#silly asshole rabbit

[bones-of-a-rabbit]

i just. i love when sun is a silly goofy boy. lovestruck clown. love that for him

[sailoryooons]

Red | KNJ | (m)

☾ Pairing: Werewolf!Namjoon x f. reader

☾ Summary: For as long as you can remember, your village has been relatively normal. But when people begin to turn up dead right after a group of newcomers arrive, pieces of your past start to fall into place, and something feels familiar - particularly the quiet man who can't take his eyes off of you.

☾ Word Count: 21,148

☾ Genre: Supernatural, thriller, smut

☾ Rating: 18+ Minors are strictly prohibited from engaging and reading this content. It contains explicit content and any minors discovered reading or engaging with this work will be blocked immediately. 

☾ Warnings: Fantasy violence, light depections of murder and animal attacks, mentions of gore, discussions about community displacement and violence, Yoongi is an asshole, animal attacks, depictions of blood, tbh reader and Namjoon don’t know each other THAT well when they fuck so idk, implied protecting from a far but not in a stalker way, explicit language, intense sequences of fear and anxiety, reader is attacked by a wolf, there is a mention of animals being hurt/killed but not in explicit details, dead bodies, arson, sexually explicit content invluding vaginal fingering, nipple play, vaginal penetration, a little bit of mention of fluids but not really. 

☾ Published: Sunday, January 21 2024

☾ A/N: I wish I could explain to you how this got to be so long. I wrote it over several weeks and each day I picked it back up, I just kept adding dialogue and scenery and setting. Like half of this isn’t even Namjoon and reader reacting - what was I doing? I wish I knew! I hope you like my spin on Red Riding Hood anyway! I tried to do this in a way that it doesn’t seem creepy that Namjoon was silently looking out for reader but like… I could understand if someone finds it creepy I am so sorry lmfao.  I did read through this to edit but I 100% missed stuff because I'm a rougher editor and this is unbeta'd.

☾ A/N 2: This is a Red Riding Hood Retelling that is similar in vibe to the 2011 Red Riding Hood movie directed by Catherine Hardwicke.

 Disclaimer: All members of BTS are faces and name claims for this story. This is entirely a work of fiction and by no means is meant to be a projection, judgment or representation of real-life people. Any scenarios or representations of the people and places mentioned in works are not representative of real-life scenarios.

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Father always said not to go into the woods at night. Like him, though, the woods have always called to you, feeling like a second home. You’ve never been able to explain it, and you’ve stopped trying to. 

It’s a little chilly outside, the first breath of harvest air nipping at your skin. In a few weeks, it will be freezing outside, forcing you into cloaks and furs. 

Grass crunches beneath your feet as you slip through the small yard and toward the tree line. Your house already sits at the edge of the village, the dark trees stretching high above the rooftops. Soon the trees will be dusted in snow, but for now, they sway gently in the autumn breeze, turned silver by the moonlight. 

You’ve always loved the woods. The sounds of the crickets singing and rabbits dashing underfoot are calming, the smell of sticky pine and fresh air invigorating. You especially love them at night, hidden beneath boughs and walking through the shafts of moonlight that slip through the trees. 

The best part is that you don’t feel so alone out here. There is a feeling you cannot place each time you enter the woods, like you’re a little closer to discovering yourself. You’ve been chasing that feeling since you were a little girl, hungry for finding whatever it is that drives you out here. 

Hands tucked into your pockets, you walk the same route you always follow. It isn’t deep into the woods - you aren’t silly enough to believe you’re safe alone in the dark - but it’s enough of a walk to clear your head. 

Howls echo up into the night, a wolf pack on their hunt. The sound of them makes the hair on your arms stand on end.

The wolves don’t come very close to the village anymore since the vicious wolf hunts when you were barely old enough to remember them. The relationship between the men of your home and the wolves in the wood is violent, a chill cooling your skin every time they’re mentioned by one of your neighbors. 

A terrible howl splits the night. You feel your body go cold with fear, warmth leaching out of you as you press yourself against a tree, heart in your throat. The sound is something like a howl laced with utter anguish, chilling you down to the marrow. It tapers off into a whimper before falling silent again. 

Pressed against the tree, you wait. Your heart is beating so harshly that it feels like you might vomit in fear. Soft whimpering drifts on the wind. You hold your breath and strain your ears. It almost sounds like an injured dog.

It tugs at your heartstrings. You bite your lip, weighing your options. The noise sounded like it came from the south a little off of your path and toward the ravine that splits the part of the woods that is relatively safe from the deeper part where the animals are more lethal and more frequent. You could easily find your way back if you made it to the ravine, and as the whimpering vanishes entirely, you can’t help but imagine an animal in pain. 

The most difficult part about working with Dr. Kim at the veterinary clinic is always the animals that he can’t fix. You’ve held the hands of loved ones who couldn’t save their aging dogs, and you’ve hushed lame horses as Dr. Kim prepared draughts to send them to sleep and then to death. 

Pivoting, you turn and march toward the initial sound. It may perhaps be the single worst idea you’ve ever had, but you suddenly don’t care. You’ve worked with Dr. Kim enough to know how to triage animal wounds, and the thought of leaving something alone and suffering replaces any sort of fear you originally had. 

You’re careful not to lose your footing as the ground slopes steadily as you get closer to the ravines and canyons of the south side. Leaves shift underneath your feet as you go. It feels overly loud in a forest that is suddenly so quiet, only filled with the softest sound of labored breathing.

A small dip in the ground catches you off guard. You gasp, a scream stuck in your throat as you lose your footing and slide down the slope, your back and ass hitting the ground hard as you slide, leaves hissing underneath you. You scramble to grab a hold of something, but the hill isn’t very high and you hit the bottom of it quickly.

Heart pounding, you lay in the damp leaves for a second, panting, hand pressed to your heart as it rattles under your palm. Just as the fear settles down, a growl makes your blood run cold. Slowly, you begin to turn your face toward the left. You realize you’ve slid down a dell, and a few yards from you is a large, shivering form covered in fur.

You blink. Once. Twice. You realize that the large mound of fur is a creature - a wolf. It lays on the ground shaking, a ride of jet black hair standing up on its spine, hackles raised. The wolf’s ears are pinned back and its yellow eyes are wild, nearly consumed by the dark pupils drinking you in. Its teeth are bared, foam and drool lining pink gums as it snares, nose twitching. 

It’s the biggest wolf you’ve ever seen. You can’t move. You can only stare at it, wondering why it continues to snarl and stare at you, but not move. Your eyes rove its trembling form from maw to tail, and you realize its front leg is wet and held at an odd angle.

“Oh,” you gasp, realizing that the wolf’s foot is stuck in a claw trap. “I’m so sorry. I… can I help you?”

The wolf stops growling for a moment as if it understands. You stare with wide eyes, not daring to move as it assesses you. It leans toward you and sniffs, the sound of snuffing loud in the silence of the dell. For a few moments, you just watch as the beast regards you. 

Then, it chuffs and looks at its own foot, whining. You sit up slowly in amazement. The creature watches you with what you can only describe as a caution. You get up carefully and make your way toward the wolf. It watches your every movement. It can surely smell your fear as you get a few feet away, crouching down with your hands held out to let it know you’re not going to cause harm. 

You pause, waiting for permission to examine the wolf’s foot. It gazes at you and for a moment, you lose yourself in that burning, golden gaze. The wolf’s eyes are so human that it’s hard to see it as a simple beast. There is something alive and intelligent there.

As if sensing that you’re waiting for the all-clear, the wolf chuffs and lowers its head toward its foot, gesturing. You smile a little at that, marveling at the communication skills. Carefully, you look at the trap around the wolf’s foot. It’s a metal contraption that is pressure-engaged, with metal teeth. You cringe seeing the red on matted fur and metal.

“You must have stepped on the pressure plate,” you tell the wolf, though it probably doesn’t understand. You gesture to the round plate at the center of the trap. “It would have been in a circle and when stepped on, snapped closed like jaws.”

The wolf whines and bows its head. You wince. “They’re really strong,” you admit, chewing on your lip. “I don’t think I can pull it apart all the way, but I might be able to open it enough just for a moment for you to pull out your leg. Can you do that?” 

A huff. Somehow, you think if it could, the wolf might roll its eyes. Your mouth twitches in an almost smile as you get onto your knees, wiping sweaty hands on your pants. This close to the beast, you realize just how large it is. 

“This is going to hurt,” you insist. “Please… Please don’t bite me, okay? I want to help you.” 

The wolf lowers its head until it's lying on the ground, gold eyes watching you. Its muscles are tense and the hair along the ridge of its back is still standing, afraid and alert. 

“Okay. I’m just… I’m just going to touch the trap and try to get a grip first, okay?” The wolf doesn’t answer. It blinks at you, waiting. Licking your lips, you whisper, more to yourself than anything, “Okay, I can do this.”

Slowly, you reach out toward the wolf’s injured foot. You flick your gaze over to the wolf looking for a reaction. It just watches you, though you feel tension. The metal is wicked cold to the touch. You hiss and the creature flinches a little, a whistle-whine escaping its nose. You mutter an apology, fingers pressing to the ridges of the cold metal. 

It’s slippery with blood. You chew on your lip, prodding your finger in the space between the metal teeth on the edges where it’s not clamped around the wolf’s paw. You wiggle your finger a little, testing the strength of the closed jaws of the trap. It doesn’t budge and you curse. 

Sweat beads on the back of your neck, freezing in the cool air. You lift your other hand, very carefully trying to find a good grip on either side of the jaws to pry them open. The movement jostles the trap a little, the wolf snarling in pain. You flinch and rip your hands away, looking at it. Gold eyes burn and the wolf huffs, as though telling you to be more careful.

“Sorry,” you mutter. “I’m nervous and it’s hard to get a grip on it.” The wolf snorts. You glare at it. “I’m sorry, do you want to do this instead?” Your only answer is a rumble as it looks the other direction. “That’s what I thought.”

Sighing, you turn your attention back to the metal. Anyone a little stronger and older could probably pull it open. Seokjin for sure could - even Hoseok who is as old as you are, but plenty stronger. You try not to think about how weak you are, and instead wiggle your fingers through the gaps in the teeth.

The cool metal stings your hands. It’s not a great grip and your fingers are placed in bad positioning due to the teeth of the trap. Taking in a big breath, you try to pull the metal jaws apart. 

Nothing happens and you let your breath out, panting lightly as you stop trying to pull. The wolf flicks its tale but makes no other sound. With the way you’re gripping the jaws, you realize that pulling it apart is going to be difficult. It would rely on your forearms to peel the metal jaws backward… But if you were to push down and push apart, you could use your body weight as an extra boost. It would be pushing the jaws apart from above instead of trying to pry them apart with sheer strength.

Leaning high on your knees, you position yourself straight over the trap, your weight settling in on your forearms. You take another deep breath and this time when you pull, you push your weight down on the trap. For a second, it seems like it’s not going to give. You hiss through your teeth, muscles clenching, fingers burning as your skin presses against the metal as hard as you can stand it.

Then, the jaw opens a little. You grind your teeth harder, the ache in your arms growing as you push as hard as you can. Your forearms are trembling. You feel the vein throbbing in your neck and forehead. Just when you think you’re going to fail, the jaws give way again. You growl, feeling a surge of energy go through you at the small victory and you shove your body weight down on it hard. The springs creak a little and open more.

Little by little, the trap opens up. Your vision pulses red as you pant, strength waning. And then it’s like you hit the let-off point of the contraption, pushing it enough that the rest of the way it just falls open. You let go of the trap and the wolf yanks its leg from it. It now lies open and bloody as you collapse on the ground next to it, breathing hard, breath misting the air. 

Your heart beats in your ears, pulse thrumming in your neck wildly. For a second, you forget all about the wolf. You laugh up to the dark trees, a giddy feeling shooting through you. You did it, even though you didn’t think you would be able to. 

A dark presence alerts you. Slowly, you turn your head to face the wolf. It’s standing almost above you, looking more imposing than it did before. You swallow hard, mouth going dry as it blinks down at you. It favors the injured leg, but stands nonetheless, watching you. 

“Please don’t kill me,” you whisper, limbs trembling not only with exhaustion but fear. 

The wolf doesn’t kill you at all. Instead, it leans its head down and presses its cold, wet nose to your arm. You flinch, squeezing your eyes shut for a minute. Then the beast chuffs, making you peak at it. When you meet its gold eyes, you get the sense it is vaguely amused.

“Oh,” you breathe, relief sagging your aching body. “Cool. You’re not going to kill me.”

Standing, you realize that the wolf is still taller than you. You tilt your head upward, staring. There’s no way this is a normal creature, but you don’t know what else it could possibly be. You recall the legends of werewolves and dire wolves told by the men of your town, but you’re unsure if those are real. 

“Let’s take care of this,” you mutter, grabbing a branch and jamming it into the pressure plate of the trap. It snaps shut with a loud clang, snapping the branch, but otherwise ineffective now that it’s re-sprung. The wolf flinches and whines at the sound, no doubt remembering the feeling of the instrument on its leg. “Sorry.” 

Silence stretches out over the woods, the night growing deeper and cooler. You shiver, rubbing your hands up and down your arms as you turn to the wolf, which watches you keenly. 

“Will you be okay?” the question comes out as a whisper. The wolf huffs and steps forward, pressing its snout to your head. It’s cold and wet, making you shiver as it snuffs against your skin. “Good. I um - should start climbing this hill.”

It swivels its head and turns, waiting. You grin, realizing it will accompany you back up, at least. Though injured, the wolf is able to walk with three legs, the wounded leg lifted off the ground. Its gait is awkward and hobbled, but the two of you make it up the hill together, your breathing labored. 

At the top, moonlight shines through the trees and you both pause. A series of howls goes up in the night, startling you. The wolf looks up, ears twitching as it tilts its head, listening. Slowly, it turns to look at you, gold eyes sparkling. 

“I guess you have to go, huh?” it bows its head once. “Stay safe, okay?” 

The wolf steps forward. Presses its muzzle into your temple and huffs, making you grin. You smell pine and bergamot, pleasant and calming. “Yeah, you’re welcome.” 

Slowly, the wolf clambours off, vanishing into the dark woods, leaving you to hurry home yourself. 

-

“Wear this at all times for protection, especially in the forest,” you murmur, holding the neatly scrawled note. You frown and look down at the fine cloak folded on the dresser. It had appeared overnight as if by magic, a funny feeling flipping your stomach. “Where did you come from?”

The cloak, of course, has no answer. You lift your hand to feel it, breathing out a dreamy sigh. The inside is lined with soft bear fur. Outside is some of the finest cloth you’ve ever seen, gentle but sturdy to the touch and dyed the most delicious shade of scarlet. 

Carefully, you lift the cloak. It’s a little big for your size, but not unwearable. You slip it over your sleeping gown, loving the way the material ripples like blood over your shoulders, the fur lining keeping you warm. It smells like pine and bergamot, making you pause. 

Certainly, a wolf did not bring you a cloak. Still, the timing is quite odd. You don’t know who else could possibly make a cloak so fine in the village, and the smell… you shake your head. A wolf did not bring you a cloak, but it did seem perhaps you had a secret admirer. 

-

THIRTEEN YEARS LATER

“Boo!” You scream and drop the collection of logs in your hands, whirling around. Hoseok bursts into laughter, doubling over as he slaps his hands against his knees, hot breath misting the air. “You should see your face!”

“You rotten bastard!” You growl, picking up a log and throwing it at him. It doesn’t hit him, but he jumps away from it anyway, careful not to let it drop on his toes. “That isn’t funny!”

“It’s a little funny.”

“It’s not!” You crouch down and start picking up the timber. Hoseok at least has the decency to help you, starting with the log you threw at him. “There was another animal attack last night, in case you didn’t know.” 

That makes him pause. “There was?”

“Yes,” you hiss, snatching the last log and standing. “So stop lurking around corners and scaring me. It isn’t funny.” 

“Well, an animal isn’t going to attack you in the village. Unless you’re talking about Mingyu’s fiancee, anyway. That one is feral indeed.” 

You level Hoseok with a look and he gives you a grin. His nose and ears are red from the cold - and maybe a little guilt for scaring you - and he offers to take the timber from your arms. You let him, shoveling it over to him and marching around the front of your house. 

Wind howls between the houses, ripping at the ends of your red cloak. It catches your hood, throwing it up over your head as you shiver and tuck your hands into the fur lining. A shiver rattles up your spine as you kick the snow from your boots and rush inside, Hoseok quick on your heels. 

“So what happened?” Hoseok asks, following you to your room. 

“The Matheson Family,” you mumble. “They were attacked. San went down to collect new saddles his father ordered and found them slaughtered - their hounds too.” 

“They have hunting hounds - what the hell can kill those?”

“Perhaps it’s the wolves again. Dr. Kim was going with the city council to investigate.” 

Hoseok sighs. “The timing isn’t good. It’s about time the traders arrived. What if they bypass us entirely if the road is too dangerous?”

It’s a thought that has been plaguing everyone in the village. Because of the remote location on the north side of the woods, your small spec on the map relies on traders at the beginning of every winter for things that you’ll need to make it through: salt, extra grain and fruits, tools too advanced and large for the local smithy, repairs on houses and wagons. 

Arrival times of traders fluctuate every year. Sometimes there’s a cold snap, burying roads in heavy snow that are unnavigable. Other times, there is unrest in the woods when a rogue band of thieves gets the idea to rob travelers and hide in the woods until the city council sends a team of men to deal with it. 

Now, though, it’s getting into the late period of their arrival. The entire village holds its breath waiting for them, people looking out the open gates down the snowy road hoping to see a courier come ahead to announce the arrival of wagons and troupes of people. 

“Do you really think it’s wolves?” Hoseok asks. “I don’t think I’ve heard of wolf attacks like this since…” 

Hoseok winces. “It’s fine,” you assure him with a smile. “It’s not like I remember that time, much less remember my dad.” 

It’s true. Early memories of your childhood are murky at best. You remember being happy and loving your dad. You remember a period of fear and general uneasiness in the town, wolf attacks rampant and frequent. There had been plenty of men and women who died during that period, including your father.

That was a long time ago, though. For the most part, life in your small village is uninteresting. Some winters are harder than others, like the current season, but you’ve always managed to get by. 

“Do you remember much of that time period?” you ask him quietly. 

“Not really. Just that everyone was afraid. It was a really harsh winter and it drove wolves down from the mountains. I remember it being strange.”

“Strange how?” 

You chew your lip and shake your head, trying to encapsulate the thread of memory you have. Of feeling the tremor of fear in the air, the cold feeling of dread… like something violent was in the village. Something wrong.

“I don’t know. I was so young.”

“Hmm.” 

The talk of wolves makes you think about your wolf. Your lips curve at the memory of how gentle the wolf was, the somber eyes, and the smell of pine and bergamot. 

It would be a lie to say you had not gone out to the woods several times since that night to try and find the beast again. You haven’t seen him since, but you’ve always had a feeling he’s there somewhere. Watching. Waiting. 

“Either way,” Hoseok sighs. “Dad seems worried this winter will be like that time. He’s been doing a lot of will and testament papers at the office. He works late every night and is gone early in the morning.” 

“Really?”

“Want to hear what Mr. Hillshire is leaving for his kids?” Hoseok leans forward, conspiratorial. “You won’t believe it.” 

-

The bell over the door rings as someone enters the salon of Dr. Kim’s veterinary practice, drawing your attention. You straighten when you see San walk in.

“Hi, San,” you greet. “Here to pick up Maple?” 

“Yeah, is that alright? Mom is busy at the shop.” 

“Of course.” You wipe your sweaty hands on your skirts and gesture behind you with your thumb. “I’ll go fetch her. Dr. Kim is on an errand but she’s ready to go.” 

The back of the building with the kennels is quiet. The Choi family cat and two other sleeping dogs are the only occupants of the practice, making it an easy day. Maple is dozing in her kennel, chirping in protest when you open the cage and scoop her into a carrier. She’s a lazy thing, a calico with pretty eyes and a newly stitched ear. 

Carefully you carry her up front. San is standing patiently in the lobby, hands behind his back as he looks around nervously. You raise your brows as you come around the counter, handing over the carrier. “Everything okay?”

“Hmm?”

“You look nervous. It’s just me and the Lowells’ hounds back here.” 

“Oh, yes.” His ears blush pink as he accepts the carrier and steps back. “Just a nervous energy in general. I have been since um…”

Oh. You had forgotten that it was San who discovered the Matheson family disemboweled by some kind of animal. The constable had thought that maybe it was a pack of wolves but was concerned by how big the claw marks and destruction were. 

“I’m sorry,” you blurt.

“For what?”

“That you had to see that, I guess? It must have been terrifying.”

“A little,” he admits, looking at his shoes. “I walked the path to the Mathesons all the time. I don’t ever recall seeing something that could… do that.”

“Was it that awful?” 

He nods. “Like nothing I’ve ever seen. Don’t get me wrong, I go on hunting parties. We’ve seen the leftovers from bears and wolves. This was something worse. It felt like…” He shakes his head and looks up at you. “It felt angry.”

“Angry?”

“Yeah. I know that doesn’t make sense. It was probably just a beast coming down from the mountain because it was starving. You know how harsh winters are.” 

You hum in agreement. 

San dismisses himself, thanking you again for helping with the family cat and throwing a wave over his shoulder. You return it half-heartedly, already distracted with thoughts of what the animal attacks could mean.

You think about your wolf and how kind and intelligent it was. You don’t remember ever feeling a sense of impending doom like you do now, a heaviness to the air as you stand idly behind the counter. 

Dr. Kim's return startles you at the counter. You press your hands flat against the top of the desk, leaning up on your tiptoes as you see his son Seokjin enter behind him. Your heart flutters a little at the sight, still overwhelmed by his handsome face. 

Seokjin is tall and broad, with dark hair and a beautiful face. His sharp eyes find you and he gives you a half smile, though there seems to be something on his mind as he follows his father into the backroom, Dr. Kim barely saying hello as he goes, his brows furrowed in deep thought.

The two of them disappear and you watch the door swing shut behind them. Curious, you trail around the counter and softly walk over to the door, pulling it open a smidge.

It’s difficult to pick up on their words, but you can hear Dr. Kim’s timbre speaking in low tones from somewhere in the backroom. You hold your breath and wedge the door open a little more, pressing your ear toward the gap between the frame and the door. 

“... again. They’re going to want to start hunting parties again soon.”

“So what do we do?”

Silence. Then, “Send a message….”

“... brought it on themselves… it’s time to make things right.” 

Behind you, the bell rings at the door. You gasp, letting go of the door to the back room and spin around, heart hammering in your chest. Hoseok stands at the door, raising his brows in question. 

“What are you doing here?” you demand, suddenly angry that he’s startled you and ruined your sleuthing.

“I promised your mom I would walk home with you at the end of your shift, remember? Dangerous out there.” 

You blink and look out the window, realizing that the heavy gray of evening is setting over the road. You hadn’t realized it was so late. 

Nodding, you grab your cloak in a hurry. You pop your head into the back room, both Seokjin and Dr. Kim looking at you as you do. “I’m leaving for the evening, sir. Is there anything else you need?”

“No, thank you for watching the place while I was gone. Tomorrow we have to make a house call to the Marrow farm. Lame horse.”

Seokjin frowns. “Do you think that is wise?” Dr. Kim looks at his son under heavy brows. “With the current conditions.” 

“We’ll be fine.” Something passes between them, son and father locked in a heated gaze. You stand there awkwardly, glancing between the two.

Seokjin breaks his stare from his father and flashes you a grin. “You have someone to walk you home?”

“Yeah, Hoseok is here.” You hug the cloak tighter to your chest and Seokjin’s eyes drop to it. An unreadable expression passes his face before he nods. “Have a good evening!”

“You too.”

Leaving them behind, you head to where Hoseok waits for you, examining drawings of animal skeletons and anatomy. You pull your cloak on, feeling safe and warm under the red material. Hoseok looks up at you, thrusting his thumb at one of the drawings of a horse. “I don’t look like that, right?” 

-

The red cloak tied around you wicks the sweat from the back of your neck. Your fingers work quickly as you tie it, knowing you’re already late to meeting Dr. Kim. Thankfully, you don’t make a habit of being late and you’re sure he won’t mind too much.

Strange dreams had plagued you all night. Images of wolves, blood and mist. Echoes of howling, screaming and thunder. Now as you hurry out of your home and into the wicked wind of winter, you cannot shake a sense of premonition.

Dr. Kim is already on the doorstep when you arrive at the veterinary office, a heavy coat on his shoulders and a bag of tools in his hand. He nods when he sees you and comes down the steps, turning toward the south exit of the village. 

Neither of you speak. Beyond the fact that you don’t think you’d be able to hear Dr. Kim over the howling wind, it doesn’t feel like the kind of trip that requires speaking. The evergreens on either side of the road loom over you, bows heavy with snow. Every so often, a branch cracks with the weight of frozen icicles, making you flinch with the sound.

It feels like you’re being watched. Every so often, you swivel your head this way and that, glancing at the trees. The trunks are too close together and the branches to tangle to see beyond them on either side of the road. Still, your skin tingles from something beyond the cold, you just don’t know what. 

The Marrow farm is only a little over a mile from the main village, but the snow covered roads make it slow going. As you near the edge of where their acres begin, your boots are already heavy with melted slush and your calves and thighs burn from dragging your feet through the path. 

Perhaps it was not a good day to do a house call. 

Passing white-covered gates, you’re thankful that at least the wind has died down as the morning turns into midday. The sun is hidden by clouds, but there is a hint of warmth in the air. The Marrow farm is made up of three buildings: the small house in front, the large barn to the back left where they keep their animals, and a giant silo for grains. 

As you near the house, a loud banging reaches you. Both you and Dr. Kim pause, listening as the sound carries on the wind. It doesn’t sound like hammering, but rather like a door slamming over and over again. 

“Barn door?” you suggest, looking up at Dr. Kim. His dark eyes look at the house, expression grim. “But why would they let it slam relentlessly?” 

“Keep your wits about you,” he murmurs, ignoring your question. “Go to the main house. I’ll go round to the barn. Perhaps they’ve forgotten the appointment.”

No smoke comes from the chimney. No snow is cleared from the footpath to the door. The shutters are closed, which makes sense to keep the cold out. As you approach the steps leading up to the porch, you note that none of the hounds are baying. The Marrow’s have several bloodhounds, all of which keep noisy providence around the threshold of the door. 

Spine tingling, you lift your hand and knock. There’s no answer. You strain your ears, leaning forward for any hint that the Marrow’s or one of their two sons are coming to the door. Not even the dogs alert them of your presence. 

You think about San finding the Mathesons butchered and your stomach drops. You knock again, knuckles stinging with cold as they rap harshly against the wooden door. Tucking your hand back into your cloak, you wait. 

Nothing comes. 

Taking a deep breath, you reach for the door and twist the handle. It opens easily, swinging inward to a cold, empty home. Inside, the air is still and dead. Behind you, the breeze brushes the edges of your cloak and the hood on your head. 

Silence hangs. Licking your lips, you lift a foot. It hands over the threshold, fear making you pause. There is nothing inside the home, and yet you find that you’re utterly terrified of stepping inside. Your stomach knots and for a few moments, you just stand there with your foot in the air, staring with unseeing eyes into the dark interior. 

You step into the room and pause. Nothing happens. The air inside the home is stale, like the doors and windows have not been opened for a few days. The cold is bone deep, clinging to the undisturbed air. You scan the room for any sign of life, but see nothing that stirs. 

Everything looks lived in. There are knitted blankets tossed across the backs of old arm chairs, boots by the door, unlaced and soft with age. Mugs have been turned upside down and placed on a towel near the basin for drying, and there are dice on the kitchen table. 

Navigating slowly, you move to the hall with bedrooms. Doors hang open, revealing unmade beds and clothes on the floor. Here too, the air feels undisturbed. You hear the breeze outside and the soft creak of the house, but nothing else makes a sound, save for the loud beating of your own heart. 

Shivering, you make your way to the front of the home. Something foul hangs in the air and you want to be rid of the feeling, quickening your steps to leave through the front door and-

Fear stabs deep into your stomach when you see the wolf standing in the doorway. It stands half in the home, half out, only the front two paws over the threshold. The beast barely fits in the door frame, wide as two men standing side by side and tall as a horse. 

You don’t move. It stares at you with bright, burning eyes. Its fur is dark, though there is a jagged ring of light fur around the right, front paw. You swear you smell pine and bergamot. Something nudges at the back of your mind as the two of you stand off - and it clicks into place.

“You,” you breathe. “You’re the wolf I helped!” 

For a moment, the bright yellow eyes stare at you. They’re unreadable, and yet… emotive. Intelligent. Understanding. The wolf dips its snout in a nod. 

“What are you doing here? Where are the Marrows?” 

The wolf’s ears flicker. Slowly, it backs out of the house. Throwing caution to the wind, you rush after him, nearly tripping over a wolfskin rug in the home.

Outside, the wolf stands below the porch. You step on the porch and pull up short, heart racing as you see the pack of wolves standing in front of the home.

The wolves are a variety of colors and sizes. You dare not move your head, but you scan them with your eyes, drinking in the different creatures. The only thing that they have in common is that they are freakishly large. 

Your wolf - for in your mind he’s yours - stands in front of you. He growls, hair on his spine raising as he regards the other wolves. There’s a silent standoff of sorts, the wolf you saved facing the others. You cannot understand their body language, but the air seems charged. 

The smell of smoke is in the air. You don’t dare look for the source, too afraid to do anything to disrupt the standoff. Breathing in deeply, you think you smell cedar. Oil. Something else that you can’t identify. 

Footsteps crunch the snow. You whip your head to the side, a warning on your tongue as Dr. Kim rounds the house, a haunted expression on his face. He stops abruptly, looking at the display in front of him behind frosted glasses. He says nothing - does nothing but glance between you, the wolf in front of you, and the others. 

Finally, one of the other wolves chuffs and shakes, dispelling snow. It has an all white coat and intense, dark eyes that look at you with… annoyance, if wolves can look annoyed. It turns to leave and the others follow - all five of them - as the white wolf leads them at a loping trot toward the silo and the woods beyond.

Your wolf turns to peer at you, ears flicking before it breaks off into a run, trailing after its pack to leave you and Dr. Kim standing in silence, watching them go. 

Slowly, you turn to Dr. Kim. He scrutinizes you, eyes squinted. “Where did you get that cloak?” 

You look down at the rich, red cloth. “I… well it just appeared, one day when I was younger. I don’t know.”

He regards you suspiciously. “I see. Come. We must leave right away.”

Dr. Kim begins walking at a fast pace back toward town, clutching his tool case. “Wait! Where are the Morrows?” 

Instead of answering, Dr. Kim continues on. You scramble after him, careful not to slip on the icy stairs. The wind picks up and you smell a fire again, making you turn back as you try to catch up. You almost stumble over your feet, eyebrows shooting up as you see orange flames consuming the barn. 

“Dr. Kim!”

Again, he says nothing. You stop and stare, watching as the fire eats away at the barn. The smoke burns black. Fueled by oil, you think. Looking over your shoulder, you watch Dr. Kim’s retreating back and wonder what exactly it is that he’s done. 

“Did you set that fire?” you demand, chasing him. He gives you a withering look. “What is going on?”

“Speak nothing of this,” he snaps. “We arrived here to make a housecall and discovered that the barn was on fire. We suspect that Mr. Marrow was burning to melt the snow around the barn and that the barn caught. The Marrow family died inside trying to put out the fire.”

“But the wolves-”

“Do not mention the wolves, girl.”

“Did they kill the Marrows?” His jaw works but he doesn’t answer. “Did they kill the Mathesons?” 

“This village has a complicated history,” he says finally. He pulls his coat tighter. “I don’t expect you to understand, but I do expect you to stay out of it. Say nothing of the wolves and stay away from them. You’ll make it through winter.”

-

Two weeks pass, the secret heavy on your tongue. You work with Dr. Kim as though nothing happened, and when people ask about the Marrow farm, you recite vague details. You don’t know why you do it but… the image of the wolf - your wolf - floats in your mind each time you spit out the lie. 

Thoughts plague you as Hoseok lounges on the porch of the office that belongs to Hoseok’s father, who acts as the town’s scribe and legal affairs recorder. A sudden warm day has brought everyone outdoors, lounging on their porches and trying to take advantage of the melting snow around the buildings. The streets are muddy and murky as kids run by, feet splashing. 

A group of men prowl around the outskirts of the village. Sun shines through the slats of the overhang in front of the inn, warming where you lean on the porch railing. Hoseok rattles on about gossip he’s heard from his mother’s tea parties and his father’s work on will and testaments with the growing fear of death in the village. 

“Plagues, serial killings, blood feuds and animal attacks,” Hoseok sighs, staring up at the ceiling where he lies. “Good for father’s business. Bad for my cramping hand trying to help him.” 

“Hmm,” you hum noncommittally, thoughts lost as you stare out into the street with unseeing eyes.

Shouts make you flinch. You stand rod straight, gripping the railing as you look for the source of the disruption. Hoseok stands up immediately, joining you at the railing as the pair of you lean to look toward the entrance to the town. 

At first, you think that it’s about another wolf attack. People rush into the street, looking toward the commotion. Then you see it. Gleeful cheers spring up to the buildings closest to the town’s entrance as the first few traders enter the road. Your heart soars when you see donkeys pulling a cart behind them, followed by more people carrying packs and towing small carts. 

“The traders!” You breathe, feeling a sigh of relief sweep through you. “They’ve made it!” 

Excitement ripples through the village. People come flocking from the buildings to welcome cart after cart full of people. Some traders tow full carriages with riders at the front, the shutters on their carriages tied shut, hiding their wares inside. 

Hoseok lounges back down, letting out a sigh of relief. You feel the same, leaning on the railing again to watch as the carts are towed down the road, pulling down different streets to set up shop and find accommodations. 

Most of the traders look vaguely familiar to you - you see the Robin’s with their cloth cart and Morty with his towering carriage of unusual wares and charms. The Yang twins set off small, popping fireworks from the back of their cart, making the children squeal. 

Something catches your eye. “There are more traders than usual,” you tell Hoseok, frowning as your eyes settle on the large men who walk among the carts, all of whom wear weapons belts and look from side to side as they walk. “I think they’re warriors, Hoseok.”

“Warriors?” he laughs. “Strange.”

“No really, there are several men with blades at the hip and bows on the back. They look… guarded.”

He tilts his head, eyeing where your eyes flit from person to person. “Perhaps the road is as hard as we suspected this year.” 

You hum in agreement, watching as the caravans stop and unload, the muddy streets filling with people and chatter and bubbling with excitement. It feels like the bubble of anxiety looming over the town has popped - at least temporarily - relieving the pressure that had been building with every passing day. 

Leaning against the rail, you’re content to observe. All manner of people and things are pulled from carts. Vendors start setting up right away, people forming lines for ingredients, cloth, and wares. The largest line of all is for weapons and metal tools, Old Man Heo barely has time to park his cart before the men of the village ask how much for iron arrowheads and blades. 

A shiver goes through you as your eyes sweep back toward the town entrance where more people pour in. Fewer caravans come through - now it’s just people with pack mules or bags over their shoulders. 

The hairs on your arm stand up when you see him. Wind lifts the edge of your cloak, making it flutter around you. You watch as he walks down the main street with the other travelers, eyes flicking around as he drinks in the buildings and the crowd of villagers coming to welcome the traders. 

As though he senses your staring, his head snaps to you. You feel frozen to the spot, your fingers tightening on the rail as you meet his eyes. They’re unfathomably dark and yet… a tingle of familiarity slithers up your spine. 

He stares at you in turn. You’re sure he’s looking at you, paused near the cart he stands next to, dark gaze focused on where you stand on the porch. 

You’ve never seen him.  You’re sure of it. You’d remember a handsome face like that anywhere. His long, dark hair is pushed back from his face, revealing a sharp jawline, a strong nose, and intense eyes. His lips are red from the cold - pretty against tan skin.

He’s tall. Taller than most men in the village and broad, with strong shoulders and thick arms, though it’s hard to tell underneath his tunic. Like the other hardy men accompanying traders, he has a weapons belt snug around his waist and the bulk of his frame implies that he knows how to use them. 

The man doesn’t break eye contact. His mouth begins to tilt in what you think might be the start of a smile when Hoseok sits up abruptly, startling you. You break eye contact, looking at Hoseok who bites into an apple, offering you one. 

“You frightened me,” you snap, a little irritated at being distracted. When you glance back up at the man, his attention is elsewhere. 

“What were you staring at anyway?” he asks, crunching bits of apple. 

“Nothing,” you murmur, eyes on the flexing back of the man as he helps unload a wagon near the inn. Something niggles at the back of your mind. I know you. “Nothing at all.” 

“Want to visit the vendors later when they’re all set up? I would love to get some spiced wine and listen to Marla’s stories tonight.”

“Yes,” you answer without hesitation. “Let’s do just that.” 

-

Every minute that passes by feels like an eternity. Incurable energy simmers under the surface as you wait for the day to fade to evening. You clean the entire house, you collect wood from outside, you dress and then change into something else, and you ultimately end up pacing back and forth in your room while you wait for Hoseok to arrive. 

Your thoughts are consumed by the mystery man you had seen earlier. His handsome face swims in your memory. The clear image of his face is accompanied by some feeling you cannot identify, something that almost feels like nostalgia. How can you feel nostalgia for someone you don’t know? 

Hoseok finally arrives, letting himself into your house cheerily. The brief respite from winter is already bleeding away, the wind carrying a painful promise as it lifts your hood outside. The traders, it seems, arrived at the perfect time, the cloudy sky promising snow in the morning once more. 

Energy sizzles in the air. It’s as though the momentary fear of the wolf attacks is momentarily forgotten with the arrival of the vendors and travelers. The noise echoes from every street, torches, and fires lighting up the alleyways and down as people hang lamps in the windows and carts string up tea lights. 

Though you’re nervous, you are temporarily distracted as Hoseok pulls you through a tangle of carts toward Sal’s Sweets. Your stomach grumbles when you catch the scent of melting sugar and sweet confections, joining the line at Hoseok’s side to pick up hot, sticky sweets. 

With hot, sweet rolls drizzled in honey in hand, you and Hoseok explore the vendor carts. It is an explosion of color and lights, glittering jewelry hanging from displays, hot meats sizzling in pants over fires, the flash of powder and light as the Yang twins set off more fireworks, and the smell of spices as you pass by herb carts and tents. 

Everywhere you go, you see the men from before, looming near carts with weapons and steely expressions. But not even the eerie sight of them can bring down the spirits of the villagers, kids running with new kites and jars full of fireflies. 

As you stand in line with Hoseok who wants new inkwells, you listen to passing chatter. From what you gather, it was a hard trip this way on the caravans this year. The winter was just as harsh on the road as it was in the village, and the traders' voices become quiet when they talk about thieves and monsters in the woods.

You exchange a glance with Hoseok and he nods. Wolves. 

Wordlessly, you wait as Hoseok points out the inks that he wants. You begin to crane your neck, looking for the familiar stranger that you had seen before. The square is crowded and packed tight with people, making it nearly impossible to make out much beyond a few feet in front of you.

You spot Dr. Kim walking next to Seokjin, both of their heads bowed as they speak to one another. You narrow your eyes, remembering the way Dr. Kim had silenced you at the Marrow farm. You watch them as they head toward the road that the veterinary practice is on, pausing as a man pushes off the wall to join them.

It’s him you realize. You recognize the broad shoulders and the dark hair as he turns his back to you, walking with the Kims down the road. You don’t even have to think twice.

“Hey,” you tug Hoseok’s sleeve. “I’m going to go see Dr. Kim about something really quick. I’ll meet you at the inn?”

“Sure.” He frowns. “Is it safe to go alone?”

“With all of these people?” You’re already backing away and shrugging. “Definitely.” 

Without waiting for Hoseok to respond, you turn on your heel and rush into the crowd. The bodies of people immediately swallow you. The sound and sights and smells become a blur as you push through the crowd, shouldering people aside. You get some nasty looks from the force at which you move, but they immediately forget you as more people press in.

Less people pass you by as you walk up the street, pulling your cloak in tight. The lights in front of the building are off. You creep up the stairs and try the handle, finding it locked. It doesn’t matter, you sneak around the back of the building to the rear entrance and press your ear to the door. When you hear nothing, you try the handle and it twists.

Victorious, you open the door and slide through. The hallway is narrow with four doors on the right leading to examination rooms and two doors on the left. The first door leads to the kennel area where you hear voices. The second leads to the front lobby and desk.

The front lobby is the safest option, lest you get caught eavesdropping in the hallway when they leave. Carefully, you creep by the door, holding your breath and praying the floor doesn’t creak. Your heart pounds as you inch past the door, hearing deep voices on the other side as you go by. 

Clearing the door, you hurry into the lobby and to the door behind the desk that leads to the kennels. Crouching down low to hide yourself from anyone walking by the windows, you carefully pull the door open, unwilling to open it any further than the width of your index finger. Pressing your ear to the open gap, you listen.

“We talked about discretion,” Dr. Kim says, his voice frustrated. “This isn’t discretion. This is harassment and fear-mongering.”

“I told you,” a deep, smooth voice answers. You assume it must belong to the stranger and you shiver, eyes fluttering as the sound of it washes over you. “It isn’t my decision to make. I do not lead. Yoongi made it very clear how he wishes to proceed.” 

“Yoongi is a lunatic.”

“He’s the alpha.”

You frown. Alpha? You’re familiar with the concept of alphas in packs of dogs and herding animals, but you don’t know what that has to do with people or who Yoongi is. 

“The hunts will begin tomorrow.”

You think Dr. Kim means the hunting for the wolves. It makes sense now that the traders are in town and they can stock up on weapons. 

“As is the way of things,” the stranger answers with a sigh. “You know why Yoongi has chosen this path.”

“Is revenge worth it?”

“Perhaps your kind do not understand.” The stranger’s voice hardens. You wonder what he means by your kind. “You have one foot in the forest, one in the village.” 

“We understand, but we’re also not reckless.” Charged quiet hangs in the air. You hold your breath, your heart thundering in your chest, waiting for the sound of footsteps at the end of a conversation. “Why are you here, Namjoon? You came alone.”

Namjoon. The name washes over you, a warm feeling like the first spray of summer rain. It must be the stranger's name. 

Namjoon answers, “There is… a protected here. But I still fear for them. Yoongi and the others are angry - I wish to further keep them from harm.”

A frown twists your mouth. This Namjoon is here to protect someone from Yoongi. You wonder what this has to do with Dr. Kim. Could… Perhaps someone is using the wolves as tools? You’ve certainly seen a hunter train wolves or wolfhounds before, though it’s a dangerous business. 

Dr. Kim sighs. “That is the only saving grace of you being here, I’m afraid. Seokjin and I cannot help you. Not without exposing ourselves. I’ve already done what I can.”

“You have my greatest thanks for that. You and yours will always be safe. And not just because of your blood.”

Shuffling makes you lean away from the door immediately. You slowly drop it back in place before crawling over to the desk and hiding under it, straining your hearing as the footsteps go into the back hall and out of the back door. You remain there long after you hear the back door shut, waiting just in case they’re still outside.

When you’re sure they’ve gone, you crawl out from underneath the desk and hurry into the hall and out the back door. The alley is empty when you stick your head out, sagging with relief. You hurry out and close the door behind you, spinning around and-

“You know, most people who don’t want to be seen don’t sneak around in a red cloak.”

The man - Namjoon - looms over you, looking down at you with an amused expression. Your scream is cut off when he winces and cups your mouth with his hand. “Well don’t scream! You’ll summon Giho and Seokjin back this way. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Namjoon waits for a moment, your chest heaving as you nod, signifying that you won’t scream for help. Maybe it’s silly, but you trust him not to hurt you. At the least, he is there to protect someone in the village, so he doesn’t seem like he’s there for nefarious reasons.

When he drops his hands, you press yourself against the door, trying to put a little distance between you. Namjoon’s presence is demanding, a tickle prickling at the base of your spine as you look up at him, mystified. 

He’s so beautiful. Up close, you can make out his features far better than earlier that day. His eyes are dark and framed by beautiful, silken lashes. His nose is broad and his jaw is sharp. A dimple appears when he gives you a lopsided grin, dark eyes sizing you up.

The same sense of familiarity from earlier comes back to you, and though you’ve never seen his face before, you swear you know him. Warmth radiates from him, the delicate smell of pine and bergamot reaching you. He feels like… yours. Like some part of him completes you. It is the strangest feeling. 

“You okay, Red?” he asks, tone earnest. You furrow your brows at the term and he grins - genuine and warm. “Your cloak. It’s a very bright red. Pretty, though.”

“Thank you?”

He raises a brow. “Are you asking me?”

“I’m… you’re awfully close.”

Namjoon takes a few steps back from you. You suddenly regret saying something as his warmth vanishes, replaced by the cool wind. “Sorry,” he says, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “Didn’t mean to freak you out.”

“Why didn’t you alert Dr. Kim if you knew I was snooping.”

“You don’t seem to be a threat. Plus, he’s a bit of a grouch. It didn’t seem worth it to hear him chastise a pretty girl.”

You flush. “How do you know the Kims?”

“Family friends.” 

“What were you all talking about?”

He cocks his head to the side. “Just because I’m not chastising you for listening to our private conversation doesn’t mean I’m going to divulge the details of said private conversation.”

You divert your gaze, feeling flushed. He has a point, but if he’s put out by your line of questioning or your eavesdropping, he doesn’t show it. “Come on,” Namjoon says. “Let’s go back to the square. I need a drink and it’s dangerous to walk around right now.”

“Because of the wolves?”

He stares at you. “Because it’s dark and there are a bunch of strangers in your town, and you’re a woman alone. In the dark.”

“You’re a stranger in my town.”

His grin spreads and his dimple deepens. Your stomach flutters. You’re not unaffected by him, a little dizzy and nervous when he sticks out a hand. “Namjoon. I’m a part of the Kim family.”

“Like… Dr. Kim?” you ask, reaching out your hand and giving him your name.

“We’re related, in a way. Pretty name. I think I’ll stick with Red, though.”

Namjoon takes off walking. For a second, you just stand and stare at him. He shoves his hands in his pockets and doesn’t look back. You lick your lips, heart pounding. You cannot shake the sense of something peculiar about him, something familiar. He’s a Kim - perhaps you know him.

Determined to find out, you take off after him, scurrying to catch up. You fall into step with him and look up to find him smirking down at you before focusing back on the growing noise and lights of the main square. 

“Have you been here before?” you ask, watching him from the corner of your eye. He shakes his head and you frown. “I feel like I know you.”

“Perhaps I have one of those faces?”

“No, I’d remember a face like yours.”

Namjoon turns to you, arching a brow. “A face like mine, huh?” 

Multiple fire pits dot the streets, groups of people clustered around them to keep warm as the chill seeps back into the village. The inn is bustling with people, the door propped open with a chair as people walk in and out with platters of food and tankards in hand. Multiple villagers have pulled out tables and chairs from their homes, setting them up in the street. 

It feels good. The air hums with euphoria and the promise of better days ahead, like suddenly there are not several families mourning their loved ones. The atmosphere reminds you of a festival, and you suppose it kind of is a festival. 

The smell of burning fat and ale hits your nose as you walk into the inn. Voices roar over one another and the workers are busy behind the bar. A fireplace crackles in the far corner where you spot Hoseok guarding an extra chair. 

“I fear this is where we part ways,” Namjoon announces over the din of voices. “Try not to do any more eavesdropping tonight.” You hesitate, wanting to protest. There are a million burning questions you have for him. He must see it in your face, because he smiles and says, “We’ll run into one another again. Don’t worry.”

“I wasn’t worried.”

You were actually, and you know he knows by his smirk. “Goodnight, Red.”

You watch Namjoon go. He moves toward where the innkeeper stands at a podium looking over reservations, blending into the crowd. Just before he reaches the podium he glances over his shoulder at you, catching you watching. He shoots you a grin and you scowl, pivoting on your heel to charge toward Hoseok. 

Hoseok raises his eyebrows when he sees you storm over to him and yank the chair out from the table, sitting down in a huff. Without a word, you snatch his tankard of ale and take several, cold gulps before setting it on the table, letting it wash through you. 

“Who was that you came in with? And then stormed over here after speaking to?”

“Some relative of the Kims,” you mutter. “I find him very… frustrating.”

“He’s very handsome.”

You glare at Hoseok and see the beginning of a wicked smile. “And frustrating.” 

He lifts his cup, shrugging. “Cheers to being frustrating.”

-

A scream wakes you up in the middle of the night. You lurch up from bed, head spinning as you try to gather your wits about you. Blankets tangle your limbs as you try to peel them from sweaty skin. Another scream makes you stumble out of bed, the world tilting on its axis as your body tries to catch up with your sudden lucidity. 

In the main room of your home, your mother is stumbling through the kitchen too, lighting a candle and grabbing a holder. You feel relief as you realize the screaming isn’t coming from your home, but your neighbor’s.

Together, you and your mother rush out into the cold in nightgowns, not bothering with shoes or coats. The cold is bitter, immediately stinging your skin as the Liang family joins you in running to the Hutch family home where it sounds like Mrs. Hutch is screaming like a wild animal in her house. 

“It’s Leanne,” your mother breathes, words turning to steam in the air. 

“Come on,” you urge, pulling your mother as you go, driven by the shrieks.

The front door hangs open as Mr. Liang enters the home first, an ax in hand. It occurs to you that neither you nor your mother have weapons, but Mrs. Hutch has always been kind to your mother, making the both of you charge into the darkness of her home empty-handed.

A metallic tang hits you immediately. You recoil, recognizing the stench of blood immediately. Villagers spill into the home behind you, alerted to the wailing coming from the bedroom. With torches and candles in hand, you spot the red on the dark wood floor in the hallway. 

Mr. Liang stands in the doorway of the bedroom, staring with a haunted gaze at what he sees there. Your mother pushes through the people in the home to look over his shoulder, her hand flying to her mouth as she gasps. 

“Oh Leanne,” she murmurs in horror, shoving by Mr. Liang.

You don’t go to the room. The smell and the weeping coming from the bedroom give you an inkling of what lay inside. You stand in the living room as people fill the hall, gasping and murmuring. Someone shouts to wake the constable. 

“Why?” Mrs. Hutch screams in her room, the despair in her voice rattling your bones. “Why?”

“His throat has been cut,” someone murmurs from the hall. “Murdered in bed.” 

Murdered? That throws you for a loop. You had assumed somehow it was an animal attack but… you shiver. Murder is different. 

Mr. Liang begins shooing people out of the house. You slink out into the cold and hurry to your own home, bare feet freezing in the cold, wet earth. Your mother stays with Mrs. Hutch, leaving you alone.

The dark presses in on you, every creak of a floorboard making you jump. The shadows seem menacing now and you’re quick to find and light a candle, orange light flooding the home. 

Cloth and candle in hand, you return to your room to wipe the cold mud from your feet, skin still burning from the frigid air. Voices carry in from outside, the entire town waking and gathering as the shock of murder ripples through the streets, a stone in a pond.

With sleep nowhere near possible for the remainder of the night, you get dressed. You pull on thick woolen pants, a tunic, and multiple socks, sticking your feet in your boots. Your cloak goes next, fastening it around your throat as you look out your bedroom window. 

Your home sits at an angle in a row of houses that circle the village like a ring. You can see the wall of the home next to you, and a sliver of the backyard as well. It’s that tiny space in the backyard that catches your eye, watching as someone moves from the edge of the home out of sight. 

Heart in your throat, you grab a candle and run outside. The crowd in front of the Hutch’s has grown, but you ignore them, skirting around your house to the alleyway between you and your neighbor. Nothing catches your eye as you run to the backyard, swiveling as you search in the darkness for the shadow you saw. 

The wind howls, drowning out the voices in the street. The treeline behind the houses is dark. You squint your eyes and lift the candle in your hand, the flame barely flickering as the wind makes the trees sway. There is nothing in the darkness and you begin to turn when you see a shadow in the tree line. 

It’s barely there - perhaps a trick of the light, even. You take a step forward, boots crunching in the snow. A gust of wind makes your cloak snap at your ankles, candle going out and leaving you without a source of light. You had not realized how dark it was without it, the shadow vanishing from your line of sight. 

Fear nestles in the pit of your stomach. Your breath gets stuck in your lungs as your limbs lock, realizing how stupid it was to come outside if there was a killer among the trees. Soft snow crunches somewhere close to you. You squeeze your eyes shut, tucking your chin to your chest as panic makes you shut down, unable to move and-

“Red.”

Namjoon’s voice makes you spin around. He holds a torch level with his head, the flame casting an eerie glow on his face. For a moment, he looks lupine and terrifying, your heart nearly stuttering to a halt. 

Then his face twists in concern. “What are you doing out here alone?”

“What are you doing?”

“Dr. Kim sent me over to check on you. No one answered the door so I came around back.”

“Why?”

Namjoon seems confused. “Why did I come around back or why did he send me?”

“Both.”

“I could see the light of your candle and because a murder has just happened.”

You relax a little at the logic in his answer. Snow begins to fall from the sky. You look up at the moonless black,  thick clouds floating as the bits of snow drift on the breeze. You shiver and look back to the trees, seeing nothing but tightly packed pines. Still, there is an instinctual sense of trepidation that sits heavy in your gut.

“Come on,” Namjoon says gently. “Let’s go inside. I’ll wait with you until your mother comes home.” 

Reluctantly, you follow Namjoon. Eyeing him, you realize he is dressed differently than previously that night. Now, he’s in black breeches and a black linen shirt. The weapons belt is gone and he’s without a coat. 

You frown. “Aren’t you freezing?”

“I run warm.”

It’s the only answer that he gives you as you walk back into the street which is filled with people and torches. In the distance, you hear the baying of hounds. It chills you, goosebumps exploding up and down your arms as you watch a cluster of firelights gather far off down the road. 

“The constable is leading a manhunt. They’ll come to question us too.” 

Wordlessly you gesture for Namjoon to join you inside of your home. He closes the door firmly behind you and strides to the fireplace, using the torch to coax the simmering logs to a full flame. Cedar pops as he adds the torch to the fire, orange embers drifting up the chimney. 

Rubbing your hands together, you offer him tea and he accepts with a soft smile. It doesn’t meet his eyes as he looks around the only place you’ve ever called home. Suddenly shy of your less-than-luxurious surroundings, you clear your throat and gesture to one of the mismatched armchairs by the fire as you grab a kettle.

Namjoon hardly fits in the chair. You press your lips to keep from laughing, which feels inappropriate with a man dead just a few yards away. With careful hands, you hang the kettle next to the fire, the flame close enough to heat the water as you scurry back to the kitchen and fill tea bags with herbs. 

“What kind of tea do you like?”

“Yarrow, if you have it.”

“I do.” You grab the jar, popping the top. “Are you in great pain, Mr. Kim?”

“Call me Namjoon. Mr. Kim feels far too formal.”

“Well, we are strangers, after all.”

Namjoon certainly doesn’t feel like a stranger. You cast him a sidelong glance as you say it, looking for his reaction. He turns his head from the fire, meeting your gaze head-on. His lips curve in a secret smile, making your nerves dance.

“I suppose that’s true.”

Is it? You wonder. You’re not so sure. 

Instead of asking him, you bring the mugs with bags of tea over to where he sits, handing him one. Steam rises from the spout of the teapot. With a thick towel, you lift it off of the hanger. Namjoon holds out his cup and lets you pour carefully into his mug, the smell of yarrow and mint wafting toward you. After pouring your own cup, you set the kettle down and sit across from him.

Your cold hands leech the warmth from the mug. You settle comfortably in the chair, relaxing and inhaling the chamomile in your cup. After a few moments of silence, you realize how comfortable and safe you feel with Namjoon, though you’ve only known him for a few short hours. 

“Why have you come to the village?” 

Namjoon watches the fire as he answers, “You were eavesdropping at the veterinary office. I’m sure you heard me.” You look down at your steaming cup and Namjoon chuckles, raspy and deep. It’s a nice sound.

“You said there was a ‘protected’ here. And something about a Yoongi.”

Namjoon’s face darkens at the mention of Yoongi. You chew on your lip, worried you’ve pushed him too far before you’ve even started to ask him real questions. His jaw works as he contemplates what you’ve said, sipping the tea a little. 

“A protected just means someone under protection by my family,” Namjoon says finally. “My extended family is… large. We are a very close group and we consider those in our community blood.”

“It is… not always like that here.”

“Your mother assists Mrs. Hutch, though. That seems like family, in a way.”

“Mrs. Hutch is kind. Not everyone is.” 

Namjoon nods. “It is not like that where I am from. We bear the sins of our neighbors and we share the responsibility of keeping everyone safe.”

“That must be nice.” You sip your tea and scald your tongue, hissing and setting the cup down. Namjoon leans forward as though to help you, alarm on his face. “Tea is too hot. I don’t know how you drink it.”

He smiles and shrugs. “I run warm.” 

“So you said. How are you related to Dr. Kim?” 

“He’s my uncle. He’s my father’s brother. His wife was best friends with my mom.” 

“Oh.” You blink in surprise. “She passed away when I was very young. She… died the same winter as my father.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Namjoon frowns and cocks his head. “What did your father do?” 

“He was a hunter.”

One of the logs pops in the fireplace, making you flinch. You give a nervous laugh and glance at Namjoon, who has gone stone-still. The firelight dances on his face as he peers at you. Your smile falters a little at the gravity you find there. 

“He only hunted fowl and deer,” you find yourself explaining. You don’t know why you say it, only that suddenly that feels important. “He didn’t like to hunt bigger game or predators. Mother says that he believed they were best left alone and that a true hunter knows his betters when he sees them.”

Namjoon hums. “Smart man.”

“I don’t know. He died in an animal attack when I was very young.” 

“You must resent the woods.”

“Not at all. I think…” You bite your bottom lip, trying to find the right words. “I think that he wouldn’t blame the animals. The woods are their home. My mother says he was always very adamant about that. They don’t usually attack villagers, though.”

“Usually?”

“There are animal attacks happening. I’m sure Dr. Kim told you…?”

“Ah, yes. You think they’re without reason?”

“Perhaps hunger? I don’t know. It does not happen often.” 

“Wolves are not known to hunt people.��� Namjoon’s fingers drum against his mug, a steady tap. He seems thoughtful as he regards you. “They’re intelligent creatures and their packs are important to them. They take the threat to their land and their family seriously.” 

“Like your family?”

He laughs. “Like my family.” Namjoon sips his tea again. “This land used to belong to several packs of wolves, you know?”

“Really?”

“Yes, until settlers drove them out. Not that long ago there were hunting parties for sport. They slaughtered entire packs, destroying bloodlines and nearly wiping out the wolves here entirely.”

“I always found that incredibly sad.”

“Why is that?”

“They’re incredibly important to the ecosystem here. And I guess I always agreed with my dad. I don’t remember him much, but I like to remember that he was good at heart.”

Namjoon hums but says nothing else. You sit in silence for a while, enjoying the warmth of the fire. Namjoon’s presence is steady, keeping out the cold and the fear just beyond the door. You wonder how he does that by just sitting in a chair, or how it feels so natural. 

Outside, the world begins to turn gray. You yawn as exhaustion begins to set in and you feel yourself sagging. Eyes burning, you rub them with the back of your hands, blinking a few times to fight the explosion of colors in your vision. 

“You can sleep,” Namjoon says softly from where he sits. You glance at him. “You can trust me.”

A hint of pine and bergamot drift toward you, making you drowsy. Namjoon grabs a blanket from the back of his chair and stands up, bringing it to you. He takes your mug and you watch him with sleepy, round eyes as he places the blanket over you.

“Sleep.” His voice is soft, distant. “I will be here.”

Your eyes flutter shut and you drift to sleep, remembering the warm sound of his voice. It… reminds you of your wolf.

-

Gentle voices pull you from the clutches of sleep. You wake slowly, a cramp in your neck making you reluctant to get up. You smell the fire and the hint of pine and bergamot. You hear a low, raspy voice that you instantly recognize as Namjoon. 

How swiftly I know his voice, you think. 

“You must wake her,” a male voice says. You recognize it as Dr. Kim. “The constable is coming for questioning.”

“She’s already awake,” Namjoon answers, a smile in his voice. Your eyes snap open at being caught, meeting his dark gaze as he smirks from near your door. “See?”

You scowl at him. How did he know that? Sitting up and stretching, you appraise the two men lurking near your door. “Is my mother still with Mrs. Hutch?”

Dr. Kim nods and steps swiftly into the room around Namjoon. Namjoon reaches out a hand, catching Dr. Kim with his arm and stopping him from entering the room properly. You watch in puzzlement as there’s a silent exchange between the two of them, Namjoon’s face dark as Dr. Kim raises a brow. 

Then, Namjoon lets him go. You cock your head to the side, wondering what that’s about. Ignoring Namjoon, Dr. Kim approaches and says, “The constable will be here shortly. Say nothing about the farm.”

The farm. The memory of the wolves brings a chill to your arm, the smell of smoke and burning oil. The confusion and Dr. Kim’s refusal to answer your questions. 

“What is going on?” you demand, eyes flickering from Dr. Kim to Namjoon. “Animal attacks, murders, you covering up something at the barn. I’m being lied to.” 

“Say nothing about the farm,” Dr. Kim says again, voice firm. Namjoon makes a noise that startles you. It’s almost like a growl, your eyes going wide as he glares at Dr. Kim. “I told you this village has a complicated history. I’m looking after your safety.” 

Heavy footsteps sound on the porch. There’s a loud knock on the door, the constable announcing his presence on the other side. Namjoon opens the door for him, standing back to let him in. The constable looks him up and down with confusion before looking at you, a question in his eyes.

“They came to check on me,” you offer. The constable has known you since you were a child, it’s no wonder he’s confused at the presence of a stranger in your home. “How can I help you, constable?”

“I’d like you to answer a few questions about last night. Mr. Liang confirmed you were one of the first people to Hutch’s last night.”

Dr. Kim walks to your kitchen and busies himself making tea. Namjoon moves to sit in the chair across from you, his warm presence from the night before replaced with something mildly threatening. You cut him a look but his dark eyes are focused on the constable as though he’s a threat. 

The questions are easy enough. When did you wake up? Did you notice anyone around your home when you came home? Did you notice anyone outside? When did you come home? 

You leave out running into Namjoon behind your home. You don’t know why, but you feel the need to not draw attention to him. You also leave out the strange incident at the farm, glancing sideways at Dr. Kim when he brings you lemon tea. 

When the constable is finished, he eyes Dr. Kim. “Be at the station at four,” he instructs. “We’re splitting hunting parties. One to look for the culprit, the other to get rid of the damn wolves.” 

“The wolves were there first, you know?” Namjoon speaks up, looking at you and not the constable. “Have you ever tried figuring out what they want?”

“And who the hell are you?”

“Please ignore my nephew, constable. He likes to insert himself in conversations he doesn’t belong in. Come, let’s look over the hounds before you send them out tonight.”

Together, the constable and Dr. Kim shuffle out. Before he shuts the door, Dr. Kim levels the pair of you with a heavy gaze. You don’t know what that gaze means, but you know that something is going on in this village and that he and Namjoon seem to have some idea about it.

As soon as the door shuts, you turn to Namjoon and demand, “What is going on?”

He sighs. “Would you listen if I just said to wait it out?”

“Do you know who murdered Mr. Hatch?” 

Namjoon hesitates and shakes his head. You narrow your eyes, unbelieving. “I really don’t know who did, Red.”

“Why are you really here? Why all the secrets?” 

“I told you, my family protects those who belong to their community.”

“What did you mean about asking what the wolves want?” 

“I told you last night. There were wolves long before this village existed. Seems to me that if the wolves are suddenly killing the townspeople, perhaps it’s because they want their land back. Or maybe they’re angry from years of being hunted.”

That shuts you up. You can’t argue with that, exactly. But… “Are you saying that the wolves are capable of revenge?”

Namjoon stands and gestures to your cloak. “How often do you wear that?”

“Every day. It’s… sentimental to me.”

His eyes lighten and he offers a half smile. “Good. Red is a lucky color.”

“Where are you going?”

He opens the door, cold wind hissing past the opening. “Your mom is coming. I’ll see you later, Red.”

Without another word, Namjoon slips through the door and shuts it firmly behind him. You stare after him, openmouthed and confused. As promised, you hear your mother come up the steps, light feet scuffing before she quickly lets herself in, shutting the door firmly behind her.

You offer to make your mother breakfast, happy to help as she dozes in the chair. It isn’t until later that you wonder how Namjoon had heard her coming at all.

-

Little Lucy Larkin

In a little wood

Little Lucy Larkin

Up to no good

Little Lucy Larkin

In her little hood

Little Lucy Larkin

Ware of the woods!

Little Lucy Larkin

Stole a little bread

Little Lucy Larkin

In the woods of dread

Little Lucy Larkin

Is a little thief

Little Lucy Larkin

Die by wolf’s teeth

A sense of unease slithers up your spine as you pull your cloak closer. The voice of the children playing the Little Lucy Game echoes down the street and you pause to watch as the little boy playing Lucy steals the rock from the middle of the circle and the little boy playing the wolf gets up to chase him. 

The other kids scream and giggle as the boys give chase, the sound of their laughter eerie in the cold gray of twilight. Shaking it off, you turn and duck your head as you walk up the steps to the Tall Tales Inn. 

Warmth and the scent of food greet you. It’s a thinner crowd than the day before but still more people than you’re used to without the traders in town. There is a clear divide in the dining room with traders on one side and townsfolk on the other, the murder quick to make the locals distrust the new people in their streets.

Tense conversations hum in the gold light. You navigate around tables until you find Hoseok sitting with Seokjin. The sight of Seokjin gives you pause. He seems to sense your presence, glancing up and meeting your questioning stare. He gives no reaction, though, turning his attention back to Hoseok who is murmuring quietly.

“I didn’t expect to see you here, Jin,” you say by way of greeting. Hoseok gives you a look at your clipped tone. You ignore it, sitting down and leveling the older man with a stare, his father’s mysteriousness weighing on you. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

He narrows his eyes a fraction. “Just enjoying the company of friends.”

“Shouldn’t you be helping the constable?”

“I’m on the late-night shift.” 

Grinding your teeth, you sit roughly. Hoseok just watches you, brows raised. You say nothing as you order a drink and a meal, picking at the splinters of the tabletop, eyeing Seokjin. If he’s put out by your rudeness he doesn’t show it, drinking heartily from his tankard and watching you with dark, even eyes. 

You know Seokjin knows whatever it is his father and Namjoon have been talking about. You yourself have not been able to work out what’s going on in the village, but you’re sure the Kims know. And if Dr. Kim asked you to lie to the constable… well perhaps Seokjin is leading him astray as well.

Hoseok pipes up, steering the conversation everywhere he can to avoid the tension building between you and Seokjin and the topics of murders. You participate as little as possible, mind trying to put together the puzzle pieces of the blooming mystery in your home. 

An uncomfortable thought starts to take root in your mind. Is it possible that the Kim family is behind the murders? Dr. Kim has plenty of weapons at his disposal, and they had been talking about revenge, and Dr. Kim had covered up what happened at the Marrow’s farm… but what did that have to do with wolves?

You’re not sure. But you do know that the Kims are purposefully hiding things, that there is a murderer somewhere in the town or near it, and that there is a sense of doom that you cannot shake, a dark itch like stinging nettle in your bones. 

Seokjin excuses himself to take an afternoon nap before his hunting party heads out for the evening. Your eyes track him as he goes. Seokjin certainly doesn’t seem evil, but there’s no telling what’s behind his pretty face. 

“What is wrong with you?” Hoseok asks, leaning over the table and whispering harshly. “You’re behaving rather odd.”

“Something is going on.”

“Yes, your attitude.”

You turn and glare at him. “No, Hobi. Something is going on with the Kim family. I don’t know how to explain it.” You grip your cup tighter. “But I intend to figure it out.” 

Hoseok questions you about what that means. You keep your answers vague, not wanting to rope him into your plan. Too often as children did you lure Hoseok into trouble, and with how dangerous night is becoming in your town, you know it’s a bad idea to endanger him too.

T sun sets over the village. You stand at your bedroom window, watching through the frosty window as the sun turns the sky into a smear of blood. The clouds have cleared away just for this sanguine sunset. It makes your stomach turn, a sense of foreboding heavy in the air.

Still, it doesn’t deter you. Red fades to gray-blue and gray-blue fades to black. Wind rattles the glass in the window pane. Turning from the window, you find your thickest pair of pants and fur-lined tunic. The fabric feels scratchy on your skin.

Dressed, you look at your red cloak folded on the bed. Any other night you would take it with you. It has become your safety net, something that keeps you warm and keeps you safe. You cannot recall a day you haven’t worn it since it mysteriously showed up thirteen years ago, but tonight, you need obscurity.

Instead, you reach for an old, thick cloak that used to belong to your father. It's dark brown and worn at the edges, a little too big for you as the hem brushes the ground. It will serve its purpose in keeping you hidden in the dark of the woods, though. 

All you grab is a hunting knife that you don’t know how to use, a wax candle, and a solid piece of flint and sharp rock to light it with. The candle and flint are for emergencies only. You hope it won’t be so dark that you cannot see, but you’re unsure what the clouds are going to do.

Outside, the wind is sharp. Your nostrils burn as you breathe it in and duck away behind your house. No new snow has fallen during the day, which is a good thing. You don’t have to worry about dragging your boots and tiring your calves. It also helps that the sky is clear tonight, the moon a sliver of sharp light. 

Baying hounds echo through the village and the forest as the hunting dogs lead the men into the woods. You’re quick on your feet, dashing into the woods and heading north. You don’t want to run right into the hunting party, but you do want to find their burning torches and keep them in your line of sight.

They are easy to find, hovering like orange fireflies in the distance. Careful to make your way in the dark, you follow them. Your breath mists in front of you, hands shaking more from the adrenaline than the cold. 

The torches spread out. You chew on your lip, unsure which group would belong to Seokjin. You take a gamble, heading after the group closest to you. 

Everything feels too loud. Each snap of a branch under your foot and crunch of dry leaves feels like it’s going to give you away. Still, you’re good at sneaking for the most part, having spent plenty of time skulking through the village to take nightly strolls in the woods.

Voices carry to you. Through a system of running a few steps forward and dodging behind a tree, you manage to follow the men at a distance. You think that you hear the constable’s voice, which is a good sign. If he’s around, perhaps Seokjin is too.

The deeper you go into the forest, the colder it gets. The ground beneath your feet slopes. The evergreens are packed tighter here, needles tickling your hands as you keep your hands held out from your sides as you slide downward.

This is near where I saved that wolf, you think. 

It’s true. You recognize the slope of the land and the general area. You cannot tell if it’s exactly where you met the wolf, but it’s close enough that your senses tingle and your eyes sweep the land, expecting something to happen.

A sense of foreboding trails you as the men move deeper into the wood. You turn around and look for the other torches and see nothing but a dark, compact forest. Your stomach flips uncomfortably but you continue, unsure now if it’s safer to turn back or to keep going. 

Ahead, the group of men decide to take a break. The hounds sniff the area around them, pulling at the leashes as they go. Crouching low, you watch as the hounds go in circles, following the scent of something that seems to confuse them. 

The men take long droughts of water, making you wish you’d thought of that. Mouth dry and hands cold, you huddle against a tree, bark digging into your back. 

A few minutes pace by. You close your eyes, resting your head against the tree, breathing cold air in deeply. You don’t know what you expect the group to lead you to, only that you-

Something snaps behind you. Your eyes fly open and your limbs lock. Heart beating like a steady drum, you hold your breath and strain your eyes. For a moment, there’s nothing but the dim voices of the men taking a break. You think it’s nothing until you hear something again, a gentle susurration of leaves. 

One of the hounds lifts its head, ears twitching. Your eyes scan the surrounding area back and forth, searching for what you know is there. 

It happens so fast that you don’t even see the wolves enter the ring of torchlight until they’re there, snarls rattling the trees. You clamp your hands over your mouth to mute your gasp as the sounds of screams and tearing flesh explode in the night. Hounds screech, their growls savage and choked as the wolves descend. 

You don’t know how many there are. Torch lights go down and drown you in darkness. Squeezing your eyes shut, you curl in on yourself, panting through your hands as the sounds echo in your ears. A new fear has stabbed its way between your ribs, making it hard to breathe. 

Time moves slowly. Or quickly. You cannot tell which. One moment the sounds of a nightmare turned real are just a few hundred yards away. The next, an eerie silence blankets the dark forest. 

You don’t want to open your eyes, but you have to. Very slowly, you crack an eye open. At first, there’s nothing. Your vision swims with flashing colors, your eyes trying to adjust. Then, there is the vague outline of trees. Ahead of you, where the men had been, lay shadowed piles. 

Shaking, you glance around. You see nothing - hear nothing. You stand slowly. Each inch you gain feels like you’re being too loud. Sweat gathers on the back of your neck. The cool air makes it feel like an icy finger brushing down your nape. 

When you’re sure that there’s nothing else around, you take a step toward where the attack happened. Leaves crunch beneath your feet. You stop breathing, waiting for signs of anything. Nothing happens and you let out a trembling breath, taking one more step. Again, you wait to see if your footfalls will trigger something. 

You repeat this to the edge of the slaughter - for that’s what it is. A slaughter. Bile rises in your throat as you reach the first body and stamped-out torch. The constable and his hound lay in tatters, only recognizable by the batch on his cloak. 

It is carnage. You don’t dare breathe through your nose for fear of breathing in the scent of death, circling the scene with weak knees, hand pressed to your mouth to keep in the whimpers. You see the faces of men you’ve known since you were a child. Ripped, bloodied, gored. 

Finally, you lean over and empty the contents of your stomach. It burns on the way up, choking you. Pressing a hand against a tree, you breathe raggedly. The adrenaline coursing through you makes you twitchy and unstable, each nerve feeling like it’s on fire. 

Leaves crunch a few feet away. Your head snaps in and you zero in on the source of the noise, mouth hanging open when you see Seokjin standing amongst the trees. He stares at you, frown on his face. 

“Who are you?” he asks, voice gentle. You realize he can’t see your face under the cowl of your hood and you’re not in your traditional red. He sighs. “Doesn’t matter.” 

You hear shuffling behind him before you see a white wolf. The white wolf from the Marrow farm. There are others, then. You don’t know how you missed them, the darkness of their fur blending in with the darkness around them.

The white one is spotted in red, muzzle matted, teeth slicked. Your stomach lurches. It isn’t hard to guess where it’s from. You take a step back and the wolf growls, lips pulled back. You freeze, looking amongst the pack of wolves that fan out around Seokjin, desperately looking for your wolf with the kind, intelligent eyes. 

You do not find him there. 

With a growl, the white wolf steps forward. Your instincts kick in and you turn and run, letting out a wild shriek as you do so. If Seokjin recognizes your voice when you scream, you cannot tell. The wolves are after you and you’re barreling through the trees with no hope of outrunning them, especially uphill.

A wolf nips at your ankle and you scream, tripping over your feet in your terror and going down hard. You’re jarred as you hit the ground, bones rattling as pain shoots up your limbs from the impact. Before you can scramble, there are teeth around your ankle, not biting down hard enough to snap, but hard enough to drag.

Your scream is wretched even to your ears. It is a curdling, nightmarish sound. You feel the scrape of leaves and sticks against your skin, cloak picking up dirt and twigs as you go. Your nails dig into the ground but the soil is frozen solid, fingers scraping bluntly against it. 

With a surge of self-preservation, you kick your free leg backward as hard as you can. You hit the wolf in the muzzle, making it cry, and let go of your foot. You manage to crawl to your knees, slipping in the foliage as you try to stand before it’s tearing at your cloak, determined to drag you one way or another. 

Sliding again as it drags you by the cloak, you try to undo the ties at your throat with shaking fingers. It comes away and frees you from the hellish drag to your death. This time, you’re faster to your feet, turning and running in the opposite direction. You don’t know where you’re going, just that you want to get away. 

Your foot slides on the incline and with a shout you go down. This time, your head hits the ground hard. Your ears ring and your vision pulses. Blinking, you roll over and stare up at the canopy of dark trees. The world spins dangerously and you feel nausea churn deep in your stomach.

“Yoongi!” you hear the deep voice but it sounds warbled like you’re hearing it through water. Your head lolls to the side, the ringing in your ears still going as you see feet pass you. “Enough!”

Your field of vision narrows to a sharp point, edges pulling with black. You realize you’re about to pass out, oddly just thankful that you’re already on the ground. Just as your world begins to face, the face of the person in front of you appears.

Namjoon. 

-

“Hey,” a gentle voice calls to you. There are soft hands on your head, brushing against your forehead. It smells like pine and bergamot as you snuggle into them. “I hate to wake you, but you need to wake up every few hours.”

The memory of the wolves comes to you. Your eyes snap open and you blink a few times before your vision adjusts to see Namjoon leaning over you. Cringing away from him, you press yourself into a warm, soft mattress that isn’t your own.

“Easy,” he cautions, holding his hands up. “You smacked your head very hard. I think you have a concussion.” 

“Where am I?” 

The room isn’t so much a room as it is a shack. There is a single fireplace in the far corner, a pile of logs, and the bed that you’re in. Despite the tiny space, it looks well-built and it’s warm, your heart slowing down as Namjoon leans to sit further from you and give you your space.

“Random shack in the woods near your village. I think it used to be a hunter’s stead for the winter.” He jerks his thumb toward the fireplace. “Hasn’t been used in a while. The wood has rotted.” 

“Seokjin - you - what is going on?” 

Emotions spill out of you like a broken dam. You don’t know which to acknowledge first: anger, fear, curiosity, gratitude. 

Namjoon’s sigh is heavy. He visibly looks wearing, running a hand through his hair. You wonder how soft his hair is, followed immediately by feeling ridiculous for the timing of said thought. 

“Just…” he winces. “Try to lean back and take it easy, I’m worried about how hard you hit your head. I promise I have no intentions of hurting you or letting anyone hurt me.”

“You called that white wolf Yoongi. Who is Yoongi? Why was Seokjin in the woods - those people - they’re dead.”

He nods slowly. “They are.” 

You lean back carefully. The bed is comfortable and Namjoon keeps his distance, worried eyes on you. “I will try to explain the best I can. It will require a little bit of faith that I’m not lying to you and that I’m not insulting your intelligence by telling you things that will sound insane.” 

“Like what?”

“Like werewolves exist.”

You stare at him. He doesn’t laugh, crack a grin, or do anything to make you believe he’s joking. Your first instinct is to blow him off. Werewolves were a tale for children and a way to help the children of the village cope during periods of wolf violence. 

Thus far, all Namjoon has done is protect you. Strange as it seems, you know that fact to be true. He didn’t tell Dr. Jim you were eavesdropping, he kept you company after Mr. Hatch’s murder, and he stopped the wolves from taking you.

Namjoon is… there is something between you. You know it.

Hesitantly, you say, “Alright. Werewolves exist. Keep going.”

He is visibly relieved that you’re not questioning or berating him. You don’t exactly believe him yet, but you want to hear his story. 

“There were communities of werewolves who lived here long before humans did. When people migrated to this area, they drove them out and forced those communities to become smaller and smaller. When the werewolves asked for their land back or to share resources, they were hunted and slaughtered.” 

Namjoon’s throat bobs and emotions flicker across his face. His features settle on pain, and you stop yourself from reaching out to take his hand. “What you vaguely remember as wolf attacks and wolf hunts as a child was those families being exterminated. There are a few families in the village who remember that werewolves exist. They took it upon themselves to remove the problem forever.”

This village has a complicated history. 

Dr. Kim’s words float through your mind as you chew on what Namjoon has told you. He lets the information settle, giving you a few moments to think. You don’t recall anyone seriously ever talking about werewolves but… 

“They’re angry,” you murmur, remembering how San described the massacre at the Mathesons. “The wolves now - those aren’t wolves. They’re werewolves who are getting revenge. You spoke of revenge with Dr. Kim. Is that why the animal attacks have been happening?”

Namjoon nods grimly. “There is a very small concentration of people in the village who keep the secret about the massacres and the knowledge of werewolves. Those families have been… targeted recently. They still hunt werewolves when they can.”

“Who is Yoongi?”

“Ah,” he lets out a humorless laugh. “He leads the last remaining community of werewolves. His family was murdered by your constable when he was a child.” You blanch. “Yoongi is angry, vengeful, and very influential. When he was voted pack alpha, he decided to eliminate the last remaining threats.” 

“He’s the white wolf.” Namjoon raises his brows but nods. You think that makes sense, remembering the white wolf at the Marrow farm and the one who dragged you in the forest. “Why was Seokjin there? Did he lead the constable to-”

Namjoon hesitates and nods. “The Kim family are wolf friends. It’s largely the reason Dr. Kim is a veterinarian. They’re what we call one foot in the forest. There were two others in your village that were wolf friends. Your neighbor was one.”

You twist your fingers in the blanket. “Did Yoongi-”

“No. I believe he was murdered by one of the men who knows what Yoongi and his people are.” 

“So that’s why Seokjin led them to Yoongi?” Namjoon gives a curt nod. “This is…. A lot to take in.” 

“It is. Sleep a little more and we’ll talk about it more when you wake up. Your head is already swimming enough, yeah?”

Namjoon’s grin is gentle and you shoot one back. “Do you promise to tell me why you’re really here? And why it feels like I know you?”

“Of course. Sleep, Red.”

-

Namjoon wakes you again a few hours later. This time, it’s with water. It’s cool and fresh, soothing your aching head and waking up your sleepy senses. He lets you drain the entire thing, sitting thoughtfully at the end of your bed. 

This time, you feel more alert. Sitting up carefully, you cross your legs and examine him. He’s dressed in simple clothes and a jacket, the fireplace throwing an orange glow on his face. Again, you’re struck with how much you could swear you know him, like his eyes are something you know and love. 

He waits for you to get settled, placing your hands in your lap. You fiddle with the edge of your tunic, drinking him in. Strong shoulders, rough hands, tawny skin. Your heart does a flip before you shove away thoughts of how pretty he is to think about what he’s told you so far.

“I have questions.”

He smiles and it’s as warm as the fire behind him. “Of course you do.”

“Did the werewolves kill my father?”

You get the tough one out of the way first. It was a thought you had just before you slept, wondering if your father had been someone who helped the constable murder Yoongi’s family. Though you have decided to dislike the white wolf very strongly, you can’t help but pity him.

“No,” Namjoon says vehemently. “After you told me about your father, I did some asking around. He was a wolf friend. That’s why he didn’t hunt big game, Red. He knew about us.” 

A tight feeling works its way up your throat. The relief and anger you feel is a double-edged sword, happy that he didn’t contribute to the displacement Namjoon is speaking of and angry that you know with every bone in your body that he was murdered. The instinct speaks to you the same way it tells you that you know Namjoon. 

You look up at him sharply, realizing something. “What do you mean ‘he knew about us’? Us?” 

Namjoon’s eyes are dark. He regards you intensely, making you shiver. Slowly, Namjoon begins to roll one of his sleeves. Your eyes drop to his hand as he does, long fingers meticulous. He bares his skin and holds his hand out to you, displaying the jagged, white scar that lopes around his wrist. 

Without thinking twice, you reach out to him, pulling his hand toward you. His skin is warm, sending a tingle through your fingertips. His palm is large and rough, your fingers delicate as you flip it to face the ceiling, eyes glued to the scarring around his wrist.

You move your fingers over his palm gently, scraping the calluses as you go. He lets you do what you want, touch stopping at his wrist bone before glancing up at him. His eyes are impossibly dark and he nods, urging you forward. 

The scarring is rough. Thick, ropey lines encircle his wrist like his hand was ravished by teeth. It makes you faintly think of Yoongi’s teeth around your ankle or -

“You,” you breathe, eyes meeting his. They are the same warm, intelligent, and welcoming eyes of the wolf you’d saved all those years ago. The wolf who had stood between you and the others at the Marrow farm. The wolf you dream about every night. “I saved you?”

His throat bobs. “You did.”

“I… that’s why it feels like I know you.” Your fingers trace his scar, almost fondly. Namjoon’s eyes flutter. “I do know you. Why didn’t you tell me?” 

He smirks. “‘Hi, my name is Namjoon and I can turn into a wolf whenever I want and you saved me a few years ago and I’ve been thinking about you ever since’ is not exactly a great opening.” 

“Better than ‘you know most people who don’t want to be seen don’t wear a red cloak’.” He scrunches his nose. Cute. “I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s alright. I’ll talk if you’re willing to listen?”

You nod, not letting go of his hand. Now that you know who and what he is, any residual fear is gone. You scoot toward him, wanting to be closer. “I want to know.”

“Giho is my uncle like I said. He’s not a werewolf, though. That trait passed through my mom’s side of the family. Still, he was family and he knew about the werewolves that my father married into. He's a wolf friend and does what he can to help us, including making house calls and stealing us goods in harsh winters.”

“Huh. I always just thought he was a quiet, grumpy vet.”

“He is very much that, but he has also been a lifeline. He helps Yoongi far more than he should. It puts him in danger. His wife was killed for being a wolf friend. Giho was left alone simply because he is useful to the village.” Your fingers squeeze his hand at the hurt in his voice. “That night you found me… I was pretty young then. Fourteen, to be exact. I was nosing around the village that everyone was so afraid of and never saw the trap. I cannot emphasize how much you saved my life.” 

“It seemed like the right thing to do. I was afraid but you were… hurt. And your eyes were so kind. I don’t regret it.”

“What a relief.” You smile, genuinely happy. “I was worried you might after finding out my family were sort of… killing people.”

“When you put it that way,” you wince. “But I do believe you. That humans drove you out. That people are hurting you and your people. You don’t deserve it and I… don’t think I am in a position to offer moral arguments to what you’re doing.”

“I knew I liked you.”

“You barely know me.”

Namjoon turns his hand and catches yours, lacing your fingers. Your heart skitters as he pulls you a little close and leans, eyes narrowed playfully. “Hmm, sorry. I wasn’t really allowed to come hang out around your town, Little Red.” 

“Why did you finally come? Is it to help Yoongi?”

He shakes his head. “I only have one goal.”

“Which is?”

“To keep you safe.” That quiets you. Namjoon doesn’t meet your eyes when he continues, “You showed me such kindness, I just wanted to repay you. I liked to keep an eye on you when I could, always from a safe distance. You might not know me, but I grew up knowing you.”

Your mouth goes dry at his words. For someone who poses such a threat, Namjoon is gentle. Soft. Kind. You swallow past the lump in your throat. “Did you give me the red cloak?” 

“Yeah. It was to mark you as a friend. We give them to those who are under our protection.” He narrows his eyes. “Which is why Yoongi swears he didn’t know it was you in the woods tonight. Seokjin’s eyesight is too piss poor to realize it was you. Idiots.”

“Well if you know about me, tell me about you. What’s your favorite color? What do you like to eat? What's your favorite thing about being a wolf?”

So Namjoon does tell you. You both end up sitting on the bed next to one another, arms touching as he traces the lines on your palm. Your backs are pressed against the wall, feet dangling off the edge of his bed as he tells you about his childhood. 

It is fascinating hearing about the dynamics of his community but it’s also sad. Hearing how they live in fear, hearing how so many of the people he knows are gone. Realizing that the things he tells you match up with things you realize about your own community. 

Sadness sinks to the bottom of your gut like a rock. It isn’t pity that you feel, but something far more profound. It’s regret that you didn’t know any better. Frustration that he has suffered. A radical feeling of anger and desire for justice knowing you lived in comfort while Namjoon and his family suffered. 

There are good parts, too. Namjoon recalls happy moments and blushes when he recalls seeing you a few times. It doesn’t feel weird or strange, knowing someone was looking out for you. It feels comforting, like old friends catching up. 

Namjoon’s eyes sparkle as he tells you about his favorite books. You don’t know when you stop listening to him and start staring, but it’s inevitable. You love the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles, dimple making an appearance as he recalls a story about putting Yoongi in the dirt with his brother, Taehyung’s help. You love the way he gestures wildly with his hands, every word evocative and enthusiastic. 

He’s the kind of person you would have been friends with had he grown up with you. And maybe a little more, you think, watching Namjoon watch you. His gaze is even and heated, making you squirm. His mouth twitches and you’re so sure that he knows he makes you nervous.

“I never thanked you,” you mention. He hums in question, letting you go back to tracing his scare delicately. He twitches and you grin. Good. “For saving me from the jaws of Yoongi.”

“Ah, that. I think he knew it was you. There’s a reason he dragged you instead of killing you on the spot.”

“Huh. Well, that’s very rude.”

“He’s good at that.”

“You sound fond, still.”

He nods. “I love Yoongi. Is my brother, in a way.”

“Well still. Thank you.” 

You look up at Namjoon. You’re sitting so close, shoulders pressed against one another. He smells like pine and bergamot, your favorite scent. It’s heady, awakening a foreign ache in you. Your heart speeds up as you lean into him just a little more, watching him through your lashes.”

“Don’t look at me like that,” he rumbles, voice deep. 

Your toes curl. “Like what?” 

“LIke you wanna do more than just thank me.”

“Maybe I do.”

“I know.” 

Ah. You start to pull away and turn your head, realizing that he’s not interested, but Namjoon catches your chin with his other hand, tilting you back toward him. Your heart stalls when he looks down at your mouth, then back up to your eyes. “I’ve known you for all my life. Not how I wanted, but I’ve known you nonetheless. But you haven’t had the chance to know me.”

“I want to. I feel like I have known you. Like I knew you were always there.”

“Is this what you want?”

This. Namjoon. Whatever is crackling between you. The thing that has sparked since the moment he caught you eavesdropping. It doesn’t matter that it doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t have to make sense. 

Namjoon makes sense though. The way his gaze softens when he sees you. The way he looms on the edge of your life, a silent protector. The way he could do so much damage but is soft instead. The way everything about him feels like the sun on a summer day, like a field of wildflowers in spring.

He must sense you tipping over the edge. His grip on your chin becomes firm and he tilts your face toward him, leaning down to press his warm, full mouth against yours. The effect is instantaneous. You melt into him, sighing as a feeling of belonging slots into place.

The kiss is chaste. Namjoon pulls away and your lashes flutter. You hadn’t even realized your eyes closed. His gaze is dark and half-lidded, his face close enough that you feel his breath. His lips have stoked a fire in you and you want more, you want to spill out the years of longing for something you didn’t know was there, for the sudden confirmation that he’d been there all along.

Surging forward, you press your lips to his again. This time, it’s searing, your mouth fierce as you push up off of the bed. Namjoon falls in your rhythm easily, hand leaving your chin to grab you by the waist and pull you into his lap.

Knees slotted on either side of him, you pour everything you have into the kiss. Your fingers card through his thick hair, silky strands sliding between them like you knew they would. His lips are soft on yours, mouth warm as you break the seal of the kiss with your tongue.

Namjoon lets out deep, throaty sounds. It coaxes the flame inside of you to a roar, tongue tangling with his. It’s wet and messy and a little impractical but you don’t feel embarrassed or nervous. It’s Namjoon. It feels like home. 

Pleasure tingles down your spine. Namjoon grips your hips, fingers digging into your flesh. It feels hot and your skin is burning up, static trapped between your chests where they’re pressed together. Your hips twitch, tentatively seeking friction in his lap. Namjoon responds immediately, pulling your hips toward him and letting you roll. 

Your mouths part but Namjoon doesn’t stop kissing you. You pant while he presses his mouth to your chin and jawline, tongue tough against the softness of your skin. “I’ve wanted you for so long,” he growls. You tilt your head back, letting him pepper your throat. “You have no idea.”

“I always felt like something was missing. I think it was you.”

Namjoon moans at your admission. The heat between your legs is almost painful. One of Namjoon’s hands goes from your waist to between your legs, cupping you. You gasp back bowing as he presses firmly, deft fingers providing mind-numbing pleasure.

“That feels good.” You fist the collar of his shirt and squeeze your eyes. You feel tense, color exploding behind your closed lids. “Don’t stop.”

“Whatever you want,” he whispers. He pulls you in close, fingers curling. Your hips buck and you realize it isn't enough. You need the barrier of clothes gone. You want it more than anything. “You know I’d do anything for you.”

“Yes.”

You do know. It’s second nature. You knew even that day in the street when you’d first seen him. Just like Namjoon knows what you want and need, land leaving the apex of your thighs to help you off his lap and onto the bed under him. 

There’s a confidence in his movements that makes the room spin. Long forgotten are the wolf attacks and Yoongi’s teeth around your ankle. Here, it’s only the rasp of your pants against your skin as Namjoon pulls them down. It’s only the heat of his skis as you yank on his tunic, desperate to feel him.

Namjoon does run hot. His skin is burning up as your hands explore his firm chest. He captures your lips again, sucking your bottom lip in his mouth as he spreads your legs open with a knee. You shake under his touch, equal parts eager and stimulated. 

He’s so, so gentle as he caresses your inner thigh. When he brings his fingers to your sticky center, you let out a pitiful whine. Namjoon pauses, fingers pressed to your swollen kiss as he laughs and breaks the kiss, forehead pressed against yours.

“Don’t laugh at me,” you pout, leaning your head up to bite his chin. “It feels good.”

He gives you a quick kiss. Once. Twice. “Good. I want to make you feel good.” 

Namjoon circles his middle finger lazily around your clit. Your feet press into the bed, hips pulling up off the sheets. It feels amazing, pleasure sparking in your stomach. “That,” you gasp. “I like that.” 

He dips his head down, attaching his mouth to your neck as he teases your cunt. You don’t have to say anything else, Namjoon’s inquisitive fingers learning what makes you squirm and sigh. You’re a mess beneath him, chest heavy, beats of sweat making your shirt cling to you.

You claw at it, pulling it away from you. Namjoon leans up and lets you take it off, eyes dipping as he smiles appreciatively. He combines the efforts of his fingers with his mouth, bending low to catch a pert nipple with his teeth.

“Shit!” you squeak, making him chuckle again.

His fingers circle your clenching hole, pussy leaking onto his fingers. He presses a finger in and you let out a long, quiet whine. The feeling of his finger pressing against your walls is perfect, your cunt clenching as he shallowing thrusts the finger.

Everything he does is perfect. He sucks at your nipple hungrily as he fingers you slowly, making sure to press up inside your cunt in a way that has you seeing stars. Your fingers tangle in his hair, unable to think about anything except his teeth scraping your sensitive bud and your pussy clenching around his finger.

Namjoon is attentive. The heel of his hand presses to your clit and he eases another finger in, slower than the last. He looks up at you, mouth slick with spit to watch your mouth fall open. You nod, urging him further, sound stuck in your throat. 

The wet squelch between your legs as he fucks you with his fingers is obscene. You like it though, driven by the fact that it’s Namjoon doing it. Namjoon who you saved. Namjoon who watched over you. 

You open your eyes and look up at him, cradling his face in your hands. His forehead is damp with sweat from the heat building in the little shack. His skin is flushed and his hair hangs in his face. You pull at his bottom lip with your thumb and he gazes at you, hungry and wild, pupils blown.

Greedy, you pull him to you. The kiss is more teeth than lips, the two of you panting. Your leg hooks around his waist and you nibble his bottom lip, hips rolling to meet his thrusts, an orgasm starting its ascent. 

“I want you,” you breathe against his mouth. Your lips are sore from arduous kissing. “Please.”

He kisses you. “Okay.”

It’s that simple. You ask for it and he gives it to you.

Namjoon retracts his fingers from your cunt. You feel the sudden loss, fidgeting as you wait. He makes quick work of his pants, kneeling on the bed and bringing his hands covered in your juice to pump his cock. You feel your eyes bulge at his thick length. 

He notices and grins, slowing his movements. You watch as his hand smears precum down his shaft, twisting lightly as he gets to the top, his thumb brushing over his dark tip. “You can take it,” he pants, grinning wolfishly. “I know you can.”

Instead of answering, you nod, lifting your hips eagerly. He hums, pleased as he lets go, cock bobbing heavily while he shuffles over and leans over you. He places his hands on either side of your head, arms flexing as he holds his weight to bend down and steal a quick kiss. 

You kiss back feverishly, one hand traveling between your sweaty bodies to grip his length, trying to stroke him the way he did. He sighs, breaking the kiss and dropping his forehead against your chin as a shiver ripples through him. You smile, continuing to pump him.

“Want to be inside,” he mumbles, barely coherent. 

You open yourself up more, gently guiding the blunt crown of his cock toward your trembling entrance. You hold your breath as his hips follow your hand, breaching your ring of tight muscles and pushing in. 

Immediately your muscles spasm and resist, overwhelmed by Namjoon’s girth. You blow out a long breath as he enters you so, so slowly. It’s heaven and it’s hell, it’s pleasure and it’s pain. Namjoon presses his mouth to you, tongue distracting you as he bottoms out, stuffing you full.

Nothing has ever compared to how stretched you are. He doesn’t move, letting your cunt twitch around him. He holds himself up with one hand, the other brushing up and down your side, squeezing bits of flesh comfortingly as you try to still your beating heart under him.

The pain fades. You get greedy, wiggling your hips back and forth experimentally to feel the way Namjoon’s cock rubs against your walls. He blows out air sharply, a half laugh before his hand drops down to your hip, pushing you down into the bed with his weight as he slides backward.

“Ohhhh,” you sigh, head lolling to the side. The pressure of Namjoon pressing you down as he sets a slow pace of fucking into you is just right. You close your eyes, letting him set a slow pace in silence. “Yeah.” 

Namjoon’s breath is unsteady. Every little sound he makes sets you on fire. You’re pliant beneath him as he picks up his speed, properly fucking into you. One of your hands reaches up to grab his bicep, nails digging in, the other shooting to his hand on your hip, squeezing his wrist. 

Everything feels right. Connected. Overheated. The air is so thick you think you might suffocate, sheets sticking to your balmy skin, toes curling as Namjoon’s cock hits that spot inside of you that drives you mad. 

Nothing but this matters. Nothing but knowing your wolf isn’t really a wolf at all, and that he’s been there all along. Just like you’d hoped. 

“Fuck,” Namjoon pants. “I never dreamed I’d have you.”

“I dreamed of you,” you gasp on a particularly hard thrust, your nails dragging down his arm. “I just didn’t know it.”

His mouth crashes to yours. “Mine,” he growls. “My savior, mine to protect.” 

Your orgasm spins like an out-of-control spool of thread, winding tighter and tighter. Namjoon can tell, chasing your orgasm with reckless abandon, throwing his gentle movements out the window and fucking you hard into the bed. 

The sounds and words coming out of your mouth are useless babble, your thoughts turning murky as that spool tightens so much inside of you that it bursts, unspooling and spilling out of you around Namjoon’s cock. 

You can’t even breathe as you come, feet kicking, nails digging into his skin, teeth clenched. Your heart beats in your ears, the only thing you can hear for a few seconds as you spasm, eyes clenched shut. You are vaguely aware of Namjoon coming shortly after you, your name ripping through clenched teeth as he does. 

There are a few minutes of nothing punctuated by your stilted breathing and rapid pulse. Finally, you blink, stars swimming in your eyes as you look at Namjoon, who hangs his head on your chest. You reach a hand up and run your fingers through his sweaty hair.

Your wolf. Somehow you’d always known it. Even when you thought you were crazy. 

Gently, Namjoon pulls out of you, fluid spilling between your legs. You don’t care, limbs too heavy to move. Your skin is still burning up from exertion and you roll your head to the side to watch Namjoon as he lays next to you, pulling you toward him. 

For a little while, it’s quiet. You listen to the beating of his heart, closing your eyes and breathing deeply. You’re content just to lay there feeling whole just for once. 

After a while, Namjoon sighs. “You have to go back eventually.”

“We.”

“Hmm?”

“We have to go back.”

Namjoon pulls away and frowns at your tone, eyes reading your face. Your mouth is set in a firm line and you look at him with all seriousness. “We’re not letting them get away with what the humans did to you and your family.”

“You want to help?”

“Yes.” You pause. “I think it’s what my father would have wanted. It’s what I want. Even if Yoongi bit me.”

“Yoongi will never bite you again,” he vows fiercely. Then, a little more gently, “But he… would be glad to hear your sympathetic stance. I’m glad to hear it, Red.”

“Good.” You snuggle closer. “You’re mine to protect too. And I will make them pay.”

For Namjoon. For your father. You’ll paint the village red. 

[chobani-flip]

nicknames and terms of endearment @bucktommypositivityweek eddie pov, eddie is a good supportive friend, a teensy bit cracky? maybe?

___

"did you know that calling someone a silly pig in cantonese is a term of endearment?" says buck, having secured his phone in the inside pocket of his turnouts.

they're on their way to a four-car pile-up on the freeway and it's just buck and eddie from their usual crowd in the cabin with chim and hen having gone ahead in the smaller ambulance car.

thompson and mckenna give him blank looks while eddie huffs out a loud breath and settles in to follow whatever tangent brewed up inside buck while he'd been staring at his screen in between the calls.

"french people call their loved ones cabbage," offers gerig, their new probie, uncertainly, slowly trailing off at mckenna's widened eyes and minute headshakes.

"do not encourage him," thompson mouths and eddie has to pretend to be stroking his mustache as he tries to hide his grin. they should know by now that buck needs no encouragement.

it's only been a week since he stopped following up every mention of tommy with "you know, my boyfriend", so eddie figures this is a natural development. though to be fair to buck and his heart-eyes, sometimes the "boyfriend" was louder than necessary with a significant side-eye in gerrard's direction.

"i know! i was just reading about it!" buck says, tapping at the cell in his turnouts. "it's so weird! but it shouldn't be! we say 'baby' and 'honey' and 'sweetiepie' and i was just thinking: why? because yeah, babies are cute but they're babies. and honey and pie are sweet but cavities aren't fun. so..."

eddie sees mckenna throw a slightly desperate look towards the front seat, and remembers that he's always been a bit of an asshole, but their 'captain' has somehow managed to fall asleep between the alarm, clambering into their turnouts and inside the truck, the siren, and the manouvering on the road. again. eddie makes a mental note to up the number on the new complaint form he's got sitting on his tablet at home. hopefully, they'll be rid of him before gerrard falls asleep holding a megaphone next to a construction fire with their crew still inside.

"so have you finished the graph yet?" eddie asks and enjoys both buck's delighted grin and mckenna's look of horror. because he knows buck. of course there's a graph in the works.

"not yet! but it seems that across languages people use things that are valuable like precious metals or gemstones very often, and then body parts or like, you know, 'my heart' 'my soul'. and then there's fruits and vegetables, like the cabbage in french, or melon in mandarin, and animals like cat, bear, mouse or rabbit."

"could you send me a link to the jstor article?" asks gerig, the probie, bringing the conversation to a halt. "or, i mean, wherever you got the research," he continues, nervously, shooting nervous glances at the dangerous looks buck, thompson and mckenna are throwing him. though buck's the most predatory of them all. "my sister keeps talking about jstor when she complains about all the essay writing she needs to do, so i thought that's what everyone used for research."

"so it's just for college students?" there's a bit of a whine in buck's voice, and eddie stretches his leg to give his ankle a commiserating tap with his boot.

gerig shakes his head, and buck's face brightens.

"i think some library cards give you access as well. or you can pay for it yourself, but callie says it's really expensive."

"jstor, jstor," buck mumbles to himself, tapping at his cell inside his done-up turnouts, and craning his neck to check the screen of the navigation at the front for their eta.

"i can remind you when we get back?" gerig suggests, tucking his legs further under him to avoid the kicks from mckenna and thompson.

"thanks, probie!" buck's smile is all sunshine. "you know, i bet they have something on the mandarin gege and korean oppa. because like, i know it's not really weird for them, that it's not actually like calling your lover your older brother, not really or whatever, but-"

eddie snorts.

"what?!"

"glass houses, buckaroo," eddie says, remembering the last time he caught a glimpse of the contact name on buck's screen when he was facetiming tommy during downtime and learned more about their relationship and sex life than he strictly wanted to. buck frowns at him, so he taps at his own inside pocket and gestures with his chin, enjoying the realization spread red across buck's cheekbones.

"that's not- that's a- that's different..." he trails off. "or is it? oh! that's interesting. i wonder if-"

and then the truck's jerking to a halt, and gerrard's barking: "what? what! are we there yet? well, go! go! get out! get to work!"

and then they're all climbing out of the truck, getting the jaws and rushing to help out chim and hen with the injured.

after the ambulances leave and they settle back into the truck, eddie watches buck pull out his phone and start tapping away.

"jay store... is that without the e, probie? right, yeah, got it...oooooh"

eddie leans his head against the window and wonders when buck's gonna decide to share his upcoming academic research on daddy kink with the whole 118 and their decrepit captain, and whether that might count as a murder attempt.

___

author's note: i don't believe ive seen our evan buckley introduced to jstor or other catalogues like this in fic and i think that's kinda criminal. fanon buck loves to research all kinds of niche shit, and he'd enjoy the fuck out of reading academic papers and then quoting macshay et al in people's faces.

[derangedanomaly]

Hear me out. BAD SANSES X JESSICA RABBIT READER RAHHHHHH

If. If you're comfortable with it maybe you can make it a lil spicy. if you catch my drift... *wink wink. TEEHEE. And maybe add a little wholesomeness too 🤔

Ooh, now that's an interesting scenario 😏

MASTERLIST

WARNING: Suggestive, Fluffy, Heavy flirting, kinda a Dom!reader, mentions of cannibalism, NSFW parts

BAD SANSES X JESSICA RABBIT READER (kinda NSFW)

NIGHTMARE:

SFW PART

This dude will be ALL OVER YOU. He loves dominant people. (Lmao)

He will be like a closeted simp, actually.

He's going to deny any attraction towards you. Like, no, he wasn't staring at your behind. The hell you mean?

He loves laying his hand on your hip/s. It's just so squishy and nice in his hand- it's like they were meant to be held by him!

He'd give up anything just to hear you sing.

You're pretty powerful, not gonna lie- you can literally command Nightmare anything and he'd do it in a heartbeat.

Won't admit it, but you've got him wrapped around your little finger-

He's probably gonna rub it in Dream's face once you two get together.

NSFW PART

He likes looking at your cleavage a lot. He can't help but start to get a little lot excited every time you bend over to either grab something, or simply just to give him a tease. But he's too much of a "gentleman/asshole" to ever acknowledge it, or admit it. But the tent in his pants tell a different story...

He won't let it be known by anyone, but he THRIVES and DROOLS whenever you dominate him in bed.

Speaking of drooling, you will catch him looking at your ass while drooling a lot... He's so thirsty istg.

Please please PLEASE call him "boss" in bed.. he gets off from that.

KILLER:

SFW PART

"What do you see in that guy?" <- probably Dust. "He makes me laugh."

Killer will literally whistle anytime you walk by.

He's so swayed by you, it's really silly.

Loves your voice, and would do anything just to hear you say his name.

He's the one that whimpers, source; trust me bro.

You are, in his "charming" words: "So sexy that it should be criminal."

He gets REALLY creative once he realizes he has a thing for your voice ... Like- A NEW KINK SUDDENLY DEVELOPS.

Keeps asking you to call him all sorts of things, just so he could hear it in your sultry voice. "Daddy, master, an idiot.." whichever you'll like the best to call him, he'll like it! Just cause it's you who's saying it.

NSFW PART

He likes roleplaying with you, and not only cause you look really gorgeous while playing your role! There's actually a specific roleplay he likes to do with you. You're a victim and he's the criminal/kidnapper.

You thought Nightmare was horny? Nah dude, this man's is THE DEFINITION OF DOWN BAD.

He begs, so so much.

He has a love-hate relationship with pleasure denying... Don't get it twisted now, he loves how much control you have over him, and it has him shaking knowing that he's so bend by your words, but he just HATES how he can't... finish. Oh he wants to so bad..

DUST:

SFW PART

While Killer and Nightmare love dominant people, Dust is actually a switch. He likes himself some Dom mommy, but sometimes, he likes to be the daddy, if you know what I mean ;)

But Dust is probably more respectful towards you than Killer and Nightmare.. what can I say? He proudly respects woman!

Would avoid actually looking at your cleavage and your ass, just so you wouldn't feel uncomfortable in his presence. (Omg, the MURDERER?! More respectful than drunkards at the bars?? That's crazy dude..)

He loves to hear you sing your sweet little tunes. He's so in love with YOUR PERSONALITY.

I definitely think that Dust values personality over looks, so that's pretty much what's going on.

He loves your sassiness, as he's pretty sassy himself, so that's that.

If you really want an honest opinion on something, go to Dust. He's probably the most reliable one here.

NSFW PART

Dust tries his hardest to not let his mind travel to the more suggestive ideas, whenever he sees you, but boy... after you give him the permission to be more bold with you- oh-ho... let's just say... That he's gonna get much- more suggestive. Unless you don't want him to, then he'll immediately stop and apologize.

Loves your thighs, if he could, he would suffocate in-between your thighs, and he'd die a happy man.

He loves when you moan out his name- makes him feel good that he's making you this vocal.

Overall, I feel like he would rather focus on your pleasure than his own, he loves to make you feel good.

HORROR:

SFW PART

Horror never really pays attention to how people look like, what he does pay attention to though, is how certain people smell.. listen, he's not a dog, he can just tell if the people are good to eat, or if he should eat them. It overall gives him a good idea of how the person could taste. Good smell=tasty meat, Bad smell=yucky.

So what do you think he does the first time he sees you? He sniffs you.. and you smell......... really delicious...but this smell actually really confuses Horror, because you don't smell like food to him, but rather as something much more...steamy.

While Dust, Killer and Nightmare are the one that falls first, it's actually the other way around with Horror. You fall first.

You're literally gushing about his strength while he's ripping someone's head off of their body, only with his hands.

Horror is the tallest out of all the Bad Sanses (and Star Sanses), so you look like a flea next to him. Which in turn makes you flustered.

Horror likes your voice too, he could fall asleep to it...oh, how much would he love to hear your screams...

Finds your sassiness cute.

Horror is actually so clueless when he does something suggestive to you... He's not innocent, he just never takes it into account.

NSFW PART

You start to get really hot and bothered by Horror, so you start to get a little risky with him... Teasing him. You do all sorts of things, bend over, press your chest on his belly, suggestively suck a popsicle, and safe to say... It drives him crazy.

He loves biting, so he'll often pepper you with love bites all over you. (Ouch. His teeth are really sharp, so good luck with that.)

He's just so..big. Wait, no, that's an understatement, he's ginormous. You'll have to really prepare yourself if you want to get down in the sheets with him. He WILL break you. (Not on purpose though)

While Killer whimpers, Horror growls.

He loves tasting you. It basically became his favorite meal. (You can choose whether you'd like for him to continue this routine of eating you out, or if you'd like for him to stop. He will stop. Another one that drank the "woman respecting juice".)

[helloiamadrawer]

Jax curing your stress (NSFW Version) x f! reader

warnings: voice kink,Jax being an asshole, cursing

a/n: my first time writing for jax so it may be a bit rusty until I get used to writing for him :) enjoy!

oh this asshole of a rabbit knew his voice had an impact on you since you entered the circus that's for sure cause everytime he would metion you via stupid nickname or just your name you would usually sigh in annoyance

But as he talked or taunted more to you or listen to him ramble on about how there isn't much chaos in that one adventure, it seemed to..get in your head and take over your fantasies about him (cause you're a simp, admit it lol)

And once you spilled that interesting fact to Zooble, Jax was literally right in front of her door when you opened it..wearing that shit eating grin he has on all the damn

"Jax! Don't scare me like that!" you yelped almost jumping out of your skin. "Relax, it's just me~totally didn't hear anything I wasn't supposed to hear sheesh, you must be stressed from that adventure Caine jumbled up today huh? If you'd like I could recommend an outlet for ya doll but I can't really tell if you want it right now~" he taunts as he boops your nose. You know damn well he heard it and now he's just being a smartass to cover it up.

"Zooble can I have your arm for a minute?"

*cue you yeeting Zoobles arm hitting him square in the face*

you returned back to your room and a note was left on your nightstand

you, me, 12:00, my room ;) -Jax

so there you are 12 o clock rolls around, riding Jax's dick while he smirks up at you taking in the visual of you taking out your stress on him by bouncing on his cock.

dirty talk is always on the table for Jax and knows exactly what to say to make you clench more around him, all the while teasing him

"You know, I can't talk all the time like that silly a.i , why don't you make some noise for me? I promise i won't tell the others~" "It's a wonder how you take me baby, I thought you never could, but now look at you...fuck...a mess just from my voice alone~" "mm~Jax, keep..going..ah~" "heh~, ofc I will~"

You didn't care if he was being an asshole right now, all you wanted to do was to hear him to make you come undone in the best way possible and once the fun was all over, the stress seemed to disappear, Jax cleans himself up, hands you a towel (more like tosses it at you, asshole i hate him so much) and says,"You should get like that more often, maybe I can do that thing again tomorrow so you can take it out on me again~"

"I'll make sure for you to do it on purpose too." you smirked, now anticipating the next time could be better than the last.

[ifangirlalot]

she's my collar | zee's request form

╭──────༺♡༻──────╮ *𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒* ╰──────༺♡༻──────╯

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༻❝ angst ❞༺ 1.) "That's not what I meant, and you know it." 2.) "You told me not to worry about him/her." 3.) "I never said I loved you." 4.) "I didn't want to believe them, because you were supposed to be different! But… They were right. They were so fucking right about you." 5.) "I hate that my bed still smells like you." 6.) "You should have been here, goddamn it!" 7.) "Until death do us part, huh?" 8.) "I loved you, I really did." 9.) "You changed a lot." 10.) "I wish we never met."

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༻❝ jealousy ❞༺ 1.) "No way.. you're actually jealous." 2.) "Oh come on. You and I both knew what he/she was doing." 3.) (While laughing) "Oh my god, I've never seen you so mad before." 4.) (Forcefully) "Kiss me." "Sorry, what?" 5.) "I thought we were supposed to stay a little longer.. Why are we leaving?" 6.) "What the fuck was that?" 7.) "I didn't know you were the jealous type." 8.) "He/she looked at you funny.." 9.) "Do you ever ask why I get this way? Maybe it's because- y'know what, nevermind.." 10.) "You don't do that with me.."

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༻❝ smut ❞༺ 1.) "You're not, uh.. You're not wearing anything under that… are you.." 2.) "Wow, I didn't realize you were so.. flexible.." 3.) "I'm gonna fuck you so hard that you forget you ever even met that asshole." 4.) "Are you trying to turn me on right now or are you just really oblivious?" 5.) "You better shut that pretty little mouth before I put it to work, doll." 6.) "FUCK, why do you taste like fucking candy?" 7.) "I know they're just stuffed animals, but it kinda feels like they're watching us." 8.) "Baby, I know for a fact you're not new to using the shower head. Now do it right." 9.) "We've been at it like rabbits! How are you still so horny?!" 10.) "Your ass is gonna be seven shades of red after that little stunt."

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༻❝ protective ❞༺ 1.) "Don't you hurt a single hair on his/her/their head." 2.) "Hands off!" 3.) "What the hell do you think you're doing?" 4.) "Don't you ever leave my sight again!" 5.) "Be more careful next time. I don't want to bandage you up again." 6.) "Hey, it's cold outside. At least wear a jacket, okay?" 7.) "No, don't do that. It's not safe." 8.) "I can't sleep not knowing where you are." 9.) "What happened? I thought I told you to stay by my side!" 10.) "How long has it been since you've eaten?"

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༻❝ fluff ❞༺ 1.) "What? You looked cold." 2.) "You talk in your sleep… you love me?" 3.) "Can we stay like this a little longer?" 4.) "Is that my shirt, babe?" 5.) "Can I play with your hair?" 6.) "You don't have to ask to kiss me, silly!" 7.) "I don't deserve you. I don't deserve any of this." 8.) "You mean the whole fucking world to me, do you know that?" 9.) "Have you ever seen something prettier than this?" "Yeah, you." 10.) "I genuinely don't know why my brain just goes blank when I look at you. I think I'm going a little crazy."

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╭──────༺♡༻──────╮ *𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒* ╰──────༺♡༻──────╯

༻❝ cans ❞༺ 1.) You CAN request with more than one line of dialogue! (Up to 4) 2.) You CAN request for more than one character. (You'll have to specify if it is meant to be a preference sort of thing or if you want a poly.) 3.) You CAN request a character x male reader! 4.) You CAN request AU headcanons! 5.) You CAN request a plot using one of these lines of dialogue!

༻❝ cannots ❞༺ 1.) You CANNOT request using abuse, sexual assault, rape (I can do non-con and dub-con, but I will never agree to full out rape), or self harm. 2.) You CANNOT spam my inbox if I don't get to your request right away.

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[kasssscali]

Hi hi! I’ve got Digital Circus brainrot and I need to share this idea with you

What about some headcanons of Jax with a really tiny s/o? Like when they showed up at the circus, they’re just automatically tiny (I mean like small enough to ride on someone’s shoulder tiny, like toad sized)!

And they’re super chill- very go with the flow, just vibing. (Like someone picks them up and they just like “OoP I’m up here now)! I think it’d be a silly concept! Big asshole rabbit and his tiny s/o

Thank you and have a wonderful day/night!

A/N: yaasssss i gotchu

When you first arrive to the digital world, everyone is in aw of your size, yes they have seen and witnessed numerous things Caine has put them through

however, you are the first shock. At first everyone thought you where an npc given your small size

once Caine informed them that you where indeed NOT an npc you were quickly surrounded by everyone asking you questions you couldn’t even answer yourself

The tall chess piece named Kinger even asked you if you wanted to be apart of his insect collection given you’re small size

of course you said no.

“Looks like you got a little competition Pom Pom”. Jax said, now that you officially introduced yourself as the smallest of the group, you basically threw Pomni off her short throne

secretly Pomni didn’t mind at all, for her it was tiring to literally look up to basically everyone in the digital circus

but now it was your turn to receive that attention

and no, its the the type of attention you want at first, the attention feels similar to a situation where all your aunts would pinch your cheek and make remarks about how big you have gotten

obviously it wasn’t as direct as THAT, but the constant babying for a while was really annoying

but eventually it went away, your personality was a go with the flow type of vibe. And once everyone stopped gawking about how short you were, it was easier to bond with everyone

People picking you up? You were all for it

Even though the babying stopped overtime, it didn’t FULLY go away like you wanted

just that one particular had to make it more infuriating, and yeah ya’ll know who this ass rabbit is already

“how’s the weather down there?”

”OOP- sorry shorty! Didn’t see ya there!”

the lack of creativity was enough too drive you insane, your relationship with Jax wasn’t the best obviously. Jax didn’t have a structural relationship with ANYONE

it took some time, it took a lot of time actually but you were able to tolerate his existence after a while

your feelings from annoyance, to friendship, quickly enhanced to romantic feelings towards him

and once he realized that he shared romantic feelings with you too, you’re relationship between the two of you changed

the teasing of course didn’t stop, hell of course it would never stop

once Jax learned to be more affectionate with you, he would start surprise picking you up and throwing you over his shoulder

your so light compared to him, it’s hard for him to resist that urge to just pick you up easily

Because of your size, often you have a hard time keeping up with everyone in the circus

Jax will gladly throw you on his shoulder and let you enjoy the ride

while you’re sitting on his shoulder, he’ll have his hand over your thigh just to keep you safe and secure

he might drop you purposely for the fun of it

[bumblebeebats]

Always makes me a lil sad to see grocery stores here in the UK without baggers. Not bc im too lazy to bag my own stuff, but bc back when I was a cashier, my bagger was my best buddy. My cavalier. My right hand arm man. My silly rabbit. We were two parts of a smoothly oiled machine. The moment that asshole who threw a fit over the organic apples starts to walk away, you make eye contact and you know. you just Know. you're in for a phenomenal bitch session the moment no more customers are in earshot. Meanwhile, our brave warriors at Tesco are toughing it out alone... Not even another fellow cashier at their back because of understaffing.... shameful

[ohbabydollie]

omg the schlatt x masc fem s/o headcanons make me go absolutely insane ckksjfksjdkskskksk please please please do more

LMAO i’m glad u liked them

everyone asks you what to get him for his birthday since you know him best and ted took you on a mini shopping spree which you were excited for!!

as soon as you guys were walking through the mall you stopped at a victoria secret, looking at all the lacy panties and bras before picking up a thong

“i think he would like this, it’s not his size though” you say before asking a worker for their biggest size

a bunch of stupid shirts with saying like “i ❤️ getting pegged” “must be on estrogen from the way my rack keeps growing” etc.

the biggest monster dildo you can find at spencer’s with a tube of flavored lube

of course while you got him a few stupid gag gifts you got him shirts and things he would genuinely enjoy

getting mad at him and saying you’ll shove things up his ass and nicknames getting more insulting

“fisting your ass tonight, no prep” “i’ll stick my foot up your ass, bitch” “shut up, that’s why your hole is fucking gaping” “move broad”

schlatt laughs at it sometimes, kissing you on the forehead as you call him a broad and wrapping an arm around your waist

when he asks for your food you feed it to him, airplane and all

if he’s struggling to open a bottle or something and getting frustrated you’ll calmly grab it and open it before handing it to him with a wink and kiss

yk how he was pretending to eat pussy in that one chuckle sandwich vid? you pretend to part open and eat his ass

when you two walk off together you kick his ass and/or the back of his knees because you think it’s funny

yk those videos that are like “when the 5’2 homie finally agrees to cross dressing (he’s definitely getting it tonight)”

yeah you send those to jay all the time and tell him that the height is slowly going up so you’re just waiting until it’s 6’2

along with other memes like that

if anyone tries to defeminize you he’s on their ass IMMEDIATELY!!

“she might as well be your boyfriend with tits and in a dress” some girl says laughing slightly “well she’s my girlfriend with tits and more femininity than you could ever dream of” schlatt says crossing his arms “not ran through either”

doesn’t like it when men flirt with you but finds it funny once you get tired of them talking about fucking you and get started talking about fingering their asshole and they grimace in disgust before he appears

“hey sweetheart” he says wrapping his arm around your shoulders “thanks for keepin’ her fingers warm for me champ” he says to the guy jokingly as you giggle

posting him with songs like eating by CP hollywood & suki

“fuck is this?” he asks showing you your latest instagram story “an appreciation post for you” you say innocently smiling

Silly costumes for bits or for halloween parties!!

schlatt dressed as jessica rabbit n u as roger rabbit!! you as a prim and proper doctor n schlatt as a sexy nurse, complete with the fishnets and fake syringe

u get the silly costumes n he gets the sexy slutty ones

your behavior gets so normalized schlatt doesn’t even bat an eyelash at it anymore

“pegging session tonight?” you ask him, grinning as he rolls his eyes “only if you’re in leather”

groping at his man boobs, ass and thighs

“goo goo ga ga, i want milk” you say groping at his chest as schlatt pushes your face away, annoyed

if he’s ever walking in front of of you, checking out his ass and whistling at him

nsfw!!

drunkenly going up to schlatt at a costume party and saying “you look so pretty in your costume princess, imma eat you out when we get home” before schlatt pulls you into his lap and telling you “we’ll 69 it” as he undoes your tie and you go red in the face

making out with him at a party, parting with your face flushed and a string of saliva connecting the both of you

the first thing you say, looking up at him with hazy eyes, “no homo” schlatt looks at you confused before yelling “ITS NOT FUCKING GAY”

likes watching you walk around in flowy dresses and skirts knowing the second you both are alone he’s gonna be lifting them up and having you sobbing for him

he loves taking you into a bathroom, lifting your skirt snd fucking you into oblivion

“where’s the big strong girl huh? the one that said she was gonna peg me, huh?” he asks with your knees over his forearms (full nelson) and making you look in the mirror, completely weak to his touches and unable to escape

“look at my girl when she’s all cute and submissive” he says grinning and forcing you to look into the mirror

“where’s that bratty mouth you had earlier, hm?” he asks while he has you bent over on a counter as he goes in and out of your cunt, making you tighten up on his length

is mean to you in bed but there are times where he’s soft with you, calling himself lucky for having you, calling you his pretty wife, etc.

aftercare is top tier, will clean you up and get you food or drinks, whatever you want

[rabbiteclair]

rabbits have three genders and they are "asshole", "lazy", and "silly little animal"

[layce2015]

The Boys (Soldier Boy x Female!Supe!Reader)

Chapter 7: Here Comes A Candle To Light You To Bed

First Chapter / Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

One Week Later

(A/N: Smut incoming)

”Jesus, (y/n)!” Bethany exclaimed over my phone and I sighed as I sit on the bed, wearing a sky blue silk robe. After the fiasco that was Herogasm, the boys and I went to my house and stayed there for a day before we moved on. We didn’t want Homelander or anybody else to find us and since now that Hughie’s girlfriend, or ex-girlfriend, put out a statement over on Instagram saying that the explosion was caused by Ben.

And Vought does have me on file on being alive and where I live so someone there will make a connection and come knocking. So now we had been hiding out at Legend’s home that he had out of the city. During all of this, I did try to call and give Bethany updates of everything that’s happened and just now I was able to give her the full story.

”Yeah…” I sighed. “Can I do anything to help? Maybe I can talk to Steven and we can offer our home…” Bethany said and I shake my head. “No, no! I’m not putting you guys in danger.” I said and Bethany sighs. “I’m serious, Beth. This could get a lot worse than it already is. Plus if that asshole Homelander gets to you guys, I’d never forgive myself.” I added. “Alright, but if you need anything and I mean, anything, just call me and I’ll be there.” Bethany said and I smiled. “I appreciate it, Beth.” I said.

”Of course, you’re my best friend and I know that you can take care of yourself, I still want to protect you.” She said and I smiled at this. “I’ll let you go, just be safe and be careful.” Bethany said. “I will.” I said then I hang up and sighed as I put my phone away.

I get up from the bed and walk to the curtain window and open it to let some sun in. I fold my arms across my chest and think over the last few days when I heard footsteps behind me. I look over my shoulder and see Ben coming back into the room, wearing that really silly light green silk robe with a flowery design on it.

”You know you look fucking ridiculous in that robe, right?” I tell him and he looks down at it then looks back at me with a flirty smirk. “Well, if you wanted me to walk around naked, all you had to do was ask.” He said as he slowly starts to undo the robe strap. I chuckle and shake my head at this as he removes the strap off his robe and I could see he was naked underneath the robe. The past week, every morning and night, Ben and I had been fucking like rabbits as if there was no tomorrow.

What with the whole ordeal at Herogasm, it’s been harder to get out there and find Mindstorm, who seemed to have taken notes from me as he seems to have disappeared. Ben told Butcher that he remembered that Mindstorm had bought  eleven abandoned cabins, so there might be a chance he’d be in one of them. So whenever Ben and I were left alone, we just headed to the bedroom and make up 40 years worth of lost time.

“What? Are you already up for another round? We just finished like about thirty minutes ago.” I said as Ben pulls me to him. “As I’ve told you, sweetheart, I have a lot of time to make up for.” He said, in a low gruff voice, and he leans in and kisses me. Our lips molded together, perfectly, as we make-out and I run my hands up and down his chest.

I lower my right hand down his chest, over his abs then down to his lower abdomen and wrap my hand around his half-hard dick. I hear Ben inhale through his nose at this as he continues to kiss me but then he starts to grunt and groan once I started to move my hand, stroking him.

We break the kiss but our foreheads were pressed against each other and our lips were only inches away as he groans at the pleasure I was giving him. I stroke him slowly at first then started to go faster and Ben starts panting. “Fuuuuck….” He whispers and I smile, proudly, as I continue. 

Once his dick was full and hard, I then remove my hand off of him then shoved him onto the bed. He falls back on the bed then sits up, his robe had opened up and I could see his cock full and standing at attention. I give Ben my best bedroom eyes as he looks at me, lust swimming in his eyes, while I saunter over to him.

He then starts to stroke himself but once I stand in front of him, I smack his hand away from his dick and I kneel down in front of him. I start licking his shaft as Ben starts to pant a bit but then groans the moment I wrap my lips around him and started to take him deeper in my mouth. “Fuckin’ hell, sweetheart.” Ben groans and I start sucking then he inhales, sharply. “Shit!” 

I smile and raise my eyes to look up at him as I continue to sucking his dick. He looks down at me and his jaw slackens and his eyelids were hooded. “God, you have no fucking idea how fucking hot you look with my dick in your mouth right now.” Ben growls as he starts to jerk his hips and I hum in approval at this.

I continue doing this for few more minutes, getting turned on even more from the noises Ben was making, before I pull my mouth off of him, lick my lips and give Ben a seductive look. He grabs my face and pulls me towards him and crashes his lips upon mine. I jump up on his lap, straddling him, and continue to make-out with him while he starts to pull off the sash of my robe and yank my robe off of me.

Then he grabs his dick and runs the tip over my entrance, which made me gasp. His free hand grabs my hips then he guides me to take in his cock into me, the both of us moan into each other’s mouths until he was fully sheathed inside me. “Fuck.” I moaned and I hear Ben chuckle. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close to his chest, my breast pressed up against his chest and he kisses the top of them as I start moving my hips.

I gasp and moan as he was hitting all the right buttons inside of me while he continued to kiss my boobs then moves back to kiss me on the lips again. I then push him back to lay down and I sit up as I start to bounce on his cock and Ben throws his head back into the mattress.

”Fuck!” He groans and I smile at this. “Yeah? You like that?” I asked him, seductively, as I continue to move my hips. “Fuck, yeah, I do. This pussy was made for me.” He pants then he jerks his hips upwards to meet mine and it was now my turn to throw my head back and let out a loud moan. “You’re so good for me, (y/n).” He whispers as he grabs my breasts with both of his hands and I grab his wrists, holding them in place, as I continue to ride him while he bucks his hips up in time.

For a few more minutes, we keep going at it until I felt the familiar sensation building and building within me. “Ben…” I gasp, my eyes still closed. “That’s right. You gonna cum for me? Huh? You want me to put a baby in you?” He asked me and something about that turned me one even more as I clench around him. “Oh, you like that? Want me to fill you up? Have my babies?” Ben asked me and I nod. “Yes, yes, yes! Give it to me!” I plead and he chuckles.

”Then take it, princess. It’s all yours.” He growls and I felt myself explode over him and he follows not to far behind and I feel him paint my walls. Both of us scream out in ecstasy as we ride out our orgasm until I collapse on top of him, both of us catching our breathes.

”Holy shit.” I whispered and Ben chuckled. “I swear I’m never gonna get tired of you.” Ben said as he turns on his head to look at me. I scoff at this before he continues. “I’m serious, (y/n). It doesn’t matter how many times we do this, it just gets better and better.” 

I look at him as I start to sit up and he does as well, he places a hand on my cheek and strokes his thumb over my cheek and I just could tell by the look on his face and in his eyes that he was telling the truth. “You’re really serious.” I stated and he nods. “I love you, (y/n). And not just for sex…” he said and I chuckled. “I would hope not.” I said and he rolls his eyes.

Then he gets this look like he was thinking over his next words, carefully, and I tilt my head at this. “Ben?” I said and his green eyes met my (e/c) eyes. He stares at me for a moment, takes a deep breath then starts to speak. “(Y/n), I…” he started to say before we hear footsteps and the door to the bedroom opens and in walks Butcher, Hughie and Legend.

“Oh, what the fuck!? Seriously you two?!” Legend exclaims, annoyed, as I quickly get up to my feet and Ben closes his robe to cover himself. “Oh, God.” Hughie said and he turns away to not look at me as I grab my robe off of the floor and put it on. “Fuckin’ hell.” Butcher mutters. “Would it fucking kill you boys to fucking knock?” I asked them, angrily, as I tied my robe sash.

“Yeah. What's the problem?” Ben asked, annoyed. “What's the problem? This bed has seen two Jaclyns. You know that? Smith and Bisset. Y-You're treating it like a Reno cat house.” Legend exclaims and Ben rolls his eyes as he goes to the bedside table and pulls out a cigar. “Jesus.” Ben grumbles.

“The problem is you gave me 11 of Mindstorm's last-knowns. So far, I've had a look at three and found fսck all. I-I'm chasing me fսcking tail here, mate.” Butcher said, sounding exasperated. “Sounds like that's three down and eight to go.” Ben grumbles. “Yeah, and that's gonna take weeks, and weeks I don't got.” Butcher argues while Legend looks over the bed.

”Egyptian cotton sheets and now I got to fսcking burn 'em.” Legend groans. “The deal was, we get the rest of my team, then we get Homelander.” Ben said to Butcher as he lights his cigar. “And what I'm saying is I could use an hand figuring it out.” Butcher said, annoyed. “I told you. Mindstorm's a paranoid fսck.” Ben said as he stands up and walks up to Butcher.

“But, hell, if you could hear everybody's shitty thoughts, you'd be, too. Look, he bought up all these run-down cabins all over the place. He's Howard Hughes without the piss jars. He's batshit crazy.” Ben goes on. “Mindstorm's not crazy. He's bipolar.” Legend corrects.

”He's bipolar?” Hughie asked. “Yeah.” Legend said as he gathers up the bed sheets. “Does he take meds for it?” Hughie asked, concerned. “I believe so. At least he did.” Legend said as he starts to walk out for the room. “God, it smells like sеx and Bengay in here.” Legend grumbles and I roll my eyes.

”Lithium prescriptions aren't that common. I mean, I doubt he's making it. Maybe...i-if we look at the cabins and we...” Hughie said and Butcher looks at him. “And then check the local pharmacies.” He finished and Hughie nods. “Yeah.” Hughie said. “See who's handing out lithium. Nice one, Hughie.” Butcher said, proudly, and he pats his shoulder.

”We're gonna need more reefer.” Ben said then he smiles and I roll my eyes at this. 

*3rd Person POV*

“Okay, satellite view has Mindstorm's place about two miles in, due west.” Hughie said as he looks at his phone while Butcher opens the trunk of his car. “Two miles? Fuck me. We could've parked closer.” Butcher complains as Ben grabs his shield then Butcher grabs a bag. “So, do you two mind telling us what we're walking into here?” Butcher asked as he closes the trunk and Ben takes a puff of his cigarette.

”All you got to know is, if he tries to make eye contact with you, close your eyes.” (Y/n) warns them. “Or what?” Hughie asked, confused. “Just don't make eye contact with him, then you got nothing to worry about.” Ben tells him then he turns away and walks off, smoking the weed, (y/n) follows him.

”Hey, why do you keep buying him, like, Hefty bags full of weed?” Hughie asked Butcher as he takes out the Temp V. “Better high than mental. Takes the edge off his PTSD.” Butcher replied. “Wait, he has PTSD?” Hughie asked, shocked. “Yeah, I saw it at Herogasm. It's why he keeps blowing the fսck out of everything. We got to keep that cսոt dozy as a lamb.” Butcher said, in a quiet voice, while (y/n) walks along the edge of the woods, looking around as Ben smokes.

”So, just to recap, uh, he's radioactive, highly traumatized and heavily self-medicated. Feels good, feels right.” Hughie scoffs. “Tell me about it. I mean, what sad bastard self-medicates like that, eh?” Butcher asked as he hands a doses of Temp V to Hughie.

Meanwhile, in an abandoned pizza restaurant called Buster Beaver’s, Noir walks in and looks around at the old building. To his right, was a painted murial of the characters from this former business, including an eagle, a pig, two horses, a sheep, a pig, a squirrel and the lead himself, Buster the beaver.

Noir opens some old cans of beans and pours them in a bowl before he sits down and contemplates. Ever since hearing about Soldier Boy return, Noir was actually scared. Then all the characters from this franchise appear before him, as if coming out of their hiding places, and walk up to him.

“Earving, sooner or later, you're gonna have to t-t-talk about it. Remember when you were nine, a-and you hid in that ball pit right over there, after you p-p-p-paralyzed Lewis Frankel? This is just like that.” Buster tells Noir before he sighs. “You can't hide from Soldier Boy. We're your best pals, aren't we? We got you through that erection in the seventh grade, that Hard Rock Cafe m-m-massacre in Lagos. And by golly, we'll get you through this, too.” Buster said and the other characters agree.

”You got that...”

”That's right.”

“You're our friend.”

But Noir gets up, grabs his chair and walks away then sets the chair down. He sits down in it then folds his arms across his chest, his back facing his cartoon friends.

*(y/n)’s POV*

We walk along the forest, no one was talking, until Ben stopped and turned to me, Butcher and Hughie. “What’d you say?” He asked us and we stop and stare at him. “What?” I said, confused. “What?” Ben asked back. “Nothing, mate. No one said nothing.” Butcher said and Ben looks between us then walks away. Butcher, Hughie and I share a look before I go over to Ben sighs.

”Hey…” I said to him as I catch up. “You okay?” I asked him, concerned. “Fine.” He replied, flatly. “You sure?” I asked but before he could respond, he looks down and I noticed that we had hit a wire. “Oh, fսck.” He growls and a bomb goes off a few feet in front of us and we get blown back and roll.

Smoke swarms us as Ben and I look around but couldn’t see Mindstorm. The smoke cleared and I see Hughie leaning over Butcher, who looked like he had fallen asleep. “Butcher, wake up. Wake up!” Hughie exclaims as Ben and I walk up to them. “Fսcking freak slipped away. He's gonna pick us off one by one.” Ben said as he looks around the woods.

”Come on, wake up, Butcher. Butcher! Wake up.” Hughie exclaims, panicking. “No, you're wasting your time, he's gone.” Ben tells Hughie. “What did Mindstorm do?” Hughie asked us as he turns and stands up. “Well, if it's his usual MO, trapped him in an endless nightmare till he dies of terminal dehydration.” I informed. “No, there's got to be a way we can wake him up.” Hughie said.

”Mindstorm put him into this. He can snap him out.” Ben said. “Okay, great, great. Uh...” Hughie stammers but Ben talks over him. “But he's about to be dead.” He said. “Wait, wait, just hang on. If we, if we, if we grab Mindstorm, we make him help Butcher...” Hughie negotiates. “No way.” Ben said a she turns away. “And then, and then you can kill him, Then you can go to town on him, man. I don't give a fսck.” Hughie exclaims then Ben turns to him.

“Hey. If you're gonna act hysterical, I'm gonna slap you like I'm Connery. Now, unless you want to end up like your friend there, it ain't worth the risk.” Ben tells him, firmly, and Hughie glares at him. “Look, chin up, okay? Deal's a deal. You help me finish this, I'll kill Homelander. Butcher would have given up his life for that in a heartbeat. So, we doing this or not?” Ben asked and Hughie groans and goes to grab the bag.

”Leave it. We got to move fast.” Ben said as he walks ahead but stood and raised a hand. “Ah. Do you hear that?” Ben asked. “No.” I said. “Uh...” Hughie said then he clears throat. “You might want to lay off the weed, huh?” He asked. “And you might want to gargle my ballsack.” Ben retorts as he walks off.

Hughie sighs, exasperated, then turns to me. “Can’t you…I don’t know…talk to him?” He asked me and I sighed. “I, uh…” I stopped as I see the pleading look in his eyes then look over at Butcher. “I’ll see what I can do.” I said as I walk over to Ben.

”Ben….” I said, cautiously, but Ben sighs. “Forget it, (y/n). You heard what I said.” He grumbles and I sigh as well. “C’mon, Ben, it’ll just take a second. We can kill him right afterwards.” I said and Ben stops, turning to me. “I said no. You know how dangerous Mindstorm is. If we even give him an inch, he’ll take a mile. We kill him, then Noir and then Homelander. Butcher would want it that way.” Ben said, firmly, and he starts walking again. 

“Would you say the same thing if Mindstorm had gotten me instead?” I asked and he stops in his tracks. “Don’t pull that shit.” He growls and I see Hughie looking at me with fear. “Would you?” I asked Ben. He keeps his back facing me, stands there for a few more moments then huffs at this and continues on.

“Still can't believe this shit is legal. We locked up so many assholes for it back in the day.” Ben said as we continued on into the woods while he looks at his blunt. Then he stops and turns to us. “What the fսck did you say?” He asked us. “Uh, uh, literally nothing.” Hughie said then he kept shooting glances over his shoulder.

“Jesus. How hard?” Ben asked him and Hughie turns to him. “What?” He asked. “How hard did Butcher suck your dіck that you miss him that much? Hmm? His mouth must feel like a Hoover Deluxe.” Ben said and Hughie scoffs in disgut. “God, every single thing you say is so gross.” He said then he turns to me. “How do you stand it?” He asked me and I shrug. “You get use to it.” I said and Hughie sighs then turns to Ben.

”Look…He saved me, okay? More than once. So I owe him.” He said. “Oh, bullshit. You're on a mission. You get the job done. Okay? I stormed Normandy. I fought the Nazis. You want to know what I do when I'm sad or scared? Fսcking nothing. 'Cause I'm not a fսcking pussy.” Ben said and Hughie chuckles softly. “You didn't storm shit. Your whole Marlboro Man act? It's fսcking crap.” Hughie spat and I look at him. “Hughie…” I said, waringly, but he kept going.

“And I...” Hughie started to say but Ben slaps him across the face, pretty hard. “Oh...” Hughie gasps then pants as Ben gives him a stern hard look then points at him. “I warned you.” He said, calmly, then he shakes his finger then walks away while Hughie massages his jaw

”Word of advice.” I say to Hughie as I walk up to him and he looks at me. “Don’t believe everything Legend tells you. He’s full of shit just as much as everyone in Vought.” I said and I walk away from him. 

*3rd Person POV*

Black Noir continues to sit there, still trying to process everything. Then Buster comes up to him. “Come on, Earving. Me and the others have something to sh-sh-sh-show you.” Buster said and Noir turns to him and the cartoon beaver holds a hand out to him. “C-C-C-Come on!” He exclaims, happily, and Noir gets up from his chair and lets Buster lead him back towards the stage area.

”Something you pushed d-d-d-deep, deep down.” Buster said and Noir sits in the chair. Buster stands on the side of the stage where there was a red curtain and a spotlight on Buster. The curtains open and reveals a gym area with a banner up top that said Vought America, the various animal characters acted as members of Payback. The two horses were the TNT Twins, the goat was Mindstorm, the fox was Crimsons Countess, the pig was Gunpowder, the squirrel was Mystic Shade and the eagle was Soldier Boy.

The team were on the edge of the mat as Soldier Boy and Gunpowder were sparing. But, of course, Soldier Boy beats him up and Gunpowder falls back on the ground, blood pouring out of his nose and mouth. “Okay, that’s enough!” Mystic Shade tells Soldier Boy, who rolls his eyes. “Lighten up. I'm just playing around.” Soldier Boy said, nonchalantly, as Mystic goes to Gunpowder. “You fսcking pussy.” He grumbles as Gunpowder groans.

Soldier Boy turns around and see Black Noir, played by a black sheep, entering the room. “You're late. We started at 3:00.” Soldier Boy said. “I really wanted that movie.” Noir tells him. “The hell are you talking about?” Soldier Boy asked him. “I just got off the phone with my manager. It's a no-go on Beverly Hills Cop.” Black Noir said.

“Oh. That.” Soldier Boy laughs, uncaring. “I was...I was born to play Axel Foley. Why would you say all those horrible things about me to Don Simpson?” Noir asked him. “Jesus, Ben, really?” Crimson asked Soldier Boy, annoyed, and he turns to her and holds a hand out to her. “Zip it, cooze.” He growls then turns back to Noir. “The guy's supposed to be funny. You're not funny.” 

“Well, I could've been.” Noir argues. “You're not good enough. Now shut your cock hole and get to work.” Soldier Boy ordered. “But-but wait…” Noir tries to say but Soldier Boy grabs him and starts to punch him, repeatedly. The rest of the team gasp at this and shout at Soldier Boy to stop as he continues to beat Noir up pretty badly. Noir tried to crawl away but Soldier Boy grabbed his leg, pulls him back in and continues to pummel him.

Then Soldier Boy stops the attack and looks around at everyone. “Which one of you wants next? Huh?” He asked as he points around at them. Everyone stands there and looks down while Mystic Shade glares up at him. “Thought so.” Soldier Boy growls but Mystic takes a deep breath, stands up and steps forward.

”I’ll volunteer.” She said, firmly, and everyone gasps, in shock, at this while Soldier Boy raised an eyebrow at Mystic. “Shade, don’t.” Gunpowder said behind her but Mystic ignores him as she stands her grown while Soldier Boy chuckles. “Wow, you are serious.” He said, with a bit of humor in his voice.

”Why not? I’m on the same strength level as you. I can handle it. Plus…I’m not scared of you.” Mystic said and everyone lets out a noise of surprise while Noir kept panting and groan at the pain. Ben looked a little shocked at this while Thomas whispers. “Oh shit.”

”Come on, Soldier Boy. You wanna fight? Or are you too scared that a girl is gonna beat you?” Mystic challenged and Soldier Boy takes a step closer to her. “What do you think you’re doing?” He asked Mystic, in a low voice. “Proving a point to you once and for all.” Mystic said and she gets into a stance. Soldier Boy takes a step back then gets into a similar stance as they stare down each other, like in a western movie.

The duo waited to see who would make the first move until Soldier Boy goes to punch Mystic, who blocks it with her arm. She goes to punch him but he grabs her arm and throws her over to the side. Mystic goes flying in the air, lands on the mat and rolls a couple of times before getting up.

Soldier Boy comes at her, with a fist raised but she catches it but his other fist collides with her face. She then punches him in the stomach as hard as she could, he doubles over and she uppercuts him. The others gasps at this as Soldier Boy wipes his mouth with the back of his hand then he charges at her and they continue to fight.

Mystic ends up on the ground and Soldier Boy on top of her, holding her arms over her head on the ground. “(Y/n), stop.” Soldier Boy ordered her. “Why?” She asked and Soldier Boy doesn’t answer. Taking this opportunity, Mystic headbutts him and he lets go of her arms and she grabs him, flips him over and pin him to the ground.

”If you didn’t want a fight, then don’t ask for it.” Mystic said then she stands up and walks away, the others staring at her in shock as Mysitc leaves the room. The teammates stare at the door, in shock and disbelief at what just happened. Soldier Boy sits there for a moment before he recovers and gets back on his feet.

The others turn to look at him and he glares at them. “I let her beat me. So none of you better be getting any fucking ideas! Understand?!” He yelled, in a commanding voice. The others cower back at this then Soldier Boy walks over to Noir. “As for you…” he growls as he looks down at Noir’s bleeding face. Noir flinches, scared that he would take out his anger on him again.

“You think you can be me? You're not a movie star. You're not shit. I see you getting out of line again, trying to move on up, I will put you in the fսcking ground. Understood?” Soldier Boy threatens and Noir whimpers at this.

*(y/n)’s POV*

We walked through the woods a bit till we came upon a clearing and see a road and hear voices. “Maybe we should walk back to that town we saw.” A female voice said and we get to the road and see a priest and a nun standing on the road, looking into the hood of a car. “It was, like, five miles away. It'll take forever to get there. We're never gonna get to the retreat now.” The priest said as we get closer to them and the priest turns and jumps a little.

”Oh! Oh, you startled me. Are-are you two superheroes?” The priest asked us as we get closer to them. “Yes, Father. You folks need some help?” Ben asked them. “Yes. Yes, please.” The nun said, appreciatively. “Okay, well, it's not safe. There's a fugitive in the area. You should get out of here before you get hurt.” Ben tells them. “Uh, well, we can't. I don't suppose either of you know engines?” The priest asked us and Ben looks over at me and Hughie. 

Ben and I stare at each other for moment, not really buying this, before he turns back to the priest. “I'll have a look.” He said and he goes up to the car. “Oh, I'd appreciate that very much.” The priest said as Ben looks into the hood.

“Uh, so, where you guys headed?” Hughie asked them. “We're just on our way to a Samaritan's Embrace retreat over there in Danville.” The priest said just as Ben pulls out his gun and shoots the priest in the head. “Oh! Oh, my God!” Hughie shouts as the nun screams. “Oh, my God! What the fսck?!” Hughie exclaims to Ben. “This is Mindstorm's MO. He brainwashed them. That priest was gonna shank us. And she will, too.” Ben said as the nun kneels down to the priest and cries.

”Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa.” Hughie exclaims. Father Wallace, no!” The nun cries. “Hey, hey, she doesn't look brainwashed to me.” Hughie pleads to Ben. “Take my word for it. Everyone's coming for us. Everyone, every day.” Ben tells him as he goes to aim his gun at the nun but Hughie stands in front of him. “Whoa, no! No, no! You have PTSD! You have PTSD, and you are super fսcking stoned. All right? Maybe this isn't what you think it is.” Hughie said to Ben, quickly.

“Move.” Ben orders him. “She's a human being. A nun. And if there's one thing I know...” Hughie started to say until the nun jumps on his back. “Die, you fսck¡ng cocksuckers!” She screams and Hughie screams. “Oh, my God! Do something!” Hughie shouts as Ben tries to aim his gun at the nun but Hughie kept moving. “If you stay still, I...” Ben said and I roll my eyes then pull my knives out and use my powers to move the knives to the nun and stab her in the back. Then I got a good angle with a knife to stab her in the head.

“Oh! fսck me! No!” Hughie screams as he shoves the nun off of him. “Hard pass on this Exorcist shit!” Hughie shouts before panting. “What's black and white and red all over?” Ben jokes and I turn to him. “Really?” I said as I wave my hand around and the knives pull out of the nun and I grab them. Ben rolls his eyes at me then turns to Hughie.

”Okay, first off, I don't have shell shock. Fuck you. Second, this is what I'm talking about. This is being a soldier.” Ben said as he glares at Hughie then he walks off. “Come on.” He said as he heads into another part of the woods. Hughie whimpers then signs the cross and I go up to him and place a hand on his shoulder and patted it before following Ben.

*3rd Person POV*

“By 1984, things had gotten so bad. There was only so much m-m-more of Soldier Boy's abuse you could take. So when St-St-Stan Edgar made you an offer in Nicaragua, you jumped at it.” Buster tells Noir as the curtains open again and shows the black sheep as Noir and a monkey as Edgar. “Vought's really okay with this?” Noir asked him. “Sometimes, old soldiers just fade away. I don't want the details. Just do what you need to do.” Edgar tells him.

”Why now?” Noir asked. “Vogelbaum has a replacement. Just a child, but they're convinced he'll be stronger than Soldier Boy. And he can fly. Will the others go along?” Edgar asked. “Everyone but Gunpowder and Mystic Shade. Why not take her as well? She’s just as powerful and as invincible as Soldier Boy…” Noir said. “It was considered but…she’s too important. Good luck, Earving.” Edgar said. “Can you please stop eating those in front of me? I'm allergic.” Noir pleads to Edgar, who stares at him then takes another bite of his peanut.

The scene switches to then Soldier Boy and Mystic Shade fighting the Russian soldiers. At one point, Soldier Boy kneels down and holds his shield in front of him and Mystic Shade runs towards him, jumps up and lands on the middle of his shield and he pushes upwards to where she flies in the air and uses her telekinetic powers on her knives to fly towards the oncoming soldiers.

She lands some feet away and continues to fight soldiers when Noir comes up behind her and hits her in the back of the head. She grunts and stumbles forward on the ground then Noir grabs a large rock while Mystic was dazed and confused. “I’m sorry.” Noir mutters then he slams the rock onto her head, knocking her out, and he moves away.

Soldier Boy then comes up and sees Mystic Shade on the ground, knocked out. “(Y/n)?” He asked, concern laced his voice, as he comes up to her to check on her but then Noir, Mindstorm and the twins come up. “What the fսck is this?” He asked, angrily, as he looks at his teammates. “Something we should've done a long time ago, you piece of shit.” Noir growls.

”TNT detonate!” The twins shout and they fire their beam at Soldier Boy and he flies back then he gets up and Mindstorm punches him. Then the team dog piles on him and starts to beat him up. “Hold him down.” Tessa shouts but Soldier Boy was able to knock them off of him. Noir then runs at him but Soldier Boy turns and used his shield to knock him back.

Noir flies back and hits a military car that started to catch on fire. Soldier Boy grabs Noir and slams his face against the burning metal and Noir screams in pain as he felt his skin melt and burn off. Soldier Boy raises his shield and slams the edge of his shield into Noir’s head two or three times before Noir falls over into the ground, passing out from the pain.

Soldier Boy turns around as the twins and Mindstorm get into a stance. “Get him, Mind storm. Scramble his fսcking brains.” Thomas said as Mindstorm uses his power and Soldier Boy grunts in pain as he felt a sharp pain in his head. Then Crimson Countess jumps on his back and put a gas mask over his mouth and nose. Soldier Boy grunts, coughs and gasps into the mask then he falls forward on the ground. But before he felt the gas completely take over, he looks over at Mystic’s unconscious body and his last thought was for him to try to reach out to her. But the gas took away his last bit consciousness and he goes down. “Fuck you, mοthеrfսckеr.” Crimson growls and the curtains closed as Buster appears on stage again.

“This is some tough stuff, I know. But when you gave him to the Russians, you knew Soldier Boy would come back one day. You need to f-f-f-face him. No one really knows you. But we know how s-sensitive and s-s-scared you are.” Buster tells Noir and the other animal characters come in and chimed in.

“Yes.”

”We're here for you.”

”Hey, we got your back.”

”We're here for you.”

Noir looks down. “It's okay. Bravery isn't having no fear. Bravery is having fear, but you d-d-d-do it anyway.” Buster said. “Time to finish what you started.” The birds sing and Noir sits there and takes in a deep breath as he decides on what he was gonna do.

*(y/n)’s POV*

We walked in deeper into the woods until I heard a noise. “You guys hear that?” I asked and the boys stop as we hear what sounds like wind chimes. We head over to the noise and see a large abandoned looking barn and I see Ben taking in a deep breath and we cautiously walk up to the building.

We enter the building and Ben pulls his gun out while I pulled a knife out. We walk, quietly, in and look for any signs of Mindstorm. Ben stops and holds a hand up to us to stop and I look over to see a mirror that was at an angle to where we see him hiding on the other side of this shelf we were leaning up against. 

Ben holds up his shield and his gun, getting into a stance. I pull out a blade and get ready but then we heard a pop noise behind us. Ben and I turn around and see Hughie’s clothes were in the floor but he was gone. Then we look towards the mirror and see Hughie grabbing Mindstorm and disappearing.

“Shit!” Ben growls and I sighed. “The hell is that kid thinking?” Ben growls. “He’s probably thinking; this is the only way to save my friend.” I pointed out and Ben sighs. “What a fucking pussy.” Ben grumbles. “I can’t say I blame him.” I said and Ben turns to me. “You seriously taking his side? When you know how dangerous Mindstorm is?” He asked me, angrily. “Yeah, because I’d do the exact same thing if it was you.” I said to him and I turn away from him.

”(y/n).” He said, in a firm tone, and I stop but still had my back to him. “You seem so…different.” He said and I scoff and look over my shoulder at him. “That’s what happens when you retire and lose the person you love.” I commented and he raises an eyebrow at this. “C’mon…let’s go and find him.” I said and we walked on.

Later, we ran across the woods until Ben grabbed my arm to stop me. He points ahead and we see Hughie and Mindstorm and they were indeed by Butcher as it looked like Mindstorm woke Butcher up. At that moment, Ben pulls out his knife and throws it across the air and it hits Mindstorm right in the face.

I was a bit startled at this as Ben runs over to Mindstorm. I follow after as Mindstorm pulls the knife out of his face and Ben slams his shield against him, knocking him down. Then pulls out a pillowcase and wraps it around Mindstorm’s head so he wouldn’t use his powers on Ben.

“Hey, wait, wait, wait.” Hughie exclaims and Ben turns to him then he punches Hughie so hard he goes flying back a few feet. Butcher turns to Ben and his eyes glow yellow. “Stop!” I shout as I put up a shield between Ben and Butcher. “Enough, both of you!” I growled and Butcher glances at me then turns to go to Hughie and I look over at Ben, who glares at me then at Butcher before he grabs his shield. I remove the shield and sighed.

Hughie coughs and groans as Butcher kneels to him and Ben goes to Mindstorm, kneels down and grab his shirt. “Hiya, Dan.” Ben greets him, sarcastically. “It's-it's not what you think. It wasn't my idea.” Mindstorm said. “Oh, I know. It was Noir's, but how does that work, huh? 'Cause no way he makes a fսcking move without Vought.” Ben said. “They gave him the green light.” Mindstorm said, panicked. “Why would they do that?” Ben asked him and I go over Hughie and Butcher.

”You okay, kid?” I asked Hughie as Butcher helps him to his feet. Hughie nods and we look over at Ben and Mindstorm, who seems to be telling Ben something. “What? That's impossible.” Ben shouts and he stares at Mindstorm then he starts to hit him with his shield. Then he does it again and again and again and I see Mindstorm stopped moving but Ben kept hitting him. “Ben.” I said, loudly, but Ben kept smashing Mindstorm’s head in. 

“BEN, THAT’S ENOUGH!” I shouted as I go to him. Ben screams out his frustration as he kept hitting Mindstorm until I grab his shoulder and pull him away. “I said ENOUGH!” I said as Ben turns to me with a death glare but I don’t cower back. “He’s dead!” I shout and Ben pants then his glare softens to what looked like shock and disbelief. “Ben? What’s wrong? What did he say?” I asked him but he walks away from me and I furrow my brow and look down at Mindstorm’s dead body, blood seeping through the pillowcase.

That night, we were back at Legend’s house and I was sitting in the living room as Ben was locked up in the bedroom. I ran my hand over my face before I let out a heavy sigh, Ben wouldn’t tell us what Mindstorm said to him but I could tell that he shocked him. I decided to head down to the bedroom and get to the door until I hear Ben on the phone, asking for Homelander.

I stopped at this and lean into the phone. It was silent for a moment before I hear Ben speak. “The situation's changed. I thought we should have a conversation.” I hear him say and there was a pause of silence before he speaks again. “Fall 1980, I get called into Vogelbaum's lab for an experiment, some shit about genetics. I still remember the Penthouse I used. June. Danielle Deneux, bush like a Pomeranian. I beat my meat into a cup. Turns out...Vogelbaum made a kid. Born spring 1981. A boy.” He said and I gasped, softly, at this. 

No, no…there’s no way. I thought as Ben continues. “You know what the bitch of it is? If they'd have just kept me around, I'd have let you take the spotlight. What father wouldn't want that for his son?” He asked and I place my hand over my mouth.

I was standing out on the balcony of Legend's house and looking out to the starry night sky, the warm breeze blowing slightly in the wind. I wrap my arms around myself, trying not to have a breakdown after hearing what I heard.

Homelander is Ben's son?! What the actual fuck?!

I bit my lips then let out a heavy sigh, right as I hear footsteps behind me, and I lift my left arm, balled up my fist and lean it against my lips. "There you are." Ben said as he comes up next to me. "You okay?" He asked me and I sighed through my nose.

"I just overheard your phone call." I said, plainly, and I turn my head to look at him. He doesn't say anything, just looks down for a moment. "Of course. The biggest, egotistical, attention seeking psychopath had to be your son." I spat, annoyed. "Don't tell me you're mad at me." Ben said, sounding annoyed himself.

"I'm not mad at you, Ben." I said, sharply, as I turn to face him. "I'm mad a Vought! I mean, after everything you do after they asked you to do it, that's how they treat you? Take your DNA then get rid of you to have this supe kid to replace you?!" I exclaimed, angrily. "It's bullshit."

"I know. If they would've told me about him, I would've gladly stepped down and let him take over." Ben said as I wrap my arms around myself again. "We could've had that retired life we talked about..." he said and he and I look at each other. "I, uh...remember that one time, I told you I wanted to have a family?" He asked me and I nodded. "Well, I wanted you to be that woman. I wanted, still want, you to be my wife, have my children. Hell, after Nicaragua, I was gonna ask you to marry me." He said and my jaw drops slightly at this then I turn my head away as my heart feels heavy at his words.

"What? What's wrong?" He asked me and I bite my lips again. "Do you...not want that?" He asked me, sounding a bit worried, but I turn my head to him. "No, it's not that. I would love nothing more than to have that life too. It's just..." I stopped then sighed as I look down. "There's something I have to tell you." I said. "What is it?" He asked me and I take in a deep breath and let it out.

"After Nicaragua, I was a total mess. Everyone else acted like everything was normal after we had a funeral for you. I was actually scared that if the Russians were able to kill you, then I could be next. And then...a couple of weeks later, I found out I was pregnant." I explained as I look at him and Ben's eyes widen in shock at this.

"What?!" He asked, surprised, and I nod a bit. "You...you were...pregnant?" He asked and I nod again. "When I found out, that was when I retired from Payback. I didn't want any stress about being a superhero or that I could be sent somewhere and be killed. So I got a home and did everything I could to stay relaxed and be ready when the baby came." I said and my heart was beating hard and fast against my chest, my stomach started to feel sick as I got ready to explain what happened next.

"But a month or two later, I had a miscarriage. And I felt horrible because I lost the only connection I had with you." I said as my eyes filled with tears. I go to look at him as a tear runs down my cheeks. He had a shocked but also sad and disappointed look on his face. "I don't really like talking about it, so....all I'll say is that, I was just in a very bad way for awhile." I said and Ben gives me a sympathtic look, which was a look he barely would give.

"I'm sorry, (y/n). I should've been there for you." Ben said and I give a small sad smile. "You being a comforting type? Doesn't really sound like you." I said, in a bit of a teasing manner. "Like I told you before, you're the only one that gets to see this side of me." Ben said and I scoff out a chuckle as he places an arm around my shoulder and we stand there in silence for a few moments.

"Sounds like both of us need a drink." He said and I nod. "Alot of it." I added and we chuckled before we head back inside.

We sat in the room and drank and talked for a bit before I chuckled a little as a memory appeared in my mind. “What?” Ben asked me and I turn to him. “So, you were planning on proposing to me, right?” I asked him and he nods. “Yeah…” he said and I chuckle. “But I thought…” I said then I started to mimic him singing. “If you want to be happy. Living a king's life. Never make a pretty woman your wife.” 

He scoffs and rolls his eyes as I continue to laugh. “Yeah, that’s true. But I neglected to account for a pretty woman like you getting me while my shield was down. I’ve never been quite the same since our first night together.” Ben said and I smiled at him as I felt my face turn red. “Plus when I did that song, we weren’t together.” Ben said and I chuckled. “Oh, yeah, we’ve broken up so many times I’ve lost count.” I said.

Ben laughs with me and I give him a curious look. “How the hell are we gonna keep a marriage if we keep breaking up?” I asked him and Ben looks me over. “Because I’ve had way more time to think this over and it was one of the only things that kept me sane during the times the Reds experimented on me.” Ben said then he looks down.

”I wish I still had the ring.” Ben mutters and I frown before I reach over and place a hand over his. “It’s okay, Ben.” I said and he gives me this look like he was thinking something over. “What?” I asked him and he shakes his head slightly. “Nothing, just…lost in thought.” He replied then he takes a sip of the drink and I don’t push further as I know how he gets when you push on a subject he doesn’t want to talk about.

So the rest of the night we spent drinking and talking, with the worry of what’s to come plagued the back of my mind.

@winchestergirl1720 @deans-spinster-witch @mimaria420 @wirdbeimaufhebengebunden @kitsun369 @jesllianaquilesrolonsworld @deangirl96 @demodemo909 @cassiecasluciluce @mostlymarvelgirl @onlyangel-444 @mayafatimakhan

[gaybananabread]

AHHH, ok ok. This is my first time like ordering anything so I’m nervous asf. But I’d like oranges, grapes and cherries with Ler!Jax and Lee!Pomni. Obv everything platonic, and like, go nuts with the plot. (Idk if this is worth mentioning pero I have this silly little headcannon that Pomni squeaks like a squeaky toy when squeezed so like, IF YOU WANT, you can add that.)

IF YOU DONT DO THIS ONE ITS OKK, I rly enjoy your writing and hope you have a great day/ night, tyy <33

Fruit(s): Oranges, Grapes, Cherries

Aww thank you Anon! You’re all good, and love that Pomni would absolutely become a dog toy (¬‿¬). Jax is definitely interesting to write for, and I like playing around with his asshole-ness. Thank you for requesting, and I hope you Enjoy!

Lee: Pomni

Ler: Jax

Summary: Pomni is still getting used to the circus, anxious and uneasy in the new environment. Jax tries to help out, though he does it in his own annoying way.

Warnings: none! This is a tickle fic, so if you don’t like that, scroll away!!

In the circus tent, small NPCs ran wild, knocking things over and babbling nonsense. They were like the Gloinks, but so much worse. Caine had dipped on them once again, leaving the characters to fend for themselves. Zooble peaced out, but the others were stuck with them.

It took nearly the whole day, but they had managed to contain the little monsters until Caine came back to woosh them away. For most of the characters, it was weirdly routine. For the newest arrival, however, it was more than off-putting. Pomni just felt…out of place in the digital world. She wandered around the tent, trying to calm herself down.

-

Jax was walking around, trying to find something to do. He would have messed with Ragatha, but her and Gangle were having some kind of “girl’s day.” Ugh…he wanted no part of it. 

Just as he was considering going to explore the forbidden rooms, he heard the faint jingling of bells. Pomni must’ve been “exploring” the grounds again. While she wasn’t his usual target, the jester would probably keep him entertained until something else happened.

The smug and confident smirk he always wore shrank as he approached her. Pomni looked so…so tired. Tired and way too wound up. Still, he sauntered over, trying to gauge just how upset she was. “Hey, newbie. You sane after that horror show?”

Pomni flinched at his voice, taking a second to register what he said; she’d been spacing out for most of the day. “U-uhm…yes? Why?”

He rolled his eyes, trying to act as aloof as possible. “Really? ‘S just that ya look like you’re about to fall apart. Hey, you think that’s possible here?” Jax cared about how she was doing, but he had an image and a rep in the circus. No way he was jeopardizing that.

“Shut up, Jax…” She turned away from him, rubbing her arm and looking down. The girl felt crummy enough; she didn’t have the energy to deal with his junk. 

He chuckled, leaning down and getting eye-level with her. Jax was bored, yes, but he didn’t want to see Pomni so down. Might as well try and cheer her up. “Aww, c’mon Pom-Pom! Try a smile; it won’t kill ya!” He reached out, trying to poke her side in an attempt to get her to smile. Before he could even get close to her blue side, she gasped softly and jerked away from his hand. Oh…that’ll work.

The look on his face was a dead giveaway to his plan. “Jax, no! I swear, don’t you even think abo-KYAH!” Pomni was cut off by a sharp poke to her stomach, whatever she was trying to say lost in a squeal.

“Oh, I’m doin’ more than think about it~” Jax’s voice was smug as ever, his gloved hands wrapping around her middle and wiggling them into her sides. The bunny crouched down, just so he could whisper in her ear. “Tickle tickle, Pomni~”

Squeaky and bright giggles bubbled out of her, only making Jax’s smirk grow. Pomni was much less amused, kicking and wriggling around in his grip. “Y-youhuhu prihick! Gehet ohoff mehehe!”

“Nah, don’t think I will.” One fun thing the purple rabbit noticed; Pomni was blushing. Really blushing, so brightly that it put the circles already on her cheeks to shame. So, of course, he called her out on it.

“Wow, I didn’t know you could blush like that, newbie!” He cooed, making sure to poke up and down her ribs as he spoke. “Thought bright red was crybaby’s thing, but you go girl~” 

“Sh-shuhut uhuhuhup!” The bells on Pomni’s hat jingled with every sharp jolt and tug, only making the scene funnier. Jax was thoroughly enjoying himself; he had maintained his vibe while also making Pomni smile. True, he was being a bitch about it, but it was working.

Wanting to try something else, Jax clamped both hands firmly on her sides, giving them a nice squeeze. Nothing could’ve readied him for what happened next. “Jahahax! Wouhuld you- *squeak*” 

Suddenly, his hands stopped moving, giving her a quick breather as the shock and amusement set in. After a few seconds, a loud bark of laughter escaped him, his voice more playful than it had been the whole time. “No *sproing*-ing way… You squeak?!” 

Without any further warning, he dug into her sides, rapidly squeezing them in the hopes of more squeaks. “J- *squeak* COHOHohome ohon! Quihihit- *squeak* JAHAX!” The sound was almost like a dog toy’s squeaker; it endlessly amused Jax, leaving the rabbit wanting more and more of the adorable sound.

“This has gotta be my favorite quirk of yours, squeaky-toy!” He squeezed and poked along her sides, sneaking a quick rib scribble in every few seconds. Best day ever…

“P-PLEHEHE- *squeak* NOHO! JAHAX!” While he was more than enjoying the squeaks and laughter, he could tell Pomni was wearing out. Not wanting to potentially get on Ragatha’s very-bad side, he stopped squeezing the jester. “Alright, alright, no more squeezes. That was fun, though~”

Pomni went almost limp in his arms, trying to catch her breath. She looked up at him expectantly, expecting to be released. Jax only laughed at her expression. “Oh, newbie, no. I never said I was done~” The ever-growing blush on her cheeks made him smile wider, his almost haughty confidence growing.

He tested out her neck, smirking at the surprised giggles he received. “You’re just a walking tickle-spot, aren’t ya? There anywhere you ain’t ticklish?” Deciding to be a bit merciful, he kept the tickling to light scratches, exploring the area. 

Much to his surprise, Pomni’s giggles softened, her body going almost slack against his. Jax wondered if he’d managed to kill her for a second, but he soon realized that she was just…enjoying it. Pomni wasn’t trying to push at his hands anymore; she just grabbed his wrists and loosely hung on.

“Aww, Pomni! You like this, don’t ya~?” He continued lightly tickling underneath her chin and the front of her neck, basking in the lazy giggles and lax squeals he got. Jax had no idea how someone could practically melt from getting tickled, but he wasn’t gonna question it. 

“Ihihihi- shuhuhut ihit…” Pomni could’ve had a better response, but she was too comfy to try. While he was still tickling her, it felt much more relaxing and nice in that spot. She could’ve stayed there all day…

Quickly realizing the jester was about to fall asleep on him, Jax stopped and patted her back. Pomni took a few shaky breaths, residual giggles still squeaking out in her daze. The bunny boy just chuckled, trying to help her wake up, in a sense. “You’re good, I’m done, wakey-wakey.”

Pomni was tired, though, and feeling like mild revenge. She just leaned into the purple boy, closing her eyes and letting the sleepy relaxation take over; girl was out in seconds. 

“...Pomni?” Jax’s smirk slowly fell, his brow-area bunching. She hadn’t moved in a few seconds, though he could see her breathing. Did she… That little-

Seeing her asleep on him felt strangely similar to a kitten napping there. It felt wrong to move… “*boing* it…”

Hopefully Ragatha and Gangle will be done soon…

[blond-jerk-tourney]

Strawberry Bracket: Bracket Finals

Propaganda from submitters Under Cut

Nanami Kiryuu

She's the mean girl of the show, and a pretty interesting take on the "bitchy vain school rival of the protagonist" trope. She spends most of her early screentime being a bully and most of her later screentime being both the biggest loser imaginable and deeply sad/troubled (which still does not erase how much of an asshole she can be). She even laughs like your stereotypical mean rich girl. Nanami has so many problems and sucks so so bad. I adore her.

Shes a psychotic bully who seeks to ruin the lives and reputations of any girl who gets more of her brothers attention than she does. Reasons Nanami Kiryuu deserves to win: - she has made many attempts at physical and psychological terrorism against Anthy Himemiya (including a plotted wardrobe malfunction at a crowded social gathering) simply for drawing more of her brother's attention than her - tried to fill Anthy's bedroom with wild animals (a snail, a snake, and a live octopus) to make her out to be a freak only to find that her room was already full of wild animals - she bankrolled an elementary schoolers crush on her to turn him into her personal boyservant - briefly non-personed a member of her bully entourage for sharing an umbrella with her brother - received a luxury cowbell due to a shipping error and smugly wore it to school for weeks flaunting it like high coture - when her bully entourage rebelled against her due to her brothers manipulation she brought them back in line by just straight up beating the shit out of all of them - all in all just a petty, goonish motherfucker (she also does the ohohohohoho anime girl laugh)

she's blond: despite being Japanese her hair is yellow, unlike her brother's. yellow is even her image color. she's a jerk: introduced as a jealous and dishonest scheming bully, she is one of the more outwardly antagonistic characters in a cast where pretty much everyone is a Real Piece Of Work she's the best: the quintessential ohoho-laughing ojou, her fully-realized character arc makes people both laugh and cry even her sidekick is a blond jerk! how many blond jerks have their own blond jerk sidekick?

i don't know what you've heard but she's NOT the kind of girl who lays eggs!

The token mean rich girl of the franchise. Does the classic "ohohoho" laugh. Doesn't like either of our main characters. She never actually seems to get her way, and secretly has a lot of her own problems. also she lays eggs and turns into a cow

Absolutely THE quintessential anime mean girl. I mean literally her laughing is THE meme for the hohohoho anime laugh. Needs attention So Badly and straight up bullies anyone she deems a threat to that (so basically Everyone). I haven’t finished RGU but apparently she duels with the intent to kill and drowned a kitten once because it was taking up too much of her brother’s attention? Also she’s 13 which explains a lot

Char Aznable

He's extremely blonde and he's a total asshole. he has had a gay thing with 2 people and tried to kill both of them. he makes a new identity and its arguably more blonde and more of an asshole. look up Quattro Bajeena

Snooty little motherfucker supreme. "I have never betrayed anyone in my life" says man who spent his whole career lying to people. He's in love with his rival and he won't admit it. He's my silly rabbit. He is the "I came here to laugh at you" guy

Char is an environmental terrorist who dropped space colonies of people living in space onto earth so people would leave earth for the earth to heal from human damage. He's a prince that should have been assassinated seducing the new prince while undercover to kill the family that killed his family. Anyway vote for Char. He stole the name Char from some other guy from space Texas who he caused the death of

Excuse me that's not char aznable that's quattro bajeena, why would you ever confuse the two :/

[anonimusunnoaniswriting]

This blog is STRICTLY adults only. Do not interact with my posts if you are a minor/below 18 years of age.

If I don't see an age on your blog or some kind of indicator that you are of age, you will be blocked immediately.

This blog is LGBTQ+ friendly. TERFS can rot in hell.

*Titles marked in blue are multi-part works

•. ¸♡ 𝐉𝐉𝐊 ♡¸.•

Longfic:

Little Corner of the World That We Call Home (Nanami x reader) (fluff and smut)

Debaucherie (Sub!Nanami x Domme!Reader)

Someday we will meet again... ...where the waves of the sea meet the clouds in the sky (Nanami x reader) (Angst)

NIGHTFALL Masterlist

Katana and Kanzashi (Yakuza!NanamiKento x Geisha! Reader):

Rabbits and White Camellia

Office Colleague!Geto x Reader

Angel of Small Death

Blurbs:

Nanami: one, two , cherry

Jujutsu Packers and Movers

Sugar Daddy

Toji: one

Sukuna: one, two (heian era)

Yuuji (aged up): one (sfw)

Geto: one

Washing His Hair (fluff)

Gojo: Gojozilla (monsterfucking)

Multi: SatoSuguShoko

Ficlets:

Office colleagues series:

Clumsy Office Intern The Senpais (Nanami, Shoko, Geto, Gojo) (smut)

Clumsy Office Intern The Boss (Sukuna) DUBCON WARNING (smut)

Nanami x PrimPrincess!Reader

Scratches on his back (smut)

Painted Worship (smut)

Cursed!Toji Fushiguro x Curse User!Reader (sorta femdom, smut)

JJK men when their SO has a nightmare (Gojo, Nanami, Geto, Sukuna, Toji (funny and fluffy)

Under the City Lights in the Shade of Your Kiss Nanami Kento x Tall!Reader (smut)

JJK men jealous of your plushie (silly)

The Dishes Can Wait (Nanami x Reader) (smut and fluff)

On the Question of Children (Part 1 and 2) (angst)

Coffee Shop (Kento Nanami)

Aftershock (Higuruma Hiromi x reader) (Smut and angst)

Hidden Inventory (pervy!Gojo x reader) (smut)

Gift of the Magi inspired (Nanami) (fluff, smut)

Yakuza!Sukuna: Asshole To The World Sweetheart To His Girl:

Sukuna: Asshole To The World Sweetheart To His Girl

Sukuna: Asshole To The World Sweetheart To His Girl (Alt DEAD DOVE)

Hybrids / Supernatural /Fantasy

Sunday morning (Owner!Gojo x BunnyHybrid!Reader) (smut)

Owner!NanamixKittyHybrid!Reader

Werewolf!Nanami x Reader

Orc!Nanami x Reader (pining and smut and fluff) (monsterfucking)

Merman!Geto x Reader pt 1 (fluff and smut)

.¸♡ 𝐇𝐚𝐢𝐤𝐲𝐮𝐮!! ♡¸.•

Blurbs:Best-friend Bokuto (fluff): one, two

•.¸♡ 𝐊𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐣𝐢 (𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐁𝐮𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐫) ♡¸.•

Longfic:

Longing (Sebastian Michaelis x Ciel's cousin!reader)

MASTERLIST | Good morning my lady (Sebastian Michaelis x Ciel's cousin!reader)

Ficlet/blurb:

What's Blood to a Demon? (Smut)

Headcanons (smut)

•.¸♡ 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞! ♡¸.•

How it looks: Rin Matsuoka, Rei Ryūgazaki, Nagisa Hazuki, Sousuke Yamazaki, Haruka Nanase, Tachibana Makoto

Seijuro Mikoshiba

•.¸♡ 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐎𝐔𝐒 ♡¸.•

Rainy Day (Asra from Arcana -Game)

Obey (Dean x Cas x Reader)

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ 𝐀𝐎𝟑 link♥

[woodfrogs]

genuinely how can people hate godot. hes an asshole he says cryptic stuff and never elaborates his first line is "ive never lost a case. because i havent prosecuted before" and then he loses every single one. his theme song is smooth jazz. he fell into a coma because of poisoned coffee hes a coffee addict he has identity issues. he projects his feelings of guilt onto phoenix. hed rather commit murder than have a single honest conversation. hes my silly rabbit <3

[gremjaylin]

12:17 AM go BRRRR

Anyway, here's ur asshole rabbit

Also, silly doodle based on the polls