stuttered.

“I’m so proud of you,” your mother said as you both sat down for a rest underneath a pine tree on a hill overlooking the garden. She pulled out a packed lunch for the both of you: rice wrapped in bamboo leaves with plum fillings.

“Mother,” you sighed, not knowing how to react. You felt like a fraud. You weren’t what she thought you’d become at the castle. You weren’t some high-standing servant, near and dear to the king and queen. You were a screwup. You’d caused so much trouble since your arrival at the castle you were quite frankly surprised you hadn’t been banished yet.

You could see most of the royal gardens from here; well, the most beautiful parts anyways. There was almost no one out there today. Everyone was most likely busy preparing for the wedding except—

Minghao was strolling through the rose garden ways away from the hill you were sitting. You could see him clearly, his upper body sticking out over the bushes. Zhong Mei was beside him, wearing a white robe with some sort of lilac pattern on it. You couldn’t see the expression on their faces but the close vicinity with which they walked by each other made your stomach turn upside down. Your eyes followed the two figures until their path ventured right and a large chestnut tree obscured your view.

“Let’s just keep working,” you said, getting up as you folded your lunch back closed and slid it in your pocket.

“Tell me what’s on your mind, child.” Your mother’s voice hadn’t changed at all, croaky like a frog but filled with warmth.

You kept your back turned to her, hugging yourself close.

“What do you mean?” you asked.

“My little flower,” her voice came from behind and you felt a hand land on your shoulder, “something is bothering you.”

“I’m fine.”

She chuckled at that. “Liar. I can tell by the way your shoulders hunch,” she said, turning you around to face her, “and look, your eyebrows are all droopy.”

You shook your head. “First of all, that doesn’t make any sense and besides, I don’t want to talk about it.” You knew at once it had been a vain attempt to fend off the stubborn woman. You watched her heave a deep sigh. She was shorter than you but somehow always managed to make you feel like a baby. Her wrinkled eyes scanned your face quizzically for a few seconds before her lips curled into a knowing grin.

“You need to let go, flower,” she said, poking you in the chest with a dirty finger.

You stared at her incredulously. “Let what go?”

The old woman rolled her eyes, smiling still. “Whatever it is that’s causing all of this good-for-nothing heartache!” She patted you on both shoulders. “Go on, away with it!”

A tiny smile crept its way onto your face. “It’s not that easy.”

Your mother sighed deeply once more and turned to look out over the gardens and the castle.

“I know, dear,” she said, “the castle comes with complications these gardens could never carry. That’s why me and your father stay out here, between the fruits and the flowers. You on the other hand,” she went on, turning back to you and taking your hand, “you have some reason for staying at the castle, no?”

Your face burned at the words. You didn’t know what exactly your mother was implying but the way her deep eyes bore into yours now made you feel awfully exposed.

“You can always come back to us, of course,” your mother explained further, squeezing your hand, “but if your heart lies no longer here—”

“It doesn’t matter where my heart lies,” you cut in, taking a step back, “how I feel doesn’t matter.”

Your mother’s eyes creased as they filled with something you hated to see. Was it pity? Understanding? Whatever, you didn’t need any of it. For the smallest of moments you’d thought your problems might be solved with some wise parental advice but that had clearly been a child’s thinking. This problem didn’t have solving. You just had to learn to live with the fact that Minghao was gone forever and he’d never look at you the way he had that night under the orange trees. He’d never smile at you the way he had when he taught you how to read, he’d never touch you the way he had that evening in his chambers— or even— you couldn’t bear remembering his kiss. It was too much. It should haver have happened.

“Let’s just keep going, please,” you said at last, keeping your eyes on the grass between your feet.

The rest of the day went by like a tidal wave. In a matter of hours, you’d crossed the whole of the gardens at least half a dozen times, hauling around heavy equipment, making lists, delegating tasks and making stupid amounts of mini mock-ups of the flower pieces Tou Ma had asked for. By the time you entered the castle, you were so exhausted you thought you might just crash in a closet on the way to your room. The hustle and bustle inside the castle walls had died down as well. Aside from the occasional servant, the dark hallways were deserted and quiet. Yawning freely, you shuffled your way through them, only to get startled by the sudden noise not so far away.

“Silence, son,” a voice whispered irritably, “the castle is asleep.”

“I’m sorry.”

Hao.

Without thinking, you approached a door you’d passed before. You didn’t know what lay behind it, only that, right now, it was being occupied by the emperor and his son, prince Minghao.

“You’ve heard by now the protests haven’t seized I assume. We’re losing not only the Shingmin people but all the highlands. I have tried to protect you from your destiny for far too long I’m afraid.”

There was a long pause. You felt the pain of it right through the wood of the door.

“My son,” the emperor added wearily, “I did not want to leave this country to you on the brink of war. But the season of peace has run out. You are young and overly frivolous at times but we must believe you are capable. It is time to stop thinking about yourself and take on the responsibility you’ve always known was yours to take on. You have the power to free us all. Your legend will be told for centuries to come.”

“My legend,” Minghao spoke at last. His voice was dry and void of emotion. You wanted to go to him. You wanted to help but you didn’t know how.

Krrrr

The floorboard creaked under your feet as you’d subconsciously leaned in closer to the door. There was no way they hadn’t heard that. You pushed away from the door and set off at a run, heart racing, all the way to the maid’s quarters.

Your covers were warm and your eyelids heavy but regardless, you couldn’t seem to find your way to sleep. You tossed and turned until you were sure your hair would be a rat’s nest the following morning. Your body was lying on the floor, between dozens of happily snoozing servants, but your mind was still at that door, listening in. You knew Minghao wouldn’t appreciate it but you felt sorry for him. The weight resting on his shoulders was colossal compared to the slimy toad that tended to bother yours. His legend was beyond famous. Every person in Namin knew it like they knew the color of the sky. Every person in Namin was counting on him. You could tell by the way they looked at him. He was a savior to them. But he was just a boy. You knew that. He knew that. He was a boy, desperately trying to figure out how to live up to a legend that was born with him; a boy trying to solve an impossible riddle, trying to unlock some big secret, trying to somehow heal an entire nation.

All these thoughts floated haphazardly through your head, bouncing and clashing within the walls of your skull until, sudden as a bolt of lightning, they clicked together.

A Vast Unfathomable Secret.

That’s what the book must have been for all along. You shot up from the floor, wide awake now, and set off towards the prince’s library.

It made so much sense you cursed yourself for not seeing it before. You burst through the heavy oak doors and went to light a candle. The room looked beautiful at night, moonlight shining through the circular windows, casting hazy glows on the walls of books.

You had no idea how to start. You’d searched for this book so many times. Then again, you hadn’t been able to make your way through the entire room yet. Filled with stubborn determination, you grabbed your candle tightly and climbed up to a section you hadn’t explored yet. You could read the spines now, thanks to Minghao. In this particular section alone were books about geography, fortune telling, animals and plants you’d never even heard of, as well as poetry. You were tempted to open some of them but knew you had a more important goal. You made the mental note of reading as many books as you possibly could when all of this was over; if Minghao would continue allowing you to come here, at least. 

When the first section revealed nothing, you moved on to another, and then another. You’d finish off the whole room before you’d give up. You had to help the prince in any way you could; if you couldn’t be with him, at least you could still be of use to him.

*

When you woke up, bright sunlight was already streaming into the room generously and your body ached in all kinds of places. You immediately knew you were in trouble. You’d fallen asleep slumped against a bookcase and were now most likely extremely late for your appointment in the gardens.

Tripping over your tunic, you burst through the library doors and onto the long deck. It was a humid and hot day. Up ahead in the distance, like tiny brown specs against the vibrant green grass, were the gardeners’ huts, where you were supposed to meet with everyone to start harvesting and putting together the flower pieces for the wedding.

Oh shoot, the wedding. The wedding was tomorrow. It was actually tomorrow. Not wanting to waste any more time than you already had, you jumped over the railing and tumbled into the grass below. One of your feet landed in something wet but that didn’t matter now. You ran to the huts, not caring about how the long grass and prickly bushes dirtied your clothes, but when you finally arrived, panting like a dog, there was no one there. Instead, a note hung lifelessly on your parents’ door.

Flower We’ve gone ahead and started harvesting See you soon

A huge wave of gratitude coursed through you at those words.

Thanks mother

You raced through the gardens, catching up with everything that was going on.

Thanks to your parents, you were still somewhat on schedule. Aside from delegating tasks, you helped in creating bouquets and garlands and wreaths in rich oranges and reds, as well as deep pinks and purples. The air was sticky and dense. Sweat crawled down your temples as you worked beside your parents, but you were glad for the hard labor; it distracted you. Your nails blackened and your hair filled with twigs and pollen. It felt good. You were surprised when the sun had only just started going down as the last of the decorations got finished.

“Don’t underestimate us,” you dad said with a grand smile, “I don’t know how you fancy people do it at the castle, but we work fast.”

You smiled back at him, glad to have made it in time.

You moved the decorations to a safe place they could be preserved until the morning, which took another hour or so but after that, you were all done. Tou Ma hadn’t even given you any other tasks for the day, which meant, you were free.

All at once, an unavoidable exhaustion took over you. The hot sun and humid air had drained your body that had grown unaccustomed to the life of a gardener. Another reason was probably the fact that you’d slept propped up against a bookcase the night before. A hot bath sounded amazing right about now. And after you might even be able to take a nap? Yes, that sounded good. You needed sleep.

Sighing and panting, you dragged yourself back to the castle. Instead of the main entrance, you chose a smaller door on the left wall that was meant for servants mostly. Coming around the corner you let out a sudden gasp, finding the door blocked by a broad-shouldered man with a long scar across his cheek.

“Identify yourself,” he said sternly, looking your muddy form up and down. The side door had never been guarded before. You supposed it was another wedding-related thing.

After explaining who you were and what you’d been doing outside, the man stepped aside, grunting something inaudible as you passed. Whatever, you thought, entering a modest-looking corridor. At least you’d be able to reach the maid’s quarters without running into—

“WHAT IS THIS MESS?!”

Tou Ma.

The tall lady strode towards you, looking like an underfed but furious bull.

“Look at the floors, they have been polished just this morning and now!” her voice reached a crescendo, “look at this! You want me to seizure!?”

"I'm sorry," you blurted out, "I've been preparing the flowers and—"

"Are they done?"

"They are—"

"So something has gone right today at least! Honestly it's suffocating, all this work in so little time I swear the emperor wants me to lose my marbles I've still got so much to do, this whole thing is ridiculous! Could they move the wedding to next week so the castle can prepare to its fullest abilities? Probably but will they? No, no of course they won't that would make my job too easy, wouldn't it?!"

You were staring into the face of a deranged woman. Tou Ma was sweating the white powder right off her face, fanning herself for dear life.

"Um," you tried, once the woman seemed to be taking a break to catch her breath, "is there anything I can help with?" You regretted the offer the moment the words left your lips but you couldn't stand seeing her this way. No matter how much the vile old woman tormented you, seeing her usually strong personality weakened like this made you feel sort of bad.

Tou Ma eyed you suspiciously for a few moments before she caved.

"Very well," she said, "you will run an errand for me. In my haste I forgot to bring the empress' scarf out with the rest of her robes for the celebration. They need to bask in the moonlight tonight."

"Of course," you replied, though you had no idea what she was talking about. Wealthy people really did have all kinds of strange rituals.

"They will be in her private chambers," she went on, "I'd fetch them myself but I'm on my way to a meeting with the chef and I've yet to go over the guest list with security and her majesty will need her bath before nightfall and I haven't had a scrap to eat since sunrise and—"

"That's alright," you cut in, for the head maid was panting again, "I'll grab her scarf and bring it to the deck, I guess?"

"The south east deck on the top floor, child, that's where we're leaving them out," Tou Ma explained, clutching her chest.

"Got it," you said, turning on your heels.

"It is a scarlet thing," Tou Ma call after you, "silk with gold-thread details."

"Okay," you called back as you made your way down the corridor.

"Child!" her screechy voice cried before you could round a corner, "I beg of you, wash up first will you?"

You did as you were told and had your bath. It was not the long, relaxing bath you'd hoped for but it did manage to wash away some of the exhaustion from your body. You allowed your muscles to relax for a few minutes, hopped out and hurried towards the royal quarters. You'd only ever visited Minghao's chambers; his parent's area was completely new territory. The place was guarded heavily by men who only let you in after a thorough interrogation and once inside, you realized you had no idea of where to look for the scarf.

You were in a rectangular room with shiny, red-toned walls and floors. It was completely bare save for the golden candelabras that lined the walls. Two black and gold doors that faced each other waited for you.

Clueless, you tried the first door. You knocked twice and waited until you were sure you weren’t disrupting something. When nothing happened, you opened it. You were met with complete darkness. With a bit of a struggle, you pulled free one of the candelabras from the hallway and entered the dark room.

It was extremely minimal. There were no windows. Only a simple bookcase and a large writing desk. Scrolls of parchment and bottles of ink lay spread out across it. Seeing them made you feel suddenly feel as though you were seeing something you weren’t supposed to. This was the emperor’s private study.

Backing away fast, you found yourself in the hallway once more. You tried the room opposite the study, entering after knocking. This room was anything but dark. The whole west wall was non-existent, giving sight to stretches of grassland and the mountains up in the far distance. As the sun set, it cast a breathtaking pink veil over the master bedroom. The bed, sitting on a raised platform was impeccably made. You could just envision Tou Ma arranging the perfectly white pillows by size, making sure not a single crinkle was left in sight. The room was so clean though, you couldn’t imagine the scarf would be here. There was no closet or dresser for it to hide in either, however, there was a small doorway in the corner of the room, half-covered by a silk curtain. As you approached you smelled the sweet aroma of incense. Gently pulling back the curtain, you peered inside, finding a room that was more or less the same size as the bedroom, but which felt smaller due to the abundance of stuff that was in it.

The walls were virtually covered with dressers, all identical, ornate and black lacquered. There were ottomans in various jewel tones on which piles of discarded robes lay, and in the corner stood a intricately carved wooden vanity with a mirror that reached the ceiling.

This must be it, you thought as you entered. You carefully went through the clothes on the stools. You wished you had time to admire their craftsmanship but Tou Ma’s exasperated expression kept your mind on the mission at hand. The vanity was cluttered with all kinds of trinkets you’d never seen before. You supposed there were the creams and powders used for beauty purposes. There were a couple of small drawers that opened to reveal more beauty products and a couple of scarves that clearly weren’t the one you were looking for. You began to feel tired again. Gingerly, you sat down in front of the vanity. Gazing at yourself in the mirror it occurred to you how much you didn’t belong in a room like this. You let your eyes drift over the the reflection of the cluttered space, until they landed on something they hadn’t noticed before. There was an unlocked chest sitting in a corner by the entrance. Multiple colored fabrics were spilling out from its mouth. You rose up and hurried over. There were so many scarves it was hard to make out where one piece of fabric ended and the next began. Getting impatient, you started pulling out the contents of the chest, keeping a lookout for anything scarlet and gold. Your heart sank however as you were reaching the bottom without having found something that even remotely looked like the empress’ wedding scarf. Not before long, the chest was empty, except for something dark and solid that lay all the way at the bottom, and bunches of fabric lay all around you on the floor.

What were you going to do? You’d promised Tou Ma.

Sighing, you peered into the chest. You now noticed the leftover item was a small book. You knew you should leave it alone; this was clearly an item the empress liked to keep to herself, but your curiosity got the better of you. You pulled the book out of the chest and held it up to the light. It was a small book, the brown leather cover a bit tethered and the gold writing on the front slightly faded. The golden lily, however, was still unmistakable.

You heart lurched as the title registered in your mind.

A Vast Unfathomable Secret.

It was right here in your hands; exactly as Minghao had described it. What wisdom was inside this little, brown book? And why was it here, in the empress’ wardrobe of all places? Nevermind. You forced your questions behind closed doors. None of those things mattered right now.

This was it: your chance to help Minghao.

*

You were at his door in no time and in your haste, you didn't even pause to knock before coming in.

"Minghao, I found it! I f—" you gasped as something warm crashed into you, sending you to the floor.

Minghao stood over you with a blank stare on his face. The coldness in his eyes sent a pang of doubt through your system. You shouldn’t have barged in like this. What were you thinking? Just as you were about to apologize and leave however, his eyes landed on the book clutched tightly in your hand. They widened, his eyebrows crinkling slightly, his lips opening in stunned silence.

"I found your book," you tried again, barely able to look at him.

Nothing happened for a good few seconds in which you wondered whether Minghao had fallen in some sort of trance, but then he knelt down beside you and took your hand. Your heart leapt as he pulled you up. His hand was so warm.

“You—” he said, staring from you, to the book held between you and then right back up to you. You noticed his eyes start to burn with intense emotion. He looked happy at first but you soon realized there was much more than joy behind his expression. He stared at you unblinkingly, standing perfectly still as a statue, but clearly waging a violent war within himself. You thought for a moment he might cry, his eyes turning sadder and sadder until, to your surprise, his lips formed the tiniest smile and he let out a sigh. You had not a moment to react to this strange turn of events because the next thing he did was grab tight hold of both your arms and kiss you.

This was nothing like the kiss you’d shared in the gardens. This kiss was the unleashing of desire. He held you close as his lips claimed yours with desperation. He did not let go when you thought he would and neither did you want him to. The book lay forgotten on the floor as, at last, you were all his. You felt his hand move up to your face, brushing a bit of your hair back, then cupping you by the back of the neck, begging you to stay close for those few last moments before, inevitably, reality struck.

He pulled back abruptly, looking completely stunned.

“You can’t tell anyone,” he said, his face swiftly filling with hurt again.

“Hao,” you replied, out of breath yourself, “wait,” because the prince was already pushing past you.

“I have the final wedding rehearsal,” he said, hurrying out the room before you could do anything to stop him.

You stood with yourself in quiet for quite some time, staring at the door.

Emotions were starting to bubble up inside you but you were so sick and tired of crying you forced your tears at bay by focusing on the only thing that could possibly distract you right now.

The book was still on the floor and now, it was begging to be read.

You sat down on the floor and picked it up. It didn’t feel heavy at all. You always imagined the book Minghao had been looking for would be huge; some grand exposition of wisdom. Maybe battle techniques? Or secret information on dragons, perhaps? But what could a tiny book like this one do to save an empire, or in the least, its prince? Heart pounding, you opened it, only to stare in confusion at something that made no sense to you at all.

Once upon a time, it read.

Once upon a time, there was a mountain. On that mountain stood a castle so tall it could reach the clouds in the sky and in it lived the great ruler. The ruler was very proud of his castle, because it stood taller than any other castle. The inhabitants of the castle sometimes complained about the cold winds that blew through the windows. They muddled up their long hair and blew away their paperwork. But of course this was all worth the magnificent views they got when they looked outside, according to the ruler. At the bottom of the mountain was a cave that lead to a whole underground town. In that town lived many people. Their days were clouded in darkness but the earth around them kept them warm and safe. One night, the ruler’s son was asleep when the wind whooshed right into his bedroom. It picked him up like a newborn baby and took him out through the window. The son shouted and cried for help but no one could hear him over the raging wind. The little boy shrieked all the way down until the wind plopped him down unto the grass. There he continued to cry in the darkness, helplessly, for no one would be able to hear him so far down. Little did the boy know, someone did hear him cry. All the way down in the cave town, a girl was sitting up in bed, wondering what that whining noise was. Curious, she crawled through the tunnels of her town, following the strange sound until she was at the mouth of the cave and saw the boy sitting in the grass. “What’s wrong?” she asked the boy. The boy jumped up at the sight of the girl, his cheeks flushing. “I fell down,” he answered. “From all the way up there?” the girl asked with big eyes. “Of course,” the boy said, “where else would I come from?” “I live in the ground,” the girl said, “how strange is this?” The boy and girl sat together in the grass, talking about their homes all night. The boy explained how cold his room was, and how the wind took his toys away from him, tales to which the girl hollered in disbelief. She then told him that she couldn’t even see her toys because it was so dark in her house and the boy laughed at how silly that was. When the sun came up the boy and the girl noticed a black dot in the sky. They watched as the dot grew bigger and bigger until the boy recognized his father. He was hanging from a big balloon that was slowly letting him down to the ground. “What is this?!” he bellowed when he noticed the girl. “She is my new friend,” replied the boy with a big smile, “she lives in a cave.” Just then, murmurings roused from the mouth of the cave. People emerged from it, chattering to one another until they set their eyes upon the scene in the grass. “What is this?!” they all cried at once. “He is my friend from the mountain,” said the girl, eyes sparkling, “the wind brought him to me.” The ruler and the cave people were outraged. It was plain as day that people from the castle shouldn’t get along with people who lived underground. “You should be ashamed of yourself!” shouted the ruler. “It’s a disgrace!” the cavetowners roared. The ruler grabbed his son by the arm and tied him to his big balloon, just as the cave dwellers took hold of the girl, dragging her back into the dark. Days and weeks and months passed and the boy and the girl didn’t meet, at least, that was the people around them thought. Every night, the boy crawled onto his father’s balloon while everyone else was asleep and drifted down below, where the girl would greet him with a smile and they would spend a wonderful time. Over time, the boy felt something grow within him; it was a secret. It started small as a little firefly, hovering around his empty chest. But by the time the boy was as tall as his father, the secret had become so vast and unfathomable, it was like a fiery blaze that enveloped him entirely. At any moment, he felt the secret might burst free. He could not let that happen. It frightened the boy so much, he began to keep his lips shut tight. When people around him spoke, he just stood by and watched. When his father asked him a question he simply nodded or shrugged. Only at night, when he ran free with the girl, did he open his mouth. The most beautiful sounds spilled out, laughter and song and shouts of glee. As he did so, he felt the secret grow and grow but he did not care in the night; he did not care how the inferno within him swelled against the confines of his body, how it roared on inside, begging to break free. As much as the boy ignored these happenings, like all secrets, break free, it did. He felt it rumble in his stomach first, then move up towards his throat, just as he’d sat down for breakfast. He clasped his neck in surprise. He wanted to shout at the people around him to hide, for the secret was surely coming, but not a second later, it exploded from his lips like a flaming tornado. It took over the room in an instant. Soon, the whole castle was set aflame. People cried for help but they were too far up for anyone to hear. They crawled up on the roof, shouting to the clouds in desperation but no one called back. Trapped by the flames, the boy knew only one thing to do. He heaved himself over the ledge of the dining room window and looked down. In a voice as loud as he could muster, he called for the girl. His ears picked up something of a reply but he couldn’t be sure; after all, the fire around him crackled obnoxiously loud. But she must be there, he thought, she would never abandon him. Gathering all his courage he leaned over the edge and let go, falling away from the castle and his father and the people who didn’t understand, towards the arms of freedom, where there was no need for secrets, where he was alright, just the way he was.

The book trembled in your hands as you finished the story. This was nothing like you’d imagined A Vast Unfathomable Secret to be about. So many things ran through your mind but right at the forefront was, overwhelmingly, Minghao. Minghao, Minghao, Minghao. All this time, you thought the book would reveal some kind of clever solution to help him save Namin. In the end, the book had revealed nothing more than his heart.

You knew you weren’t supposed to be here. You were probably supposed to check in with Tou Ma and help prepare for the celebration but you couldn’t do that. You had to see him, even if it meant watching him from the sidelines as he ran through his final wedding rehearsal. You were half hidden behind a wooden pillar, feeling as if your knees might give out. Minghao walked aside his mother to the front of the room, where a tall monk waited on a raised platform. The room wasn’t decorated properly yet but it had been filled with so much candlelight, the whole thing looked enchanting nonetheless. Zhong Mei came out as well, skin glowing in the warm firelight. She joined Minghao on the platform, facing him. There was a bit of a pause as Mei’s parents did some fervent explaining to the monk. The spectators in the room began murmuring amongst themselves. Your eyes never left Minghao though. He looked nervous. His cool mask wasn’t sliding on as easy as usual. He looked down for a long time before starting to scan the room. A shiver ran up your spine when his eyes suddenly met yours. He was quick to look away though. It seemed like Mei was saying something to him then because he nodded awkwardly at her in reply, though he couldn’t look at her.

Finally, Mei’s parents stepped aside and the monk stepped forward. He cleared his throat as he straightened out his robe, ready to start his speech.

BANG

A thunderous crashing sound broke the silence and the whole room shook.

*

[lcnelyinthesky]

admiration - tsukishima kei

a/n: okay hi?? im ellie?? heres this??? i worked on it for like four? days?on and off? and its longer than any oneshot ive written but yk shes cute ig. pls be nice pls enjoy... but also my last piece got 2 notes and im really hopin in not shadowbanned here lmao

genre: fluff, angst, rivals to lovers!!

pairing: bisexual!female!reader x tsukishima kei (yes bi reader its a vibe)

warnings: a break up with a beautiful woman i made up myself, swearing

word count: 3.7k (ahhhh!!)

enjoy!! :D

Elementary second year. Your newly-assigned seat was next to a much taller, blond kid. He was smart and bright, rivaling the sun in terms of unbridled joy. Now, none of that can be seen by eight year old eyes, but looking back and comparing, it's easy to spot that he changed. 

Tsukishima Kei was an excitable kid, just as everyone was, but he was still snarky; his arrogance seemed to be something that just festered within his soul, no matter the trauma that brought it out. 

Childlike wonder is still alive and well at eight. 

The teacher you had back then was quite rude. She was pushy and angry, and she assigned way too much homework. Everything she uttered made you huff in disappointment, crossing your arms and hoping for some sort of reaction from someone. The kid next to you was named Koji--or, at least, that's what you called him. He was your best friend, spending every moment with you like you were siblings. You'd be able to crack a joke with the smallest glance and you’d talk constantly. As soon as your handwriting was legible to people of your age group, you'd pass notes back and forth and cackle at their contents. Until, of course,

“Tsukishima, will you switch seats with Kojikata today?” Your teacher sounded exhausted, huffing her sentence out on a sigh before going back to the multiplication tables on the board. Suddenly, your little world was interrupted.

“Y/N, right?” He didn’t look at you, placing his folders down on the desk and pushing his glasses back up as he sat. His words were hushed and quiet, but the class had moved into individual work--he wasn’t interrupting anyone.

“Yeah. Can I call you Tsukki?” You were angry, gripping your pencil tighter in your little hand as you wrote numbers down on white paper. One times one is one. Two times two is four. This is easy.

“No,” he was long doing the same thing, but writing quicker than you. That’s how it is, huh?

Three times two is six. Four times five is twenty. Six times three is eighteen. Five times six is thirty. This is easy-

“Miss, I’m done.” His voice was always so dry. Uninterested. 

Four times three is twelve. “Me too!” Your hand shot up with the paper in it, sending a death glare at the boy next to you.

That's how it is, huh?

This pattern continued for weeks. Tsukishima didn’t move from his seat next to you, as your teacher had made the realization that you worked far harder without friends around. Tsukishima lit a competitive fire under you; everything was now a race.

It started with handing in assignments. Who would go up to the front desk first to have their work checked over? Who would finish this quiz faster? Then it transferred into everything. 

Who would get to class faster? Who finished their lunch quicker? Who could read faster? Who scored higher on spelling tests? Who could run faster in gym class?

And then it was middle school.

Middle school brought in Yamaguchi Tadashi. 

It'd be an understatement to say he warmed to Yamaguchi quickly, but the basis behind that was strange. Tsukishima was never one for friends, even though everyone wanted to be friends with him. He was cool in the eyes of a handful of eleven year olds; letting everything roll off your back seemed to be an admirable trait. Yamaguchi worshipped him, and Tsukishima took him under his wing to teach him the ropes of being a cool kid.

At heart, though, Yamaguchi was kind and attentive. He could tell when things were going wrong, and supposedly it was him that changed the rest of your life.

The rivalry continued just as it had in elementary, just with higher stakes. You'd fight for answering questions first, working ahead of everyone else to just beat him. He’d never bat an eye at it, and sometimes you thought it was all over, but then

“Y/N.” Tsukishima Kei stood three steps behind you, looming over you with the height he was seemingly born with. The hallway was emptying by now, kids walking into their classrooms once again. The white floors rung with the quiet sounds of soft-bottomed shoes and a light above your head flickered calmly.

“Yeah?” You spun around to meet his gaze.

“What’d you get on that lit essay?”

“A 96. Why?”

“No reason,” he smirked and tilted his head up, looking down at you, “I got a 100.”

A huff and a stomp away gave him the answer he needed as he followed you into the classroom, sitting down behind you and next to Yamaguchi just as he did every day. The little shit.

Tsukishima was never better than you, technically speaking. On average and on paper, you were always both roughly the same. You'd fight for being top of the class, the position switching between both of you every day. You excelled in creative things while he excelled at sports, but both of you dabbled in the other. When people in your year began dating, everyone came to assume you two were. It was embarrassing, really, because Tsukishima Kei was a little shit know-it-all who will never beat me at anything ever and people need to stop thinking he will because he won’t I’m better than hi-

“Hey?” Oh right. Friends.

“Koji!” He never left, at least not yet. His nimble fingers tapping on your shoulder brought you back to reality, making you jump and turn around to face him, wrapping your arms around his body for a split second.

“You looked zoned” his face was riddled with concern that was easy to write off.

“Oh, whoops” a small blush heated your cheek as your hand migrated to rub your neck. “Did you want something?”

As you walked into the classroom a bit further, Koji sat on your right; he seemed to buckle down more when you had moved away from each other way back in the day, so there were less mid-class comedy shows. He grew up just as you had, and with the closeness of the two of you people began to think you were dating. At twelve, it was incredibly necessary to date someone--anyone. Theories bounced from everywhere and anywhere and with you it was either your best friend or your biggest rival. Your lack of attraction to either of them became the center of many late night crises. 

“Not particularly,” his gaze switched from you to the board again, beginning to write something down when he turned his head. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah! Of course I am,” you smiled at him, the kind of smile that made your eyes crinkle at the corners, and suddenly it was high school.

-

“Tsukishima is really cute! And he's smart, I heard that Kageyama wasn’t too bright somewhere.”

“But Kageyama’s so much hotter! His being a little dumb sometimes is endearing.”

“Are we not going to talk about that third year setter, Sugawara?”

“No, he’d never go for a first year. Besides, that Hinata kid is more of an enigma.”

“Have you even seen them play?” A howl of angry “yes”s fell over the crowd, trying to prove something. None of them had ever seen them play.

That asshole Tsukishima getting popular felt like a stab in the soul. None of them knew him or how much he sucked, but the amount of girls fawning over him was horrific.

-

There's something consistently poetic about young love, no matter where it comes from. Something extra sweet about holding pinkies in school corridors when no one is looking and seeing them every day, smiling loudly as the sun broke over the horizon all bright and early. The raging hormones and dumb, fake social hierarchies of fifteen make emotions run wild, and only the deeply immature end up helplessly infatuated. Others are more cautious, but there's only so many precautions one can take at fifteen. Sometimes some of us just want to be loved, no matter the sincerity of it.

Cared for, and whatnot. No harm in that, in the long run at least. 

“Y/N, right?” Her name was Mei. She was in your class; 1-4, just like Tsukishima. She was pretty. Long, black hair was preceded by two green streaks at the front. She’d always have those down, making her features look like a photo in a perfect frame. She had a collection of hair clips with small shapes on them that she’d have somewhere on her person at all times. Her more mid-sized body was paler than most, and she was covered in freckles and moles. Her eyes were an unusual shade of blue that looked deep enough to swim in. Her cheeks were always stained with a peachy blush that moved up her collarbones and into her ears, making her look like she was always smiling no matter what her face was doing. Karasuno’s school uniform did wonders for her curves, the skirt swaying up on occasion and making her look so damn perfect.

“Yeah! You’re…” a second of dumbfounded pause felt like years in your mind, coming to the conclusion that she was the most beautiful girl you had ever met. “Ojiro Mei?”

“Yep! I just wanted to tell you you looked really pretty today!” Her voice always had an upward inflection, and was higher than most. It was cute. Incredibly cute.

“Oh.” A moment of confidence fell over you like you weren’t in control of your actions, “you’re beautiful.”

“Thank you very much,” she bounced back on her toes and then rolled back to her heels, hands intertwined behind her back, “You’re too kind, Y/N.” Her sentences were always punctuated with an eye-crinkling smile.

Later that day, you found her on every social media account you could; she messaged you first.

When you don’t know you’re interested in women, it’s hard to notice that they’re flirting with you, but after a handful of supposed gay panic, you asked her on a date.

She was two inches shorter than you, and somehow that persisted no matter what shoes she was wearing. Every small outing with her felt like cloud nine--watching the sunset, small conversation over tea at a nearby cafe, cuddling in your bedroom with only a string of Christmas lights on. She always looked so wonderful in soft lighting, the potential cold of winter disappeared with pale beiges that made her freckles look like stars. Every action Mei ever did was soft and full of care. She could send every single emotion through her fingertips on your jaw, deepening a kiss you started moments before. She was like magic, until she wasn't anymore.

You supposed, when thinking back, that things fell out around month thirteen. The rose colored lenses everything was viewed through faded a bit, and it's easy to notice her pulling away. There were less late night phone calls and less recommended music and less hands running through your hair. Everything has a natural progression to the end, right?

“Do you still feel it?” It was raining. Large drops of water fell down to the floor, smacking the pavement at speeds you couldn’t even try to measure. She was wearing a bright yellow raincoat that looked almost dull in the four pm light. 

“Feel what?”

“Anything, baby.” All of her words ended with a huffed out sigh, like she was tired of something. Lying, maybe. 

You pondered the question, and it seemed like your hesitation gave her all the answer she needed. 

“Ya know, Y/N.” She looked down and grabbed your hands with hers, rubbing her thumbs on your palms as you grabbed around them. “This was fun. We had a good run.”

A solemn tear fell down your cheek at the ending, but there was no use in self pity or anger now. She was so sweet and kind, and it's truly unthinkable how she continued that kindness in the end.

“Yeah. A good run.” The pink in your cheeks grew as you choked out a laugh, pulling her in for one final hug under the dim fluorescent lights on the front door overhang of the school.

Fifteen came and went with love, and when sixteen rolled around you wondered if you’d ever be loved like that again.

-

A spirit can't be broken overnight, and if you’ve spent the last eight years of your life having a strong, consistent rivalry with someone, it won’t leave any time soon. Tsukishima and you were on similar playing fields for most of your life, but you had one thing he didn’t: relationship experience. In that way, you always counted yourself one point higher, like a boy scout badge. 

For a spell, however, your intensity changed. There was nothing more driving you than spite, and there was nothing you wanted more than to beat him. You were well into your second year of high school at this point, and--volleyball notwithstanding--you had wins over Tsukishima. You had seen him play volleyball, every match in his second year, and you deemed he was simply okay. You refused to count his success onto the list of wins for both of you.

June fifteenth. Tournaments were coming up around the corner when it happened, which explained every reason why he was there. You weren’t exactly prepared for the rain, so the best bet seemed to be sitting at the front entrance of Karasuno High School and wallowing in a little bit more self pity before you went home. You were just dumped after all, the tears weren’t done falling. 

The feeling between sadness and shame overflowed you, shades of yellowish green painting the world around you and churning your gut into oblivion. And the tears fell. It felt like a scene in a movie; in a few seconds, a strong, capable man would show up to your rescue.

“Y/N?” what the fuck?

He was sweaty. His face was matte from a light film of saltwater. He had a grey umbrella over his head, keeping himself dry from the still-pelting rain. His six-foot-two frame was covered with a black tracksuit, and he still had his sports goggles on.

Those fucking sports goggles.

“Tsukishima.” you deadpanned, trying to get him away as fast as possible. His words were snarky, as always, but this time laced with concern. Like he actually cared.

“What are you still doing here? It’s almost six,” he stood under the overhang with you, crouching to take a few feet off of his incredible height. 

“Sulking?”

“Ah,” he huffed and sat down next to you, “it’s not great for your posture, ya know.”

“Oh shut up, Tsukishima.”

“Remember when we were eight,” he looked up, studying the moths as they flew around the lights on the ceiling, “and you asked if you could call me Tsukki?”

“Vaguely, but we were eight.”

“Yeah, true” his head dramatically fell to his lap, staring at his knees as he chuckled, “but you can. Call me Tsukki, that is.”

An uncomfortable laugh fell from your lips, and he spoke for you, “this one kid, Koganegawa, the setter on Date Tech, calls me that too. It's not a Tadashi-only nickname anymore.”

“You say Tadashi-only like I wasn’t there first.”

“He never asked.”

“Would you have said no?”

“Probably” he hasn’t actually looked at you yet. 

“Should I not have asked?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Okay, Tsukki” you drew out the last letter, giggling at the situation before you had time to think about your emotions.

He noticed that you weren’t crying anymore and helped you stand, grabbing your hand and pulling you up. Tsukishima and you lived closer than you thought, walking the same direction and only splitting up seconds away from your home.

You walked in silence the whole time, but it was comfortable. While he was your rival, he was always a friend. There was nothing scary or intimidating about him, as is with most people when you’ve known them forever; it was almost like his facade just didn’t work on you. You were huddled close to him to stay out of the rain. 

The second you parted ways, you ran home. The rain was more of a drizzle now, but the temperature began a free fall--getting out of the cold as fast as possible was your first priority. Upon entering the front door and taking off your shoes and jacket, leaving everything to sit in the entryway, you took a shower. The rain didn’t do enough to wash away the pain of the day, and warm steam would let the rest evaporate. The expected unrelenting sadness wasn’t really present as much as was expected, though. Everything felt fine. Content. Okay.

-

And it continued that way. He sent you a snapchat asking if you had gotten home safely, which prompted a memory of you never giving each other your phone numbers. After a quick yes, tsukki. no need to worry ;), you sent him your number asking to play some game.

Whatever is meant to happen does, right? Any excuse for falling for him. You didn’t want to, of course, but things happen. Time changes. Thus, the excuses. Thus, the ignorance. Thus, the five stages of grief. 

It started with the denial, because no Y/N you can’t like Tsukishima Kei. He’s so competitive and mean and snarky and horrible and you hate him! Then, the anger, because Tsukishima sucks and he’s horrible and you’re going to punch him in his stupid cute face. Next, the bargaining, because please don’t let this be happening you’ll do anything to lose these feelings, even if it means letting him win at something. Going into the depression, because all you’ve ever wanted was to be free of this assclown and now you’re stuck thinking about him at three in the morning when you’re supposed to be dreaming about anything other than him. And finally, acceptance, when you scowl at him in the hallway because fuck, you like Tsukishima Kei.

The worst bit of acceptance is getting over it. Now you had to confront your feelings. Now you needed to tell him. 

It was roughly five months since he found you sulking on school grounds, and you regretted most days the way you let him text you every morning. It’d always be something stupid, like a joke about the novel you were reading in lit or sometimes he’d tell you, off hand, something dumb Hinata and Kageyama did at practice. Sometimes he’d text you, within the first twenty minutes of the school day, pointing out something little you did with your hair. They were never really compliments as much as comments; he’d say “your socks have a pink ring at the top” and give you nothing to work with from there. A simple yes would suffice, you always supposed, because “yes, tsukki. they do.”

He’d linger at his desk during the break between classes and would stay there if you didn’t leave, but would leave a few steps behind you if you did. He wouldn’t follow you, but he’d watch to know where you were going. Everything he did was concealed though--you'd only notice if you really wanted to know.

Yamaguchi was the only one to notice, even after a while of it. You’ll never know what he said to his friend, but the conversation you had with the aforementioned friend a day later gives some guesses.

“Y/N?” Tsukishima was never the shy type, and you knew him in the days where everyone was shy. He wasn’t loud, but he was bold. His words were always pointed and important. Everything he did always had purpose and intensity behind it.

“Tsukki?” You were sitting under a tree, enjoying the late spring weather of the beginning of your third year. Nothing became intense yet classwork wise, so there was ample time to chill on the school grounds. Overlooking the soccer field was a large oak tree. It was big enough to comfortably have multiple groups of people under its shade, but it was empty at the moment; save for you and the book you were reading.

“I was just wondering if you’d like to maybe go out sometime?” He somehow didn’t pause while talking, but his words came out more something akin to word vomit. You we’re more shocked than you should have been, if you had picked up on the signs. But you were feeling the same as he was, as far as you could tell.

“Sure, when?” You looked back down at your book for a second, placing the bookmark in it and folding the pages shut.

Tsukishima looked dumbfounded, standing there with his eyes bugged out and his mouth slightly agape. He started making unintelligible babbling noises, hoping to get something out that had any meaning at all. You took the reins instead, gaining confidence in his lack thereof.

“I was planning on getting coffee or something today after school. It gets really cold at night now, huh?”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“Would you like to join me?”

“There's a break before practice today so” he hesitated, letting the pink in his cheeks finally catch up to the beating in his chest. “Sure.”

You wouldn’t have ever pegged Tsukishima Kei as the flustered type.

-

There was never a drop in conversation, as there never really was between you two. A whole life together and you still had things to talk about, mentioning everything from your individual childhoods to recent developments. Turns out he never knew what genre of books were your favorite. Or what kind of music you listened to. Or what any of your hobbies were. 

Turns out you both had more in common than you thought, competitive spirits notwithstanding. Tsukishima Kei was a strange man in every sense of the word. He was arrogant and snarky and disinterested and bright and passionate and smart. He was your rival, smug look plastered on his smug face making your chest bubble in anger just as it had a million times before--or was that admiration this time? The world may never know. 

All that was real right now was the deck of cards on the table, being separated out into a card game both of you learned as kids. The small, round, cafe table shook with every slap of your hands, but the basis of your relationship would always be competition. It's just that now the anger behind that competition was gone. All that was left was admiration. 

[storage73011]

What are you smiling about?

➳ Prompt #2 - What are you smiling about? (more prompts)

➳ Summary: Y/N reminisces about the past 

➳ Pairing: Izuku Midoriya x Reader

➳ Warnings: Fluff, Angst if you squeeze, no beta we die like man, english not being my main language, so I am sorry if I made any mistakes, please don’t hesitate to correct me

➳ Word Count: 2k+

➳ Requests are open

A tired sign pushed throw your lips as you settled the last box, it was certainly being a hassle to make the sift from your old place, but it was stupidly worth it, it was closer to everything, price of the things was better anyway too, closer to your work, and just overall the whole package deal, amazing space, amazing view, a freaking reasonable price that you actually leave you enough money to not need to live off microwave food-

“(Y/N), do you have the box with the pans?”

Oh, and of course, the whole reason why you even considered doing anything in your life, Deku to the world, but for you he would always be Izuku Midoriya, your boyfriend, you could still remember it all as if it were yesterday, precious memories from when you were just starting at UA, as well as him.

Truth to be told, you didn’t quite expect much when you were in the support course, your plan was to make in the world as a pillar for the heroes, with your inventions as to enhance their powers, their abilities, people never use to talk much of them because of the lack of the glamour, but the one time you saw people actively “milking the sweat” out of a hero in training to make a costume that would allow him to use his quirk more efficiently … you knew that people were missing out on tons of good stories.

Meeting Izuku happened on an accident, actually, you weren’t the student assigned to him, UA wasn’t crazy (ok maybe they were a tad crazy looking back) to let only a first year to take care of other first years, most of the hard job would rely on the third years the most since they were going to go to the real working world real soon, but wouldn’t you know that your friendship with the overly energetic Hatsume would let you met the love of your life uh?

It would be like the scene right from a cheap shonen manga when you opened the door and found the girl literally pining the poor green haired boy down forcing him to test some of her inventions, you were so shocked you almost stepped back and decided to ignore that, almost. If it weren’t for a string of fast spoken words as soon as Hatsume was off the boy, babbles that you still couldn’t make sense for the life of you, you were never going to be here now, happy now.

“Yes Zuku, it was the last box!” you shouted back, walking pass the living room to the kitchen.

The pink haired girl laughed it off, as usual, ignoring the fact that she was forcing the boy to something he did not, chuckling it up to “it’s just her way to do things” there was no ill intent, you knew, but still had to have yet another pep talk about people’s personal spaces.

He introduced himself to you rather clumsy, with an unnecessary over the top bow considering that you both were the same age, that was the first time he had made you smile, giggling a little, you did the same.

“I thought we were going to order take out for today, you know, since we worked so god damn hard moving all the things from our old places” you said lazily resting your upper body over in the kitchen counter, eyes darting over your boyfriend while he was placing the new set of plates on the table, his curly hair was even more of a mess, but he didn’t seem tired at all, you even dared to say he was excited.

“I know, I know” he gave a soft laugh, looking at you oh so softly, with a hand over the base of his neck, he used to do this when he was slightly nervous you noticed, he was averting his eyes a bit, still, after all these years, he would still act nervous around you in times like this, you gave a half smile. “I just … though that it would be nice for us to make something together, I mean I understand if you are too tired to want to make something from scratch, you had a full day of work with the new flow of sidekicks in the agency and then still have to finish moving here with me but this is our first time l-living together… and I mean, I just wanted to…. I wanted to” oh god you couldn’t believe he could get even redder, Izuku was great with words when he wanted to be, but new experiences, especially in the relationship usually left him a little overwhelmed.

It could be coincidence or fate, but ever since your first time meeting the hero, he was always there when you had to talk to Mei, or randomly he would find you in the lab testing something out, he’d even volunteer to try some of your newest creations, it wasn’t until you were late to your usual time on the lab that you found him searching for your presence on the empty lab that you knew he was actively trying to spend time with you.

You also found out that a new shade of red existed when you caught him in the act while he mumbled excuses.

It was in the end of second year that he confessed to you, you guys were outside of UA for once, and by some miracle nobody tried to actively murder his class (another whole set of stories, many of them ending up with him crying while you placed gentle touches on his back), it was the middle of summer, the start of the night was hot as hell, you all just had said your goodbyes to your friends, Izuku would always offer to walk you home, even if his house was in the other direction of yours. You were happily playing with one cheap rubber water ball you brough in the small open fair that you guys spend the day looking at stuff while talking to him about some heroes status, you were in the middle of a pretty furious fit of giggles with the uniform of some of the pro heroes when Izuku stopped walking for a moment, you stopped moments later when you realized he wasn’t moving.

He was looking at you tenderly for a second before his face turned into determination and them a sudden realization that made him blush hard, but still stood his ground, not daring for a second to look away from you. You never felt more conscious of everything, in yourself, in him, the breathing, the rest was the rest and you were only focused on him and vice versa.

Taking a deep breath, he took his shot, the words coming out directly, louder than he intended, but ever so clear.

“(Y/N), I am in love with you!”

Then it was quiet. He wouldn’t dare to open his eyes, as if he was afraid of the reaction, of what he had just done. But it wasn’t needed when he could feel you throwing yourself at him in a hug, and the words he needed to hear so much after hearing the ones you wanted the most, so delicately in a whisper, almost as if it was a prayer.

“I love you too, Izuku”

You stepped closer to him, his voice was extremely low, and quiet, if any nose were to be there you would miss it. You placed your hands in each side of his cheeks, he was taller than you now, and gave him a reassuring smile, Izuku still would not dare to make eye contact.

“Want to…?” you tried to keep with the same low tone he was, as if you talked louder you could startle him, the smile never leaving your lips.

“…To make memories with you” Green orbs were now your focus, big doe eyes that would get you every time you looked at them with that sparkle that was always there when he talked to you, you felt your right hand being enveloped by a much larger, rougher one, slightly sliding over his lips, where he placed a delicate kiss over your palm. “I guess I just want us to have a great start together here” he let go of you hand while leaning towards the other that was still on his cheek, finally admitted to his small domestic desire.

“Then get me the ingredients, mister” you responded in a heartbeat, slightly booping his nose then placing both of your hands on your hips with more enthusiasm than you actually had “because we are making curry then”

“Don’t force yourself for me, (Y/N)” He said, softly, even if he could not hide his contentment.

“Izu, you’re always doing things for me, this is the least I could do, believe me, this is a two-way street after all” you added with a slightly smug face while already getting the carrots ready to be sliced.

Seemly satisfied with your answer, your boyfriend turned over to make his part of the meal, while you were humming a song.

Sometimes, being on support was brutal, people would complain to you about things that were not even your work but since it didn’t worked well with the other amalgamation of equipment’s they have, suddenly it was all your fault over and over again, turns out that Karens could actually be heroes and this information would have been so much nicer if people could have focused that while you were studying but oh well.

You flopped in your boyfriend’s place again, too tired to actually wait more time to take the train to go to your house, you needed a break.

Your lovely boyfriend chuckled a little once you walked upon the doors looking like a zombie and flopping onto the couch without any grace.

“Don’t laugh at my suffering Zuzu” you whined, not taking your face off the soft pillow.

“Sorry honey” you could feel him sitting next to you, his fingers running through your hair, you almost melted in fabric. “Hard day?”

“Something like that” You were non nonchalant, looking up a little to see him, he could and would lift your humor without even noticing, you missed seem him everyday like this. “Thank for letting me here again Zuzu, I just am very tired and plus having to travel half of the city just so I can sleep doesn’t seem much worth it hehe”

“I see… but” He cleared this throat, in a half cough, you tilted your head slightly, his cheeks were flushed, but his hand was still over your head “I… I mean… you could always live here”

“Really?” That aught your attention, you guys were together for quite a while now but you didn’t want to rush him in any way.

“It … It would make sense and you would be more rested too, besides here is a great place, I have more than enough space as it is, the seller of the place himself actually was telling me on and on that his place was too big for only one person, but I would assure him that I wouldn’t be here alone for long and…” He would have continued to ramble if he didn’t register that he spilled his plan to you, keeping himself quiet.

“Of course I will move in with you Izuku!” there was never a doubt of it.

Two strong arms were slowly placed around your waist, with a small nuzzle on the back right were your head met your neck, his breathing sending shivers down your spine.

“What are you smiling about?” You could feel his own smile against your skin, making the smile you weren’t aware you had even wider.

“That I love you so much” your arms were over his, placing your fingers over each on of his “so much”

You couldn’t see, but as the hug got a little bit tighter, his lips tracing over your neck, you could tell, or at least hope he had the same blush on his face that you were having right now.

“I love you too, (Y/N)”

[idolistic-dreams]

Lurking in the Dark; 9

♥︎ Genre: Vampire au, lots of angst, fluff, maybe some smut later on.

♥︎ Pairing: Vampire! Jaehyun x Reader

♥︎ Warnings: Language, violence, mentions of blood.

♥︎ Word Count: 3K

♥︎ A/N: Again, sorry this took forever, at least it wasn’t as long a wait as some chapters :’) Schools keeping me busy.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8

Spinoffs following the series; Serious // Hesitation // Believe

Days had passed without a single word or visit from any of the boys. You were starting to become concerned and you could tell it was taking a toll on all of your friends. Two days after the stormy night you had all started acting like zombies, walking around the apartment without a word and only getting up for necessities.

“I can’t keep doing this,” Melody was the first to break the silence, five days in. She pulls at her hair in annoyance and lets out a groan.

“Do we really have a choice?” Hana’s voice is oddly quiet, the silence from the past five days having an effect on her tone.

“Usually I’d be the one to say yes and drag us all out to the cemetery… but I don’t think I want to get killed by vampires today, so no,” you sigh, pulling your knees to your chest, sinking into the couch for comfort.

“I don’t think I’ve ever known you to back down from a challenge,” Hana smiles softly, and you know she’s not suggesting you make a plan but instead trying to lighten the mood. You smile back and roll your eyes.

“I’m tough, but not vampire tough,” you say. Silence washes over the five of you again, Mei looks out of the window, having not said a word. Prita walks in from her room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“Pri, you realize it’s 2 in the afternoon, right?” Melody looks at her in concern.

“Not like we’re on any schedule or going anywhere,” Prita mumbles back, looking uncharacteristically grumpy.

“Guys—”

“No need to be so grumpy Pri,” Melody frowns at her friend.

“Uh, guys?”

“Sorry, I thought not being able to leave your apartment for almost a week and not seeing your boyfriend was reason enough to be grump,” Prita retorts.

“GUYS,” Mei finally yells in annoyance.

“What?” The rest of you all turn to her at once.

“There are two guys that I’ve never seen walking into our building,” her voice is so quiet, you almost don’t hear her.

“You’ve been people watching too much,” Prita rolls her eyes, still grumpy.

“Exactly, which is why I know these guys aren’t from around here. I’ve seen enough people go in and out of here to figure that much out,” Mei looks concerned.

“Shit, do you think… Do you think it’s the other vampires? How the hell would they find us?” Your eyes widen.

“Why the hell would they come up here in the middle of the day though?” Hana looks confused.

“Because it’s more unexpected…” Melody looks grim.

“Everyone stay quiet and go to my room,” You look at the four of them and start walking as quickly and quietly as you could. Once you were all inside, just as you were shutting the door, you hear a knock from the front door. Your eyes widen and you quickly lock the door and grab the bat you kept by it, slowly backing away. Suddenly you all hear the front door being kicked in. You try your hardest not to make a noise, but you’re terrified.

“No point in hiding girls, we can smell you… Hear your heartbeats,” a deep voice remarks creepily. Your grip on the bat tightens, ready to swing. You see Melody shaking beside you with a pair of scissors in her hand. You all watch silently as they try moving the doorknob. Unfortunately, a locked door did little to stop a vampire. The door bursts open and hangs awkwardly half off of its hinges as the two vampires stride in.

“Well well well, what a pretty bunch,” The one who had spoken before looks over all of you in a way that made your skin crawl. He looked just as creepy as he sounded, with his dark, sunken eyes and crooked smirk, “And courageous too. It’s a shame we have to kill you, otherwise I turn you and make you all my little pets.”

“Go to hell,” you growl, sounding more confident than you felt. You’re ready to swing the bat the second he moves any closer. The guy behind him lets out a laugh and pushes his messy bangs back so he can look you in the eyes.

“You first, princess,” his ice blue eyes send a chill down your spine. The first one moves closer and you quickly swing the bat, but he catches it with ease. He yanks it from your grip, causing you to fall forward from the force.

“Did you really think that would work?” He smirks down at you. Just as he’s about to lift his foot to kick you, Melody rushes forward and drives the scissors towards his heart. She barely manages to cut him before the other guy has her pinned to the wall by her throat.

“LET HER GO!” You scream, looking at your cousin struggling to breathe.

“You little bitch… you really think some scissors can kill me?” The guy towering over you turns to her before looking back at you and pulling you up by your hair. His grip sends a searing pain through your scalp and you claw at his hand.

“Get off of me. Let. Her. Go!” You growl, watching angrily as Melody started to look as if she was going to pass out. Prita looks at you and then turns to rush over and knock herself into the guy holding Melody, causing her to fall from his grasp coughing and trying to get her breath back. Just as the guy is about to turn and grab Prita, a voice cuts in.

“Lay a hand on another one of them and I’ll make sure your death is as slow and painful as possible,” Taeil stands in the doorway, with two boys you’d never seen right behind him.

“I don’t understand how you could trust humans so easily and blindly,” the guy gripping your hair talks, still holding tight. He moves you out in front of him so Taeil can see your face, “Don’t you see they were trying to kill us?’

“Only because you attacked them first. You’ve been here for weeks. If they wanted to kill you or warn people about our kind they would have by now,” one of the guys behind Taeil speaks up.

“Your ways are outdated and largely unaccepted. Just because some mates are still human doesn’t mean we can’t trust them,” Taeil looks down at you then over to Melody and something dark flashing in his eyes, “Jungwoo, grab the girls and get them out of here.”

The one who’d spoken moments ago steps from behind Taeil and blocks the other vampire who had choked Melody, motioning for the girls to exit the room.

“What do you think you’re doing?” The guy he’s blocking pushes into him. From the way he looked, you could tell that Jungwoo wasn’t exactly the kind of person who cared to get violent, but the look in his eyes would make you think otherwise. He turns to the guy and looks him dead in the eyes.

“I’m protecting my clan,” he growls before ripping the other guy’s heart out in the blink of an eye. Your eyes widen in shock and you feel as though you’re about to puke. Hana screams and Mei looks faint, as she clutches Hana for support. As the guy’s body drops to the floor, the one gripping your hair pulls you closer to him, his fangs almost grazing over your neck. Tears stream down your face as you feel his breath against it.

“Oh, you’ve done it now,” you can hear the smirk in his voice as his fangs start to poke your neck. Before he can bite though you’re being pulled from his arms and against Taeil’s chest. The man flies back against the wall groaning.

“Funny you think you would stand a chance against me,” Taeil says steadily. He releases you and lightly pushes you behind him, into the arms of the guy who was standing quietly and waiting. Jungwoo ushers the others out of the room and grabs you as he leads you all to the living room. From the noise in your bedroom, you can tell Taeil had taken the guy out quickly. He and the third guy join you all in the living room.

“We have to get you girls out of here,” is all Taeil says.

“W-wait,” you grab his arm with a shaking hand before he can walk away, “What… What’s going on? Who are these guys?” You shakily wipe tears from your eyes as Taeil looks at you and lets out a deep sigh.

“This is Jungwoo and Yukhei. They’re newer members we recruited recently when we realized how bad this situation was becoming,” He starts to walk, signaling for you to follow him. As you all walk out of the building to the parking lot he continues to explain, “When we got back that day from explaining everything, the other group was extremely suspicious. They wanted to know why so many of us had randomly gone off without a word and all came back at once even though we left separately. They started to question everyone. We all made the decision to stay away for a bit in hopes that they would drop it and think it was nothing.”

“That clearly didn’t work,” you frown.

“No, it didn’t. Things got tense and we told them leave our territory, but it only caused more problems. They left, telling us we’d regret it,” Taeil stopped in front of your car, “It was at that moment I realized they had probably found where you guys were. So right after they left, we split up to follow them out and see if any of the strayed off course.”

“If you were following them then why did you even let them get into the apartment?” Melody cries, rubbing her now bruising neck.

“I went alone. I had to rush back to grab backup when I realized where they were going. I moved as fast as I could,” you can tell he’s upset he hadn’t gotten to you sooner. He looks up and unlocks your car. You hadn’t even realized he had grabbed your keys on the way out.

“Get in, I’m going to take you to the house and we’re going to keep you there. Jungwoo, clean up the bodies. Yukhei, follow me to make sure we aren’t being followed,” Taeil gets in your driver’s seat and the rest of you pile up in the back.

After driving for some time to the outskirts of town, Taeil pulls off onto a secluded road. After what seemed like ages, the trees on the sides of the road opened to reveal a large, dark house. As he parks, the boys come flooding out from the front door.

“Y/N!” Jaehyun catches you as you rush out of the car and fling yourself into his arms.

“Jae!” You hold him tightly, burying your face in the crook of his neck. He whispers calming words in your ear and runs a hand through your hair which causes you to wince in slight pain. He frowns and looks at Taeil, holding you a little tighter.

“What the hell happened?” You hear Johnny growl, assuming he had seen the bruises forming on Melody’s neck.

“These two guys… they broke into the apartment. We tried to fight them off… thankfully Taeil got there just in time,” your voice was quiet as you spoke.

“Of course, you would try to fend off vampires,” Jaehyun breathes out and you can almost hear a smirk in his voice, “You can’t fight off vampires baby.”

“It was worth a shot…” you let go of him enough to turn in his arms to look at everyone. You watch as Johnny takes Melody inside to take care of her. You look over at Prita, crying in Yuta’s arms. Hana and Mei looked as though they were still in shock, trembling in the arms of their mates. You hated how this had happened.

“Let’s get inside,” Jaehyun pulls you along into the house, taking you through the entry hall into a living room area. Taeyong was waiting there for you, leaning against the fireplace. Jaehyun pulls you down into his lap as he sits in a chair. The rest of the clan slowly trickles in, looking to Taeyong.

“What’s going on Taeyong… what are we supposed to do?” You look at the leader, watching as he paces.

“I can’t let what happened to my mate happen to any of you. We’ve gotten rid of them for now but they’re really after our territory… and now probably after you girls too,” Taeyong looks grim. It’s quiet for a few minutes as he thinks, everyone waiting for him to say something. Finally, he continues, “We can protect you all here, we have to keep an eye on you now.”

“I mean our apartment is wreaked anyway so I don’t really mind…” You let out an exasperated sigh. Jaehyun pokes you in the side, signaling that this isn’t a time to joke.

“D-didn’t you say that… that they only want to kill us cause we’re humans and they feel threatened by that?” Hana speaks for the first time in the past hour.

“Well, yes technically that’s why. That, and because they want our territory so they’ll do anything they can to affect us. Including going after mates,” Taeyong stops pacing and looks at her.

“So, what if we were vampires too?” She squeezes Sicheng’s hand as she looks at him next to her, “Then you guys won’t have to worry about losing us as much right?”

“No-“ “Not happening!” “Do you realize what that means?” All the guys start to protest at once.

“You’ve barely lived. Most of us didn’t have a choice when we were turned. That’s not a decision you make lightly,” Johnny runs a hand down his face with a groan.

“Yeah, this isn’t exactly the ideal life, granted some of our situations are a little different,” Jeno sends a glare around the room, stopping specifically on Jaehyun and Yuta.

“Stop giving us the death glare, at least we didn’t kill you,” Yuta rolls his eyes.

“Only because of Y/N being Jaehyun’s mate,” Donghyuck yells from the back of the room.

“Wait, you would have killed them?” You look at Jaehyun, confused.

“Okay look! Enough arguing about it. Girls, they’re right. It’s not an easy life and most people don’t choose it directly. With mates of course it does get more complicated if you aren’t already a vampire,” Taeil steps in to shut everyone up.

“You could be giving up the kind of life you may want outside of this, like Johnny said, this isn’t something to be taken lightly,” Taeyong crosses his arms with a sigh.

“Well then let’s talk about it and figure it out,” you look him in the eyes, completely serious. Everyone turns to you, slightly shocked.

“Wait seriously? A few months ago, you wanted nothing to do with Jaehyun and now you’re actually taking this into consideration?” Doyoung looks at you like you’ve grown an extra head.

“I know that sounds a little crazy coming from me, but you should be proud I want to actually talk about it and that I’m not just making a decision,” you roll your eyes.

“That’s not a bad idea, we can weigh out the pros and cons,” Herin backs you up. You smile at her in return.

“Okay then, let’s start throwing them out,” Taeyong leans back against the wall in front of everyone.

“We’ll be stronger, so you guys won’t have to worry about protecting us all the time. What happened today wouldn’t happen again,” you start.

“While you’re not completely wrong, new vampires aren’t as strong as older ones. It’s something that grows over time,” Jaehyun says, running a hand up and down one of your arms.

“Okay well, what about the fact that we know we want to be with you guys, and we’re meant to be together? The only way we end up together forever is if we’re vampires too, right?” Melody’s voice is faint as she speaks. You’re a little surprised she felt that strongly considering your cousin hadn’t been involved in any of this until recently. You knew she had a point though.

“Well it’s not like we have to turn you right now. We have quite a few years before you actually start aging,” Taeil looks over to her as he speaks.

“What if we don’t care to wait and we’re sure about it?” Prita counters.

“Think about the fact that you have to drink blood to survive. You’re weakened by the sun. You live forever which means you have to watch your whole family die basically,” Mark argues against her.

“Speaking of families, if you’re vampires you stop aging so you’ll have to let your family go before they start to see you aren’t getting any older,” one of the boys you recognize from the apartment earlier, Yukhei, speaks up.

“It can really suck not getting to see your family, or your friends,” Jaemin frowns thinking back on the past year without you and Hana in his life. The boys who had been turned a little over a year ago would know that pain better than anyone.

“If we were turned now, our parents wouldn’t have to know. We’d have a few years to spend with them and come to terms with it,” You say confidently. You feel like you could be okay with it as long as you had the time to say goodbye, though the idea still hurt a lot.

“They’re making good points Taeyong. Not only that, but if they do turn, we would have more vampires and that clan would be much less likely to try and take our territory. They’re already slightly outnumbered, we could widen that gap,” Ten, who you rarely seemed to see, adds in.

“Let’s take a few days to think about it, and we can come to a group decision then. Is everyone okay with that?” Taeyong looks around the room at his clan. Everyone nods in agreeance, “We’ll talk about this again in three days then. For now, get some rest.”

You sigh and sink back into Jaehyun’s arms as everyone disperses. He holds you close, resting his chin on your shoulder as he speaks, “We have a lot to think about now, don’t we?”

[thinkyoureholy]

Fragile Figures [23/End]

[A/n: Well this is it....:(((( I want to thank everyone that stuck with this story until the end. I know I haven’t had the most consistent updating schedule and sometimes went weeks without uploading a new chapters. Thank you for loving and supporting this story, it truly means a lot to me.]

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Pairing : Choi San/ [fem] Reader

Genre : Angst, Violence, Language, Fluff, Smut, Mafia! AU

Words : 3k

Previous Part.

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-San’s P.O.V-

I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth as I pushed aside her words and what they meant. This isn’t her talking, it's her grief. Hongjoong was one of the original members of the group and Yunho was the closest one to her, losing them both must’ve done something to her. Yeah, she’s just grieving. Once she calms down and sees that it’ll be fine and she’ll take back her words...I hope. I won’t be able to take it if she actually means anything she’s saying right now. I inhaled slowly, thinking of a way out of here and that’s when it hit me. I quickly lifted my head up from the table, looking desperately over to where the child was. He still had his face buried in his arms, his knees pulled up to his chest and I could see how hard he was shaking even from where I was. I hesitated with going through with the idea that had popped into my head. The kid looks like he’s gone through enough, should I keep him out of this and figure out another way? But Y/N looks like she’s having trouble even moving her fingers, I don’t she’d be able to drag herself over to me and under my restraints. I banged my head on the table a few times, trying to come up with something but I was coming up empty every time. Sorry, kid.

“Hey...hey you can hear me right?” I called out to the kid, seeing him jump at being spoken to. I softened my tone of voice when I saw him jump, frowning as I thought about everything this kid has seen, “It’s alright, nothing is going to happen to you. I want to ask a little favor but you can choose not to do it, okay?”

He slowly turned around, his eyes darting around the place for a few seconds before they finally landed on me. I gave him my best smile, hoping to calm him down a bit, “Do you think you can untie these for me? Or cut them off with that knife over there?”

He remained silent for a few seconds before he hesitantly nodded. I let out a sigh of relief at the sight, watching him shakily get to his feet. I kept my eyes on him for a moment before looking down at Y/N who was still trying to push herself up but I could tell she wasn’t going to be able to. The pool of blood that had formed underneath her had gotten bigger and bigger by the second, more blood spilling out of her the more she moved.

“You’re making your injuries worse, Y/N. Lie still.” I told her, my brow furrowed with concern.

She scoffed as she continued to try to get into at least a sitting position, “I’m not just going to lay here and wait to die.”

“You’re killing yourself faster by moving so much!” I snapped, unconsciously pulling on my restraints.

I was about to continue yelling but a whimper had me falling short. I looked towards the boy, seeing him visibly shaking. He had stopped just short of reaching me, the fear clear in his eyes. I cursed inwardly and squeezed my eyes shut tightly for a moment, inhaling slowly before exhaling.

“Hey...hey it’s okay. I’m sorry I yelled I won’t do it again.” I reassured him in a soft voice.

The hesitance he had in his eyes earlier had returned and it was stronger than ever. Shit, I need him to undo these before Mie comes back. Just as I was going to try and coax him into it again the sound of footsteps approaching reached my ears. My eyes went wide as I looked towards the door, once again pulling on my restraints unconsciously. The cogs in my brain started turning, thinking of what to do to get out of here. I glanced down at Y/N who was still trying to push herself off the ground but she was making even less progress than before, her arms no longer able to even lift her an inch from the ground. I cursed repeatedly under my breath, panicking, trying to think of something but I was coming up empty. I looked to the boy when I felt trembling hands working on the restraints on my wrist. He wasn’t able to completely untie it but I didn’t need him to, I just needed a little room to work with.

“Go back to the other side of the room and keep your head down okay? I’ll come get you when this is all over, I promise.” I told him in a hushed voice.

I didn’t have to tell him twice as he nodded and scurried away. Just as he sat down Kei stormed into the room. Even under all the dirt on his face I was able to see the red splotch on his cheek, the hand mark Mei’s doing, I was unable to read the look on his face but I didn’t have time to ponder it as I watched him reach down for Y/N. She tried to push his hands away but she was too weak to even do that. Once again I pulled on my restraints, my right hand coming free. Kei was too busy hoisting Y/N up into his arms to notice me snatching the scalpel Mei had discarded earlier, freeing myself completely. I called upon all the strength I had left in this useless body of mine and got to my feet, my legs screaming at me to get off of them. I took a step forward, staggering a bit as the pain was beginning to get to be too much but I powered through it. Just as Kei took a step forward I brought my hand up and plunged the scalpel deep into his shoulder. He let out a surprised cry of pain, falling to his knees, dropping Y/N to the ground. I pulled the scalpel back out just as he turned around and swiped my legs out from under me with ease. I fell to the ground with a thud, my whole body aching as I let out a groan.

“I am so sick and tired of you. I’m going to do what Mei should’ve done ages ago!” Kei growled out, coming over to me.

He straddled my waist and grabbed at the collar of my shirt, raising my head off the ground a few inches. He pulled his arm back to land a punch to my face but before his fist made contact I raised my own arm and stabbed him with the scalpel once more, sinking it deep into his stomach. I shoved it into his with as much force as I could, blood immediately gushing out of the new wound. If I was lucky then I hit an artery and he’d bleed out. Just as I was thinking that Kei landed a blow to my face, angrier than before.

“What? Did you think that was going to kill me? Me? After everything my body has been through did you really think a measly scalpel would finally be the death of me?!” He shouted, landing another blow to my face.

That blow had the strength leave my hands as I let go of the scalpel, my hands falling limply to the ground. I didn’t care if he was going to kill me here, if that took his attention off of Y/N then I was fine with it. I would’ve liked to get her out of here but with Kei riled up like this I knew that was impossible now. I only hope that someone, anybody would burst through those doors and take her and the boy out of here and away from everything. I know that thought was nothing more than a pipe dream but if I lost that hope then I would be left with nothing.

“With you gone I won’t be second best anymore. Do you know our parents even preferred you? The second you were born the rest of us became part of the background and I suffered from their neglect more than anyone.” Kei began, his face twisting in pain, but not physical pain, no--it was emotional pain, pain he had been living with and hiding for years, “I never asked for any of this. I never asked to be turned into the monster I am but if I’m not like this then I’m overlooked. For once, I want to be acknowledged for being me, not for the terrible deeds I commit. Is that too much to ask for?”

Kei was crying now, his tears hitting my cheeks as they fell. I stared up at him in shock. Kei, who always guarded his emotions so well, who never showed anything besides anger towards me is now in tears in front of me. I never thought I’d see the day when his walls would crumble, when he'd finally break. I always wondered what it would take for him to finally break but I never knew his wounds ran this deep. This didn’t take away from everything he has done and it didn’t make me hate him any less, in fact, it angered me. Had he told me I would’ve done something, anything to help him with the turmoil he had been dealing with for decades. 

“I’m tired, San, so fucking tired. But if I don’t do as she asks she’ll lock me up where no one would be able to find me. She won’t even grant me death because she knows being alone with my thoughts is so much worse.” He cried out softly, “I fear that more than death itself. So I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything I’ve ever done to you and I know no amount of begging will ever make you forgive me but I just want you to know how fucking sorry I am. I didn’t always hate you, you were my little brother for fucks sake! I loved you and wanted to protect you but it--it just got to be too much and I became a monster.”

“You suddenly knowing the feeling of remorse changes nothing!” Y/N shouted, her voice thick with emotion, “You lot killed Hongjoong! You killed Yunho! God knows who else died inside that damn house! You have no right to regret what you’ve done now! Not after all the damage you’ve done.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, as if to squeeze all the tears he had left out before opening them again,  ignoring her words. A look I had grown all too familiar with appeared in his eyes as he pulled the scalpel that was lodged in his abdomen out, raising it high above his head to stab me through the heart.

“Don’t worry, little brother, I’ll follow you soon so wait for me.” He said gently, a tone of voice I had never heard him use.

“No!” Y/N cried out desperately, being able to do nothing but watch.

I watched with wide eyes as he brought the scalpel down but before it pierced my skin someone tackled him off of me. I looked towards them with wide eyes, not believing what I was seeing. Seonghwa had Kei’s arms pinned behind his back, straddling his waist from behind as he shoved Kei’s face into the ground. 

“Hyung…?” I spoke in disbelief, tears flooding my vision.

Seonghwa looked over his shoulder and gave me a warm smile, “We’re here to take you home San.”

At his words the tears fell from my eyes. I looked around to see who he meant by ‘we’ only to see Wooyoung kneeling besides Y/N, pulling her up gently and placed her on his back. She clung to him like her life depended on it, tears falling from her eyes as well.

-Y/N’s P.O.V-

I balled Wooyoung’s shirt in my hand so tightly my knuckles had turned white. I muffled my cries of relief with his shoulder, “You don’t know how glad I am to see that you’re alive.” 

Wooyoung chuckled softly, squeezing my thighs gently in response, “I could say the same thing to you.”

I clenched his shirt in my hand tighter, “What about the others? Are they all alright?”

He fell silent, staring off into space as he hung his head forward, shaking his head ever so slightly, “Mingi...he--he didn’t make it. And--and Yu-”

“I know about Yunho,” I cut him off, my voice thick with emotion, “I...I watched him die with my own eyes…”

“I’m sorry…”

“I am too…”

Silence fell over the two of us, the only thing we heard was Seonghwa restraining a struggling Kei but before he could tie up his hands the door flew open. We all turned to face the source of the disturbance, Mei standing in the doorway with a gun in each hand, one pointed at Seonghwa and the other pointed at Wooyoung. I felt Wooyoung go rigid underneath me, pulling out a gun of his own and pointing it at her. Seonghwa delivered a quick punch to Kei’s face, knocking him out before pulling out his own gun. Mei could’ve easily killed us all the moment she walked in so why...why is she dragging it out like this? What does she have hidden up her sleeve?

“It’s over Mei.” Seonghwa said in a firm voice as he rose to his feet.

Mei smirked, a devious look in her eyes, “Is it?” She took a step forward, now aiming her guns somewhere else, San and I now staring down to barrels of her guns, “I don’t think it is, not until these two are dead.”

Seonghwa and Wooyoung both cocked their guns, their fingers on the trigger. Seonghwa took a step forward, his jaw set as he stared her down, “We’ll kill you before you even have a chance of pulling that trigger,” He growled, taking another step forward.

The smirk on Mei’s face turned into a grin and that grin led to a laugh that chilled me to the bone. Of all the people I’ve ever had to deal with this is the first time I had seen someone this crazed. One look in her eyes told me she was beyond reason.

“As I told San earlier, even when they know she’s been defeated they refuse to turn on her. Just how well do you have them trained?” She asked, her eyes on me the whole time.

I furrowed my brows, confused over what she was talking about until it finally clicked. She’s not able to control any of them the way I can. The mayor, the sheriffs and local police, the DA, the prosecutors, she can’t control any of them and she’ll never be able to. With me gone they have no one else to fear, nothing would be held over them and used as blackmail. Why would they ever follow her if she doesn’t have the kind of dirt on them that I have? Just the thought of her thinking it was so easy had a chuckle crawl its way up my throat and out of my mouth.

“What’s so funny?” She asked, her eyes narrowed.

“You. Did you really think they’d bow to you the moment I was gone? Just how naive are you?” I laughed once more, a grin adorning my face, “With me gone they’re free. You have nothing to make them follow you so they’re brushing you off. You’re nothing but an overly ambitious little girl in their eyes, they’re probably laughing at you as we speak.”

She gripped her gun tighter, “Should you really be saying that to me when I have a gun pointed at your head?”

The grin on my face only spread, “I’ve never been afraid of death. I’m only afraid of one thing and death isn’t it.”

She set her jaw, speaking through clenched teeth, “Well you should be afraid.”

That’s the last thing I heard before she fired, both guns firing at the same time. My eyes widened and a millisecond later I felt the bullet-

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I gasped loudly, sitting up. I looked around in a panic, noting the familiar things that surrounded me. My desk...the lamp I had sitting precariously at the edge, the chairs opposite me. What the hell? I furrowed my brows, as I continued to look around. What am I doing here? I...I’m pretty sure I just died so how-

I was cut off mid thought when I heard voices approaching the door and when the door swung open I couldn’t believe my eyes. Seonghwa walked in followed by a very alive looking Yunho, a bit beat up but alive. A lump formed in my throat, tears clouding my vision as I stared at Yunho. He’s alive, He’s really alive. Was that all a dream? No, it was too vivid for it to be a dream. Was it all some weird premonition? If that’s the case then he should be here any second. And as if called on command, San burst through the window, Yunho and Seonghwa pulled out their guns like they did the first time, aiming at him. 

“San what the hell?! Can’t you use the front door like a normal fucking person?! You almost gave me a heart attack!” Yunho yelled out, punching San’s arm none to gently.

San chuckled, doing the same to Yunho but gentler, “You know I’ve never been the normal type. Besides...I wanted to see if you were still on your game like all those years ago. But you seem slower…” 

He trailed off, giving Yunho a once over and took in his condition, “You’re injured…”

“Long story. Anyway before she kills you for scaring us like you did I think you should turn around and meet the one who will be hiring you.”

San turned to me, the moment his eyes met mine I inhaled sharply. Its all the same...everything. If that’s the case then...is this my chance to do things right? Will I be able to save everyone this time?

“Ah...a mistake on my part, miss. I should’ve used the door like a proper gentleman.” He said, his tone light.

I involuntarily flinched when he directed his words towards me. It was then I decided I would do things differently. I would do everything in my power to prevent what I saw from happening, I swear it.

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Tags : @choisofty​ @woosanville​

{A/N: Okay so I left this as such an open ending because it felt right? lololol at first Y/N was going to die and that was going to be the last and major character death for this story but it didn’t really feel right. I felt like there were something things they could’ve obviously done better in hindsight so with this ending the can change the outcome. They still might get hurt and come close to death but with the knowledge she now has Y/N will be able to think rationally and not on impulse like we saw he do a few times.]

[stray-tori]

An Innocent Sin & the good gay flashback ft. my descent into madness

I wasn’t sure if I should post this but I mostly want it archived so here we go. This is from like,, September?

So. “An Innocent Sin” is a dumpster fire unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I don’t remember why I decided to read it. maybe I was crazy. Either way... I read it. It soon started to touch upon (very very outlandish) sexual abuse which I thought was interesting. (the angst, not so much some of the wack circumstances surrounding it)

ANYWAY. at some point... we have a flashback. And not just that. It has a gay character.

And it turns rly gay. which mind you, is still in a het smut manwha (that has a “gay” side couple, but still!)

And it destroyed me.

For those who want to read it because I genuinely think the flashback is a decent bit, it’s all the bonus chapters between chapter 77 and 78 I think. There’s a part before that too, but idk where exactly anymore. (It’s on lezhin! or your platform of choosing)

I don’t THINK you’ll need any other knowledge to get the flashback bit? but it’s been a while.

Below the cut (rip mobile users), you can read all of my amazing reactions (all of these were text messages, for context - but I took most of the replies and convos about other things out). Post is also tagged as long post. :))

(i’m serious, this is fucking long)

__________

Here I am. Liking the gay flashback character. Feck. Main dude is still straight but idk it's cute pff

This is a mess. The girl white hair likes, likes black hair, maybe, but thinks white hair is attractive

What just happened is sth I'd like to know too pff He's so cute tho omg. Watch me melt Can we stay in this flashback before everything got perverted af and before white hair gets assaulted all the time I would send an eyebrow emote if I could Context: he's asking he says it again

Ik it's not mutual but loookkk he's so sweet. He's kinda rude in present time, can't we stay in this flashback forever

I never asked for gay, never expected gay but I got gay

This story is trash why am I still reading it shdhhd

He caught his mom cheating. And now she's forcing him to watch??? What is thissss Well adoptive mom But still sudhdidu what Bitch how dare YOU exist

Save my babyyyy

Yay sister that's not yet a rapist to the rescueee

This flashback is actually just nicer in every way let's just stay here This is a super long flashback btw Idek anymore what triggered it

Okay I think I'm gonna make the sensible decision and let this dumpster fire rest and just go sleep

It was very wild. I kinda wanna see white hair get therapy but it has 90 chapters and I'm at like 30... So I'm very concerned this is gonna be very dragged out. Idek if it's even finished ahahsududi - but I do kinda wanna see where it goes and see more cute Noah (white hair) so. Here we are.

yeahhh like i was down for the sexual abuse angst but then the mother killed the adoptive son's mother bc the dad had a thing for her?? and it was someone a person studying with white hair knew and so he's investigating and I'm like how did this turn into a crime organisation kind of plot

hhhhhhh i... i appreciate these horny things also tackling abuse but it always kind of gives me weird vibes to have both, especially when its very horny. And when people are horny to people who've been abused. Idk but I'd assume... you might try NOT to tie them up if they're frequently bondaged during their assaults. I'm just.... disjdksdj hello?? am i weird?? why are they fine with it???

also this manwha is so wild, theres this murder mystery investigation thing and then theres just a couple doing honry stuff sprinkled in between and i'm like OKAY

they rescued a guy in their basement and he's understandably very traumatized and they're trying to question him cut to our main couple trying bondage which i still dont understand bECAUSE HE'S A RAPE VICITM WHY ARE YOU OKAY WITH THIS the ones questioning arent the main couple of course but idshkjds

like im glad he's somehow okay with all this horny stuff despite his trauma and im glad he can be happy and have a nice relationship but DO WE NEED THIS MUCH OF IT he's very cute tho

i like that even when i try other stuff lezhin recommends me it still has large amount of gay in it

[mei: i mean... that's pretty great, if you ask me]

I mean I agree, I'm enjoying the gay eheheh these tonal whiplashes there's not even that much white space between the panels fhjd nvm it just turned horny goddamn it can there be 1 chapter without fucking? okay, there were the flashbacks

WE ARE BACK IN FLASHBACKS but im not getting the gay relationship, sad

OH WAIT AM I GETTING GAY COMFORT bc thats very good too

OH NNOOO this turned sad very quickly

I'M SORRY IM SPAMMING BUT THIS IS JUST ANGSTY

I'M :((((

different species confirmed

I rly like them :((( I like the current girl too but it's just..... very horny with her. the flashbacks are nice [current tori edit: she’s very unloyal idk why i said I liked her] im weird HHHHH RIPPP 

someone help him he looks so saddddd

not sure if thats the most healthy relationship but I'LL TAKE IT

AWWW black hair's mom cooks mild food for them bc Noah can't eat spicy food :((( im soft

PFFF

I LOVE THE FLASHBACKS :(((

awww

i feel like theyve done much more bonding than noah's current relationship. I mean yes I think its cute when she comforts him, too, but they rarely do anything besides be horny together

OH OH THEY'RE KISSING

best buildup, honestly

the position is hornier than I'd like later here goes hope it stays cute

D-did someone just respect the word "stop"??? I am amazed

i think you might uh. have some trauma stuff too so yknow

Dohye is a little dramatic in his reassurance but it's all rly cute so I'm :(( I like them a lot pls stay like this getting invested in flashbacks is always like: ik it wont stay but pls stay like this

hELP

chapters ending in "i wanna touch him" is never good. I'm scared. Oh okay he didnt do anything. PHEW. He's already better than the girl, can't they just end up together lmao

[Noah was jealous]

w-why do you look so evil dohye haukdhjs

oh. oh no. the horny is starting. pls dont... just be cute forever

DOHYE NO YOU WERE SO DECENT WHY ARE YOU LYING ABOUT KOREAN TRADITIONS TO GET HIM TO DO STUFF HORNY STUFF TOO NO PLS STOP I JUST- WHEEE TvT the manwha is actually less visually horny in the flashbacks but im not sure if its bc its BL which isnt rly the genre of the manwha or if its bc they're still kids basically, which... I'd respect the latter, tho I'd prefer it to be like this constantly haha

okay. he's not respecting stop anymore, but it's also more of embarrassed nature more than "no i dont want this stop" so maybe i can forgive it. Still losing points, but he hugged him and it was sweet so HHHHHHHHHHH NOT SURE HOW I SHOULD JUDGE THIS SITUATION

They [Noah’s family] forbid him to visit his friends house I AM DEVASTATED

understandable they're a rapist, a fucked up murderer mother and a father with a thing for younger women so

tho he dont know any of that but yknow he's so pretty just fucking end me on the spot

hooo

they are boyfriends and ik from the future that his sister is gonna ruin it allll she has those drugs that make visual imaginations feel like they rly happened to the person (dont know if thats real but holy fuck its terrifying) and she's used it before to say that Noah assualted her. and im pretty sure shes gonna use it again bc there was a panel of Noah remembering Dohye being uhhhh intimate with her and thats why Noah began to hate him and im so sad im not ready for it. bc he's denied it in the future and i honestly couldnt see it happening even before that or she drugged Dohye, i guess thats a possibility too

[current tori: oh girl, it’s neither and it’s wack]

which if, btich you gonna die even more enough rambling, more reading. this makes me so sad but also spicy

on the manwha note, he thinks Noah doesnt like his family bc he's adopted and doesnt feel comfy which....... fair enough i suppose. and he's so cute im gonna melt just looK AT THIS 

SHUt UP, IM GONNA CRY

OH MY GODDDD he ate like ice and gum and all that, and Dohye assumed it was bc of the more spicy food and got rl worried, but he was just trying to get the smell out of his breath bc he wanted to kiss him ukhsdjs HOW CAN YOU BE SO CUTE HELLLOOOOOOOOO

look at them. LOOK AT mY BABIESSSS

how am i ever gonna care about the main couple again aww he-he wanted to go to the same highschool as him :((( im sad bc i know its not gonna happennnnnn

[mei: also at this point, you're literally never gonna care about them. i don't even know the main couple that well and i honestly don't care about them whatsoever.]

WAIT NO they're actually going to the same school awww ik it wont take long until sister fucks it up for them but for now theyre so sweet ohmygodddd

cant he move in with them, fuck his family honestly

dohye he's not a fucking pokemon iukhsdjs

oh. its. turning horny i am displeased with this development but i guess its natural for their relationship however COULD YOU DO IT AT HOME AND NOT IN SOME DUSTY SMALL ROOM how do ppl do this i like that the comments too are just "... is anyone still carng about the other girl?" sakjds

this is the best 3 panels in existence.

h-he just took your hand dohye idk what to tell you

[mei: "you blush at everything i do" god if that isn't me, idk what is]

awww its cute dohye is getting bonus points bc he invited Noah over while his mom wasnt home, they watched some sexual stuff and he DIDNT try to do anything what is this where can i get more of this

"well im not okay"

MY BABIESSSS 

they still didnt do much btw they're just kinda exploring and its honestly nice TvT I dont want this to ever endddd

[Dohye sees Noah’s sister and approaches her] N O

N OOOO

this is the starttttt of something.......... TERRIBLEEEE 

:((( babyyyy

I AM EMO

Noah was drugged im sure. hes having dreams and waking up in pain and the sister is asking doyhe over I DONT LIKE THISSSSSSS OH HE DECLINED

OKAY OKAY he saw him with her again but it was from behind and im not sure if it rly happened??? oh no this is terrible. Noah :((( poor child

i am so emo about this

[reminder he’s been abused TvT]

[the sister: “Don’t you want to know why?”]

i will. murder someone he called to ask her to delete his number btw what is this manwha but this is just gonna make it that more tragic when whatever happens that breaks them apart :(((

he's such a good bf but Noah just wont TELL him his side I'M SO SAD

I AM SO SAD

No

NO

It cant end im actually tearing up nooo you were so cuteeee and happpyyy

[*sister is telling dohye to come to the gym hall*]

what else is she gonna do she already teared [current tori: ahem... T O R E] them apart THAT'S NOT DOYhE. THATS NEVER HIM. OH MY GOD. is it a look alike??? damn, she's dedicated to just. ruining it, huh

I’M

I’M SO SAD

now he's switching SCHOOLS NO NOOOOO how will i ever find happiness againnnn NO they're misunderstanding further they're not talking properly i mean i get it but oh my god

I'M :((( 

NO NOOOO pls make up in the future at least omg he tried to clear it up tooo ahhh i dont even have hopes for them getting back together but i just i want them to clear it up im crying first manwha to make me cry and it's this dumpster fire ahaha maybe a little too bc it kinda hit a little close to home i guess but goddamnn ittttt they were so cuteee and so happy and AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

OH NO. Noahs getting drugged and assaulted. And he's realizing it happened before, he just forgot. I am. so sad it's not horny drawn either which i appreciate but MY HEART NO

N O DONT YOU DARE MAKE THIS WORSE

Im. gonna cry more 

Doyhe kept an eye on him im so emo :(( but he thought he was doing well enough and gave up.... Im im so sad no i want you to make up and get back together its all just a stupid........... MEHHHH will i ever find sth like this flashback again

[mei: p-probably not, no]

i am so devasted i dont even wanna go back to the main couple just fucking. i want this relationship back :(((( but i guess the investigation might end up somewhere so hhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhh the baker manwha had a similar flashback feeling so. i just gotta find more of that haha

BUT THIS WAS SO SAD??? im so emo

[Dohye got kidnapped // the flashback commentary stops here but I think my descend into madness is pretty funny too]

OH YEAH THAT HAPPENED. THE FLASHBACK WAS SO LONG I FORGOT. NOOOO SAVE HIM. JESUS CHRIST PLS JUST ONE GOOD THING

its. actually rly smart to have another, more focused on them flashback, before the arc where he gets kidnapped by the rapist murder household so. good job. from a meta perspective but also NO but also. maybe theres hope for them making up at least after all :(((

[main couple kissing] this is. very weird now. but im glad he has someone, he deserves it but dohyeeeee

and switching to sex, YET AGAIN now i wanna see this EVEN LESS THAN I DID BEFOREEEE it's even.... a threesome now with one of the other characters why are you like this why can't you be. like in the flashback i am so upset HAHHHHH WHEEEZEEEE

I am just stop fucking jesus christ PLEASE I DONT WANNA SEE IT ANYMOREEEEE

im just stop the horny pls just tell me who that new guy is and why doyhe likes him so much

[mei: this manwha is a fucking mess but at least we got your lovely commentary out of it]

dhsuksj thanks i feel honored at least i got cute BL out of it before everything went [back] to shit

[mei: THAT TOO]

[...]

tbh im getting kinda mad about doyhe... i dont... feel like he'd just fall instantly for a guy who looks like Noah... but eh not my character

i just want closure for dohye at this point, fuck everything else ... not literally pls theres already too much of that

pls get it together for like 1 chapter is the investigation even still happening i am so confused save dohye plEASE wait what i have less than 10 episodes left Dont tell me this shit isnt even wrapped up yet

[Dohye is having a breakdown over the Noah double not coming to see him anymore]

yeah i this... doesnt feel like Dohye... at all... Even when Noah was rejecting him he was just kind of... taking it with some humor and maybe he was a little desperate and risky sometimes but... oh well... i do want him to get better but... im having a hard time believeing this development??? he never seemed overly anxious or anything. but who knows what else they did to him. Sister can still go fuck off tho

[...]

i mean. i liked the flashbacks a lot honestly??? it stayed simple and focused on the dynamics and less trying to balance smut with murder plots

[dm partner: NO THAT'S WHAT I MEAN LIKE CLEARLY THE AUTHOR CAN MAKE A GOOD STORY SO I'M JUST... CONFUSED AS TO WHY THEY DIDN'T STICK WITH SOME SOFT, FLUFFY BL ROMANCE MANWHA AND DECIDED TO MAKE WHATEVER THIS IS INSTEAD ]

okay i dont care bc dohye is currently getting assaulted nobody asked for this why i just. this is terrible. he was... so sweet. he doesnt deserve this. nobody does of course but jesus christ pls someone save him at least its not horny visually, one saving grace

ah... the assult is back to being depicted horny-ly thank you for nothing

[... removed some general confusion about the plot]

YES. SOME SHIP FOOD.

i am. suffering i mean i cant stop but GOD

okay so apparantly. the sister. has just an arsenal of people who look like other people Dohye, then Noah... and even Noah's GF??? this is ridiculous??

one good message 

why 

did you feel the need to add that [actual tired rage]

im gonna die this manwha is gonna kill me im laughing but im suffering oh hes arrested great and thats the end and the last update was in january of this year

why AS IN NOAH IS ARRESTED nobody who actually did anything is arrested What is this why is this AHHH I at least wanted the complete-ness of finishing this but now I'M JUST SUFFERING

[ mei: I MEAN TO BE FAIR I'D BE SUFFERING TOO BC JUST... WHAT THE FUCK I HAVE?? MANY QUESTIONS?? AND MANY CONCERNS BC THIS MANWHA IS JUST... AN EXPERIENCE ]

its an experience allright WELL

_______________

yup that’s it.

in my head, in a twist of events Dohye and Noah make up and are actual endgame. Something like that must exist out there but I won’t ask because it’d destroy the surprise and ruin the point.

That’s it.

Have a nice day.

[heywoodvirgin]

Borro Cassette ( chapter 1)

Part 2 of my series : “ Heal our Scars” 

Pairing :  Modern!Jackie Welles / Original Female Character 

Rated : Teens and up

( I really ship Jackie and V and Jackie and Misty but I keep writing him with original characters lol). Anyway. Here some angst and hurt, enjoy if you can :p 

---- 

Knock, knock, knock!

Mey gasped.

A brutal yet sloppy knocking on her door woke her up from a peaceful rest.

She knew no one who would knock on her door, especially not at …2am on a weekday? Jackie was the first person that came to her groggy mind, but Jackie, he had his key, as the only and special member of her VIP club, of course he had his key, unless…

“ Oye mi amor, no me digas que no

Y vamos juntando las alma-aaaas”

Fucking Jackie it was.

“Oye mi amor, no me digas que nooooooo”

Knock! Knock!

“Y vamos juntando los cuerp-ooooos”

His drunken massacre of the song continued on and on as she hurriedly put a robe on and dashed to the door, messily unlocking it.

“What’s— ow ow ow –“

A very dressed up but wasted Jackie tripped on her doorstep, and she had to maneuver a sloshed +300lbs to the wall to prevent her from ending like a stain of mashed pepetos on the floor.

“Ah… knew you would open-you…” he slurred, a lazy smile tugging on his lips.

“Wh- why wouldn’t I?” out of breath and bemused, she tried to support them both as far as her untrained arms could, as he let himself slump further into her. A few moments passed like that and she thought he’d blacked out on her, when she felt his hot breath on her neck.

“Bathroom” he urged in a huff, he sounded pained.

“Yeah of course, of course”

With an approximative shoulder move, she pushed her bathroom door open for him and he fell on his knees before the sink. It’s just when she switched the lights on that she saw.

“Holy fuck! your eye, what the fuck happened!?”

He grumbled, before discharging another pack in the sink.

“Whaddaya think happened?” He wiped his mouth, coughing the last remnants.

“Feel better?” she presented a glass of water “I have coffee, too”

“For later, maybe” Jackie dragged himself to her couch, Mey followed, folded her robe carefully as she faced him, seated on her living room coffee table. Seconds passed in worried silence.

“Now you gonna tell me what happened or not?”

“Huh? Yeah… what happened, Lin… woud-dn’t let me i-hn…”

“That, I know, otherwise you wouldn’t crash like a sack of ham at my door”

“Eugh, don’t be harsh on me, cariño” he closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose.

Jackie only called her sugar-coated names when he was drunk, she sighed.

“Jack, what happened to your eye!”

“Ehn this… Beat up some pendejo, made’im eat his own shit-“

He gave her a drunken, smug smile and shrugged, that’s when her phone started to beep, a message popped in:

Hey Mey, Jackie’s there?

Lin. She debated whether or not to answer, as she anxiously eyed the icebag she put on his damaged eye. Jackie still had those involuntary jolts because of the temperature difference. The man was always too hot, but when drunk, he just burnt like a furnace.  She tried not to linger too much on his sweaty neck, the way the few first buttons of his pale blue shirt gave a good glimpse at his generous cleavage, adorned with his eternal golden chains. She inhaled deep and decided to tap.

Yeah… he’s here, drunk, but ok.

The answer didn’t linger to come.

Thanks god. I know you’ll take good care of him. I couldn’t let him in like that. He has to learn. Thank you Mey, I owe you one. See ya.

Yeah. Mey sighed deeply.

“Oye, watcha looking at in your phone?” Jackie had opened one eye.

“Porn”

“Ay, hate to disrupt” he snickered.

“Your… Lin just texted me”

“Pft”

“You guys are ok?”

“Ella ya no me entiende… no me entiende…” He shook his head, suddenly down.

Do you even still… love her? Mey had only this question in mind, but instantly felt a pang of guilt for thinking to take advantage of her friend’s state to worm truths outta him.

“Had she seen you like that?”

“Didn’t even spare a look’a me”

“It’s not the first time huh”

“What’sss noht” Jackie frowned, apparently needing to focus to make out the simplest questions.

“You coming home to her like that”

“Man’s gotta live too”

“That’s what you call living, Jack?” she poked a finger on his ice bag and he grunted in a boozy protest.

“Ah, now you talk like her…’f you gonna talk like her, I better go!” He tried to lift himself off her couch, but he collapsed down with a thud and a grunt.

“Easy on my couch legs, gordi” She giggled as he gave up struggling with himself.

“Here, let me” She sighed and replaced his hands on his belt, trying to swiftly remove it, chastising the very innocent thoughts that screamed in her mind, she hoped he would shut up and let her do it quickly. She made a hasty work of his shoes next, glancing back at him, she saw him drifting to sleep, a peaceful expression drawn on his face. She didn’t think of her couch as the best place for him to spend the night, but she couldn’t think of a better option, and it was impossible to convince him to change position now, anyway.  She winced, thinking of the state of his neck in the morning, when she heard his low complaint.

“Shirt too… caliente…”

Are you kidding me, Welles?

She didn’t know where to start, pinching her eyelids shut and letting out a long exhale, she felt suddenly tired.

She couldn’t bring herself to touch him again, it was like someone tied her hands together. She thought of Lin, probably asleep in their luxurious loft somewhere in Causeway Bay, tulips sleeping beside her in expensive glass, her boyfriend trusted between the hands of his best friend. They were going to be engaged, Mey saw it in how Lin talked, how she suddenly settled definitely in his once grey and black apartment. Lin was a beautiful woman, all legs and silky skin, soft-spoken and sweet, and as if to make it worse, she was smart and composed, poised when Jackie was hot-headed, tempering his ardent personality perfectly. Mey acknowledged that for some time, she liked them together. Or, she hadn’t had the choice, anyway. Lin was already there when she knew Jack, had always treated her with grace. In all the Welles events, Mey was included, and that extended even to dinners Lin would exclusively hold for her models friends. She was familia, as Jack liked to emphasize, and Lin went with the flow, albeit never offering her her open friendship, she never displayed displeasure or jealousy at her presence, and why would she? She was always showered in Jackie’s most undivided attention, while Mey, a small assemblage of clumsy limbs and nervous shyness, watched from afar the kisses and the caresses and all that PDA shit and cheered and laughed and tried, always tried to overlook it, to push it away. She sometimes succeeded to forget that her dresses were never above the knee and that she would never accept their cheerful invitations for beach trips.

Mey absentmindedly traced the rough edges of her ribs, down to her thighs, the skin there would never heal, she knew.  She looked at Jackie again, snoring softly, his shirt resting on her lap now. Shirt on or off, he still was sweating his balls off. She had a final gesture of freeing his hair from his tight top knot, smoothing it gently before she switched all the lights off and wished him a hushed good night.

*

Mey woke up to fried eggs scent and something else, something saucy and pleasant. She sleepily pushed her drool-stained pillow and sighed, half content half longing, distantly recalling the previous night. Invisible tickly fingers were dragging her to the kitchen, but she first made a detour to the bathroom, smoothing her hair, washing her face and putting some clothes on, something more covering than her sleeping shorts, something that wouldn’t display her- she closed her eyes and hurried up changing, wearing her most cheerful voice as she entered her kitchen.

“Hi”

“Buenos dias!“

“What are you doing?” Jackie was visibly in his element, a hand stirring his ranchera sauce, the other shaking the pan, a kitchen cloth loosely thrown on his solid shoulder. And Mey didn’t know over what or who to drool anymore.

“Eh… a thank- you - I’m- sorry breakfast?”

“You’re silly” She laughed “Mornin’ Jack, how’s the eye?”

“Known worse, take a seat hermana, mi especial huevos rancheros are almost ready!”

“I’ve… your shirt is hung on the bathroom door’s-, it’s clean” She stuttered, thinking she couldn’t take another second of those exposed pecs. What was wrong with her, lately?

“Ah, my shirt can wait, relax and let ol’ Jackie serve you” he patted the seat next to him. He’d put the fried eggs and the sauce on the cooked tortillas, peppered it all with chopped cilantro. The view of the colorful dish was distracting her for a moment as she hummed with anticipation.

“I don’t remember having tortillas around, Jackie”

“S’just a ten-minute trip to the closest supermarket, shame they didn’t have cotija cheese, you’d like it better”

“I’m sure I would, now let’s eat! Won’t we?”

That’s when Jackie’s phone decided to come to life. Mey stopped mid-chew, eying her friend as he devoured his second tortilla, seemingly ignoring the call. She decided to shut up too, the scene reminded her of the first time they met, and she stifled a pensive smile.

“Hey, on which bird’s wing you’re flying?”

“Euh, nothing” she hesitated as her smile faltered.

“Tell me, Jack, about last night… Do you know if any cameras were watching?”

Jackie puffed his cheeks, rambled something she couldn’t understand.

“Of course you don’t, you were like a sheet in the wind”

She didn’t mean it to sound depreciative, but it slipped before she could swallow it.

Jackie started to bounce his leg, like every time he was stressed and uncomfortable. She hated to push, but for some reason, her worries beat her delicacy.

“Do you know the guy at least? I mean… is he one of you fellow boxers? An acquaintance? Jack, I really hope you didn’t mess with one of the high finance guys here… Tell me you didn’t”

Jackie was scratching his tattoos now.

“No, no. No te preocupes por mi, I’ll have a word with the club owner, he knows-“

“Jack, you know the stakes for your caree-“

Jackie’s phone rang again, and he let out a series of colorful Spanish curses.

“I think you should pick up”

“I’m not picking up, mierda!”

Mey gasped in her chair, but he was quick to take her hand, soothing.

“Lo siento, that’s not about you, I’m sorry” he held his head in his hands, rubbing his temples.

“I think I fucked up, Mimi, big time” His voice was tired and shallow.

Her phone beeps prevented her from answering. It was Lin, again.

Please Mey, can you tell Jackie to pick up?

“What’s going on, Jackie?” The huevos rancheros were long forgotten, cooling neglected on the small table in the late morning light.

He winced, eyes looking around, evasive, pained, shameful?

Another beep.

Our gynecologist appointment is in 30 minutes, he can’t do that to me. Talk sense into him, please, you’re the only one he listens to.

“Jack, you have an appointment with the gynecologist in 30 minutes?” She slowly questioned, incredulous eyes still on the text, searching for any mistakes, and finding none. Mey’s stomach churned, but the words didn’t have the time to settle in and it was her phone that rang this time.

“No, no, no, Mey! no contestar!”

All she gave him was a stern look before pressing the reply button.

“Por favo-“

“I’m sending him to you in five minutes”

“Hey, I-“

They were both standing now, in an almost antagonistic way, and Jackie didn’t know what hurt more, the disappointment or the wounded look in his best friend’s eyes.

“You have five minutes to leave this place” Mey’s voice broke, before she ran off to her room, slamming and locking the door behind her.

[yeojaa]

SUGAR HIGH, chapter x. (w. JJK)

You're not entirely sure when it happened, though you'd come to terms with it. You'd counted the days, waiting for the inevitable. You'd truly thought you'd be okay, but by the broken, half-beating thing in your chest - you knew you'd never really been prepared.

alt summary.  You thought you’d known real love and maybe you had - it just wasn’t with who you thought.

pairing.  jeon jungkook.  mentions/involvement of ot7.

tags.  angst, break up, post-break up, comfort, OT7, slow burn, friendship, moving on, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort, emotional baggage, fluff, canon compliant, jeon jungkook is bad at feelings, jeon jungkook is a good friend, jeon jungkook is a sweetheart.

rating.  general (for now?)

word count.  ~2000

chapter 10.  Nothing Like Us

"What if I'm not good enough?  What if this happens again and there's nothing I can do to stop it because it's not what I'm doing but what I'm not?  I can fix my mistakes but I can't change who I am."

"You redecorated," you muse once you've stepped into his studio, still speaking in English.  It's nice to practice even if you never use it anymore.  You never really found the need to after your few years abroad.  The most often was with Jungkook when he'd time to call you and practice, but now those days were few and far between.

Slipping the door shut behind you, you scrutinise the room curiously.  It's shades of white and cream, beige upholstery and inviting grey cushions that beckon you to sink your aching bones into them.  A little plant is nestled beside the door, planted neatly in a little black pot.  Two sweaters are folded on a seat, tags displaying exorbitant prices still attached.  There's a row of shelves against the closest wall that houses various books and figures, including a particular Bearbrick that catches your attention.  It's about six inches tall, as big as your palm, and decorated in a mosaic of orange.

"You still have it!"

The look Namjoon gives you is as if you'd grown a second head, sprouted the the appendage right from the base of your neck.  Why were you so surprised?  "Of course.  You designed it."  Reason enough because he's a sentimentalist as much as you are, holding onto knickknacks he's had for far too long.

You study the figurine closely, admiring your handiwork.  The swirls of colour form pieces of fruit, tiny oranges and peaches painted across the surface  joined by scrawled characters.  They were the lyrics to one of your favourite songs of theirs - Outro: Tear.  You'd cried the first time you'd heard it, brought to tears by words you hadn't expected.  The rap line always surprised you.

"Thank you, oppa."  You wonder if all of your gratitude could ever be conveyed in three simple words.  

He doesn't answer, simply dropping into his chair.  It's high-backed and black - you imagine one of the best money can be, considering how much time he must spend in it.  

"So, let's talk."  The words float over his head and back to you as he taps out his credentials, fingers flying across the sleek keyboard with ease.  Long fingers guide his mouse and he's scouring his library for something to put on the background.  He knows how music soothes you.  That's why you were so close.  Since the beginning, you'd spent hours listening to his demos, lending your voice to the symphony in his head. 

You both found reprieve in the melodies, drowning your sorrows in heavy beats.  Whereas music was his passion, his lifeblood, it guided yours - helped the creativity flow from your finger tips like water from a well. Music couldn't hurt you.  You could get lost in it for hours.

"Where do I start?"  You say derisively, without laughter or mirth.  You don't like how the question rolls of your tongue, acidic and frustrated.  You know it's your own emotions, ones that stir from their slumber at the first sound of piano keys.  You meet his open stare when he turns back to face you, hands clasped in his lap and expression intent.  He's like a doctor studying his patient.  "Really, Joonie?  Fools?"

The chuckle is indication enough that you don't get a say in songs tonight.  He wants you to feel something when Jungkook's dulcet tones join the harmony.

Before you begin, your legs are drawing to your chest, socked feet joining you on the couch.  It's like you're creating a physical wall when your arms wrap around your knees.  Your chin drops, bone digging into the soft muscle of your forearm.  You hum once or three times and exhale a sigh.  It's a stalling tactic but your companion isn't in a rush, your little movements only earning him a subtle shake of his head.

"You know we broke up."  There's no point clarifying who he is, because everyone knows.  And truthfully, you don't think you can speak his name, the mere thought of it a sinking stone in the pit of your stomach.  "I'm sad.  I'm really, really sad."  You don't realize you've transitioned back into Korean before you're spilling the entirety of your lovesick heart into your proverbial hands - or in this case, the cavern of your arms.  "And I'm scared, too.  Because I don't know what I did wrong or what I can do to keep the next person I fall in love with."  There's emotion welling behind your eyes before you can stop it.

It's such a silly thing.  Love. 

And yet it has you breaking beneath its weight, sobbing quietly for what seems like the hundredth time in not very long at all.

"What if I'm not good enough?  What if this happens again and there's nothing I can do to stop it because it's not what I'm doing but what I'm not?  I can fix my mistakes but I can't change who I am."  You're not entirely sure your words are intelligible due to the way they're streaming into your skin, caught in the current of your tears.  "I'm so scared I'll let him down."

"Who's 'him'?" 

The question catches you off guard, head whipping up with such speed that you grimace.  

"What?"  Leave it to Kim Namjoon to pick up on something you hadn't even meant to say.  Why couldn't he just be pretending to pay attention, like most people would?  Why did he have to be such a good person?

"You said you don't want to let him down.  Soomi-ya, who's 'him'?"  There's no demand for an answer, no intolerance or force in his reiterated words.  He's genuinely curious because he wants to work through this with you, no matter how awkward you suddenly feel.  He knows, if the roles were reversed, you'd be doing the same.  That's just who he was - a leader.

You're chewing on the inside of your cheek again, twisting your fingers until your knuckles are stark white and straining. 

Did you tell him? Would he tell Jungkook? 

If you were to stop and really think about it, you know the answer would be no.  Namjoon was like a vault - any secret you swore him to would go with him to his grave.  He'd have rather died before he betrayed the trust of someone who cared about.  But in the moment, you're second guessing, the silence stretching on longer than either of you expected.

He relents first, though only in part.  "You don't have to tell me," he begins, carefully, choosing his words like the fate of the world rests with him.  "But if he's a good guy, if he's anything like Jungkook--"  

What?

"--then it won't matter.  You'll be everything and more to him, I promise you that."  A hand has breached the divide, smooth warm palm resting heavily over yours.  It's a surprising act of skinship that has you leaning in, wholly focused on the words spilling from his lips.  "He'll always pick you.  You'll never have a doubt in your mind."

You're not sure whether he means your potential future soulmate or your best friend.  You don't dare ask for fear of breaking the illusion.  Because right now, it feels like Namjoon's speaking on the maknae's behalf. 

You know it isn't true but god, you wish it were.

"Okay," you finally breathe. 

"Where'd Soomi go?" 

The realization you aren't there comes like a freight train, catching him off-guard once he's dropped his headset onto the chair.  Had you left when he'd been engulfed in the high stress fantasy world?  He was sure you would've said goodbye.

Had he done something to mess up?

"I think she and Namjoon-hyung went to talk."  Jungkook's surprised by Taehyung's response.  They'd been playing together, lost in the chaos of Overwatch - or so he'd thought.  Why did it bother him that his hyung knew where you'd gone but he didn't?  Was that something he wanted to think about or would it have him locked in his own head, thinking about things he shouldn't be?

"I'll go get her," he states, about to move down the hall and only stopping when a hand catches his arm, fingers locking around the bones of his wrist and gently urging him back.  

"I think they need time."

Time?  For what?

He's frowning almost immediately, brows knitting together just as his hands do, socking together within the pouch of his hoodie.  With a huff, Jungkook drops unceremoniously into the nearest seat, nearly knocking the mouse from Taehyung's hand with the force of his movement.  He's suddenly uncharacteristically pouty - despite the fact that he'd just wrecked some strangers for the third time in a row.  The discontent radiates off him in waves, manifesting itself in the bouncing of his leg and the fisting of his tongue against his cheek. 

It's only when his foot kicks the other's chair for the third time that Taehyung reacts, tearing his headset off in annoyance.  He'd been thisclose to winning the last match, all his hopes going up in smoke when the younger's incessant movement had nudged his Mei into the line of fire.  

"Stop."  A command more than anything, baritone carrying with it reproach and disapproval.  He knew how complicated things were between you two but hell if it wasn't frustrating.  Truthfully, it had been nice when you'd been in a relationship, because there were no what-ifs, no potential for tension.  Things were normal, if not a little melancholy.

(Though, if they weren't like brothers and he was into smackdowns, Taehyung would've already asked you out - if only to force Jungkook into action.)

Displeasure simmers just before the surface, reflected in the depths of his stare, and the younger makes a concentrated effort not to scoff.  "I'm not doing anything," he grumbles as if he believes it, shoulders squaring beneath his baggy clothes.  Fingers flex against the swell of his biceps, digging into the muscle there as if that'll  sooth the resentment that courses through his veins.  He doesn't like this any more than Taehyung does - he's just bad at controlling his emotions.

"When are you going to tell her?"  Taehyung's settled back into his chair, back to the other as he speaks, already queueing up for another match without his DPS partner.  "The sooner you do it, the less time you'll spend feeling like this." 

The words are not unkind, but Jungkook bristles, pointedly turning his attention to his phone.  "I know that."  

"Then what are you waiting for?"  

"She just got out of a relationship."  It isn't the entire truth but it's close enough that he can speak the words without hesitation.  And I don't even know if she feels the same way. 

"So what?  You've known each other forever.  You don't think that trumps the ex-boyfriend thing?"

Jungkook hates the points that are being made, because they're the same ones he's pondered himself, in the quiet of his bedroom where he's safe from your infectious smile and intoxicating laughter.  He's mulled the possibility over time and time again, having nearly taken the plunge at least half a dozen times.  He could just never push himself off that ledge.  

If he lost you, he wasn't sure what he'd do.  It just wasn't worth it.  (Or so he'd say, before winding back up in this exact same spot.)

"Risk it for the biscuit."  The phrase sounds awkward coming from Taehyung, the strange English idiom having been stuck in his head since he'd heard it a few nights ago in-game.  He'd asked Namjoon about it, playing with the sound of the consonants and vowels before deciding it was his new favourite phrase.  "You can't be scared forever."

"I'm not scared!"  Now, Jungkook's just offended.  He'd weather storms with you - for you.  He wasn't a coward.  There were just so many variables to consider.  It didn't help he was, as his hyungs would put it, a sore loser.  Would he able to swallow his pride if you rejected him, whether kindly or without regard?  Would he resent you? 

God, he couldn't imagine that.  He'd hated your fights enough growing up, the spats stemming from two kids that grew up too fast and thought they knew everything.  When you'd had your first big blowout, he'd nearly driven himself sick with sadness.  You hadn't talked for nearly six weeks - the worst silence he'd ever experienced, so hollow it felt like his heart had been torn clean out of his chest by some sort of super massive blackhole.

"Then tell her."  And as if to bring the conversation to an end, Taehyung drags his headset over his ears, effectively blocking out the groan he knows is coming.  

notes.  i'm trying to expand my chapters a bit more by giving more detail where it's needed and painting clearer pictures.  please let me know what you think (or don't).  if you're reading this, I love you anyways.  <3

[mummapaintstheblues]

Something Borrowed, Someone Blue

I did an angst! Enjoy! Btw this is totally @neraawritesxx fault for giving me the plot bunny. 

READ HERE ON FF.NET

The hotel reception area had been disgustingly lively, the byproduct of friends and family reuniting for such a ‘joyous’ event. The atmosphere had been so unbearable to Kakashi, he had promptly found the first stool at the bar and seated himself for the foreseeable future. Whiskey in one hand, elbow resting on the counter, back facing anyone coming in or out of the room.

As a former Anbu captain, Kakashi had more skill than most when it came to disguises and not being recognized. But here, he had no opportunity to hide, if he kept his head down just enough then perhaps no one would see the spike of silver hair drinking his sorrows away.

“Oi! Kaka-sensei!”

Or perhaps he wouldn’t be so lucky, why would he be?

“Naruto, Hinata…” Kakashi gestured with the glass, holding it up to them in greeting before taking another swig.

Either the alcohol was impairing his judgement already, or he just plain wasn’t paying enough attention, but Kakashi completely missed the curt nod Naruto directed to his wife. Or the smile and tap of his shoulder she made before hurrying herself off to talk to someone else. Leaving the two men alone at the bar.

“I’m glad you’re here sensei, I wasn’t sure you would come.”

“Well, it’s rude to turn down an invitation…”

“And you promised Sakura to be here, ne?”

Kakashi paused for a moment with the brim of his glass thoughtfully to his lips.

“That I did.”

When the words were met with silence Kakashi thought that perhaps Naruto had wandered off to join in the merriment with his wife. But when he heard the scratching of the stool next to his he sighed. No such luck.

“So, where’s your better half?”

“Huh…” he huffed in amusement. “You know Mei, she’ll be front row center to the gossip parade.”

Naruto huffed back, and in a move that surprised Kakashi, signalled for a glass to the barman. The action causing Kakashi to raise a skeptical brow. Even if he was a grown married man, there was one thing that Naruto Uzumaki could not do, and that was hold his liquor to any reasonable standard. From his peripheral he watched as the blond opened his mouth to speak several times but kept uncharacteristically silent. There was something he wanted to say but it seemed that the words were having difficulty forming. Despite his current frustrations at the universe Kakashi could afford him a little patience at least, and he was a patient man.

Just not where it counted.

He tried to shake the thought by downing the rest of his glass.

“Keep em’ coming.” He mumbled to the barkeep.

“Drinking your troubles away hmm?” Naruto finally spoke.

“What makes you think I’m troubled?” Kakashi asked, though he didn’t even need to hear the response. It was more rhetorical than anything.

“C’mon sensei, we both know it, this is Sakura… Sakura! Hey! You’re here! Where’s sourpuss?”

Kakashi glanced over his shoulder as she appeared, looking every bit the beautiful bride to be on the eve of her wedding. She smiled and his heart did the involuntary skip it always did, and he suspected it always would. He sighed into his glass, forcing a smile back before she came to lean on the counter between himself and Naruto.

“Oh he’ll be somewhere hiding amongst the chaos. Isn’t this a madhouse? I’m so sorry to put you guys through this, but I’m so glad you’re here to keep me sane.” Sakura took the glass from Naruto’s hand and downed it in one.

“Woah, easy girl.”

“Oh shut it Naruto, you didn’t hear Sai’s ‘gift’. My ears still haven’t recovered.”

“Did he go with the poem or the ballad?” Kakashi quipped, enjoying the doom cloud that appeared suddenly around her, probably more than he should truth be told.

“Please don’t make me remember, I’m trying so hard to repress it… Do you think it would be improper use of chakra to block that part of my brain off for the evening?”

Kakashi huffed in amusement.

“Improper use of chakra , huh? I can think of a few more things that would be worth the headache…” Mei appeared to his other side, winking seductively in their general direction.

Just as Kakashi started to rifle through his mind for any excuse to remove himself, the band began to play. Saved by the bell… he thought to himself.

It was just unfortunate that he was not so lucky.

“Care to dance?” Mei danced her hand up his forearm as she spoke, a gesture that was just as alluring as it was foreboding. There would be no backing out of this one.

“I’ll take this one, if you don’t mind, Kakashi.” Sasuke sidled up out of nowhere, and it was still odd to hear his voice speaking in a tone that wasn’t pure darkness. “It is my last night as a free man after all.”

With his best attempt at a smile he nodded while Mei giggled in that way she did sometimes when she got the right attention. Taking Sasuke’s arm they glided off to the slowly filling dance floor. Kakashi sighed and turned his attention back to his whiskey, what he didn’t expect was Sakura to tug impatiently at his other arm, her big green eyes imploring him.

“We can’t let them show us up, Kakashi! Besides, it’s been forever since we danced… Come on…”

There was little he could do to argue as she was already pulling him to his feet. Kakashi gave Naruto a pained expression, and instead of sympathy, he saw something else in him. Something that was curious and exasperated all at once, but there was no time to ask.

[overdorks-blog]

HanMei (if you heard of the ship) and what if Hanzo was walking minding his own business when Snowball suddenly appeared and asked for help. Hanzo follows and finds a drunk Mei. He carries her to her room, and she asks him to stay with her.

Sorry this took so long to get to you! I’ve just been so uninspired recently. 

Also, whoops. There was angst. My hand slipped. 

————————————————————–

Hanzo didn’t come to Overwatch to make friends. The true and genuine reason he appeared at Watchpoint: Gibraltar, was because of his brother. Even now, in the time that he had been there, even though Genji seemed glad to see him, constantly, Hanzo couldn’t help but feel that their relationship was rocky. That Genji was saving face around him for his own comfort. His brother was an entirely different man from all those years ago, so Hanzo couldn’t at all be sure. 

But he stayed, regardless of how he felt things were going, because he felt obligated to try and make things work out here, if nothing else. And make things work he had, certainly. 

There was Genji’s best friend, Jesse. He was…an interesting character. Loud, bullheaded and brash. He was about as typical as an american stereotype can be. But the man had a good heart and seemed to cre greatly about the organization. There was Hana, the teenage warrior with an affinity for modern technology, and an online persona that of a girl with no insecurities and endless confidence. She would chat at him excitedly in Korean and take unflattering pictures while he wasn’t looking. The list of characters went on, and Hanzo got to know them each as well as they would let him, or as well as he would let himself. 

Hanzo could call them friends, he supposed. Did he expect to find someone beyond that? Certainly not.

He had met Mei in the shooting range in his first few days on the base. The woman had been squinting slightly in focus as she shoots ice crystals out of her contraption and into the chassis of a training bot downrange. He frowns a little, watching her. She seems to be doing fine on her own, and interjecting advice at this point, Hanzo decides, would be rude. Surely, if she was on this team, she was more than capable of handling herself. Even if her posture for such things was absolutely awful.

Uncasing Stormbow, Hanzo slings the quiver over his shoulder and finds a high up place where training bots ‘patrolled’ by. He dispatches them with ease, turning slightly to tag the few stationary bots within his line of sight. It was horridly simple, but he refused to adjust the difficulty settings while someone else was in the training area with him. 

He feels eyes on him and turns, and the scientist seems to jump a little, blushing at being caught. She stammers something about needing to leave in Mandarin, and makes her escape quickly. It confused him, at the time. 

It became more clear, over the months. He would stumble into the kitchen in the morning to find her sitting over a large amount of sweet sticky rice, far too much for one person to eat on their own. she would always smile and offer him some, and he would take it, because….well he wasn’t entirely sure why. Perhaps it was how she sounded still tired in her yeti pajamas, how hopeful she looked when she asked him if he wanted any. He couldn’t say no. 

And it only escalated from there, he would say. It went from her offering to share, to them making breakfast and eating together. Sitting and having tea and chatting in Mandarin or Japanese, whichever one they happened to fancy that day. 

Of course, Hanzo would never admit that his feelings for her went beyond that of friendship. A relationship in a place like this, with the lives they had wouldn’t be beneficial to anybody, and could put anyone here at risk, including themselves. 

~~

Today in particular, Hanzo had been resting. After a mishap in a mission, he had hit his shoulder harder than he should have when breaking his fall. He miscalculated, is all, and he was certainly feeling it today. 

At least, hr had been resting. Something cold nizges his arm and his eyes open, frowning and looking down. There, pressed against his arm, was Mei’s assist-bot, as he had come to think of it, not quite sure if the thing was a robot or an omnic. Either way, it was her companion. What was it doing so far into the base, and away from her lab or her room? 

“What?” He demands, and the flaps on the side snap down and it sinks a bit, before nudging against his hand. He pets it, as Mei often does, but as soon as his hand is over the top, it darts away, as if attempting to pull him out of his seat with his hand. 

“Ow- hey!” He scolds and snowball whirrs at him insistently. it goes to the door and then back, whirring and chittering at him. “You…want me to follow you?” He inquires, and the flaps on the side come up and it comes back to him. That seems to be an affirmative, but Hanzo isn’t sure. He stands and the bot races to the door, confirming his suspicions. “Fine- I will follow. but what is the meaning of this?” He asks, and snowball whirrs. 

That isn’t at all helpful. He sighs and resigns himself to following the bot. 

It leads him into the lab area, most of the lights are off. Mei, in those adorable yeti pajamas, looks to be pouring over data, she looks over at Hanzo when he enters, turning away quicky and wiping her face. he frowns, approaching her. “Mei, are you alright?” 

“I- yeah!” She turns around beaming at him and brushing some holoscreens into a digital folder behind her. Her eyes are red and her face is heavily flushed, almost entirely red. It’s more than clear that she’s been drinking. Now, Hanzo was no stranger to having a drink, and, yes, occasion getting drunk. There was nothing wrong with either of those things in moderation, but Mei was clearly also upset. 

“I was just- There’s still so much data from when I was- yeah.” She nods, eyes focusing on something on another desk, and she goes for it, stumbling over her own feet before she gets there. Thankfully, she’s caught by a strong, dragon-tattooed arm rather than the floor. “Be careful.” He chides, and Mei frowns childishly. “I don’t need your help.” she huffs, fixing her glasses and gently pushing his arm away. 

He frowns as she moves to the desk, shuffling through papers, shaking her head and and lifting her glasses to rub at her eyes. She sniffles and HAnzo frowns, sighing softly. “Mei-san. You’re distraught.” He isnists, and she looks over at him, fresh tears gathering in her eyes. 

“I- My team, Hanzo. I- I have to do this. They- I was the only- I can’t just-” 

Her shoulders shake and she hands her head, and Hanzo can’t help himself but to wrap his arms around her. she had told him about how she returned to Overwatch, waking up on Ecopoint: Antarctica and her entire station’s cryochambers being compromised after nine years of sleep. 

“Let’s get you to bed.” He decides, pulling back and tucking a bit of hair behins her ear. Mei frowns, starting to protest. “Hush.” His instruction is firm, but gentle at the same time. “You are intoxicated, and hardly in any state to be reviewing data. We will get you some water amd to your bed.” Her eyebrows knit and it looks like she’s going to be stubborn and protest again, but she relents, looking away and nodding. 

He steps back and she turns towards the doorway, taking a few uneasy steps before stumbling over herself again. She was more drunk than Hanzo originally thought. He catches her again, this time scooping her up to carrt her against his chest in a cross between bridal-style and the way one typically carries a child. She huffs, resting her cheek on his shoulder. “You don’t have to carry me.” 

“I do, if I don’t want to guide you across the base like a blind dog.” He answers easily, and she sighs, giving in. He feels strange, carrying her like this into the women’s barracks, but he didn’t have much of a choice. He approaches the door and she prattles off her door code, him fumbling a little and adjusting to put it in without dropping her, so he gently sets the woman back on her feet to punch in the numbers. 

The door slides open and he turns on the light. Mei seems to have figured herself out enough, shuffling instead of trying to walk to her bed.  She sits on it, and looks at him, taking her glasses off and her hair down, fluffing it out of it’s neat bun with a clumsy hand. He blushes, looking away and clearing his throat. 

“I- I suppose this is where I take my leave.” he nods as she adjusts her pillows and blankets with immense concentration. “Oyasumi, Mei-san.” 

He turns the light off, sure to leave on the lamp by her head as she gets settled in. He sighs down at her, petting her head once before straightening up and going to leave. “Wait.” She sits back up a little, frowning at him. “will you stay with me?”

“I- hardly think that’s-”

“I hate waking up alone. Not after Antarctica.” She blurts quickly, recoiling a little at her own words and looking at the ground. Her face would be redder if it was physically possible bast her drunkenness. “B-but If you don’t want to, then that’s fine, I just-” she’s backpeadling already, but hanzo gives her a small, sad smile. 

“If that is what you want, Mei. I will stay with you.” She nods once, and he moves to sit on the bed with her, laying out beside her. She turns over to snuggle against his side, a fuzzy, blue cloudy blanket between them. He wraps an arm around her, looking down at the woman, already falling asleep again. 

“You will never wake up alone, then. If that is what you want.” He rumbles softly 

[kwamiwayzz]

Citrus Spoilers - Final

Anyway I just wanted to say that I have aSCENDED into another plane 

I avoided my tumblr blog for as long as I could and even ditched my discord for awhile to avoid sPOILERS at ALL cOSTS and LET ME TELL YOU. THE FULL EXPERIENCE WAS SO FUCKN WORTH IT

I’ve been following this gosh darn manga for about 5 years and let me tell you it was such a WiLd RIDE. But I am so glad and thankful to both Sabu and Chaosteam for everything they’ve given us thirsty fans. I remember back when I first read this manga as a smol sexuality-confused sophomore in high school, I thought to myself, “oh lol they’re step-sisters, idk where this is gonna go but it seems interesting” 

[More spoilers under the cut]

I went from “I’m not really expecting much of a happy ending (on a realistic sense)” to “LET THEM BE HAPPY SABU *gross sobbing*” all the way to “FFFUUUCCCCKKK YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS #LOVEWINS” 

I know that the ending seems rushed and idealistic but like....bruh having them be married, especially after all this shit and turmoil those two went through feels dAMN EARNED. I was kinda on the edge of my seat when i read the first few pages of the chapter when Mei was just telling Yuzu to get lost and im like “bruh bruh bruh??!!?” After all that time you’re still running away from your bae???? 

But then I kinda realized that while it seems almost like a step-backwards for Mei to continuously keep running away from Yuzu despite growing more comfortable and open and vulnerable, the fact still stays that she was groomed and conditioned to live in a set path and never leave it. So, having to change her mindset wasn’t going to happen overnight. While I did wish for Mei to be the one to chase after Yuzu, I actually could see why it needed to be Yuzu to reach out to Mei one last time in order to convince her that they can be happy together. 

BUT ENOUGH OF THAT DEEP ANALYSIS HERE’S MY THOUGHTS ON THE REST OF THE CHAPTER

WHEN MEI TRIED TO CONVINCE HERSELF THAT SHE HATED YUZU BUT STARTED CRYING *INHALES* I ALMOST STARTED BAWLING

2.5 pages of no dialogue and everything is completely fixed XD 

MEI FINALLY FUCKN SAID “I LOVE YOU” TO YUZU and she was being such as blushy blushy mess I was like AAAAAAAAAA

YUZU’S WIDE-ASS FUCKN GRIN WHEN HER BAE TOLD HER SHE LOVES HER 

THE GODDAMN WEDDING 

Oh and there were ppl there I didn’t expect would be there lol like Yuzu’s friends who like...lowkey trashed her relationship with another woman but hey depending on this timeskip ppl can change, GRAMPS (like im betting that everyone else had to convince him, especially his son. And I also feel like...again, depending on this timeskip, Gramps does care for Mei as his granddaughter rather than seeing her solely as an Aihara heir on some occasions--tl;dr he’s either there by obligation or to actually support her) 

Mineko, you know that one lady with the sombrero hair that lectured Yuzu on her first day at Aihara Academy, I didn’t know she’d be there lol 

AND MEI

FUCKN

GODDAMN SMILING AT HER BRIDE 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

LOOK AT THIS PRECIOUS SMILE 

I HAVENT SEEN MEI SMILE SINCE LIKE FUCKN CHAPTER 6 OR SOME SHIT AND LIKE UFIIHOAIJSDFAUISDF

also i think this is a lowkey smile XD 

also i wanted to bring this panel up again 

like the emotion in this

I could really feel for Mei, constantly running away from the person she wants to be with the most because she feels like maybe she doesn’t deserve to be with Yuzu not that I know what that feels like amirite But you could see from the way she’s holding her hands to her chest, squeezing her ring, that was suffering as much as Yuzu 

tho i will say ahem...yuzu, why did have to mention you two as sisters...like you were doing so well earlier, honey, sweetie??? 

I’m so glad Mei said 

Character development right there for Mei <3 

Anyway, to cut my incoherent babbling short lol, like many other people, there was a point where I no longer expected a love scene between the two because I felt like at this point, it wasn’t necessary and it didn’t need to be necessary. also a marriage is like 12/10 much MUCH better and besides.......mei and yuzu will have pLENTY of time to do all that good stuff later in their lives  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

I still can’t believe we got this <3 As someone who struggled with accepting my sexuality back in high school, having see the end result of these two after 5 fucking long years 

It reminds me of the time when Korr(a)sami became canon <3 

Also and one more note, ever since this chapter came out, now whenever I go back to writing I’m like aNGST whOM? drAMA whAT? 

[vin-taege]

Zodiac

Summary: Despite Yoongi’s protests, you still buy the small mirror in the antique shop rumored to bring good luck. Soon enough, a series of fortunate events happen, and so does a chain of deaths. The mirror may bring good luck, but at what cost? 

Genre: Horror, Angst, FengShui!au

Pairing: Yoongi x reader, ft. members

Disclaimer: major character death, mild depictions of gore

Legend: >> a few minutes forward 

Yoongi doesn’t believe in superstitions, much less luck. Everything you got in life was because of your own will and perseverance, not because some higher entity thought you could have it. You, on the other hand, couldn’t agree less. There wasn’t any harm in trying out so-called luck-bringing rituals. If it didn’t work, nothing bad would actually happen, right?

The first part of your relationship was a bit rocky. His hectic schedule provided you barely enough time to see each other, and when you did, he needed to rest. He left before you woke up, and arrived just after you fell asleep. Composing for artists was a difficult and stressing thing, a fact you understood. That’s why when you moved to a new house, you wanted to start anew.

You were currently shopping for furniture in an antique shop. Taking Taehyung’s advice, you wanted to go for a classy look. Plus, the prices were way cheaper than those in department stores. Yoongi had already picked a dining table and its chairs, and you just finished checking out a dresser, when you saw it. 

It was a fairly simple mirror, small enough to fit on top of your front door. It was a circular mirror, a thick octagonal border around it.. You went towards it and picked it up, its black, gold, and red colors vibrant. However, you noticed that there was a piece of cloth taped around the edges of the glass.

“May I help you?”, a voice said behind you, almost making you drop the mirror in surprise. You turned around to find one of the employees, a bored-looking teenager- who was probably annoyed at you touching their stuff.

“Oh, I was just looking. Um, do you know how much this thing costs?”, you showed him the mirror. He took it, checking the back and sides, before returning it to you. “Well, there isn’t a price tag, but I’ll ask Ms. Mei. That bagua’s pretty old, so it might cost a lot”, he said, leading you to the counter, where Yoongi was waiting for you.

Bagua.

You remembered reading about it once. In Chinese belief, it supposedly brought in good luck if you placed it at your front door. Perfect for your new home. 

You placed the bagua on the counter, earning a questioning look from Yoongi. “Another ritual, cult girl?”, he teased you. You gave him a playful slap. “There’s no harm in trying.”

The employee went through a curtain behind the counter, and came back together with an old woman. She was shorter than you, her grey hair tied into a neat bun. She was wearing a shawl over her loose, red dress. Greeting you with a smile, she took the form you filled out earlier.

“The shop can help you transport your furniture. We have a truck, and I can get one of my employees to drive them to your house”, she offered. 

“Yes, we would like that very much”, Yoongi smiled back, appreciating her thoughtfulness. She then looked at you, smile suddenly disappearing as she saw the mirror on the counter. Her expression darkened, and she even took a step back, wrinkled hands moving to pull the shawl around her tighter.

Even Yoongi noticed, and he flashed you a look of confusion. You nibbled on your lip awkwardly, the change of atmosphere evident. “Is there something wrong?” you asked her. “I wanted to ask how much this bagua costs. I saw it on one of the displays, so I thought it was on sale.”

“No!” she snapped. “No. Keep it. Y-you can have it for free. Just... be careful with it”, she said, her tone much softer this time. She hurriedly went back through the curtain, leaving behind the employee from earlier, who looked equally confused.

“I can drive the furniture. Just point out your car so I can follow you guys”, he trailed off, getting the truck keys. “Sehun, I’ll be out for a while. Man the counter”, he called out to the back of the store. You heard a faint ‘okay’, before exiting the store, with Yoongi holding your hand, the bagua clutched tightly in the other.

Fortunately, Jin and Jimin came to help move your things. It would’ve taken you two days to move just a cabinet, and a table set, and that’s even with Yoongi’s help. The table wouldn’t have been off the ground by an inch, and you’d already drop it.

“Wow, you guys got more than what you bargained for”, Jin said over a mouthful of cookies. Indeed, you did. For a cheap price, you got a small, but cozy bungalow. The inside was a plain white, which Yoongi liked since he thought it was simple.

“She even got into a fight with one agent”, Yoongi elbowed you teasingly. You rolled your eyes, taking a sip of your coffee. “He was charging us way too much. The house wasn’t even that nice”, you argued, making the boys laugh.

The house you chose was near a forest, and was more on the rural side, but not too far away from the city. Most of your neighbors ran farms, so there were times a chicken or a dog would run down the streets, something you’d get used to. Taehyung was delighted to hear that, coming from a family of farmers himself, though he hasn’t visited the house yet, due to his busy school schedule.

To your luck, you didn’t have to change jobs since the shop you were working in was just a ten minute walk away. Definitely closer than your old house. 

“Noona, what’s that?” Jimin nodded towards the octagonal mirror, the reflective surface itself still covered up. You took it from its spot on the table and brought it close to your face, holding it away as you took the cover off. 

“It’s a bagua. It brings good luck apparently”, you told them as you tried to scratch the tape off. Yoongi snorted beside you. “It’s another one of those Chinese things she tried out. I gotta admit though, the incense she sprayed around in Chinese New Year did smell pretty great.”

Ignoring his comment,you finally got the cover off, and you peered into the mirror. It kind of looked like the eye-holes in hotels, where everything was slightly more rounded than normal. Weirdly, it gave off an odd feeling. Worry was tugging at your subconscious, but like Yoongi’s comment, you payed no attention to it. Maybe you were going to get a fever. It was just a mirror after all.

“Woah, that looks cool”, Jin remarked, reaching for it. Yoongi sat back as you handed him the mirror, choosing to look at you questioningly. You shrugged at him. “Hey, it’s not doing harm.” He gave you a half-smile. “I suppose not.”

“Hyung, let me see”, Jimin shifted next to Jin, seeing his own warped reflection beside the older boy’s. “Woah, it’s like those fish-eye things. Yoongi-hyung, wanna look too?”

Yoongi gave him a gentle smile. “No, I believe I’m good.” He leaned onto you, using you as a cushion. You whined, trying to push him off. He rolled his eyes, only squishing you further into the side of the couch. Jin looked at you and fake gagged, before handing back the mirror. Suddenly, a honk from outside caught your attention. 

“Ah that’s Hobi. We should get going. We don’t really trust Jungkook alone at the house”, Jimin chuckled. “I suppose so. Thanks for coming over.” you said, laughing with them. The pair got up, only to be greeted by Hoseok opening the front door. “Hobi!” you waved at him,urging him to come in. “Hello! Sorry I wasn’t able to help in the moving.” he rubbed his nape. 

He nodded at the mirror. “What’s that?” he said, moving closer to get a better look. “Oh, just a little lucky charm I got.” you replied, ignoring Yoongi’s scoffs.

“Y/n good news!” Your boss walked in as you were arranging a bouquet. The business at the flower shop has been slow, resulting in low paychecks. The salary wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the best either. The only things keeping you from resigning were your overly-nice manager and the need to help Yoongi with the expenses. 

“Yes, sir?” you placed the final rose in the center, stopping to turn to him. “Fortunately, a sudden pop-up of orders came; at least a hundred different companies and people are asking for orders.” he beamed at you.

Your jaw dropped. The shop you were in was a small one, having only a number of chains nationwide. It was highly unusual, and almost miraculous, to have a hundred orders pop out of nowhere. “W-what? Really?” a smile slowly crept, heart beating at the news. “Yes! I’m equally surprised. So, let’s work hard! About a fourth of them are due next week, so we better get going.” he patted you on the shoulder, a ringing phone drawing him out the room.

You stared at the pink cloth wrapped around the flowers. Twenty five orders were needed by next week, and God knows how much the amount was. Coincidentally, your boss came back with a long slip of paper. “Here’s a portion of the list.” he said, placing it on the counter. “I’ve already talked to Jiwoo and Hansung. They’re going to help you.” he finished, rushing out to manage another phone call.

The list was a jumble of rushed writing. Big companies were even there, and so were weddings. Determined to finish the orders by today, you looked at the first name. 

Song’s Wedding

Your heart rate sped up. Could it possibly be Song-Song couple? No way. “Y/n!” your manager’s voice brought you back to reality. “On it!” A ton of peonies and roses mixed together, making about twenty for the aisle, and another special bouquet for the bride. It was going to be a long day, but it was so worth it.

*

Yoongs <3

Yoongs <3: Really? You aren’t just joking right?

You: Yes! I’m shocked too, I mean 100 orders in one day?? wtf

You: but in a good way

Yoongs <3:  I’m so happy for you, babe :)

You: … omg screenshotted

Yoongs <3:Fuck off before I take it back

You smiled, sending a quick ‘I love you’, before putting your phone in your bag and zipping it up. Your boss was a bit too delighted and decided to send you home early. It was perfect for walking around the village and getting to memorize the way home.

Lately, the weather has been unpredictable. One moment, it rained, the next, it was incredibly hot. Thankfully, it was just right today, although it was a bit windy. A strong breeze pushed your hair back, making you hold it down with one hand. You could feel your phone vibrating in your bag. With a huff, you tried your best to get it using your free hand.

‘Goddamn,’ you muttered ‘How convenient.’ You continued grumbling, then you felt something hit your chest. A shriek left your lips, and you furiously wiped whatever landed on you off your body. You calmed down enough, seeing a small, thin, brown envelope in the ground.

It got blown away a few inches more, before you caught it by stepping on it. You reached down, and opened it. ‘Holy shit’ you thought. The thing had 50 000 won in it. 

You looked around, seeing no one looking for it. In fact, you were strangely the only person in the empty road. 

“Min Yoongi!” you screamed at him as soon as you got your phone out. “Y/n, I love you and all, but I actually need my ears to compose-”

“Yeah, whatever. Shut up and listen. Ok, so I was walking down the road, and it was windy, and there was a thing-”

“Y/n, take a deep breath, and please talk slowly.”

“Yoongi,” you squealed. “50 000 won literally got blown to me.” 

Silence followed, and at one point you thought he hung up. Then, you heard a loud thud, followed by what sounded like someone hitting a table multiple times. “You- what- how?” he managed to choke out, though you could hear extreme happiness in his tone.

“I don’t know! I was just walking, and no one seemed to look for it. I mean, we really kinda need it, babe.” you said in an uneasy way, guilt starting to follow. Maybe taking it wasn’t the most moral option, but you didn’t want to skip meals like last time. “I understand. But really, wow. I- I don’t even know what to say.”

More silence. Yoongi normally would’ve had something to say, never being a man lost for words. You didn’t notice how long you were talking until you began to see your house. “Hey, I’m home early by the way. I’m making a celebratory dinner.” you grinned. Yoongi let out a cute victory yell. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. My girlfriend’s calling for me, and there’s no way I’m passing this up.”

The news of your promotion spread fast among the boys. Despite Yoongi’s whines of having alone time, you invited the boys to your mini feast. They gladly accepted, with Taehyung excitedly coming over (and dragging Namjoon with him) within the first thirty minutes.Hoseok showed up next, fresh from his dance tournament. Jungkook texted that they’d be a bit late since they decided to make you a little present. 

“Where’s the lucky mirror?” Namjoon grinned at you. Yoongi sent you a smirk. “It’s outside. She’d gladly show you the way.”

“You sure you don’t want to look at it, babe? Might give you a small work boost.” you winked at him. He laughed and shook his head. “I’d rather stay inside and not let the food burn.” You looked at Hoseok. “I’m staying to help this guy. Plus, I’ve already seen it anyway.” he politely declined.

Shrugging, you stepped out the door, the other boys following you. Namjoon giddily came next to you, glancing up at what you were pointing to. “Oh, a bagua?” you glanced at him, surprised that he knew the term. He gave you a sheepish smile. “I’ve been reading in my spare time.”

“A what, hyung?” Taehyung said, moving next to Namjoon as he looked at the mirror. “A bagua. Something from Chinese belief.” Taehyung hummed in response, staring as the reds and golds of the mirror captivated him.

Back at the dorm, the three boys were busy preparing a meal of their own. They planned to give you a bulgogi, knowing that you’d share it and they’d get some themselves. Jin has been leading the process, telling them to wrap it up as it was getting late. 

“Jimin, just put the materials back. Look at that knife holder, it’s almost falling off. Plus, there’s tons of bowls scattered around. Move it, men!” he clapped. Jimin squinted at him. “Aish, so bossy.” he muttered. Jin ignored the comment, grabbing a glass of water. “I’m gonna change clothes. You guys look decent already, so we’re going straight out after I finish.” he rushed off, leaving the younger boys to tend to the mess.

He softly sang to himself as he entered the room, setting the glass down a bit too close to the edge of the table. His stufftoys and figurines lay messily on the floor, the older boy not finding the time to recently clean his room. Marios, Princess Peach, and a huge Donkey Kong plushie was left untouched near the table. 

He dug through his closet, carelessly throwing out shirts. He’d clean it up once he gets home. ‘Aha!’ his eyes glanced upon a simple button-down, perfect. He took his shirt off, tossing it behind him. As he was about to button the shirt, he heard something fall and looked behind him. 

The glass fell, water soaking through his shirt. He grumbled, turning his head to the door. “Kook, can you hand me the mop?” he hollered. No reply. “Kook?” he waited a few more seconds, still met by silence. He sighed, walking around the spill to a small cabinet where they kept the brooms. 

He got a mop, dragging it behind him. He trudged around the junk sprawled around his room, dodging things he could step on. However, he mis-stepped, tripping over a backpack. 

The older boy yelped, arms not fast enough from catching his fall, head hitting the edge of the table with a loud bang. His body landed on the Donkey Kong plushie, limp. 

“Jin hyung?” Jungkook called from downstairs. “Are you okay?” No reply.

“He totally left us with all the cleaning.” Jimin chuckled. Jungkook shook his head with a smile. “I mean, I’m not even surprised.” He picked up the plates and bowls they used, stacking them on top of each other. He placed them in the sink, then turned back to Jimin.

“Hyung, can you handle the others? I really don’t want to touch raw pork, especially after I just showered” Jimin nodded at him, gathering the whisks and teaspoons. “Hey, isn’t it weird how we have at least three different butcher knives, but can’t get a knife holder that actually holds the knives?” Jimin gestured to the knife holder. Jungkook shrugged. “Then again, it’s Jin hyung, ‘master of culinary arts’“ he said, adding finger quotes. 

Jimin’s phone beeped from his pocket. “It’s probably noona. You should answer her.” Jungkook told him. Obliging, he took his phone out, blindly leaning on the counter. “Hyung!”

He reluctantly drew his arm back. The chopping board was halfway off the edge, the knife holder placed on top of it. “You should look at what you’re doing.” Jungkook tsked at him. Jimin rolled his eyes. Suddenly, they heard a loud bang from upstairs, causing Jimin to drop his phone. 

They looked at each other. “Jin hyung? Jungkook called out. Knowing Jin, he probably just fell down amidst the mess of his room. However, he didn’t reply. “Are you okay?” Jungkook yelled after him again. Or maybe Jin was just playing prank. The two boys felt an unsettling feeling neither of them could explain. “I’m gonna check on him”, Jungkook muttered, leaving the kitchen.

Jimin blinked, soon crouching down to reach for it. He mindlessly scrolled through his phone, trying to get his nerves eased up. His other hand reached for the counter as he tried to pull himself up, accidentally whacking the chopping board, sending the knives and bits of pork flying.

A loosely placed butcher knife fell, blade down, landing on his neck. Jimin gasped, blood rapidly dripping down and pooling in his throat. He couldn’t find the strength to stand up, crawling on the floor instead. Pork and knives lay around him, making it difficult to maneuver.

“J-Jungkook!” his voice came out hoarse, much of a silent yell. He clutched his throat, trying to stop the bleeding. “Hyung!” he heard the younger one call from upstairs. “We need to call the ambulance! Jin, he-” But Jimin didn’t even make it to the end of the sentence.

“Someone’s late”, Namjoon impatiently muttered. It’s been an hour since they texted, and even though Jin took his time while cooking, it was never this long. Finally, Taehyung’s phone rung, and he quickly answered.

“Jungkook, where the hell- What?!” he stood up, worry etched in his face. The room fell silent, except for Jungkook’s unclear voice on the phone. “Okay. Okay, we’re going there right now. Kookie wait, we’re going there right now.” he said, getting the backpack and dragging Namjoon up.

“What? What’s happening? Why aren’t they here?” Hoseok looked at the younger boy worriedly. You walked closer to him, Yoongi following you. Taehyung pulled the phone away. “Jungkook’s in the hospital. Something bad happened. Really bad. We need to get there now.” 

You didn’t need another word from him before scrambling outside and craming into Hoseok’s car. “The one near our dorm, Daegu Hospital, something like that. Please hurry.” Taehyung told Hoseok. The older boy got the car running, and sped out. 

Taehyung directed his attention back to Jungkook’s call. “We’re on the road. Just keep talking. We’ll get there, don’t worry. Jesus- why?” he choked, tears starting to spill out.

>>>

Jungkook had his head in his hands, fingers clawing out at his hair. He hasn’t stopped crying, and he was scared. Scared and traumatized. Nurses and doctors passed by him, giving him sympathetic looks. He didn’t need their sympathy. He needed a doctor to come out and tell him that his friends were fine. That the hit Jin took to his head only resulted in a minor concussion. That the knife sticking out of Jimin’s head somehow got removed and he’s in recovery now. 

He heard footsteps shuffling down the hall, immediately hearing Namjoon’s worried voice. 

You spotted him crouched against the wall. “Kookie!” you ran to him, kneeling to his level. “What happened? Are they okay now?” you held his wrists, moving your hands to wipe his tears. Yoongi kneeled next to him. “Jungkook, what happened?”

The youngest looked up, eyes skimming over your worried faces, before stopping at Taehyung. His face was ashen, and they knew they shared the same pain. The same thing you’d experience in a few seconds.

Yoongi rubbed his back, making him calm down before he spoke. He coughed, leaning over to you as you welcomed him in your arms. Jungkook shut his eyes, taking in a few deep breaths. 

“It was a freak accident. Fuck, I shouldn’t have left Jimin. I- I should’ve asked Jin to stay. I could’ve helped them”, he said, tears streaming down his face again. Hoseok joined you and Yoongi on the floor, him also starting to cry. “Jungkook. Tell us what happened.”

“Jin hyung, he bumped his head on the corner of a table. It was a sharp edge. I told him to tape it or something since it was so sharp. I should’ve taped it myself, then maybe he wouldn’t-”

“Jungkook.” Namjoon said, voice cold.

“Jimin, he-” Jungkook choked on his own words. He couldn’t forget the gruesome image, Jimin laying on the floor, a huge pool of blood coming from his neck. “I don’t know how. He- there was a kn-knife in his neck. H-he was on the floor with a knife in his neck, I think he toppled the board, I don’t know anymore..” Jungkook sobbed, burying his head further in your shoulder. 

Shock settled in everyone. It was too ridiculous to believe. You were just talking to Jin and Jimin yesterday. Jimin even texted you. They were supposed to bring bulgogi. You were supposed to have fun. The night was supposed to end anywhere else, except in a hospital, hoping that your friends were still alive. 

“For patients Kim Seokjin and Park Jimin?” A doctor approached you. You helped Jungkook shakily stand up, crowding around the doctor. “We’re his friends”, Namjoon informed him. 

The doctor stared at each of you, a sad expression plastered on his face. “Well?” Namjoon pushed, his tone alarmingly increasing. He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to inform you that both patients didn’t make it. Mr. Park has lost too much blood, and Mr. Kim suffered heavy trauma to the brain, resulting in a blood clot.”

“And you can’t do anything about that?” Namjoon snapped at him. He glared in response. “The knife that fell on your friend’s neck hit two nerves, something impossible to treat with the time it took to get there. He was dead on arrival. The blow Seokjin suffered was forceful enough to form a small dent in his skull, and cause a blood clot. I’m sorry, but we couldn’t do anything.”

“That’s just bullshit! You could’ve at least tried harder with Jin. You guys are doctors- you’re supposed to save people”, Namjoon took a step forward, inly to be held back by Hoseok. The doctor, now alarmed, signaled to one of the nurses. “If you think of causing a scene here, I won’t think twice of calling security”, he warned, turning his heel to attend to other patients.

“You shouldn’t have said that, Joon” Hobi whispered. Namjoon shrugged his arm off, walking towards the exit. Hoseok gave you a teary-eyed look, before going after his friend. 

You looked at Yoongi, who now had his eyes shut. “This is not happening. They’re joking right?” he scoffed. “They have got to be joking. I was talking to Jin this morning, there’s no way he’s...” No one wanted to say the word. It hung in the sullen atmosphere, where the chatter in the background turned to static and the hospital’s white walls seemed too bright.

Jungkook didn’t want to go home. Especially since all the blood and spills where still there. In fact, he never wanted to go back. It would hurt too much seeing Jin’s room, or passing by the kitchen. The thought of an empty bed across his room, where Jimin should’ve been, was unbearable. 

“Hyung, can I stay over at your house?” he was looking out the window when he said that. All four boys looked at him ready to let out a ‘yes’. “Yoongi hyung, can I?” he looked towards the older man. 

Yoongi didn’t reply. He was too busy staring at the road, thinking of how things escalated so badly. His hand held yours, and although he felt warm, it looked like he was a thousand miles away. You squeezed his hand, getting his attention. “Jungkook asked if he can stay over tonight.” you repeated. He nodded, sinking farther in his seat. 

“We need to get spare clothes though.” Taehyung slowly said, knowing it’d imply something bad. Jungkook’s faced scrunched in a mix of annoyance and anger. “I’m not going back there. Not now, not ever.” he hissed. 

“You don’t have to. You can wait in the car.” Hoseok said, already taking a left to their dorm. “What the fuck is wrong with you?! You don’t know how fucking hard it is to go back there!” Jungkook sprung up. “Namjoon, you understand, right?”

Namjoon had his earphones in. He didn’t feel like discussing anything with anyone, and he just wanted to ignore the elephant in the room. Aside from Hoseok, he was the one who tried to show his friends the good side of things. However it was difficult to when there is no good side.

When Jungkook was met with stone-cold silence, Hoseok spoke up again. “I know it’s shitty to say, but trying to avoid it won’t help you. I miss them too, we all do. But we can’t bring them back, and we have to accept that.”

He pulled up on their porch, unlocking the doors. “You don’t have to go, Kook.” you said, stepping out the car. Yoongi followed you, slamming the door shut. 

“You know where their rooms are.” Yoongi said, tone flat. “Where are you going?” you asked him. He just shrugged, about to go in the kitchen, then stopping halfway. “Why? Is there something-”

“Don’t go in there, please.” He grabbed your shoulders, spinning you around. You decided not to question any further, knowing you wouldn’t want to hear the answer. He steered you upstairs, purposefully blocking your view of Jin’s room.

“Grab a few random shirts, then let’s get the hell out of here.” he said,opening Jungkook’s cabinet. You obliged, standing next to him, packing a few jeans and shirts. You included a beanie too, plus a bracelet you’ve seen him always wearing. 

“Finished?” you nodded at Yoongi, showing the bag you filled. He gave you a small smile. “Everything will be okay. I’m so proud of how strong you are right now.” he gently said, giving you a kiss on the forehead. You returned the favor by pecking him on the cheek. “We should go.”

You went out the room last, making sure to properly close the door. Then, you heard something fall from Jin’s room. You looked back, contemplating whether to tell Yoongi or not. 

“Yoongi?” he looked back at you. “Can you wait for a bit?” Although he wanted to protest, he gave in. “Make it quick. I can feel Jungkook losing his shit in the car.”

You couldn’t agree more with what he said. The place was starting to pull off a creepy feeling, but you had to know what made that sound. Slinging the bag over your shoulder, you slowly went to the room.

Your heart was pounding from fear and anxiety. It better be a figment of your imagination. You reached for the knob and swung the door open.

It was as if time stopped. Your heartbeat was the only thing you could hear. The room was cold, too cold. There was a big mess all around, and you saw a small puddle of water drying out next to a coffee table. The corner had a smear of blood on it, reminding you of the previous events. But that wasn’t the thing that caught your attention.  

Jin stood at the center of the room. He was wearing a crumpled button-down, the buttons put in lopsidedly. His hair was sticking out, and a slight dent was on his head. The side of his temple was purplish, blending in with bloodshot eyes. 

“Pay the price” he hissed at you.

You slammed the door shut, running back to Yoongi. “Get out!” you screamed at him. 

He looked up at you in a daze. “What?” 

You continued running, pulling him along with you. You’d explain in the car, or at least when you got home. You didn’t want to talk about the two boys in front of Jungkook, but this was way too messed up. You reached the bottom of the stairs, the front door a few meters away from you.

“Y/n, wait!” Yoongi tugged at you from behind, trying to get you to stop. You halted, turning around to face him. “Yoongi, you don’t understand- holy shit!” you screamed, looking behind him. 

By the kitchen entrance stood Jimin, a large knife sticking out his neck. There was blood all over him, and he had the same bloodshot eyes. He opened his mouth, a pool of blood streaming out. “Pay the price” he repeated.

Yoongi confusedly followed your gaze. “What are you-” You cut him off, bolting out the house with him in tow. You didn’t stop running until you were inside the car. The backpack was clutched tightly in your hand, and Yoongi had to pry it off. “What was that?” The other boys looked over curiously.

You were about to explain, but then you saw Jungkook’s face. His cheeks were a bit puffy. His eyes were a slight tint of red from all the crying he did. You didn’t want to give off a mocking story, so you swallowed the fear. “I just got a bit freaked out. I’m sorry. Let’s get out of here.” Yoongi nodded uneasily, and you could tell he didn’t bite into your lie.

Hoseok started the car again, driving you back home.

“Thank you”, you hugged Hoseok. The two other boys stayed in the car as Yoongi helped Jungkook with his things. “Stay safe please” you whispered. He let out a sigh. “You too. I’ll try my best to calm Namjoon down. Tae’s still...”

“In shock?” you completed, face dropping. You’ve never seen Taehyung so quiet before, and it just made the whole thing worse. The impact of Jin and Jimin’s passing was completely evident, leaving a painful effect on the boys. 

“I hope wherever they are, they’re happy.” Hoseok nodded in agreement. Without another word, he got back in the car and drove away.

You went to go inside, stopping next to Jungkook. He was standing in front of the door, staring at the bagua. “Kookie, what is it?” you gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t look at you, eyes still glued to the mirror.

“I really hope it brings good luck, noona” he said, voice starting to break. “I really do.”

Jungkook’s been silent for the past few weeks. He didn’t talk unless he was spoken to, and when he did, it was one-worded answers. Sometimes even just simple grunts or nods. He’d usually stare into space, drowning out the whatever noise in the background. 

Things haven’t been the same. The funeral passed by, and none of you uttered anything about it. The boys even considered selling the apartment the three had, mainly because Jungkook knew he couldn’t stand the silence.

“Kookie, Yoongi’s gonna be back in a bit, okay?” you told him as you got your grocery bag. “Can you handle two minutes? I’m just going to buy a few things from the store.”

His eyes stayed on the TV screen, intently playing video games. He gave you a swift nod, looking over you as you passed by. 

Sometimes you forget that you moved. You were used to seeing tall buildings and buzzing cars when you went out. However, now the neighborhood’s so much simpler and nicer. A soft breeze blew gently against you. There were definitely more bushes and flowers, making the walk better. A loud bark came from behind you, making you flinch.

During the first week of your move, a few neighbors have told you about some stray dogs lurking in the forest. These were the wild kind, being a rural area. ‘Stay out of the forest, unless you have a hunter with you’, they’d say.

You walked up the steps to the small village center mall. There were stalls selling various fruit and produce around. Your grocery list was fairly small, so you thought of bringing fruits home to cheer the boys up a bit.

“Good morning, miss. Want to test your luck?” You turned your attention to the man in a suit. He was handing out a flyer advertising a ‘grand raffle’. Seeing there’s no harm in trying, you nodded thanking the paper. He smiled. “Registration is this way.”

You scanned the flyer as you followed him. The raffle showed off practical prizes, the first one being a car. Yoongi always whined about getting a car of his own, so it would’ve been amazing if you won it for him.

The man passed you a form, needing a few details like your name and contact number. “When do you announce the winners?” you asked him, dropping your raffle stub in the drop box. “In a while, actually. We initially planned to close off the entries early, but you made it! You’re the last entry for today.” 

What a coincidence.

“We’ll text you if you win.” he added. You thanked him, then carried on with your errand. You didn’t want to leave Jungkook alone, or Jungkook alone with Yoongi. The younger boy was too sensitive, and you knew your boyfriend might let the wrong words slip.

Fortunately, you easily found what was needed on your list. The line in the cashiers weren’t too long too, making your trip easier. 

As you were taking your wallet out, your phone buzzed. You handed the employee your payment, before checking your phone. There were four texts, one from Yoongi, and the others from an unknown number.

“Ma’am, here’s your change.” She handed you a few coins and your now filled bag. 

4 UNREAD MESSAGES

Yoongs <3: Babe, have you seen Hoseok?

Yoongs <3: Taehyung went home and Namjoon wasn’t there

Yoongs <3: Fuck you need to come to the hospital right now

Unknown: Congratulations! This is Lee Woo Bin from PriSeoul. I’d love to inform you that you one the first place in our raffle. You may claim your prize at the registration booth on or before the end of the month

<<<

Hoseok didn’t handle it easily. The first thing he did after the funeral was lock himself in his room and cry. When there were no more tears to shed, he ate less and danced more. Exhaustion couldn’t stop him from distracting himself. 

Usually, Taehyung or Namjoon would visit him to give him something to eat. It even took them great difficulty to convince him to come back home and rest.

“Namjoon, I’m going out for a jog.” He ran out the door, avoiding any opportunity of protest from the younger boy. He didn’t bring anything else aside from his phone, earphones, and a bottle of water. Normally, he wouldn’t bring the last one, but since he didn’t want to worry Namjoon, he did.

Their dorm wasn’t that far from your house. They lived somewhere in the middle of the city and the country, so it was pretty convenient at times when they needed to buy something. Fruits and vegetables from the countryside, and clothes from the city.

He thought of paying Jungkook a visit. He knew how traumatized he must be, seeing two of their friends dead in one night. 

Holding Onto You played as he put his earbuds in. He started to jog, not stopping even when his legs started to hurt. It was the afternoon, so the sun wasn’t scorching his skin as he ran. 

He finally halted at an intersection, looking left and right before crossing. A second just as he passed the middle, a truck zoomed passed him, nearly hitting him. He stumbled into the sidewalk, looking on as the truck passed. “Hey, I’m suing! I almost died there!” he screamed after it.

His heart beat fast in his chest. He couldn’t stand up, too scared by the encounter. The printed-on design of collars and accessories on the truck’s back stared at him as it sped into the distance. His water bottle rolled away, but he couldn’t care less about it.

When he composed himself again, he got up. He didn’t want to continue taking the same route, considering he almost got run over. Instead, he took a rumored ‘shortcut’ in the forest.

He turned and went through a row of trees, the cement soon fading into leaves and twigs. The twittering of birds surrounded him as he jogged. Relief washed over him, the beauty of it all making him forget everything bad that happened for a moment.

Seamus flowed into his ears. At first, he wasn’t into Pink Floyd much, then Namjoon suggested it to him. The main source of all his new music tastes were either Namjoon or Jungkook, as the two were ‘adventurous’ when it came to songs.

Behind the song, he heard something faint and muffled, kind of like a bark.He ignored it, thinking his earphones were just starting to break. They were old anyway, and he’s been planning on buying new ones. 

He heard it again, this time closer. Slowly, he lowered the volume, but still kept the earbuds on. He jogged faster, breaking into a full run when he heard the barks become louder.

Through shaking hands, he ripped the headset off before getting his phone out. He scrolled past his contacts, tapping Namjoon’s name. ‘Come on, pick up. Please.’ A hundred thoughts raced in his mind as he dodged bushes and trees. 

The barks were accompanied by crunching leaves now, making it apparent that something was chasing him. On instinct, he looked back, seeing a wild dog, fangs jutting out, chasing after him. Its fur was coated in dirt, and saliva dripped from its mouth.

‘Shit.’ This was too surreal. He was a few steps away from death. One wrong move and he’d die or get seriously injured. Unless he can fight the dog off. 

He whipped his head back, only to trip. In front of him was Jimin, hand outstretched to stop him. The younger boy had a blank look on his face as he stared at Hoseok. 

From the ground, Hoseok looked up, locking eyes with him. “Hyung” Jimin whispered, voice gravelly. “Hyung, it’s time.”

Just as he finished, Hoseok felt fangs sinking into his his shoulder. Claws dug into his back while the wild mutt teared at his flesh. His screams ran through the forest, sending a flock of birds flying away.

Screams turned to whimpers, and soon enough, the dog stopped. It got off his body, walking towards the phone he dropped. Namjoon was on the line for a good minute, before the dog pawed it, accidentally ending the call.

It looked around more. Seeing no predators, it scampered off, Hoseok’s blood smeared all over its fur.

Namjoon rushed out of the house. It was a good thing Taehyung wasn’t at home, because he didn’t have enough time to explain to him why. He knew were Hoseok would’ve gone too.

The older boy was someone who always put other people before himself. Who played off his own hurt, and chose to comfort others first. It was obvious he went to visit Jungkook, especially since Yoongi’s been telling them that their youngest wasn’t doing well.

He dodged a few passers-by, shouting Hoseok’s name out in the process. “Hobi! Hobi, where are you?!” he breathlessly reached the intersection. He glanced around, looking for signs of his friend. Then, he spotted something wedged under the bushes.

The familiar water bottle lay under the leaves. He took it, rubbing the dirt off the surface. “Hoseok-” he stopped mid-sentence, bumping into someone.

He looked behind him, spotting an aggravated teenager. The boy was wearing all black, starting from his baseball cap, all the way to his leather jacket. It was so awfully pretentious. His minions stood behind him, the two of them balling their fists threateningly.

“Hey,” the boy narrowed his eyes. He took the toothpick he was chewing out and threw it on the ground. “You should watch where you’re going.” 

Namjoon rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry. It was an accident, but I don’t have time for this.” He tried walking around them, but one boy grabbed him and pushed him back. 

“Okay, I’m sorry. My friend is missing, and I know he’s in danger. So can you just let this one go?” he scoffed at them. 

Their leader stepped forward. “I think the fuck not.” He lunged at Namjoon, delivering a punch to the boy’s stomach. The air got knocked out of him, and he stumbled because of the sudden hit. “F-fuck off. I need to find my friend.” he coughed out.

The group huddled around him, kicking and hitting him. It was three against one, and there was no way he could hurt anyone. The two boys held him in a kneeling position while the other one kept throwing punches at him. When he finally thought it was over, the boy he bumped into clutched his shoulder and forced him to stand. 

“This should teach him.” he sneered to his lackeys, before punching him one last time.

The punch might’ve been a little too hard; or they might’ve been a little too close to a fire hydrant. It wasn’t until after Namjoon fell when someone yelled at them to stop. A middle-aged man chased them off, but by the time he got there, Namjoon’s blood was already spilling on the concrete. 

Next to them was a yellow fire hydrant; a single red splat on the metal.

The road was crowded when you went out. The locals were drawn to the forest shortcut, forming a circle around a clearing. An ambulance and police cars lined the streets. Policemen were preventing the people from going in further. Inside, a few more police were investigating the scene. 

“I pity the poor boy.” you heard an old woman whisper. “I do too. He mustn't have been from here. If he was, he wouldn’t even think of going in the forest.” her friend replied.

“The authorities really should start on putting up those anger signs.” she continued.

“Mama,” a little girl tugged on the hem of her mother’s dress. “What happened to the man in the forest?” 

Her mom looked down on her, her face etched with worry. “Nothing, honey. Let’s go before daddy gets worried.” She picked her daughter up, walking away from the scene. You caught up to her, curious about the news.

“Excuse me, miss. What happened here?” you asked her. She contemplated whether to tell you in front of her daughter or not, but in the end, she set her child back down. She leaned closer to whisper to you.

“There was an accident involving the wild dogs. A man was chased down and mauled to death. I overheard the police talking, and they said he didn’t make it.”

Dread stated to fill you. Your phone buzzed again, reminding you of Yoongi. “T-thanks.” you bid her goodbye.

Yoongi <3: Y/n where are you?? We found Namjoon... his body at least

You: Babe, wasn’t Hoseok born on the year of the dog?

Yoongi <3: What? I think so. Just come here please

Namjoon lay on the hospital bed. His white clothes matched the sheets. His eyes were closed, as if he was sleeping, except he wasn’t breathing. Bruises coated his skin, and one side of his head was busted. A faint line of stitching showed on that side, much like what happened to Jin. 

Taehyung stood at the foot of the bed. Jungkook clung onto him, his head tucked into the older one’s shoulder. They both looked tired, with Taehyung’s messy hair, and the dark circles under Jungkook’s eyes. 

You stood in front of Yoongi. He was hugging you from behind, nuzzling his mouth on your hair. Though he tried to stay calm, you could feel tension in his hands. 

“This is unbelievable.” Taehyung chuckled bitterly. “This is all your fault!” he pointed a finger accusingly at you. 

You were taken aback by his sudden outburst. “What are you talking about? You think I wanted this?!”

“This all started ever since you bought that stupid mirror. First Jin, then Jimin. Now Namjoon was beaten to death, and guess what? His head exploded on a fucking fire hydrant. Even Hoseok’s missing, and god knows where he’ll turn up. Probably dead, because of you!”

“Taehyung, that’s enough!” Yoongi shouted at him. You flinched, never hearing Yoongi yell before. 

SIlence returned to the room, and you couldn’t help but think that Taehyung was right. All the fortune came to you, but you didn’t want your loved ones taken away.

“Yoongi, we should go back to the shop.”

Without Hoseok, Yoongi drove this time. Taehyung helped you find his car keys so you can use his car for a bit. The bagua was shoved in your bag, wrapped with cloth. You didn’t know how the mirror worked, so you avoided all physical contact with it for the meantime.

You wordlessly reached the shop. Yoongi got off the car first, and without waiting for you, stormed into the shop.

He was slamming the bell on the counter when you went inside, the two other boys following behind. “Anyone here? Ms. Mei? Is no one manning the store? Sehun, where the fuck are you?!” his voice rang throughout the store. 

Finally, the employee who assisted you with the furniture came out. He looked twice as annoyed, a sour frown on his face. He held a black bag and hauled it on the counter. “Sir, I would need to ask you to stop-”

“Where’s your boss? We’re returning something.” he stretched his hand out to you, gesturing for the mirror. You unzipped your bag, shuffling through your things, before handing him the bundled cloth.

“This-” he shoved it near the clerk’s face. “-has ruined our lives. Four of my friends died. Call me crazy, but they died because of this.”

His face paled upon seeing it. He stepped back, shaking his head. “Ms. Mei isn’t here, and I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Bullshit!” Yoongi drew his hand back, throwing the mirror on the ground. Glass shards lay under the now loose cloth. You felt relieved seeing the mirror broken. It means it’s over now, right? Whatever curse it had should be lifted. It was gone, and you were saved. 

“That’s not how it works.” The cashier said weakly. “Ms. Mei is not here, and never will be. She’s dead. The day after you bought the mirror, she was about to move to America. She mentioned something about wanting to get away. A few days later, her grandson called the shop. She died after getting into a horsefly attack.” He pointed to where the mirror fell.

You stared in shock. It wasn’t there anymore. The cloth and the shards were gone. Yoongi looked back at mouth hung in confusion. You checked your bag again, digging through your wallet and phone. There it was, the cloth still wrapped around it. You felt around it, trying to feel a crack. However, there were no signs of damage.

The cashier coaxed you forward. The four of you stood behind the counter, the mirror placed in between. You put your bag next to his, the weight wearing your shoulders off.

“My name’s Minseok. I’ve been running the shop with her ever since the start. She’s practically like family now, you know? I’ve seen that mirror around a few times. She had it with her, but she never talked about it or showed it to anyone. Actually, I don’t know how it got on that shelf the day you saw it. I thought she changed her mind about it and decided to sell it.” He looked at you, and you nodded.

“Before she went to America, she told me something about it. It came from a girl, way back in the 18th century. No one knew her name, and she was dubbed Lotus Feet since her feet were bounded to give her small feet, or lotus feet. During the battle of Ningpo, her family was being hunted down by the British. Food was scarce, and they were having a hard time escaping. So, they decided to leave her behind.  They thought she was a burden, so they left her for dead. This-” he tapped the mirror.

“-holds her soul. It’s evil. I know it brings luck, but if you accept the luck it brings, it takes a life in payment. In particular, those who have looked into the mirror after you.”

“But why did she die? If she knew about it, why couldn’t she do anything about it?” you asked him. The three boys were silent next to you. You could feel Taehyung’s burning stare, but decided to ignore it.

“You. You were the good luck it gave. Something she couldn’t reject. You wanted the mirror, and the curse was passed from her to you. The only way you can avoid its effects is to reject the luck it brings.” he pushed it towards you. 

“Can’t I find someone else? How do I permanently end this?” you pushed it back.

“Unless someone willingly accepts the mirror, it won’t leave you. Unless...” he paused, nibbling on his lip while he was deep in thought. 

“Unless?” Taehyung pushed on.

“Unless you can go to a Chinese blessing shop. You can destroy it there. There’s one, but it’s in another town, left from here. You should go.” He ushered you out, grabbing your bag and returning it to you. 

You bounded put the shop, waiting for Minseok as he locked the door. “I can’t come with you. I’m sorry but I need to send money to my mom, since she’s really sick.”

He walked towards Yoongi and got a pen out. “Go on that road and drive straight down until you reach the fourth intersection. Take a left, then a right, and drive until you see a ‘Welcome to Jil-An’ sign. Turn right on the second crossing, and the second building should be ‘An Liu’s Charm Shop’. Just go straight in and say Fa Mei sent you.” he instructed as he scribbled down on Yoongi’s arm. 

You got into the car, and Yoongi slammed the pedal. Through the rearview mirror, you could see Minseok’s fading form. The forest was getting larger as you ventured forward. The sun was starting to set too, and it was going to be a long night for you.

“Why can’t we just destroy it here? It’s more dangerous going there,” Taehyung looked out the window, big raindrops splattering on it rapidly. “Let’s just chuck it out the window or something.”

Along the way, you ran into a storm. It was pouring outside, and there were constant flashes of lightning. The car’s headlights provided little help with the amount of water dripping down the windshield. A twig or some leaves would slap against the car from time to time, but Yoongi was unfazed.

“We can’t do that. Didn’t you see what just happened at the shop?” he said through gritted teeth. Taehyung glared at him from the backseat. 

“Easy for you to say. You’re the only person in this damn car that hasn’t looked at that mirror, and you perfectly know you’re safe.” he leaned forward, grabbing the back of your seat.

“Taehyung, sit back down. You’re distracting him.” Jungkook murmured, though the older boy ignored him.

“See that?” he spoke, just as lightning lit up the sky. “That’s the sign of me dying soon. I’m next. I’m the stupid bastard who looked into the mirror, not you.”

Yoongi shifted gear, driving impossibly faster. You looked across to see him. Tears pooled at the edges of his eyes, ready to be released. His breathing was getting irregular, and his grip on the steering wheel was tightening. 

“It’ll just get restored again, you know that. Hyung please stop.” Jungkook whispered, pulling Taehyung back. 

The older boy pushed him off, sending him flying to the window with a thump. “Shut up! Unlike you, I don’t want to die yet!”

“What, you think I want to die? How could anyone fucking know looking into that thing would kill you? Stop putting the blame on someone and think for once.” Jungkook snarled at him, throwing a punch. 

Taehyung sat back, rubbing his throbbing jaw. Jungkook stared back at him, appalled. “Jungkook...” your eyes swept back and forth on the two boys.

“Can you please stop? We’re all suffering here.” Yoongi looked at Taehyung through the rearview mirror. “I’m sorry, okay? We’re trying to help here. We won’t just let you die.”

Taehyung scoffed. “Stop the car.”

“What-”

“Stop the car!”

Yoongi stepped on the brake, sending the car forward in a jolt. Taehyung's eyes flickered to the bagua you were holding, then to you. “If you won’t do anything about it, I would.

He lunged forward, grabbing the cloth from you. “Taehyung, no!” you screamed at him, trying to pull the mirror back. His hold was strong, and you couldn’t shake it off, even with Jungkook trying to pull his arms away. Yoongi clicked his seatbelt off and grabbed Taehyung’s wrist.

“Let go!” he yelled. Suddenly, Taehyung let out a pained scream. You looked up to see Jungkook forcefully biting his shoulder. Just as the younger one pulled away, he did too. With the sudden loss of contrast, Yoongi stumbled back in his seat, the mirror in his hands.

In a state of shock, he looked at it, his distorted reflection staring back at him. Frantically, he grabbed the cloth and wrapped it around the bagua again. With shaking hands, he handed it back to you. 

“No,” you whispered. “Not you too. No, Yoongi-” Tears streamed down your cheeks. You hugged him, sobbing into his chest. The two younger boys speechlessly watched on.

You felt soothing hands caressing your hair. “Baby, it’s okay. We can make it.” he gently told you. His face was close to yours, and you could feel his cheeks equally wet. Was he crying too?

You heard the door lock click, and turned your head just in time to catch a glimpse of Taehyung stepping outside. You were about to go after him, but Yoongi held you back. Jungkook, however, was out of the car within seconds. 

“Jungkook, no-” Yoongi was met a slam of the door. He turned to you. “Get your phone and call Jungkook. Tell him to go back” He readjusted the gear and backed up the road. 

You opened your bag, trying to feel the outline of your phone. ‘What?’ You opened the bag wider, turning on the inside light to get a better look. “Yoongi, this isn’t my bag.”

The bag had bands of money in it. None of it was yours, and most of the contents looked like it belonged to a man. Everything pieced together. 

“I changed bags with Minseok.” you stared at it in horror. It would be a matter of time now before something happens to the person next in line. Distressed, you rolled down the window, chucking the bag out. “I don’t want your money!”

Taehyung trudged through the forest. The wind slapped at his face, and the rain sprayed harshly against his skin. He wanted to go home. That was all he could think of. Maybe if he slept it off, he’d wake up to find that it was just dream. Hoseok would wake him up, then he’d go to the living room to find Namjoon sitting on the couch, reading the same boring book. 

Jin and Jimin would call him over to hang out, and at the end of the day, he’d have dinner at your house just as usual. 

He wanted to believe it so bad. The blinding lie was so much more comforting. It warmed him as he shivered under the trees. He brought an arm to wipe his face, not sure if he wiped away tears or raindrops. 

In the distance, he heard Jungkook call for him. “Hyung!” he whipped his head around to find a figure making its way to him. “Hyung, come back!”

He didn’t know why, but he broke out into a run. He entered the forest, trying to get away from the younger boy. Why was he running? Isn’t he tired of doing that very thing? 

Maybe he couldn’t think straight. There was no way of escaping death at this point, so what was the use of avoiding it?  The cold was distracting him, that’s for sure. Jungkook’s voice was fading, but he didn’t stop.

The ground he was stepping on started becoming muddier. He concentrated on his steps, trying not to trip. Then, a loud snap followed by excruciating pain on his leg ensued. He fell down, clutching his left leg. A bear trap bit into it, the metal hidden under the mud. 

He tried forcing it open, only to injure his fingers. He cried out. “Jungkook! Jungkook, help me!” he yanked at it, thinking of ripping it off in desperation. Pain coursed through every bone in his body. Slowly, he felt the sharp tips on his bone. 

His screams grew hoarse as he tried prying it off. Thunder covered the sound of his yells. Mud coated his body from moving on the ground too much. The rain made his hold slippery, and he could feel a chunk of his leg starting to separate. Panicked, he looked around, eyes stopping on a familiar boy silently watching behind the trees. “Hoseok hyung.”

“Yoongi, we have to go after them, and the car isn’t helping.” you sternly told him. At last, he hesitantly nodded, stepping out the car. You took your seatbelt off, grabbed the mirror, and followed suit. 

“Jungkook!” you shouted for him. “Jungkook!” Yoongi cupped his hands around his mouth. You walked more, the fog devouring the car as you got farther away. 

“Y/n,” you looked at him. His brown eyes no longer held coldness. Instead, they were filled with regret. Sadness. The boy was tired. “If something bad happens, promise me, the first thing we’ll do is to run back to that car.” you nodded, understanding his point. There was no guarantee Jungkook will make it. It hurt to sa that, but it was the truth; and you didn’t want Yoongi to go next.  

“Is that him?” Yoongi pointed at a shadowy form standing on the other side of the road. “Where-” you started to run towards it, only to have Yoongi pull you back again. A car zoomed past you, beeping loudly.

“Noona?” It was Jungkook. He started to show clearer as he jogged towards you. “Wait-” you shouted, fearing the worst. “-stay away from the road!” 

A loud honk interrupted. Jungkook was illuminated under bright headlights, like a deer caught on the road. Metal against flesh collided, and the boy was thrown a few feet away. The driver of the truck tried to regain control, only tipping the truck over. Broken milk bottles lay on the road, some of the milk turning pink around Jungkook’s body. 

Horrified, Yoongi put you behind him, and you walked back to the body. The milk turned a darker shade of red each step you took closer. Jungkook was slumped on the ground, his limbs bent at awkward angles. 

Yoongi shook his head. He reached for your hand again. “Time to go.”

You forced yourself to take our eyes off the scene. If Yoongi didn’t save you, would’ve it been over? It was unfair. The mirror knew you couldn’t reject the luck it just brought. What if it happened to Yoongi? No, not him. Dear god, anyone but him.

Various thoughts raced in your mind as you got back in the car. Yoongi started it again, absentmindedly staring out the windshield. “You know couldn’t just let you die out there right?” you nodded at him. His voice was weary, the same voice he used when he comforted you. 

The trees got replaced by pastures. Fences appeared at the side of the road. You were close. You could make it. You breathed out a sigh of relief as you passed the sign Minseok told you about. Yoongi let out a breath he was holding. He looked over to you, smiling. You smiled back, eyes glancing at the road again. 

“Yoongi!” you screamed. He swerved, however still hitting the lone chicken that was about to cross. He lost complete control of the car, sliding off the road and crashing into a fence. You felt his hand holding yours, before you were knocked unconscious.

The police found the wreckage in the morning. You woke up to an unfamiliar voice talking to you. “Miss? I think she’s conscious now. Miss, do you remember your name?” Your body ached all over. Your head was pounding, and something sharp poked at your ribs. 

A siren pierced your eardrums. You could make out the sound of mumbling, but you couldn’t hear what they were saying. Bits and pieces were caught up in your brain, then you suddenly felt something soft against you.

“-lost control, and it crashed on the chicken wire fence”

“What about the other one?”

“Didn’t make it, he-”

“Miss, can you hear me?”

The voices were blending in your head. You tried opening your eyes, immediately closing them as harsh light came into view. A hand cupped over your eyes, preventing further light from coming. You blinked twice, blurry eyesight starting to focus. 

“We’re taking you to the hospital, no need to worry about anything.” 

With much effort, you turned your head to face him. Your mouth froze into a scream, looking face to face with Yoongi. His head was busted and blood was all over him. 

“Time to go, sweetheart.”