#so i stole his name for my own personal brand

[brooklynn3253]

Unspoken Signals pt 2

Because I kinda want to turn it into a couple parts soooo here we go 😍

The Tiny Kicks that Stole My Heart

Let's get real, pregnancy is a wild ride. It's a constant state of being surprised by your own body. One minute you're craving pickles and ice cream, the next you're gasping for air because your lungs are apparently a tiny bit cramped. And then there's the whole emotional rollercoaster, the hormones making you cry at commercials and argue with your partner over the best brand of toilet paper.

But amidst all the chaos, there are moments of pure magic. Moments that take your breath away and leave you feeling completely overwhelmed with love.

For me, one of those moments was feeling my first kick. It was a delicate flutter, like a tiny butterfly trying to take flight. I remember sitting on the couch, watching a movie, when a little tap, almost imperceptible, registered in my belly. I stopped breathing, my heart pounding in my chest as I waited for it to happen again. And it did. A gentle "hello" from the tiny human growing inside me.

The experience was intensely personal, but it also filled me with a sense of overwhelming love for this little being I was carrying. It was like a secret shared between us, a connection that transcended words. It was a love that was both terrifying and exhilarating, a feeling so profound it left me speechless.

And then, there was Bucky. My partner, my confidante, the man who had already stolen my heart with his gentle nature and unwavering support. Witnessing his reaction to the baby's first kicks was a moment I will never forget.

He was sitting next to me on the couch, his hand resting on my belly, his eyes closed in concentration. When the little flutter came, I stared at him, waiting for a reaction. His eyes flew open, a smile spreading across his face as a wave of disbelief washed over him.

"Did you feel that?" He whispered, his voice filled with awe.

I nodded, a tear rolling down my cheek. He squeezed my hand, his thumb brushing against my palm in a silent reassurance. "He's kicking," he breathed, his voice thick with emotion.

In that moment, I saw a fatherhood I had never imagined. Bucky, always the stoic, the strong and silent type, was overcome with a tenderness I had rarely witnessed. The love in his eyes was not just for me, but for this tiny spark of life we were creating together.

He started talking to the baby, "Hey, little guy. Did you hear mom talking about pickles? We'll get you some, buddy. Just you wait."

I laughed, my heart swelling with a kind of warmth I had never experienced before.

Bucky's love for the baby wasn't a sudden realization. It had been simmering below the surface, a quiet knowing that he was going to be an incredible father. He was already so present, so attentive, so involved in my pregnancy. He researched baby names, helped me choose clothes, and spent hours reading pregnancy books.

But it was that first kick, that tiny nudge against his hand, that solidified the love in his heart. It was a moment of pure connection, a shared understanding of the amazing miracle taking place inside my body.

The flutter became a bump. The bump became a strong kick. Then a punch. Sometimes a whole-body wiggle. And with each movement, Bucky's love for our child deepened. He would sit for hours, talking to my belly, telling stories of his childhood, his hopes and dreams for the future. He would sing silly songs, read poetry, and even attempt to play the guitar (though his musical talents are questionable, to say the least).

He would rub my belly, whispering words of encouragement, reassurance, and love. He would tell the baby how beautiful they were, how strong, how special. His voice would soften, his eyes would glisten, and I would see the father he was destined to be.

It wasn't always easy. There were moments of frustration, exhaustion, and fear. Hormones raged, sleep was scarce, and my body felt like a foreign land. But Bucky was always there, a steady hand in the storm. He would massage my back, make me laugh, and remind me that I was strong, capable, and beautiful. He was my partner, my rock, my best friend, and the father of our child.

Now, when I feel that little foot kicking against my ribs, or a hand pushing against my side, I know it's not just my body that's changing. It's our lives. It's our love. It's a love that has been nurtured in the womb, a love that is more powerful than anything we could have ever imagined. A love that started with a tiny kick and has blossomed into a lifetime of possibility.

[pruzan]

I don��t think I ever asked you, where did you get the idea/inspiration for your username?

it's a king of queens reference! pruzan is the last name of carrie's boss from season 2 to season 6. he's a complete idiot and kind of a weirdo, and he is sooo funny to me

[lovelinoss]

nonidol!seungmin x afab!reader

college!au

Warnings : smut. MDNI!! adult content below, brat tamer seungmin?, use of pet names, enemies to lovers trope?, unprotected sex (no not do this), tutor seungmin, etc.

a/n : this has been stored in my drafts for so long unfinished.. but i decided to finish it and its so bad?! im gon sob. Butttt… my inbox if always open for req so feel free to ask !

wc: 5k (5,069)

“Can’t you see where you’re going?!” the guy in front of you said. More like above you, since you were on the floor with your books everywhere and your spilled coffee to the side. It was so embarrassing, trying to get into the library’s “office” room for people who study or work to get some work done when you ran into this guy on his way out.

I mean what a jerk, right? It was your fault, but a person who was thinking straight and is a decent human being would have said “it’s okay” and help you up!

The concrete floor was cold, the winter days adding more of this chilliness. Your bottom hurt from the fall. You just looked up at him to see his face in an annoyed scrunch. He noticed you staring and he met your gaze. He sighed.

“C’mon, get up,” he said, reaching his hand out for you to grab. You looked between him and his hand. You reluctantly reached out for it, grasping his hands. He tugged backwards for you to get up.

“Thanks.. i guess,” you said, dusting off your coat and crouching down to pick up your books.

“Is that how you thank someone?” He said, catching you off guard. You stood up after picking up your books.

"What?" You responded, staring at him. He raised his eyebrow, making it seem like he was intimidating you.

"Want me to say it again?" he said, crossing his arms with his backpack slung over his shoulder. "is. that. how. you. thank. someone?"

"Fucking no!" you yelled out of frustration. "What as in is that something to say to someone? Are you this rude on a daily basis?"

“Whatever,” he shrugged, bumping into your shoulder as he left his own way. That was so obvious that it was on purpose! You could feel the way he smirked once he walked away.

What the fuck. Who even was he?

You’re mind was on this random guy the whole time you were trying to study. Trying to right down your notes in your notebook would just lead you back to slamming your fist on the table out if frustration. You sighed, leaning back against the chair you were sitting in. It’s been 2 hours and you barely got your work done. You were tired. You were frustrated. You need a break.

You left your stuff as is on the single desk. No one in the library cared enough to steal stuff. It was never said so, but everyone knew that no one steals stuff in the library.

You walked into the nearby convenience store once you got out, wanting to get some snacks and some coffee to keep you awake all night.

You reached the area where they kept the drink when you spotted your favorite brand of coffee sitting on the shelves. Lucky for you, it was the last one. You cheered mentally, walking over to grab it.

However, when you were reaching your hand out to grab it, another hand reached it first, grabbing it off the shelf. You turned to your left to see who stole your coffee. And nonetheless, it was the guy that you bumped into earlier in front of the library.

“You!” You screamed, glancing over to the coffee in his grasp. He was tossing it up like he won a battle or something, like a victory prize.

He groaned.

“Not you again,” he sighed, turning around to head over to the register.

“Wait!” You screamed, making him turn back to face you. You really didn’t mean to call him out like that. But you were desperate. No other coffee brand fit your taste. “Give me that coffee.”

“What? Are you fucking crazy. Finders keepers, losers weepers,” he said. “Go cry to your mommy about it.”

This son of a bitch.

"C'mon. Give me that coffee. Be a gentleman, would you?" you told him, reaching your hand out.

"What, no." he shrugged, shaking the can of coffee in his hand right in front of your face. "It's mine now."

This infuriated you. Who does he think he is?

You snatched his hand away. He looked a bit shocked for a second, before his "O" shaped mouth turned into a smirk. How could anyone be this annoying?

"FINE!!" you yelled, crossing your arms. "keep that stupid coffee all for your stupid self."

He shook the can in front of you for a second before dropping his hand, knowing you would swipe it away again.

"Okayy~" he said. "My stupid self will take this stupid coffee and leave~" he mockingly said. He turned around and walked to the register, laughing.

You cursed him in your head a million times, opening to fridge door to get a random cup of coffee you never tried before. This'll have to do.

୨ৎ

"fuck!" you screamed, jumping out of bed turning off your alarm clock. You were late. Late for your last class of the season before your exams. You sighed, running over to your bathroom to get ready.

Finally after around 7 minutes, you surprisingly got ready in comfortable sweatpants and a sweater, fitted nicely for the cold weather. You rushed toward your class building, running in and finally reaching your lecture hall.

"Ms Y/LN, you're late." your professor, Lee Minho, announced for the whole lecture hall to hear. Embarrassed, you bowed to him quickly, a way for you to say sorry, and quickly found your seat next to Felix, your best friend.

"Were you on your phone all night again?" he asked you as you sat down next to him, sighing.

"What? No!" you exclaimed, crossing your arms and glaring at him. "Who do you think I am?"

"Then what were you doing?"

Before you could answer him, your professor hit his pointer stick on his desk to get everyone's attention.

"You guys all remember about the exam you guys are taking in 2 days, yes?" he asked, followed by a unison of yes's. "Well good. I know some of you are having a bit of trouble studying. This is why I have a special guest."

That was when a figure walked through the lecture hall door dressed in a simple oversized t-shirt and sweatpants, followed by a backpack slung over one of his shoulder. You groaned when you saw the figure's face, sighing as Felix looked over to you for any answers. It was the guy that you kept running into. That jerk who had no manners.

"This is Seungmin, everyone." Mr lee announced, putting a hand on his shoulder. So that was his name. "He was top of the class last semester. He did leave.. worst decision, am i right? But he did agree to help students who are having trouble with the exam, since he too had to take it before."

That was when you noticed that he noticed you in the small crowd of people sitting in the lecture hall. He smirked. He fucking smirked.

"Do you know him?" You heard lix saying.

"Remember that guy I told you I ran into? That's him!" You complained, hiding your face into the palm of your hands as you let out a loud sigh.

"Oh girl.." he said, letting out a small airy laugh.

"If you are having trouble, sign the paper that is sitting on my desk at the end of the class. You'll have small, extra classes with Seungmin whenever you choose to, since the sign up sheet has time slots for each person. You could choose whether to have a 1 on 1 or a small group study session." Mr lee explained while Seungmin went over to his desk to hold up the sign up sheet.

"Stop." You whispered to Felix. "I need help. Like what the fuck are those questions on the study guide? ughh, but I can't ask him." you complained.

"Of course you can. Let's just sign up together for a group study session and we could stick together, yeah?" He offered. You accepted, knowing you had to get help in some way.

After class, Mr lee dismissed you guys so that you guys can either go and be free or sign up. You had to pack up, so Felix, who was faster than you, went ahead to sign both of you guys up.

You caught up with him soon after. His expression seemed bad.

"uhm.. so. Every group session that was available was full.. so I just signed up for a 1 on 1.. and that's the only option you also have."

"What!!'" you exclaimed, making way for you to see the sign up sheet for yourself. You groaned, looking at all the names that were next to the group study sessions. Well what choice did you have? You really did need some help to pass this exam.

୨ৎ

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! You repeated in your head while you were standing right in front of the door of the small mini lecture hall that is provided for students. Students such as Seungmin to tutor.

Based on the sign up sheet, you were the last one he was going to be tutoring. The campus was silent, with everyone being in their dorms or professors doing their own stuff.

You straightened your clothes, making sure he wouldn’t look down on you again, literally.

You pushed on the door, trying to make it open. Instead, a figure opened the door the other way, making you bump your head lightly and fall backwards. You fell, landing on your ass.

“Pfft” you heard. You looked up a bit, placing a hand on the spot on your forehead that got hit. It was yet again Seungmin who was looking down at you with a pair of glasses sitting lightly on the bridge of his nose. “Did you seriously try to push? It says pulls right below the handle.”

Oh.

“Ugh, whatever..” you protested, getting up by yourself, dusting your clothes off. “Why were you even coming out of that room? Now I have this bruise on my forehead..”

“I saw you struggling through the window,” he shrugged, going back into the mini lecture hall. “Come in when you’re ready.”

You groaned. This was not going to be a delightful hour.

୨ৎ

“Move this bla bla move that bla bla and the exponent bla bla graph this and the answer is….” Was all you heard while Seungmin sat in front of the desk you were sitting at, using his pencil and scribbling all over the paper. “Now you try.”

“Huh.”

“Huh,” He said mockingly, pushing his glasses higher. “Were you seriously not listening to me?”

“Not really..”

“You think you’re gonna pass the exam like this?”

“No..”

“Ok here. Let me explain it again. You see the first digit? Get that and multiply these to get the term. These terms are common, yes? Multiply them.”

He continued to explain, saying how this is a part of the easier questions.

“You try.” He said, placing the pencil he was holding in front of you, glancing at the pencil indicating for you to start.

After about 3 minutes, you placed the pencil down. Seungmin turned away from his own study to look at it.

“Nice. You got that right. Let me give you 3 more questions.” He said, quickly jotting down numbers, letters, and symbols. “There. Can you try these?”

You nodded.

10 minutes passed, and you handed the paper to him. He looked over your answers, nodding at some and squinting at others.

“This one’s wrong.” He explained, turning the paper so that you could see it and pointing at the second one you did. “Look at it again. Can you point out what’s wrong?”

You shook your head. It looked right in your eyes, but obviously it was wrong.

“On the second step you made a mistake. Simple mistake. You multiplied these wrong.”

“Oh.” you simply stated, grabbing the paper again. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Unless you’re apologizing for how you’re wasting my time.”

“Whatever, jerk.” you fought back, grabbing your pencil and fixing your mistake.

Quickly, you handed him back the paper.

“There.”

“Ok.. that’s better.” He said, taking off his glasses. “Time’s up. Come back tomorrow, same time, yeah?”

You groaned loudly, loud enough so that he could hear you.

“Do you not want to pass your exams?”

“Never said that! It’s just a pain in the ass to be taught by you, especially.”

“Seems like someone doesn’t want to pass.” He remarked, packing his backpack with the books he had.

“No i do!” You said, packing your own things in your bag. That’s when you noticed him taking something out of his backpack.

“Here. For you.” He said, sliding over a can of coffee, your favorite brand, across the table.

“Ew.” you said, gliding it back.

“Didn’t want to say this but this girl that has a crush on me bought it for me. Gross! Take it. It’s gross like you.”

You scoffed.

“I don’t need coffee from someone like you.” You remarked, sticking your tongue out at him before running away and leaving the classroom.

“Brat.”

୨ৎ

“How was tutoring?” Felix asked you as you sat down minutes before your lecture with Mr lee started.

“It sucked! Total pain in the ass, yknow.”

“Well me personally it did help. I understood it more,” Felix said, patting your shoulder to comfort you. “He even said i was good enough that I don’t have to come back today!”

“Lucky!!” You exclaimed, pouting at him. “He told me I had to come back today. I suck.”

“It’s fine. As long as you pass the exam, yeah?”

“I guess.”

That’s when Mr lee tapped his pointer stick on his desk.

“I heard some students who signed up yesterday did very well! And i also heard some students still need more help. If you have any questions, feel free to go ask Seungmin in lecture hall 4a after this lecture is over.”

Obviously you knew you had to go again. He said it himself. How you dreaded for the moment lecture ended.

୨ৎ

“Ughhh. You’re back.” Seungmin said the moment you walked in through the door. He was leaning back against his own chair, legs crossed with a simple sweatpants and a white tank top with a windbreaker on.

You scoffed.

“You told me to be back, idiot.” You said, sitting down in your seat you were in last time.

“idiot?” Seungmin said in disbelief, letting out an airy laugh.

“Yes. Idiot.” You spat out, crossing your arms along with your legs, leaning back against the chair.

You were wearing a denim skirt today with tights underneath it with a white tank top, topped with a thick jacket over it. You were planning to hang out with your friends later that day, just to get some stress off before the exam tomorrow. With your legs crossed, your skirt rid up your thighs, making you more exposed. You didn’t care, you barely even noticed.

But he did. Seungmin did.

Your plush thighs wrapped around the tights had him staring for a second, looking back up at you in your eyes with a glare.

“Fucking brat.”

What? What did he just call you?

“What?” You said in disbelief, rolling your eyes and glaring up at him. “What did you just call me?”

“You really aren’t the type to listen, aren’t you?” He said, walking closer to you. “I said you’re a fucking brat.”

“What the fuck? Why are you so-“ you started to say. But before you could even let another word out, he leaned down, putting his face as close to yours as possible. You felt his breath every time he exhaled. You were squirming in your seat. Why was he so close? It was obvious that Seungmin was the good looking type. It was a fact. You even overheard some girls while walking to your lecture saying how hot he was. You never really saw it until he put his face close to yours until it was only a centimeter away.

His eyes were dark, alluring you into his deep, dark brown eyes. His nose was pretty sharp, with light, natural blush covering his cheeks. You looked down even more. His lips were as plush as marshmallow. So plush. So soft to the point you wanted to kis-

What? Why were you thinking this? You don’t like Seungmin. You hate him. So why was your core pulsing around nothing and wetting your panties every second.

“Tell me you don’t want this” he said under his breath. “I’ll stop.” But you didn’t answer, staring into his deep eyes, wanting him.

“please..” you whispered. You heard a faint brat before grabbing your chin with one hand, placing the other on the desk next to you to steady himself, and leaning in to kiss you.

Why the hell did he kiss you?

Truth be told, he liked you ever since he glanced over and saw you studying your ass off one day during his library visit. You looked cute. Your round glasses perched on your nose bridge that you got rid of when it was day time with a lollipop in between your pink, plump lips.

Then, he saw you sometimes in the hallways, all flirty and talkative with your gfs and your friends. You seemed so bratty with the way you talked with your friends. It was hot.

When he bumped into you that one day, he couldn’t help but be happy. That was also when he realized that you were definitely a brat.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he sometimes came to him dorm, lock himself in his room, and jack himself off to the thought of you. To the thought of him brat taming a bitch like you. You under his hands squirming while taking in his cock in your tight cunt. Imagining this would only lead to soiling his clothes he was wearing.

He couldn’t help it.

You were already hot enough when you didn’t wear make up, but seeing you all dressed up would make him go crazy. Like you were all dressed up for him. For his cock.

Your lips were like cushion against his. So soft. So warm. So hot.

You whimpered into the kiss, which he quickly swallowed. His tongue caressed your bottom lip, making you slightly part them, allowing his tongue to intrude your mouth.

Out of breath you pulled back with a saliva string still connecting you and Seungmin. You were panting, looking up at him.

“J-jerk” you managed to stutter out, not sure why you said it. He got face to face with you again, landing light slaps onto your cheek.

“Are you gonna listen to me, brat?”

You whined a bit at the pain you felt on the right side of your face. He chuckled.

“You like pain? Are you a pain slut?”

You nodded slowly. No one knew this. It was your own little secret. But the stare Seungmin gave you was so endearing it just came out of you. He smiled, grabbing you by the wrist to pull you up. He swung you, making you hit the edge of the table. He leaned closer yet again. “Gonna let me do what I want?”

You smirked a bit, nodding slowly yet again.

He leaned in to make out with you again. Which you gladly accepted. Mid-kiss, his hands slowly went down to grab you by the waist. He lifted you up, placing you to sit on top of the desk. He pulled away. You were squeezing your thighs, trying to get some friction to your core. That was when he took his hand and started to grope your plush thighs. You let out a sigh of a moan.

“Open for me, yeah?”

“Don’t tell me what to do.” You said, glaring at him.”

“You’re such a fucking brat.”

You did as he said contrast to your words, slowly spreading your legs out for Seungmin. He grinned. Oh how you wanted to slap the fuck out of him. He took his jacket off at that time, too, revealing his pretty slender arms with muscles hidden underneath. It wasn’t very visible, but him being so close to you, you saw the hidden veins in them and it turned you in more.

His slender fingers started to rub your clothed core, making you whine.

“W-wait.” You looked up to him. “What if we get caught? The door is unlocked.”

“Better keep quiet than, yeah?” He smirked, grinning a proud smile as he made his way toward your tight’s waistband, until you heard a loud RIP.

“What the fuck?!!” You exclaimed looking down to see a big, gaping hole in your tights in your crotch area. “You better pay for those.”

All he did was shrug, before bringing his fingers closer to your panties, gliding his digits over the lace on the fabric.

“Lace, huh?”

He slid his fingers over your clothed cunt, gathering the wetness that was dripping out of you, making a wet patch on your panties.

“You’re so wet. All wet for me baby?”

You nodded, looking down at his fingers go to work on you. They were long, in general, his hand size was huge.

“Can I?” He asked while tugging slightly at your panties. You looked dazed, not even wanting to fight it off. You wanted this. He took that as a yes, sliding your panties to one side, the cold air now hitting your warm cunt. You winced at the feeling. You felt his digits going below, but without any warning, his cold finger penetrated your warm cunt, making your whine out at the feeling. It really was long. The cold added an extra bit of sensation. Seungmin chuckled, landing a peck on your cheek.

“Baby can’t handle one finger?”

You shook your head. Who did he think you were.

“I c-can” you muttered out, which allowed him to slide in a second finger. You grabbed onto his bare forearms to balance yourself. He curled his fingers in and out of you, making whines and moans fall out of your lips. His long, slender fingers reached your g spot, making you bend over with high pitched whimpers falling out of tour mouth.

“Shh,” he quieted you. “Remember, there still might be some people outside.” You covered your mouth with your hand, making him laugh, still curling his fingers deep into you. He knew there was barely any people on the campus at this time, let alone this building. But why would he tell you that?

He pulled out his digits, making you cry from the feeling of loss.

“Seungmin, I want you.” You whined, but he shut you up with his fingers that were just inside of you. You groaned at the taste of yourself, looking up at him with teary eyes from both pleasure and yearn.

He felt his cock grow harder in the confinements in his pants. You teary eyed with your mascara running loose slowly but surely.

“You’re gonna get me, alright? Just be patient, brat.”

He pulled away his digits out of your mouth, giving a small kiss on your lips before pulling his pants down.

It was hard to see due to the bagginess of his sweatpants, but his growing bulge was clearly visible to you now. He was big. Or at least you could tell from the angle you were sitting in. Oh how badly you wanted his cock to penetrate you so deeply-

“You’re staring.”

You woke up from your thoughts, looking back up to look at Seungmin’s eyes. He’s smirking. He could tell what you wanted.

“Get down.” He said, nodding to the floor in front of him.

“What?” You fought back. “I’m not doing that! That’s gonna spoil my-“

“Didn’t you hear me? Get on the floor.”

A shiver was sent down your spine, along with the feeling of your panties getting wetter and wetter.

You obliged, slowly scooting off the table before you got on your knees, feeling the cold floor hit your warm skin. You were now face to face with his crotch, still confined. You looked up at him.

What was with you always below him and him always looking down at you with that condescending look?

He hooked his finger through the waistband of his boxers, pulling it down slightly, making his cock bounce up, his tip hitting his abdomen, and it was right in your face.

It was big. His cock was long with a bit of girth with veins running along his length. His red tip already spilling out some precum.

You looked back up at him to see him smirking the shit out of his face.

“Suck me off and I’ll see if you could have my cock, ok?”

You wanted to beat the shit out of him. Who did he think he was to control you like that.

But you couldn’t help it.

You leaned in a bit, now with your lips only a few centimeters away from the tip of his cock. You stuck out your tongue, coming in contact with his salty tip covered in precum. You winced at the taste. You wrapped your lips around his tip, now slowly taking in more and more of his length. You heard him groan. You smirked, still having his length in your mouth.

You slowly lifted your head, then going back in, repeating this movement while still hearing him slowly pant out.

“Fuck- you’re so stubborn” he grunted out before he grabbed your hair in a makeshift ponytail. He bobbed your head on his length himself, making you moan along with him grunting with the feeling of your warm lips wrapping around his length.

You moaned around his length, causing vibrations to hit his girth. He grunted.

Seungmin pulled you off his length, making you cough a bit, wiping the saliva that was dripping on your chin with the palm of your hand.

He pulled you back up, tugging your hair with his hand that was still tangled up in a makeshift ponytail. He brought your face closer, giving you a kiss before setting you back up on the desk.

Your pussy was throbbing, begging for attention. You pouted at Seungmin, who had a thirsty look in his eyes while eyeing your figure up and down while you were sitting there, neatly on his desk.

"Just fuck me already, min." you argued, looking up at him with a pleading look.

"Be patient, fucking brat." he retorted. Despite his words, he took his cock in his hand, stroking it slowly while staring at your face who was basically drooling at the sight of his tip disappearing and reappearing in the fist of his hand. You squeezed your thighs together, trying to get some friction on your cunt. He chuckled, noticing your expression and your movements. "You're eager, pup. I'll give what you want, just be patient, okay?"

The pet name made you squirm. Who knew you were such a slut for meager names?

He slapped your thigh, indicating you to open your legs so that your sweet cunt could be exposed for him. You obliged, opening them slowly until your wet pussy was out just for him.

"You obey easily, don't you? Just like a loyal dog." You nodded, eagerly, only focused on what would his cock feel like when he stretched you out. You bit your lip, trying to suppress a moan awaiting to come out just from the desire of his length.

He got closer, leaning in to give you a kiss on the lips, distracting you while he brought his cock closer and closer to your tight pussy. He pulled away, looking down to focus on you. He slapped your pussy with his hot length, making you wince from the sensation. It wasn't enough. You wanted more. No. You needed more.

"Just fuck me.. you're so slow, min," you pouted.

"Stop fucking complaining," he hissed, before lining his length against your hole and thrusting in without warning. You gasped, feeling his cock penetrate you so deeply. He grunted himself, feeling your tight walls engulf his length. "fuck- you're so tight pup."

You mewled as he pulled his length out, just for him to thrust back in, deep inside your soppy cunt. He thrusted for a bit, making you pant and a chorus of moans and whimpers fall out of your lips. He, too, let out groans.

He pulled you by the hair, forcing you to look up at him. Your eyes swelling up in tears as his rhythm didn’t stop.

“Look at me, pup.” You did. Focusing your attention on Seungmin’s face. He smirked. “Good little puppy, yeah?” he said before bringing you in for a sloppy kiss. Spit everywhere, drooling down your chin, teeth clashing as he thrusted into you. You whimpered, the pain in your scalp as he pulled you in closer. He let go, a spit string connecting both of your guys’ tongues.

“M-min,” you managed to whimper out. He hummed in response, grabbing you by the waist to thrust in deeper. You mewled. The knot in your stomach began to tighten, making you grip along the edge of the table you were so nicely placed on.

“Gonna cum, little puppy?”

you nodded fastly, moving your grip onto his tank top. It tightened, your grip as long as the knot in your stomach.

He maneuvered your right leg a bit higher, and with a final thrust, you came. Your jaw dropped, eyes shut as pleasure overwhelmed you as he kept hitting your cervix.

With a few more, he too, came, coating your walls white. You both breathed heavily together in unison. Looking at his face filled with pleasure was so.. so alluring. His eyebrows scrunched together with his eyes closed.

He pulled out, shoving his length back in his cock as he packed his bags.

“M-min?” You said in confusion, still practically naked sitting on top of his desk. He looked back up at you with his backpack hung over his shoulder.

“C’mon. Round two at my place.” He said it so casually, but also as a sort of question.

“Uh..” you muttered, hopping off the desk, smoothing out your skirt. “Yea-“

Before you even finished, he grabbed you by the wrist, turning off the lights to the mini lecture hall and leading you out the door.

[lettersfromaphrodite]

«it's high tide, baby.»

― pairing : Minho x fem!Reader ― content warnings : fantasy au, pirate au, angst with a happy ending, enemies to friends to lovers, soulmates (I know you saw it coming), isekai, LOTS of pop culture references (two aldo giovanni and giacomo’s references italian readers this is for you), magic au,  mention of murder, mention of drowning, unprotected sex (wrap it up y’all), fantasy au  ― word count : 24k ― notes : I sure do hope you’ve read Chris’ merman fic because I’m feeding on my own lore // Ananke is meant as the greek goddess of fate // extra kudos to Black Desert for having an amazing map and kudos to me for using the videogame aesthetic because I don’t have enough creativity in me to come up with a fantasy world // I have one (1) fear and that's I'll keep adding more and more everytime I read this story because it's just so dear and precious to me // yes, yes "The Bitter Dahlia" is exactly the one mentioned in «Protect Me, My Aurora.»

― notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! I’m reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome 💌

― summary : 

«I think I’ve never missed Cleo so much.» you quietly sniffled. «Your lover?» Minho questioned immediately. «My cat.» you clarified without hesitation.

“«Everything is over, now.» the Captain spoke in a confident voice, «I won’t let anyone else hurt you.» he added, before capturing his lover’s lip in a gentle kiss.” «Oh, holy fuck,» you blurted out as soon as you read that sentence, closing the book out of instinct, «holy shit, finally!» you added to yourself, almost closing the book out of excitement, completely aware about the fact that you were smiling like an idiot at no one but the now finished book in your lap but well, you couldn’t help yourself.

It was a book you’ve randomly found in the book-store next to your workplace, its cover had nothing special that immediately jumped to the eye: it was relegated in leather, some golden details that recalled the title written in beautiful handwriting. Actually, if you had to be completely honest, the detail that convinced you to buy it was the small golden stone embedded right under the title, instead of the actual plot – plot that in the end you came to adore.

«You are really lucky, this is the only copy that has been sent to us.» had said the old lady working there, making you furtherly curious and giving you another reason to buy it.

It was a love story, but it contained just the right amount of adventure as well. Christopher, a young, handsome and fearless pirate, was not only the Captain of the Golden Fleece – who was capable of intimidating anyone who saw its sails in the distance, but he had become the head of the entire commercial network that passed through all the known seas. Chris had at least 200 fleets under his command, each of them committing various raids in the name of their Captain - or some might say "the King of Pirates", and now was able to sail wherever he wanted without getting his hands dirty as he had done in the past.

During his adventures, he eventually fell in love with a girl – Leana, who was originally engaged with a navy’s soldier; after an awful lot of vicissitudes and obstacles in the path of their happiness, Christopher eventually stole her away – he’s a pirate after all, making her a member of his crew and finally allowing each other to live their so craved love story.

Of course, the Captain would have never made it alone; his seven long time friends had always been more than ready to help him and support him in every case of need.

Among his crew, you definitely had a personal favourite: Lee Minho, a young former bounty hunter enamoured with the feeling of freedom he felt while sailing that definitely made your heart race more than once. Not only he was described as handsome, with black raven hair that would almost always be tied up because he "hated the feeling of having hair in his face while being on deck" - but also not wanting to cut it short, a captivating and hypnotic gaze that let you wonder if you could reach the bottom of the sea if you ever took a dive into them, but he was also straightforward and sarcastic, a reason why Christopher found himself asking for Minho’s advice the most; despite his strong personality, he truly cared for his friends, and he considered them like a family. Chapter by chapter, you found yourself admiring his character so much that you anticipated every one of his appearances, eager to read more about him.

«Oh, Cleo, can you imagine a love like this?» you sighed dreamily, absently running your fingers through your cat’s thick fur, Cleo simply mewled at you, a faint noise that you interpreted as a proper answer, «or a life like this.» you added, your voice suddenly turning a little more hesitant, a little more lonelier. During the last few months, your life had fallen into an incredibly boring and obnoxious loop: go to work, finish your shift with an incredible amount of stress spreading through your body just to stop in order to buy groceries on your way home, see some friends once in a while, take care of your cat and repeat, repeat, repeat.

Of course, you would have felt a lot lonelier if it weren’t for Cleo: you found her sitting in front of your apartment complex on a random day two years ago and since then she started living with you, as if she had been expressively been waiting for you to find her that day.

«You always look angry, don’t you?» you cooed at her, hoisting her into your lap as to cuddle her a little closer. «Just like your mom.» you referred to yourself, shortly drowning your face in her soft fur, loudly smooching her a few times while adding some incomprehensible praises; Cleo mewled, as if she was exasperated at your behaviour and you quietly giggled, your soft laughter shifting into a sigh as your eyes fell on the book once again.

“I was really lucky to get the only copy of this,” you definitely had loved everything about the story, to the point to start fantasizing and wondering what could their next adventure be now that the crew gained a new very special member. Did Chris and Leana got married in an actual chapel or did they ask someone in their crew to randomly marry them just like Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner did? At the same time, what if they ended up recruiting more women? The thought of a stereotypical girls night on a pirate ship made you snort, but at least, Leana wouldn't have felt lonely, since living among men must have been boring at some point.

Engrossed in your thoughts, you didn’t realize that you ended up drifting off on your couch – still uncomfortably wearing your jeans, and therefore, you definitely could not notice about the strange events occurring as soon as sleep overcame your senses.

The book you were holding in your hand seemed to be woken up by a curious kind of magic, as the golden stone began to glow in a faint light; the book opened by itself just as if it possessed personal will, and its pages quickly turned back and forth by themselves, as if it was deciding which page to read first.

The book’s golden glow gradually seemed to shine brighter and brighter, and it eventually woke you up.

«What the-» you mumbled, confused, when you felt as if someone or something was harshly tugging at your soul and all of a sudden, you felt like you couldn’t breathe anymore.

The book had closed once again, politely placing itself on your coffee table; the glowing had completely disappeared, and the golden stone returned to its original plain looking appearance.

However, in what has always been your home, all traces of your presence seemed to have vanished altogether.

Suddenly drowning was definitely not something you expected to happen on a Thursday evening, moreover, how could you be drowning when you’ve been reading on your couch until few seconds ago?

At first you thought of it as an extremely vivid dream, but as soon as you tried to breathe and water started to fill your lungs, you realized that your only priority was to get to the surface as soon as you could; thankfully, you were barely beneath the surface, so you managed to get your head out of the water soon enough, while finally breathing and coughing due to the salt water you had unintentionally swallowed.

«What the fuck?!» you shouted in disbelief, quickly glancing around yourself; first of all, judging by the sun burning up in the sky, it was the middle of the day, and moreover,  everywhere you turned, you couldn’t see anything but water, except for an enormous galleon blocking part of your sight.

«Man at sea!» you heard many voices shout from its deck, and soon enough, a rope was thrown in your direction.

“What kind of rescue is this, where is the coast guard?” you thought to yourself as you swam towards the rope which was peacefully floating above the surface, unsure about how you were supposed to climb up there in the first place.

However, the answer to your thoughts came pretty fast, in the form of a boy dressed in typical piratesque clothes, urging you to grab his hand; you quickly pondered your options, and between dying from hypothermia caused by the cold water or probably being abducted and eventually killed by a boy with a strange taste in clothing, you considered the latter to be the safest.

«Everything’s fine now, don’t worry.» the boy reassured you with an unexpected friendly tone, and as soon as you locked eyes with him, your heart seemed to stop; his eyes were a deep shade of blue, while his hair, eyebrows and his eyelashes were as white as fresh snow.

Although you were completely certain that you’ve never met him before, you couldn’t help but wonder why his appearance was extremely familiar to you.

«Are you okay?» «How did you end up so far from land?» «She’s trembling like a leaf, poor soul.» «Let’s just throw her back in.» «Shut up, Minho, go fetch a blanket before she freezes to death.» «Can’t you see she looks shocked? Let her breathe!» «What in the bloody hell is she wearing?» The various voices overlapped in the exact moment in which you and the snow white boy had safely climbed on deck; however, everything you could do was to look around yourself in complete astonishment.

A large group of men was working on the ship, while only seven of them and a young girl were paying attention to your arrival; your eyes quickly took in both the strangers and your surroundings, and you definitely noticed that not only they were all dressed like pirates, but the ship seemed to be built exactly like one of those you generally saw in movies, historical re-enactments or museums.

«Oh no, roleplayers.» you whined in complete deject; they exchanged a confused glance among themselves, but eventually, only one of them spoke.

«I believe you’re confused, we’re pirates.» he clarified, and once again, his features seemed to be incredibly familiar, «I’m Chris, the Captain. She is Leana, my wife, and these are my friends.» you watched with dismay as Chris ended up naming his friends just like the characters of the novel you have been reading all afternoon.

«Oh holy shit, it’s even worse, cosplayers.» you nervously rubbed your eyes, shivering every now and then because of the wind mercilessly blowing on your soaked clothes.

«Poor thing, look at her!» Leana suddenly cooed, immediately rushing at your side and taking her jacket off in order to place it on your shoulders, «She’s freezing, let’s save the introductions for later, huh?»

«What if she’s a spy?» Jisung questioned, but his option was immediately silenced by Leana’s glare.

«In the middle of the ocean, Han?» she quickly retorted with sarcasm dripping from her tone, «What if it was mutiny?» she scoffed, gently pushing you to what seemed to be the Captain’s quarter, just to quickly make you sit in front of the small wood burning stove.

The following events seemed to happen in a confusing haze, you vividly remembered Leana commenting about her unfamiliarity with both the style and the fabric of your clothes as you allowed her both to undress you and to dress you up in fresh, warm clothes that belonged to her. Of course, now you were dressed like a pirate as well.

«What do you mean, you’re from Europe?» Chris had calmly repeated your words, «What kind of place is that?» you felt like crying out of frustration at his words. Under the Captain’s request Leanahad brought you into the ship’s interrogation room, and now you were sitting there, the whole room definitely smelling like blood – the strong scent more than enough to give you a headache, with nine pairs of eyes studying every single one of your moves.

«I don’t really feel like joking right now, I really want to go back home.» you repeated with a tired voice, not really understanding what was happening; it was like you had casually walked in the set of a movie, however, a terrifying feeling of dread creeping in your soul was suggesting you that there was definitely more to it. What if these people were real, and you had managed to shift inside the book you loved so much? No, that definitely couldn’t be the case, right?

«I don’t really feel like joking either, little lady,» in an impatient tone, Minho spoke out of the blue and quickly walked next to Chris, who was sitting in front of you at the other side of the table. If your heart picked up pace in happiness at the sight of your favourite character, it started hammering in your chest in pure dread as soon as Minho harshly planted his dagger in the wooden table, right in front of your folded hands. «next up is your tongue.»

«Nice work on terrifying her, Min Min.» Felix sarcastically commented his friend’s action, noticing how you started trembling once again, but this time everyone could easily figure out that it wasn’t because of the cold any longer.

«You cut her tongue, she can't talk, it's not that hard,» someone added, and if you weren't mistaken, he must have been Hyunjin, «see why I'm the one that usually handles the interrogation part?» he added with a sinister yet smug smile, and you had to force yourself to swallow that little bit of saliva you felt in your mouth, trying to avoid eye contact with both the pirates who were so casually talking about torture and interrogations.

«What if she drank too much sea water?» Seungmin chimed in, after he had been studying your behaviour with concern, «You know, in my medical books there are plenty of examples of people suffering from amnesia due to a huge amount of shock.» he suggested, and everyone seemed to consider that it could have been your case, with the only exception for Minho, who was staring at you with a look that you could swear that had probably killed someone at some point.

«We are currently sailing the Margoria Sea,» Chris spoke again, his voice a little kinder now that he had considered Seungmin’s suggestion, «and you’re on our pirate ship, the Golden Fleece.»

“Margoria,” you thought, “of course, in this universe, she's the goddess of the waves” you bit the inside of your cheek in frustration as you tried to convince yourself not to cry, recalling the exact moment the same goddess had been mentioned in the novel.

The more you thought about it, the more the surreal possibility of you shifting inside a book seemed to be the only possible answer to your list of infinite questions, especially because if those people really were cosplayers or actors, they would have eventually broken their act due to seeing you in the verge of having a panic attack. Moreover, the author had always been extremely descriptive in every single detail of the story,  and therefore you found it a little bit too much of a strange coincidence for these people to naturally have the same somatic traits as the characters you had just finished reading about. It was undeniable that the people standing in front of you were the stark copy of the ones described in the book.

Few hours later, Chris’ authoritative voice filled the Captain’s quarters, and your eyes eagerly wandered through the room; you’ve read about this moment a lot of times, Chris would summon his long time friends in his quarters and they’d discuss what to do because he valued their opinion as if it was his own.

«Just, what is she doing there?» Minho spoke suddenly, clearly referring to your presence in the quarters; due to your first meeting, you were extremely wary about meeting his gaze, let alone the possibility of crossing his path by accident.

Actually, it’s not like destiny was working in your favour, since you were nervously standing in front of the wooden wall and next to Minho. Everything about your body language exposed how nervous you were about it: your arms were crossed in front of your chest, and you kept your legs spread just a tiny bit – enough to have a slight chance to attempt to sprint away if he randomly started to chase you in order to throw you off the deck.

«I swear Chris entrusted her to me literally two seconds ago,» Felix replied, eagerly waving his hand as if it could make his point even clearer, «pay attention when the Captain is speaking!» he snapped his fingers, admonished his friend, and you found yourself exhale the faintest trace of the hint of a brief laughter through your nose.

However, much to your dismay, you quickly realized that Minho’s hearing must have been otherworldly, since the barely audible noise you made did not go unnoticed by his ears, consequently making your face turn blank as soon as you felt his gaze burning into the side of your head. Hesitantly, you slowly turned your head to your right, confirming that Minho was most definitely staring at you; out of reflex, you immediately looked away, just to glance back at him for a short second.

Minho, who had been staring at you, secretly pleased about the fact that you seemed scared enough not to try some stupid tricks on them, shortly uncrossed his arms from the front of his chest, just to slightly lean towards you: he quickly mimicked the gesture of grabbing something with his hands, while mimicking a bite with his mouth at the same time. Instinctively, you rapidly tilted your head back as you followed your survival instinct, but you heavily slammed your head against the wooden wall behind you.

«Ow!» you winced in pain, grabbing the back of your head with both hands; you were certain that the impact you just felt was more than enough to give you a headache for days, and still, despite Leana immediately rushed at your side to see if you were okay, and despite the fact that you were crouching on the floor massaging your head, Minho kept his original position, staring in front of him as if nothing had happened.  

Seungmin was right behind Leana, attentively cradling your head to see if you actually managed to hurt yourself; unbeknownst to you, Seungmin was actually holding back an amused laughter, since it has definitely been a while since he met someone as clumsy as you.

A couple of days later almost everyone seemed to have accepted you as a new entry of the crew; actually, you considered yourself lucky since most of the pirates on board seemed to not even notice your presence. Of course, you ended up going along with the amnesia excuse because the whole “you look like you all popped up from a book I’ve been reading and I’m trying to understand if I’m having a very vivid dream or I ended up shifting on accident but I actually didn’t really mean it and now I want to go back.” would have been definitely too troublesome to explain. Most importantly, you didn’t feel ready to process what could have happened to you but also, you didn’t want to face the realization that you had suddenly appeared in the middle of nowhere, without a real possibility to get back home safely.

Honestly you were pretty much useless on a pirate ship, and therefore you ended up in the kitchen, either helping Felix and the other cooks in their task of preparing the food or just cleaning and preparing the room where the pirates formed small groups and took turns to have their meals.

If the truth was that you really ended up in a novel, you had to admit that everyone beside Minho acted accordingly to their character. Chris and Leana acted as two lovebirds, completely smitten with each other; you rarely saw them – let’s guess why, but they overall seemed to act friendly towards you. Leana had eagerly helped you decorate the room that had been assigned to you, it was a little small and right next to the storage room – the window was wide enough for you to escape just in case, but it was perfectly okay to you, since you were hoping that you wouldn’t have to remain on the ship for too long.

Since Leana seemed to trust you, so did Chris; despite the fact that you’ve interacted only a handful of times, he seemed as reliable as he had been portrayed in the novel.

Felix and Seungmin were definitely the ones you’ve seen the most. Felix was literally acting as your keeper, paying attention to you as if he was a concerned older brother and not someone who you had met few days earlier. Still, you could expect this from him, since he had always been described as the kindest one out of their group – beside Jeongin.

Seungmin had examined your head a concerning amount of times by now, if you were to ask him; actually, he had quickly realized that you were pretending to have headaches only when Minho was around, and he simply got along with it. He treated you with respect, even if he seemed to be a little wary of your presence. «Let’s hope you can get your memories back soon,» he would say, «so that you can return home safely.» you never answered, his words always making your heart tighten as a reflexive answer.

Changbin, Jisung and Hyunjin were almost always nowhere to be seen; thanks to the author you knew that they had a gambling addiction, however, the only times you saw them they were joined by the hips, always joking around with each other – and Minho, always looking too busy to pay too much attention to you.

Jeongin was basically the miniature version of Chris: you knew that the Captain had saved him when he was still a little kid, and since then Jeongin had always followed Chris’ lead. He was the one that seemed to respect you the most, he was also absolutely certain that you must have been a Princess of a faraway land. «I’m really no one.» you would answer every time with an apologetic smile, earning a sad pout from the younger boy.

Minho, however, was openly against the idea of keeping you on board, and often suggested to throw you off the deck as soon as you started being too annoying. You couldn’t understand why he was so mean to you, and you weren’t definitely the only one to notice; more than once, the others had admonished his behaviour, reiterating the fact that he should have been a little bit nicer to you, especially after what you have been through.

«That’s exactly the point, Chris, we don’t know! She could be a siren or just a lunatic witch,» you overheard him argue with the Captain one day, «face it, if that were the case, no one would be immune to her spells, not even your beloved wife.» your hands instinctively clenched on the broomstick you were holding to sweep the floor of the corridors, and your gaze was lost somewhere in the wooden floor.

«She might as well be telling the truth,» you heard Chris answer in his usual calm tone, «I don’t want to deny her a shelter just because she lost her memories, because that sure wasn’t her fault.»

«What are we listening to?» Changbin’s voice right next to your ear almost made you jump out of your skin due to the sudden fright; his eyes widened in stupor as you almost dropped your hold on your broomstick – thing which would have definitely expose the fact that you were overhearing a very secret conversation. Luckily, Changbin’s reflexes were drastically quicker than yours, and so he collected the broomstick just in time, before handing it to you once again with an amused smirk. He placed his ear against the door, quickly connecting the animated argument to your sad expression and he gently smiled to you in an unexpected friendly manner.

«Don't worry too much about it, Ace, he’ll come around.» Changbin briefly stated before walking away, heading back towards the deck at the end of the corridor without uttering another word; you shortly stood there, speechless, staring at his withering shoulders as his silhouette gradually disappeared in the light coming from outside.

“What the hell?” you thought, incredulous: Changbin had barely spoken to you and now he decided to give you a random and most definitely sarcastic nickname and offer you words of comfort, all of a sudden?

“Something bad is definitely gonna happen,” you quickly deduced, going back to your original task; you were about to start sweeping the floor once again, before an ominous aura seemed to fill the packed space of the corridor.

“There it is,” you announced to yourself, refusing to turn around to confirm the suspicion that Minho had left Chris’ chambers, “oh, divine Xena, mighty princess forged in the heat of battle,please help me with this one,” you instinctively moved out of inertia, backing towards the nearest wall as Minho was walking towards your frame.

“Here we go, it’s him!” you dramatically thought, hugging the broomstick to your chest as if your life depended on it, the only shield between you and Minho, who was standing in front of you with his usual furious stare that magically seemed to disappear as soon as his eyes diverted from your general direction.

«I don’t know what you did to have everyone wrapped around your little finger, but that’s not gonna work with me, princess.» Minho spoke with a harsh tone, cornering you against the wall by placing his left hand next to your head; silence fell between the two of you, and you instinctively clenched your fists around the broomstick, just to be able to attempt to defend yourself in some kind of way.

Could you do self defence while using a broom? Of course. Could you defend yourself against Minho, judging the sheer force he used to plant a dagger in a thick wooden table? Of course not.

Minho spent few seconds studying your face with incredible attention, as if, if he stared hard enough, you would transform into a whole different creature, confirming his theories about you. However, Minho momentarily seemed to have forgotten the concept of personal space, because his nose brushed against yours at least twice as you were doing your best to avoid his piercing gaze.

«Now that I take a closer look, you’re definitely not as pretty as a siren.» he suddenly stated with a sly grin while raising his eyebrow, before detaching from you altogether, just to walk towards the deck’s direction.

«And you had to almost kiss me to find out?» you yelled back a little louder than intended as soon as he was at a reasonable distance; to say that you were outraged was an understatement, you were furious.

To think Minho was your favourite character when you were reading the novel, what were you, crazy?

Despite the fact that you were genuinely doing your best to avoid meeting Minho, the pirate was clearly doing the opposite, neutralizing every single one of your good purposes as the two of you seemed to keep running into each other. It didn’t matter whether you were simply doing your assigned chores or you were peacefully chatting with one of the pirates, he always seemed to find something to do in order to get on your nerves; sometimes he would just accidentally knock random things off the table so that you had to pick them up and clean them again, other times he would interrupt a conversation just to be mean at you.

Minho was definitely getting on your nerves, but you did your best not to pay too much attention to him, since you definitely had more important things to think about. Inside your heart, the growing feeling of homesickness was constantly calling for your attention; you often found yourself on the verge of tears, but it was a side of you that you were determined not to show to anyone, thing that lead you to cry yourself to sleep more than once.

The part of the crew assigned to the kitchen, of course, always had their meal before the others did, and more than once it led to your small group of friend to join, and today was not exception. Walking out of the kitchen, you saw Minho, Jeongin, Chris, Jisung and Seungmin sitting at one of the long tables in the room while eating and loudly chatting, and now that Jeongin was hastily and eagerly waving his arm to let you know that you should have sat next to him to have your quick lunch, you realized that yet another time, you couldn’t escape your fate of avoiding Minho as if he was the plague.

«May I, uh...» you walked next to Leana, who was walking towards their table as well; she immediately tilted her head towards you, listening, «May I approach the bitch?» she bursted out laughing really loudly, immediately understanding that you were talking about Minho; however, that happy and hilarious bubble of joy disappeared the same moment you heard Hyunjin’s voice right behind the both of you.

«What did you say?» never did the simple request to repeat something seem more dangerous; you swallowed, feeling your blood turn cold in the same moment the flashback of him mentioning his “interrogation habits” popped into your mind. However, the few weeks you spent living among pirates were teaching you how to build up your courage – or more like “fake it until you make it”, as someone would say.

«I said “may I approach the bench”,» you answered, pretending to be annoyed with the useless repetition of your sentence, nodding towards the long benches that you were using instead of chairs, «what did you think I said?»

The crew was incredibly hungry that day, you could easily tell from the speed at which they ate and the various groups took turns, thing that didn’t give you much occasion to chat with them as you often did; instead, you were frantically walking back and forth from the kitchen, helping two other pirates to deliver food to everyone.

“Maybe if I find a similar book I can get home,” you thought as you absently piled the dirty and empty plates on top of each other before carrying them to the kitchen, just to come back with clean ones, “where am I supposed to find a book in the open sea?” you sighed in deject, not liking the direction of your thoughts.

«I think you missed a spot, princess.» Minho’s arrogant tone caught your attention, and you watched with total unbewildrement the pirate hit the side of one of the wooden jugs placed on the tables, knocking it to the ground and spilling the water on the floor.

As if you were under a magic spell, all the traces of sadness seemed to vanish from your soul, just to be replaced by sheer anger; you were beyond furious, how dare he? He didn’t trust you, and you could understand his point of view; it pained you to admit to yourself that if you were in his shoes, you would have probably done the same. However, you could endure the teasing, you could endure everything he was putting you through but you definitely drew the line at this kind of disrespect. You closed your fist so tightly that you were absolutely sure that your fingertips would feel momentarily numb as soon as you tried to open your hands, and you were certain that your nails were digging a half crescent moon shape in your skin.

However, you and Minho were not the only one left in the room; Hyunjin, Changbin, Chris and few other crew members were not finished eating and therefore, they saw all the scene unfolding.

«Hey, fuck face!» you loudly called out, claiming both Minho and the other’s attention, «I get you feel powerful because you can swing a fucking sword, but you should learn to respect people who are working!» you stood your grounds, ignoring your heart wildly hammering in your chest and the nervousness you felt as soon as Minho stopped walking, just to turn towards you.

«You’re that interested in losing your head, huh?» Minho replied with an undecipherable gaze, quickly walking back towards you.

If there was a god out there, you were certain that they must have glanced towards your direction in that same moment, because right before Minho could close the distance between the two of you, Changbin’s shoulders appeared in your field of view.

«Calm down, buddy,» Changbin was still peacefully chewing on his food as he stopped him, placing a hand on the pirate’s chest, who tilted his head just enough to keep furiously glance at you.

«If we were still home, I would have get you arrested!» you spat, your chest tightening at the thought of your home town but also incredibly thankful to Changbin.

«Again with those stories? You sure do have flowers growing in your head, princess!» Minho immediately answered, trying to walk around Changbin, who was still pushing against his chest.

However, what no one actually expected was for you to actually try to confront Minho from up close, attempting to walk around Changbin as well; honestly, you were too furious to notice that you were about to face a pirate while completely unarmed and not knowing how to fight.

«Easy there,» Hyunjin suddenly spoke with amusement from behind your shoulders, placing his arms under your armpits just to stop you and hold you back.

«Say that to him, not to me!» you tried to free yourself without success; Hyunjin was very strong despite his slim figure and therefore, even when you kicked both your legs in the air while urging him to let you go, he didn’t move the slightest.

«Don’t you think this is the kind of energy we need on board, Binnie?» Hyunjin laughed, eagerly chatting as he had no trouble holding you back; Changbin scoffed a laugh as well, since it’s been a while since he saw Minho getting riled up that easily.

«That’s enough,» Chris’ authoritative voice seemed to be the only thing that could calm the atmosphere; «you, go back to your room.» he told you in a scolding tone.

«What?!» you whined, «I didn’t do anything!» you added, trying to wiggle out of Hyunjin’s hold once again.

«Don’t challenge my authority,» Chris shortly admonished you, his stern gaze not leaving any room to debate his decision, before turning his attention towards Minho, «you’re going to your room as well.»

«What?!» Minho asked in astonishment, not believing his Captain’s orders.

«I don’t want to see the two of you on deck until at least tomorrow morning.» Chris added, and that was your call to understand that the argument was officially over.

Hyunjin had offered to accompany you to your room, and as soon as you were about to walk out the door, you slightly turned towards Minho: you placed your index finger on your lower eyelid, tugging on the skin as you shortly sticked out your tongue as well. Still, you immediately turned around, so that you couldn’t see Changbin struggling not to laugh, reaching out to stop Minho once again, who was glancing at him with a murderous look.

“I want to go home,” you whined to yourself as soon as you were sitting on your bed once again; you laid down on your back, missing the sensation of Cleo immediately walking up and cuddle at your side. You wondered what happened back home, even though you were certain that your cat had found a way out of your apartment, since the window was still open when you had fallen asleep, however, what about your friends? Was someone worried about your sudden disappearance? Moreover, judging by the amount of days that had passed, you had most definitely lost your job.

«Ah, I hope they choose a nice pic of me if I made it to the news as a missing person.» you mumbled to yourself, your gaze lost in the wooden tiles of your ceiling.

“I could draw tiny lines on the wall to count the days I’m spending on here,” the sudden idea popped up in your mind, only for you to abandon it as quickly as it came. First of all, you didn’t have a knife – let alone a dagger or a sword, and therefore it would be impossible for you to engrave marks in the wall, most importantly, what if they found out and you had to repay for the things you’ve damaged? Those were the basic things happening back home, and although you were unsure about various dynamics of the world you were in, you didn’t want to try your luck. Chris looked scary while pissed off, and you read about how cruel he could be, you definitely needed him on your side.

“I could try to run away as soon as we reach the first port,” you wondered, but that option was discarded as well; although touching land was the only thing to confirm the shifting theory, you didn’t know what could have happened if it was the truth. Abduction and prostitution were sadly pretty much real in that world as well, and once again, you decided that the safest option was to stick around Chris and his crew; after all, what could harm you if he was in charge of basically everything and everyone sailing above the water’s surface?

Minho’s menacious glare appeared in your mind, and you reached out to grab the pillow from under your neck just to slam it against your face, “it’s not like I can throw a meteor at him, I’m not Zhongli,”, you thought, before suddenly sitting up in bed. «Who’s going to do my daily commissions in Genshin Impact now?!» you mumbled to yourself, thinking about all the time you’ve spent playing – time that of course had been wasted due to what happened.

Someone knocked on your door, and you genuinely wondered about pretending to be asleep in order to avoid giving explanation about what happened at dinner; nevertheless, you allowed the person in.

«Hi there,» Felix greeted with his usual cheerful tone, «I heard you caused quite a riot today.» he added, placing a small tray with a glass of water and a plate of stew on the small table next to your bed; you sighed, falling back to the bed and hoping that those blankets could swallow your frame and teleport you back home.

«I didn’t do anything, Felix,» you clarified, «Minho just hates me for no reason.» «Well..» «Please, don’t tell me this is the part where you say things like “he hasn’t always been like this”, or something.» you immediately added, preventing him from talking any further.

«Nah, he’s always been like this.» Felix quickly shook his head, sitting on the small mattress and next to your knees; he tapped your thigh twice, telling you to sit up so that you could eat dinner. «Keep up that attitude though, it’s funny to watch.» he chuckled, his face quietly shifting into a concerned frown as he noticed how you kept playing with your food instead of actually eating it.

Maybe from the outside your interactions with Minho were unusual enough to be considered funny, but to you they were incredibly stressful.

First of all, Minho had always been your favourite character, and you would have never imagined that he could despise your presence so much; most importantly, he had always been described as a whole different person, and you found yourself wondering why you wanted to be accepted by him so much. You were aware that late at night the dining room became the meeting point where some pirates gathered to drink and gamble, both because you had read it in the novel and because some sleepless nights you had passed in front of its door as you were walking towards the deck, hearing the echo of thunderous laughter or the loud chatter of the ones who lost and were unhappy with the rules. Sometimes the door wasn’t even completely close, and as you peeked inside on your way through the corridor, you could see Minho joke around and laugh with the others, thing that always made you feel sad and somehow, lonely.

«Aren’t you hungry?» Felix gently asked, noticing how you went silent all of a sudden. «It’s not that funny, though: he acts like I’m going to annihilate everyone while you sleep and well – he basically adores you.» you ignored his question, instead referring to the fact that he was the only one he didn’t threaten to kill anytime Lix called him “Min Min”.

«I’ll tell you a super secret secret,» Felix started to whisper, and you shifted your gaze on his lips, making sure that you could effectively understand what he was about to say, «me and Minho are half brothers.»

«What?!» you immediately shrieked out of disbelief, that was never mentioned in the novel! You clearly recalled their background stories: Minho was a bounty hunter, while Felix was… Felix… Well, he was…

“Now that I think of it, Felix’s past hasn’t been mentioned, not even once.” your questioning gaze met Felix, who eagerly nodded at the silent questions in your eyes.

«Our mother remarried,» he explained, before interrupting himself, «now that I think of it, mom and Minho’s father weren’t married – well, that’s not important.» Felix dismissively waved his hand in front of himself, and for the next hour, you had eventually started eating as you listened to his stories about him and Minho; despite all the times you wanted to clarify that “yes, I already know this part,” you kept silent, smiling at Felix’s eagerness and at the affection towards his brother that you could feel through his words.

«He’s really amazing,» he praised, «he’s always protected me since we were kids – you know, my… hair colour is a bit unusual.» he admitted, recalling the times when Minho would come home covered in bruises because he had protected Felix from being bullied.

«It’s beautiful, though,» you immediately replied, making Felix widen his eyes in sudden surprise, «you look like you've walked out of a fairy tale... and really, it suits you.» you added, making the pirate smile with a sad smile.

«I often said I could dye it, but Minho was always against the idea.» he said, but your attention was focused elsewhere.

“So, hair dye exist in this world as well?” the gears in your brain started to spin and twirl as you thought; once again, it had never been mentioned in the novel, but you thought that the author didn’t need to, since the story revolved around Chris’ point of view.

«Get some rest, princess,» Felix excused himself, collecting the now empty tray as he stood up; you nodded, the side of your lips curling into a small smile at how different the nickname sounded as it was spoken by the two brothers, «I’ll try to talk to him.» he reassured, and for a second, you decided to believe him.

Much to your dismay, nothing had changed after a week, leaving you to your usual routine; however, you had to admit that you barely saw Minho around, and when you did, you adverted your gaze before he could meet yours. It was as if, unlike the first days, he was keeping his distance as well, and you were grateful to Felix for it. “If you can’t defeat them, become their friend, some said!” you thought, “well, I failed miserably.”

Felix was now basically what you could call your best friend, as he had declared more than once; he always insisted for you to sit next to him when you were eating, and once you were finished with your daily chores, he would explain the most random things to you. Actually, you were incredibly grateful to him because you were finally able to tie a knot on a rope, thing which would have come handy if you ever decided to escape.

Most importantly, you and Felix had something really particular in common, and that was your admiration towards Chris’ and Leana’s relationship. The poor couple could have been simply standing in front of each other talking about the most random things and you would say something like «they’re so pretty I could punch myself in the face,» immediately echoed by Felix that would reply «wait for it, he’s gonna move a strand of hair behind her ear because of the wind,» and the both of you would dreamily coo at them as Chris did exactly what Felix had predicted.

Seungmin was still visiting you every now and then – mostly when you pretended that your head hurt because you saw Minho appearing out of nowhere and he was definitely too close for comfort, but nonetheless he spent most of his days in his study.

Jeongin was mostly spending his time with Seungmin, now, the older pirate insisting that he needed an assistant because he was tired to everything on his own, and Jeongin eagerly following his orders.

Jisung, Changbin and Hyunjin were now seeing you in a whole different light: the day you fearlessly challenged Minho seemed to have made you earn their respect, and they often tried to lure you into joining a gamble match with them. «Thanks, but I don’t know the rules,» you dismissively answered every time, and as soon as one of them suggested they could teach you, you immediately added that you didn’t have anything valuable you could gamble on.

Leana was more or less, an addiction to the piece of furniture in your small room; anytime she wasn’t with Chris, she would keep you company, telling you about the most various and dangerous adventures they have lived while sailing. You eagerly listened to her, often interrupting her to ask for more details, thing that she never seemed to mind, answering your question with the same eagerness. Leana’s stories were a perfect indicator for you to deduce that between what happened in the book and your arrival on the ship, at least three years seemed to have passed; years in which Chris’ domain on the sea had become even more clear.

«It’s like being on of those cruise ships; no one dares attacking us and we can do whatever we want to, I love it.» she confessed, voicing her hopes about you liking being on board as well; you didn’t trust yourself, and therefore you simply nodded.

«Come on, girls night,» Leana had announced one day as she sat on your bed, and you furrowed your eyebrows in obvious reluctance, familiar with the concept of her words; «has anyone caught your eye?» Leana’s eyes seemed to glimmer in curiosity, and you found yourself sigh in deject.

«Yes, I mean, no.» you spoke, unclear, confusing yourself as well. What were you supposed to say? You’ve never looked at anyone under that particular light, after all!

“Well, actually…” you immediately stopped the train of your thoughts: Minho was undoubtedly charming and handsome, but he was behaving like a complete jerk towards you, and therefore you sighed, resigning yourself to your fate as you met Leana’s curious gaze.

«Minho is cute, but don’t tell him I said so, I particularly like my head attached to my neck.» you confessed, panicking as you saw her eyes widen in disbelief.

«I would have bet money on Felix!» she yelled, just to lower her voice mid-sentence, staring at you in complete astonishment.

«Felix is really cute, but everything’s really very… platonic.» you explained, avoiding saying something she would have found too weird and incomprehensible like “he’s always nice andhe gives me really good vibes!”

However, Leana seemed to ponder your words about Minho, confessing that one morning, she saw Felix and Minho talking very animately, as if they were arguing about something. «Now that I think about it, it was the morning after you’ve been both confined to your room.» she added, and she confirmed as well the fact that the pirate seemed to been avoiding your presence as well.

Leana had soon returned to the Captain’s quarters, leaving you in the loneliness of your room; once again, you couldn’t sleep and therefore, you found yourself headed towards the deck of the Golden Fleece.

The night sky was clear, the stars seemed a bright blanket that made you feel a tiny bit less lonelier; you tried to smile at the thought that in your life, you had never seen so many stars due to the industrialization and the fact that there was always a source of light around the city. On your way to the deck you ended up both carrying one of the blankets in your room and stealing an apple from the storage room, and in the end you were sitting alone in a dark corner of the ship, completely hidden from the helmsman’s eyes and from the few pirates who were awake and in charge of taking care of the ship as long as the others were asleep – or gambling.

As your gaze lost itself in the darkness ahead of you, your thoughts inevitably wandered to dangerous places, and you found yourself silently crying because you missed home. Although in the past days you have done your best to avoid even the faintest traces of intrusive thoughts, it was probably time to face the truth; even though it seemed impossible, you ended up in a fantasy novel, and of course the historical period was completely different from the one you were living in, to the point of not having the comforts you were used to have in your everyday life. A phone, internet, a hairdryer, heating, a microwave… Despite the fact that you were slowly getting used to this kind of life, you madly wanted to go back home, and the thing that completely broke your heart was the fact that you highly doubted it would even be remotely possible. After all, the lady at the bookshop had clearly said that you bought the only copy of the novel, copy which was currently still on your coffee table in another dimension.

Completely engrossed in your crying session, you didn’t notice that someone had approached your trembling figure.

«See? I didn’t lie when I said you were probably a thief.» Minho’s voice shook you out of your train of thoughts, but you weren’t in the right mind to answer to his constant teasing; you stared both at him and the apple in your hand – apple that you ended up biting only once, just to wordlessly focus your gaze once again on the darkness in front of the ship.

The moon was high up in the sky, and Minho could definitely see the fact that you were crying, especially because you weren’t doing a good job to hide your occasional hiccups; he has never seen you so vulnerable, after all you’ve been arguing like dog and cat since the day they had saved you, but yet, he breathed a long sigh, before eventually walking closer to you, crouching down so that you were more or less at the same eye-level.

«Are you okay?» Minho questioned, every trace of hostility suddenly disappearing from his voice, and he saw you simply shook your head because no, you were definitely not okay. «Can I sit next to you?» he asked again, and waited for you to answer before he dared to move.

«Why, so you can throw me off deck as soon as I cry too loudly?» you spat with annoyance, and Minho scoffed as a silent answer. If he were to be honest, he wasn’t doing it for you, but for Felix; his brother had constantly told him to give you a chance, but the pirate kept ignoring him; however, for some weird reason he didn’t want to think about, the sight of you curled up against the wall just to cry your eyes out didn’t please him as he originally thought. «Yeah, something like that.» Minho shrugged, before sitting next to you. A somewhat comfortable silence fell on the corner you had been secretly occupying, a silence made of you occasionally hiccuping trying to hide a sob just to wipe your tears with part of your blanket and Minho completely silence as his brain tried to come up with a reasonable question about why you seemed so unconsolable.

«Has something happened in the kitchen? Did Felix say something bad?» Minho gently tried, even if he doubted that was the case, since Felix was the first among the people who seemed to be completely smitten with your presence; confirming his thoughts, he saw you shook your head without voicing an actual answer.

«Have you been having nightmares?» he questioned again, his left hand hesitantly scratching his left thigh; «it happens a lot, especially the first times you sail.» again, you wordlessly shook your head, and silence fell once again.

It went on for minutes, Minho coming up with the most various questions and you simply shaking your head because he never got it right.

«I miss my hairdryer.» you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper.

«Your… your what?» Minho quietly echoed, confusion dripping from his voice.

«My hairdryer,» you repeated, moving your right hand in the air just to mimic a general shape of one, «it’s made like this, and we use it to blow hot hair on our hair to make it dry faster, it works with electric – oh, never mind, you already think I’m a lunatic witch.» your voice trembled at the end of the sentence, and you ended up wiping more tears escaping the corner of your eyes, as Minho was staring at you with an indecipherable gaze.

«Tell me more,» he gently spoke – almost in a hesitant way, urging you to go on, «about your crazy stories, I want to hear more.»

«And give you extra reasons to make fun of me on a daily basis? No, thank you.» you bitterly answered, and Minho’s gentle smile slowly vanished from his lips. The pirate kept studying your features, pensive, and few seconds later his right hand was hovering in front of your face, his pinky finger outstretched.

«I won’t, I promise. I call truce.» he said, and for the first time you turned your head to glance at him, unconsciously smiling at the sight of a pirate using pinky promises as a way to seal official promises; it was as if you could feel your heart tremble, the sight of the Minho you used to adore while reading your favourite book was suddenly not that unreachable anymore, and something in his determined gaze illuminated by the moon made you trust him.

Unbeknownst to you, while intertwining your pinky finger with his, a little part of your fate had changed forever.

«I think I’ve never missed Cleo so much.» you quietly sniffled. «Your lover?» Minho questioned immediately. «My cat.» you clarified without hesitation.

Eventually, you and Minho shortly ended up bonding over your mutual love for cats. You described her to him, explaining that to you, she was indeed unique and beautiful; her black fur was occasionally painted with ginger spots, and her eyes were a light shade of green.

«She always looked incredibly pissed off, just like me.» you scoffed a laugh, and you heard Minho chuckle softly at your words.

«To think you were going to face me without a weapon, you sure do have some guts,» he commented, and you answered with an exasperated sigh, «you could ask Jisung to teach you a trick or two.» your head immediately turned towards him at the unexpected suggestion. Minho simply shrugged, explaining that you would be more useful on deck if something were to happen.

«I used to have three cats before I choose to sail with Chris.» he admitted then, changing the topic of your conversation, smiling to himself.

«I know.» you answered without thinking about it too much; only when you felt Minho’s inquisitive stare on your face, you panicked. Clearly you couldn’t tell him that you knew a lot of details about his life before he started being a pirate because you read it in a novel, and therefore you simply settled for a simple white lie known as: «Felix told me about it.»

«I miss my hair conditioner as well,» you admitted, «I even got the special edition with keratin – you know with the golden plastic jar and everything, and never got to use it more than twice.» for at least half of the night, you ended up explaining Minho every detail of what life was like where you were living; skyscrapers, air conditioning, electricity, supermarkets, videogames and malls, along with every kind of food you ended up craving, Minho had patiently listened to your rambles, occasionally asking about few clarifications every now and then.

«You know, princess, I still think you have flowers growing in your head.» Minho spoke after the two of you eventually managed to finish conversation topics; your heart sank to your stomach at his words, and of course, you felt like crying again.

«However…» Minho spoke again, his tone a little more firmer than before, as if he understood that his words hurt you, «your stories are a bit too much filled with details to be completely made up.»

«So?» you questioned him, glancing at him while leaning your head against the wooden surface behind your shoulders.

«So,» Minho echoed, mirroring your actions, so that you were staring at each other, «I think that somewhere in that flower field, there’s a little bit of truth.» a relieved smile erupted on your features, and you felt genuinely happy about the fact that finally Minho decided to take you seriously.

Despite the fact that you had managed to calm down, neither of you dared to move, and as you kept talking about your life, you ended up sharing your blanket with the pirate, whose hands were now as cold as ice.

Somewhere during the few hours remaining before dawn, you ended up falling asleep, unconsciously leaning against Minho’s shoulders, who didn’t move in order not to wake you up. However, as soon as the pirate saw a small glimpse of light starting to illuminate the sky as a signal of a new day, he gently picked you up just to carry you to your bedroom.

«Fucking finally, Min Min,» Felix’s groggy whisper called out from Minho’s shoulders; the younger had just woken up, and to be honest, he was convinced about being still asleep as the first thing he saw were his brother – who claimed to hate you, carrying you – who claimed to hate him, bridal style and soundly asleep towards your room. «Not a word, Lix.» Minho had simply answered, not bothering to stop.

Few days later, everyone was aware about the drastic change of Minho’s behaviour towards you, since the pirate went to completely ignore your presence to greet you occasionally. You found yourself smiling anytime it happened, your smile vanishing as soon as you could feel two different set of piercing gazes on your face; on one side, Leana was looking at you with pure excitement in her eyes, as to say «did you see it?» while on the other side, Felix was following the scene with a knowing smile, happy about his brother’s eventual change of heart.

Moreover, you had to admit to yourself that your mood was significantly better since you didn’t have to constantly watch your back, to the point where you found yourself thinking that if things kept going like this, you could have definitely got used to this new life. To be completely honest, you could already picture yourself trying to introduce some of your modern technology into this world, becoming the cliché mad scientist holed up in her laboratory, shouting a loud «it could work!» followed by a manic laughter as soon as you managed to create something useful.

Taking a small break from your daily chores, you decided to take a stroll on deck, enjoying what seemed to be the last days of summer; the days had already begun to shorten and in the back of your mind, you wondered how cold could it get on a pirate ship during winter, but you weren’t sure you wanted to know an actual answer, when out the corner of you eye, you saw them.

At first, you thought that either your mind was playing tricks on you or you were hallucinating, but once you turned your complete attention to the sea, you distinctly saw that there was a small group formed by seven girls not too far from where you were, casually sitting on some random pieces of wood – most definitely what remained of a sunken ship, while brushing their luscious hair; you narrowed your eyes as if trying to get a better view, because you could swear that all of them had a long fish tail.

“Mermaids?” you wondered; after all, you didn’t know how this world worked in the first place, and based on Minho’s accusations to you, for all you knew, they could be more than a superstition.

«Sirens!» the loud shout from the crow’s nest seemed to alert everyone, confirming that you weren’t hallucinating, but you weren’t sure what you were supposed to do in this situation; you saw some pirates running back to their quarters, as if it was a desperate attempt not to be lured by their voices.

Few minutes later, the situation was definitely taking a drastic and terrifying turn: some pirates were throwing themselves off deck just to try their luck swimming towards the sirens and therefore swimming towards their death, while the others kept soundlessly walking toward the railing as if they were possessed, their eyes void of any emotion.

Quirking a brow you stared at the group of sirens once again, silently admiring their beauty and their pretty tail. However something wasn’t adding up: you could clearly see their lips move, but you seemed to be the only one who couldn’t hear their chant.

Leana’s shoulder harshly bumping against yours was what made you wake up from your silent daze; like anyone else, her eyes were unfocused, and she had already thrown one leg over the railing.

«Wait, no!» yelling at her to stop, you covered her ears with your hands out of instinct, when the unthinkable happened: the fog that seemed to cloud Leana’s gaze had vanished as soon as you touched her, and she looked at both herself and you with a puzzled expression.

«What’s happening?» she questioned, confused, «why can’t I hear them?» at her question, it was as if your thoughts began to align, quickly forming a more or less clever answer; could it be that it was because you were from another dimension? You immediately tested your wild guess, wrapping around her wrist the hair tie you always kept on your wrist.

«Still nothing?» you asked, helping her safely climb back on deck, so that no one else could drag her in the water out of accident.

«I can see them singing, but I can’t hear them,» she confirmed with astonishment, glancing at the small elastic band now adorning her wrist, «is this some sort of talisman?» she questioned again but you kept silent, not sure about what you should have answered.

“Wait, if this managed to help her, this means that…”

«Leana, where are my clothes,? You know, the ones I was wearing when you found me in the sea?» you immediately questioned her: if things really were what they seemed, maybe you has a chance to save everyone.

«Come with me.» Leana immediately replied, and shortly after you both raced to the Captain’s quarters as if you were running against time.

«I have an idea, but that will make me sound like a lunatic witch» you quoted Minho, before explaining yourself, «we need to shred them in as many pieces we can and stick them inside the other’s clothes.» you kept your jeans in your hands, handing her both the cotton t-shirts you were wearing at home; however, there was no sign of mock in her eyes.

«You already saved my life, I trust you, witch or not.» she encouraged, and after nodding and each other Leana grabbed two of Chris’ daggers, and after handing one to you as well, you both ran back on deck.

“This is so wrong,” you thought, “I’m about to act like a typical heroine and I don’t have a catchphrase to say!” adrenaline was running trough your veins to the point of making you delirious, and you mentally tried to come up with an outstanding idea as fast as you could?

“How about “for Frodo”?… No, that would be plagiarism,” you kept thinking as you and Leana closed the Captain’s quarters room behind your shoulders, “I got it, “Geronimo!”… Nah, too corny.”

«I’ll take the right side and you take the left side?» Leana urged, already cutting some fabric out of your t-shirt with her dagger; she snapped you out of your thoughts, and your eyes immediately went back on the scenery in front of you.

No more than thirty pirates were left – a quarter of the crew, and much to your dismay, you noticed from the corner of your eye how Chris, Seungmin and Changbin were already in the water.

«Hey Leana, you know what we say in Europe before doing things like this?» your heart was hammering in your chest to the point you were certain it was trying to escape your body.

«Uh... May Margoria have mercy on us?» she tried, as the both of you started walking in opposite directions.

«No, no, it’s even better,» you chuckled at your own thoughts, before encouraging the both of you with a short and simple: «it’s Britney, bitch.»

From that moment, you and Leana were running like two desperate women on a mission, and you tried to ignore the pain that your heart was feeling as you were repeatedly cutting your pair of favourite jeans.

“It’s for a fucking good cause,” you thought motivating yourself, urging your legs to move faster.

Actually, if you and Leana were feeling like two heroes out of an adventure novel, the sight from the outside looked really bizarre: the deck was completely silent as the pirates were walking like zombies, and the only noise was the one made from your heels as you frantically ran back and fort, not to mention that you were occasionally screaming «tag, you’re it!» before running towards the next pirate.

Moreover, as soon as someone of the crew managed to wake up, nor you nor Leana ever stopped to explain what was going on; you just pushed a few pieces of uncommon fabric against their chest just to shout an order for them to follow.   You could feel your lungs burn, and although you desperately wanted to stop and catch your breath, you saw that Minho was in the same position Leana had been in few minutes earlier and you quickly urged your legs to run faster, somehow.

“Why the fuck I never did jogging while I was home?” you internally cursed yourself, but the most important thing was that you managed to stop Minho by a harsh grip on his strong bicep. Minho’s eyes increasingly focused, and he looked at you with bewilderment; you didn’t give him time to ask anything, because you thrusted the only piece of fabric you had left in his hand.

«See this? This was my favourite pair of jeans,» you spoke, your breath ragged due to the fact that you had been running without stopping for more time than you were used to, Minho was about to question why he couldn’t hear the sirens anymore, when you interrupted him again, «let go of this damn denim fabric, and I’ll kill you.»

«What’s going on?» Minho finally questioned, swooning his leg over the railing so that he was once again safely on deck, but before you could answer, Leana had quickly walked towards you with Felix, Jisung, Hyunjin and few of the pirates who had managed to wake up, still clutching the piece of fabric as instructed.

By now, you had managed to save everyone who was still on deck, however, you still had a big problem: the majority of your crew – including the Captain, was still swimming towards the sirens.

«What now?» Leana questioned, her concerned eyes locked on her husband.

«I don’t know.» your shoulders fell as you admitted disheartened, your trembling hands still desperately holding Minho’s hands over what was left of your favourite pair of jeans. «Aren’t you still wearing that thing underneath your shirt?» Leana questioned, and your right hand reflexively touched your bra over your linen shirt. “Not my Victoria’s Secret…” you thought, but Leana quickly dismissed her own idea. «It’s not like we can throw ourselves down there, we’ll never reach them in time.» she added, and a nervous silence fell once again. The pirates kept silent, not daring to interrupt your conversation with Leana; no one knew what was happening but for all they knew, they owed their life to the both of you. However, the sirens have been focusing their attention on your presence for a while, and as you were considering some stupid and wild idea out of panic, the sirens had stopped singing; the pirates in the water woke up immediately from their daze, immediately yelling to each other to swim back to the Golden Fleece, and your head started to spin with confusion.

Apparently, for whatever reason, the sirens decided they weren’t hungry anymore, and therefore decided to leave, disappearing under the surface of water. Unbeknownst to you, those sirens knew about travelers like you, for it was not the first time that someone immune to their alluring voices had defeated them.

The pirates were now climbing on deck, and if it weren’t for Minho’s arms quickly wrapping around your waist, you would have fallen on your knees as the rush of adrenaline left your body altogether.

«What a week, huh?» you joked, your voice low enough only for the pirate to hear.

«It’s monday morning, princess.» Minho absently replied, studying your exhausted features and actually concerned about the state you were in.

Needless to say, less than an hour later – as soon as everyone had changed out of their soaked clothes, you found yourself in the Captain’s quarters with nine pair of eyes studying you once again; however, this time, the atmosphere was completely different.

«Although we are grateful to you, I believe we need an explanation.» Chris simply questioned; even though his voice remained polite, you could easily notice that he was demanding the truth.

«Are you really a witch?» Hyunjin suggested curiously and without hostility; you shook your head no, and your gaze briefly locked with Minho, who gave you a short nod, as to encourage you to tell them what you had told him as well.

«I’m not a witch, I.. » you sighed, what were you supposed to say? You definitely couldn’t break out the news that they were characters from a novel, but you could definitely tell them part of the truth, «I’m from another world. Or just another dimension, I don’t know. The thing is, at home everything works very different from here and… I really don’t know what to say. I ended up falling asleep in my house and waking up in the sea, right before you saved me.»

The room was silent for some seconds, before they eventually started discussing your explanation, but overall, everyone seemed to believe you.

«We are in your debt.» Chris announced, standing up from his chair, and you felt nervous all of a sudden; you loved his character and how reliable he was despite being a pirate, however, you always thought that he was a little bit too dramatic, especially in these kind of situations.

«No, no. We’re good buddy, really.» you anxiously waved your hands in front of you, as if to shake away the thought of having a whole crew of pirates indebted to you, «besides, you saved me first, I returned the favor, we’re even.»

«At least, allow us to help you!» Leana insisted, reiterating the fact that if they were alive was exclusively because of you.

«Do you remember how you ended up here?» Seungmin added, agreeing with Leana.

«I bought a book – a very specific one, and somehow I ended up shifting.»you had shortly explained; the information sent them into another brief discussion among themselves.

«Maybe fate is really on your side,» Chris commented, «we’ll be arriving to O’dyllita in few days; the capital – O’draxxia is known for having the biggest and best-stocked library of all known land.» the Captain explained that you could try visit there, to see if you could find anything regarding shifting dimension.

«Of course, if you don’t, you’ll be welcome to stay with us!» Jeongin had quickly added, and you found yourself nodding at his eagerness, thanking everyone else as well.

«Another thing,» Leana suddenly spoke, as if a thought had suddenly came to her mind, «who is that “Britney” you mentioned earlier? Is she a goddess from your world?» she innocently questioned, but you couldn’t help but find yourself laughing at the absurdity of the situation you got yourself in.

«More or less.» you admitted, and she seemed content with the answer.

The day had eventually fallen back into the same routine rather quickly, making you realize that this kind of situations weren’t that uncommon; however, every now and then some of the pirates would greet you, thanking you for saving their life before going on with their day.

«Excuse me, princess,» an unfamiliar voice called out, and you immediately turned your head. One of the pirates was standing not so far from you; he was definitely older than you, even if despite his youthful appearance his beard and his hair was almost completely grey. He hesitantly outstretched his hand towards you, and you curiously examined the small necklace in the palm of his hand. It was definitely plain looking, a thin looking chord with a too much familiar charm attached to it; without thinking, you took a step forward to take a better look.

Turns out – for the second time that day, that you weren’t hallucinating things: the small charm was indeed a piece of fabric from your clothes, now neatly braided together as to form a tiny charm.

«My old man was a tailor, so I learned a thing or two from him,» you patiently glanced at him, waiting for him to explain himself further as you glanced back and forth from his face to his hand, «I ended up making a talisman for everyone out of the fabric you gave us, since the Captain and Leana explained to us what you did fpr us,» you kept silent, not understanding why he was handing one to you as well, «I know you don’t need one, but we want you to have one as well.»

«“We”?» you echoed; glancing around, you noticed that few other pirates were definitely pretending to do their chores just to curiously overlook the situation, wondering what your reaction might have been.

«It’s a way to tell you that you’re in the crew,» Leana excitedly spoke, appearing out of nowhere and hugging your shoulder, «you saved a whole lot of pirates, you know what it means? You’re a pirate, love.»

«What?» you questioned, hesitantly reaching out to grab the necklace from the pirate’s outstretched hand, who thanked you for accepting his humble gift.

“Holy shit, I’m the hero of the day,” you thought, trying to process the fact that a pirate had just thanked you for accepting a necklace made out of clothes from another dimension.

«For your information,» Felix’s sudden deep voice made you turn around in surprise, since the new information had made your head spin, «it was a unanimous decision.» he clarified; as you happened to lock gaze with Minho, he simply winked at you with a mischievous smile, and you could swear that for the first time, you felt the butterflies in your stomach do somersaults.

The secret escapades you occasionally had with Minho during the night ended up being a habit, and as the weather started to become colder, you eventually decided to move things to your room; more than once, you and Minho ended up falling asleep after nights spent talking about the most various topics and every time, Minho would wake up before dawn just to sneak back to his room.

«Do you still think I’m a lunatic siren?» you quietly mumbled one night, quite scared of the possible affirmative answer. Minho was sitting opposite of you on your bed, your knees almost brushing against each other’s.

«I don’t.» Minho honestly answered after what seemed to be an eternal silence; he was still staring at you with an indecipherable gaze that made you feel extremely small, but it was significantly softer now. You were certain that something in your relationship with Minho had drastically changed since the night he found you crying alone, and somehow, even if you didn’t want to be seen in such a vulnerable state, you were happy he was the one who found you nonetheless.

Above all – most importantly, since Minho’s behaviour towards you had changed and gradually started to become softer, you could swear you felt your feelings drift towards him at a slow but steady speed. To state the obvious, he was handsome, and you often found yourself looking at him as he was talking with the others on deck, the wind blowing through his hair and his clothes making him look like a runaway Prince from a fairytale; he was also funny and an extremely good listener, and the more you spent time together, the more your heart would fill with feelings for him, just like a slow tide at noon.

«Do you believe me, then?» you mumbled, as if you were trying your luck; despite you told everyone that you came from another dimension, the topic of your conversations with Minho were a secret, and he was completely aware about that. Even though you desperately wanted him to believe your words, you couldn’t help but trying to imagine how you would react if you were in Minho’s shoes and of course, you had to admit that you would have your good doses of suspicions as well.

«I’m not really sure I can understand everything you tell me,» he admitted, «but I really want to try.» you found yourself genuinely smiling at his words.

A comfortable silence fell once again, and you searched for Minho’s eyes in the partial darkness of the place; three small candles were lightning up the room, creating an intimate atmosphere while allowing you to see each other just enough. «Thank you, Min Min.» you quietly mumbled, now definitely trying your luck; you knew that the only person allowed to call him like that was Felix, and although your relationship was completely different from how it started, you were certain that he would admonish you, telling you not to call him like that.

However, Minho’s reaction was definitely unexpected; his eyes met yours in less than a second, and despite the little lighting in the room, you could clearly see a sudden blush adorning both his cheeks and the tip of his ears.

«Wait, did you just…? No, nevermind,» Minho quickly dismissed, his unexpected flustered state was more than enough to make your cheeks flare up as well, «let’s suppose you ended up coming here from another dimension, why do you think it happened?» the conversation took another bittersweet turn, and you went back staring at your knees.

«I have no idea.» you confessed, disheartened, since you had wondered about that a concerning amount of times as well.

«Do you want to go back?» Minho questioned out of curiosity; he had immediately noticed how you eventually managed to find your place among the crew, and how you got along with everyone.

«I can’t even explain how much I want to.» you admitted, and before you could actually realize it, tears had started to escape your eyes.

«Hey, don’t cry, I’m sorry I brought that up,» Minho seemed to move towards you as if he had been hurt by a sudden static, «I didn’t want to make you cry.» he mumbled again, wiping your tears away as gently as he could, touching you as if you were made of frail glass despite his usual roughness. Eventually, he placed your pillow over his lap and you let him adjust your position enough that you could lay your head over it.

Minho kept gently stroking your hair with clumsy yet gentle movements – clearly unfamiliar with intimacy, lulling you to sleep while mumbling that «it’s okay, I’ll help you find a way,» or even «don’t cry, pretty princess, you’re safe now.»

That night was the first time that you and Minho willingly got so close physically, and you never expected for his touch to feel as comforting as it did; although you had stopped crying few minutes after you were laying on his lap, you didn’t want for that interaction to stop, and therefore you laid there, greedily taking all the unexpected affection Minho was showering you with.

Two days later, you were officially touching land; two days later, you were completely certain about the fact that you had shifted dimension – since there was a tiny part of your heart that still hoped you were having a really weird dream.

The port was large and full of people busy working; you looked around in amazement admiring everything: the small stalls of the market a little further on, people’s clothes, the type of architecture of the houses… However, something didn’t add up once again. There were various wooden signs hanging on the stalls, price indicators or more simply indicators of what could be found in each one of them, and despite the fact that the alphabet was a strange combination o weird symbols you’ve never seen in your life, you could understand them; fabrics, groceries, swords, you could read everything, was it another special ability you gained while shifting? “This is crazy,” you thought as you kept looking around yourself, “it’s like I chosen a default language in a videogame.”

Minho seemed to have noticed the puzzled expression on your face as you were glancing around, and quickly got to your side. «Not like it’s important for us, but can you read and write?» he questioned, watching as you hesitantly nodded at him.

«I’m not sure about the writing part,» you answered, looking around and not quite believing your eyes, «but it turns out I can read!»

«That’s good,» Minho’s sudden gentle smile made you feel incredibly flustered, and you shortly played with your fingertips since you didn’t know what you were supposed to answer, «I’ll see you tonight, then.» he added, making you furrow your eyebrows.

Before you could question his words, Leana and Chris had joined you, the latter informing you that he had already booked a carriage for both you and Leana.

“That’s it? They’re going to leave me here?” you met Minho’s gaze, just to switch it quickly towards Leana, who had reached out to hold your hand, gently tugging you towards her.

«I believe someone forgot to tell you,» she said, admonishing Minho with a stern gaze, «O’draxxia, the Capital, is a city in which men cannot enter, meaning that we have all the day for ourselves!»

The carriage ride lasted a little more than an hour, and both you and Leana kept staring out of the window, amazed by the scenery surrounding the two of you; it was the first time for Leana as well to venture into O’dyllita, and just like you, she was overly excited to finally visit O’draxxia, since she had often heard about it.

«From what I know, almost everyone in the city is a priestess,» she had explained, the two of you never looking at each other since your attention was completely engrossed towards opposite directions, «and they say the library is so huge that there are pillars as big as towers that are used as bookshelves!»

Despite the dense and rich vegetation, the landscape seemed to have a tremendously lonely air; in the distance you could see ruins of old structures that looked like castles or fortresses, clearly uninhabited and reclaimed by vegetation. Overall, the landscape almost seemed fiabesque, even if you couldn’t glimpse a trace of a living soul for kilometres. Just as Leana had said, O’draxxia was entirely populated by women, and all of them looked mesmerizing and stunning; some of them greeted you and Leana with a court nod, just like they did with the other women that were visiting the city. Despite the fact that the city was populated and animated by the priestesses and occasional tourists, the city gave you a serene yet lonely feeling. The houses were simple and elegant, made of grey bricks with bright green plants growing along the walls, covering some parts with elegant red and orange flowers. Both you and Leana followed one of the priestess’ indications to reach the library, as the two of you kept glancing around in utter wonder as you were walking.

«I’m really glad we get along,» Leana spoke out of the blue as you were strolling around town, headed towards the library, interlocking her arm with yours; you sent her a glance, only to start once again to focus on the unfamiliar scenery in front of your eyes, «we tried to let other girls on our ship, but it didn’t end well.»

«Why not?» you questioned out of curiosity, your gaze still focused on the unfamiliar flowers decorating the streets; the novel you’ve read ended as soon as Chris and Leana got their happy ending, so her words were definitely something you didn’t know about.

«They ended up liking Chris a little bit too much, and you know…» the innocent smile on Leana’s lips was a stark contrast to the gesture she made: she ran her index finger over her neck horizontally, and you suddenly widened your eyes, gulping nervously.

«You… did you kill them?» you whispered, only for her ears to hear, not quite knowing how to feel about it.

«And threw them in the sea,» she proudly clarified with a wink, «for all I know, they could be the sirens that attacked us.» her tone was as nonchalant as if she was talking about the weather, and you furrowed your eyebrows, familiar with what she was implying, since you clearly recalled the author mentioning it once.

Apparently, mermaids – or mostly known as sirens, were the women thrown off ships because of the common belief about “having a woman on boat brings bad luck”, and therefore, as those poor women sank to the bottom of the sea, they committed themselves to their rage and their desire of revenge. You clearly remember how that paragraph made you quite uncomfortable, empathizing with those women as they rightfully wanted to take revenge on the people that killed them without reason. Moreover, the author described how they started to change underwater, their lungs adapting to the water until they could breathe and their tied legs eventually became a tail over time. They drowned sailors and pirates in revenge, but especially, they seem to target the crew that did them wrong, until they could see the remaining of their ships at the bottom of the sea.

All of a sudden, one of your first conversations with Leana came to your mind. «So, what do you think about Chris?» she had questioned with an earnest smile, the both of you sitting on deck as you watched him ordering the others around.

«He’s awesome,» you immediately answered, excitedly, «Felix told me he’s in charge of each route of the whole sea, and he’s basically around my age. He’s really awesome for that!» you had excitedly explained, avoiding to mention too intricate details you read in the novel.

«He really is, don’t steal him from me though!» she had laughed back then, gently nudging your shoulders with hers in an almost friendly gesture.

«I wouldn’t dare,» you immediately scoffed, «you’re basically the perfect match! moreover, he’s not really my type.»

Only now you realized all the things that could have gone so incredibly wrong if your interaction had gone wrong back then, and you glanced at her once again. Leana was now gazing around the town in amazement, since you knew that she had never been here as well; you instinctively scoffed a laugh, to thing that you believed Minho was the biggest threat among the crew.

Not to mention that the surprises were definitely not over; shortly after, Leana asked you if you believed in soulmates. 

«I think I do,» you confessed; it was definitely one of your favourite genres to read about, but you couldn’t admit that to her, «why?»

«I’ve been thinking about it lately, but I never had anyone to talk about it…» she admitted.

“I wonder why,” you silently commented, but kept silent.

«Sometimes I have the feeling that me and Chris were meant to be, you know?» she fondly smiled, her gaze lost somewhere in the scenery around the two of you as she was probably recalling one of the various memories she had created with her husband; you were about to answer something encouraging and motivational, when her next words definitely made your voice die in your throat. «I mean, I didn’t even like Chris when he brought me on the ship, let alone if I could imagine myself falling in love with him or even marrying him.» she admitted, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Wait a fucking minute now,”

«What?» you asked in complete disbelief. Once again, you perfectly recalled you read that Chris and Leana were in love before she got romantically and dramatically stolen away from him; to be precise, Leana was engaged to another man, who she didn’t love.

However, Leana was standing in front of you, telling you a completely different part of the story, making you question if the things you’ve read on your couch were correct in the first place.

«I was engaged with an officer of the navy, and I loathed pirates at first; I accepted to go with Chris because I agreed with my fiancée that I would have made Chris vulnerable in some way.» Leana hesitantly confessed, and you couldn’t bring yourself to find an actual reply, «in the end I fell for him little by little, to the point where I couldn’t imagine my life without him.»

“What the hell,” you thought; you had stopped walking altogether, and were simply standing still in silence, a whirlwind of thoughts floating around your head as you were staring at Leana. You never read something like this in the book, but if we had to be honest, the book was following Chris’ point of view, but again, by the way Leana was described, she was meant to be the typical damsel in distress that runs away from an unhappy relationship to find her love.

However, in front of you stood Leana, a damsel that was very not in distress, a damsel who had a concerning series of murders weighting on her shoulders,  whose original plan was to serve Chris’ head to the navy.

«I’m glad you married him,» you ended up blurting out, «you look really cute together.» Leana loudly laughed at your unexpected comment, and as the two of you started walking again, she hugged your arm a little closer to her side.

«Wanna know who’s cute?» her teasing tone made you sigh out of reflex, not sure whether you wanted to know the answer to her question, «You and Min Min.» she chanted, making you whine as an answer.

«I don’t like him like that, let’s just – let’s talk about it another time, okay?» you pleaded, hoping that she would fall for your suggestion so that you could keep avoiding the topic forever.

The moment you stepped in front of the library’s entrance, you couldn’t believe your eyes: it was as if a huge castle had been redecorated just to serve a new and better purpose. Leana didn’t lie when she said about the pillars being huge, and the more you ventured in, the more you felt overwhelmed; you loved books, and for a second, you thought that you could become a priestess just to have a chance to read every single book you could see, even if it would have took literally a lifetime. In the end, you ended up asking to a priestess for help, since you would have taken at least a whole day in order to find some useful information without asking for help.

«Books about teleportation?» the priestess had repeated your words, as if making sure she heard you loud and clear; you hesitantly nodded, feeling incredibly small under her gaze; she eventually nodded at the two of you, asking to follow her. Needless to say, you ended up walking your way on the stairs around one of the pillars, just to reach the highest bookshelf.

«It’s been a while since someone asked for that,» she said, trying to make conversation with the two of you, but only Leana was answering her various questions, since you were way too nervous to speak. As you reached the bookshelf, your shoulders immediately lowered in deject; there were only four books about teleportation, but no one of them were like the one you brought.

«Sadly, we only have these ones.» the priestess excused herself, quickly taking notice of your saddened expression; you immediately tried to smile, shaking your head and answering that it was okay.

«Are you sure you’re okay?» Leana whispered to you, as soon as the priestess begun to walk down the stairs on her own and was now out of sight; your gaze was still on the books, which you eventually tried to examine.

What if the cover was different because you were in a different dimension? However, as your fingers leafed through the pages, you couldn’t understand your feelings; you almost seemed happy about the fact that your task had failed, as if what you really wanted was to remain into this world.

«I am,» you nodded, seeing Leana’s concern vanish from her features, «I really am.»

The fact that your mission had failed meant only one thing: you and Leana were free to curiously look around as you pleased, and that’s exactly what you did. At the end of the day, once you were back in the carriage, you could swear you almost had a headache due to all the informations the both of you had tried to assimilate in your brain.

«What was that one again? Flat parsley and saffron?» she mumbled, massaging the side of her head.

«This planet is not flat was the first part,» you tiredly answered, mimicking her actions, «I don’t know where you got the parsley and saffron thing from.»

«It was the recipes book I wanted to steal.» she urged, trying to give you another hint, as if you hadn’t read an infinite quantitative of books within few hours.

«Oh, that one,» you hummed, recalling the moment where Leana had tried to see if the recipes book would fit under her shirt, saying that Felix would have loved it, «it was the recipe of saffron rice… There was no parsley, though.»

When you got off the carriage, Minho and Chris exchanged a quizzical glance as they saw the two of you look exhausted; both of you were dragging your feet towards them, talking with a flat tone about how amazing your day had been.

«Found anything?» Minho questioned, ignoring how his heart was beating in a silent hope that you didn’t manage to find the book you were looking for; you kept walking, silently shaking your head. Minho didn’t say anything as he walked up next to you; the pirate breathed a soft sigh, swinging his arm around your shoulders and instinctively you hugged his waist, leaning your head towards his shoulder.

«You’ll find it.» you heard Minho’s reassuring tone, and you shrugged in a silent answer.

“I think it will be okay, even if I don’t.” you secretly thought, glancing at the pirate walking next to you.

Out of your sight, Chris and Leana were glancing both at you and Minho, before looking at each other.

«Am I hallucinating?» Chris questioned his wife; he knew that things between you and the pirate had improved, but he didn’t imagine they had improved that much.

«I think we’ll be celebrating another marriage soon.» Leana sighed, fondly smiling at the two of you. «“I don’t like Minho”, my ass.» she scoffed, mumbling to herself as an amused smirk erupted on her lips, recalling the moment you denied liking the pirate.

That night, you found out that Chris not only owned every single soul sailing above the sea, he also owned few taverns scattered around the land as well.

You and the others had ended up in the courtyard of a local tavern – the Bitter Dahlia, the musicians animatedly creating a joyful atmosphere as few people had eventually started to dance. You had let yourself convince to try a whole lot different kind of drinks by Hyunjin, and now you were tipsily strolling around the courtyard with a pint of beer in your hand, and thankfully, Minho had easily noticed it; that’s why as soon as you walked past him in order to find Felix, he reached out, placing his hand on your right shoulder and tugging you close to his body, your back pressed against his chest. You didn’t realize it was Minho at first, you simply pouted because someone was stopping you all of a sudden; when you decided to find out who was attached to the arm blocking your path you giggled as soon as you saw Minho’s face, and let him pull you closer to him.

Minho didn’t say anything, and neither did you – nor did you move away in the first place.

«I think you drank too much, princess,» his hoarse voice – probably affected by the drinks he had, spoke right against your ear, and you instinctively crossed your ankles just to press your thighs together; you let him take the pint of beer from your hand, his arm eventually found his way around your waist, and he leaned his chin on your shoulder.

«Felix!» you giggled, catching a hold of the boy’s forearm as soon as you saw him walk by, tugging him towards both you and Minho, «Look at them,» you excitedly spoke, «look at them!» you urged again, giggling excitedly as you obviously forgot that Minho was right behind you and therefore he could hear everything.

Even if he was in a worse state than you were, it didn’t take a genius for Felix to understand who you were talking about, and he followed your glance towards the small group of couples that were dancing; of course Chris and Leana were there, and of course you and Felix had felt the need to talk about how wonderful and amazing they looked.

«They’re both stumbling on their feet,» Minho had stated from behind you, holding your waist a little firmer, and you suddenly reminded that he had been unconsciously made part of your secret conversations with Felix, «they’re really drunk, like – three sheets to the wind drunk.» he clarified, amused with your behaviour.

«You don’t understand,» you quickly answered, your hand flying on top of the one the pirate had placed on your hip, «look at -» your voice vanished from your throat as soon as you turned your head towards him, and instead, your heart picked up pace at a concerning speed; Minho’s face was millimetres from yours, his gaze burning into yours, «them.» you eventually finished, your voice barely above a whisper. You and Minho had already been close enough to kiss once, but to say that the situation was completely different would be an understatement.

If back then neither you nor Minho would have considered the option to kiss the other – let alone being attracted to each other, to this day things had drastically changed. Even if you blamed it on the alcohol, you were very much aware about the fact that you would have loved to kiss him; the fact that Minho’s gaze kept shifting between your eyes and your lips clearly told you that your desire was reciprocated.

“If this was a movie we would make out while Céline Dion was singing her heart out in the background,” you drunkenly thought, “and all I get is drunk bards play the tarantella”.

«Well, this is something unexpected!» Jisung’s loud voice made you and Minho immediately turn your head towards him, and much to your embarrassment, he wasn’t alone; of course Changbin and Hyunjin were with him.

«She’s tipsy, I didn’t want her to fall over.» Minho had immediately answered, his voice a little bit too defensive if you were to ask Hyunjin, who carefully – and drunkenly, studied his expression with a sly smirk.

«And the empty chair next to you was claimed by a ghost?» Jisung questioned the pirate, who rolled his eyes without answering.

However, the worst still had to happen, because in that very moment, Leana seemed to appear out of thin air, as if she had magically listened to the conversation while she was dancing with her husband.

«You didn’t hear it from me,» Leana loudly announced as if you and Minho weren’t there, «but when we returned from O’draxxia, Minho straight up hugged her.» You felt Minho bury his forehead in the crook of your neck, and you shortly met Felix’s gaze, who was looking at you with a drunk dazed smile: «We better talk about this!» he said.

«And, he also kissed her forehead.» Leana lied, getting drunk shouts of surprise from your friends, and you knew that as soon as you got back on the ship, you and Minho would become the most interesting topic among the crew.

«Want to scoot over?» Minho spoke against your ear once again, and you found your mind drifting towards unholy thoughts before you could stop yourself; his question was sincere, and as he voiced it, he started to move his arm away from your hip. However, you didn’t bother to voice an answer; since your hand was still placed above his, you pushed it more firmly against your hip, purposely intertwining your fingers together.

As you felt Minho’s lips hovering above the exposed skin of your shoulder in a barely perceptible kiss, you could swear that all the noise coming from the loud party around the two of you had been ignored from your brain.

Back on the Golden Fleece, everything seemed to have fallen back to the usual routine, with the only addiction that your friends had decided to constantly tease you and Minho about your almost kiss.

Of course, even if three days had passed since that night and Minho had visited your bedroom as always, no one dared to approach the topic, and you kept dancing on your tiptoes around each other. However, what’s a princess without a fairy godmother?

That evening, right after dinner, Felix had bursted into your room unannounced, somewhat expecting Leana’s presence as well; the two of them were casually sitting on your bed, ignoring the fact that you were curled up under the covers, refusing to get out and face them.

«Well?» Felix urged, lowering the blanket just to expose your face; you hissed like a stray cat, but you quickly understood that neither of them was going to leave without an answer to the same question.

«I don’t have anything to say,» you stubbornly said, and you heard Leana snort.

«Okay, we’ll go first:» she spoke, leaning towards you, «I was drunk but I sure do have eyes, girl.» she spoke with an alluring tone, and you tried to roll over the opposite side in order not to hear her, «and my eyes are telling me that you like Minho, and Minho likes you.» choosing to groan instead of answer, Felix saw an opportunity to chime in.

«You were still dancing when it happened, but they almost kissed – like, kissed.» Felix added, empathizing the last part of his sentence, and Leana almost shrieked in disbelief, her offended voice questioning why you didn’t tell her such an important and fundamental detail.

«Did you tell him?» Felix questioned, just to add the question you didn’t dare to ask yourself, «Oh… Do you still want to go back home?» You eventually threw the blanket off your face hearing that, meeting your friends’ eyes as your face was filled with unsure doubt; you never thought it would have happened, but you had to admit to yourself that you were happy. You had friends,  you felt accepted, and you managed to have fun thanks to your friends, who cherished you. Moreover…

«I don’t really want to hurt your feelings,» Leana suddenly spoke, interrupting your thoughts, «but when we were in O’draxxia and you didn’t find the book, you almost looked… relieved.» your gaze met, and you realized you had a problem: your heart was clearly telling that you wanted to stay there, in that absurd world you’ve read about one random afternoon.

When you met Felix’s gaze, you realized you had another problem, maybe a bigger one than the previous one: you liked Minho. Well, of course you already knew that, since he was your favourite character of the novel; however, liking the real Minho, the one daily standing in front of you, the one who went from threatening to throw you overboard to gently caress your hair until you fell asleep was a different kind of thing.

«I think I need a second.» you admitted with a sigh, staring at the wooden tiles on the ceiling,

“Let’s suppose I like him,” you thought, “I don’t think he actually likes me, he was probably tipsy,” you bit the inner part of your cheek, “what if he likes me and I like him and I find the book?” you scratched the back of your neck out of frustration, ignoring the fact that you wanted to scream, “what do I do?”

«Well, you could start with a simple “I think I have feelings for you and I don’t think I want to go back any longer”» Felix gently suggested, and as your gaze flew towards his, you realized that you had been unconsciously voicing your thoughts all along.

The same moment Felix was heading towards your room, Minho was heading towards the dining room, knowing that he would have found what he was looking for. The heavy smell of smoke and alcohol filled his nostrils, as he approached his friends’ table quietly.

«Loverboy decided to ditch his girl to embrace his old habits?» Chris glanced at him, quirking an eyebrow with a mischievous smile.

«I’m coming here in spite of myself, but I… have to.» Minho spoke in a dramatic tone that made Chris snort, waiting for his friend to tell them what was going through his mind, «I think I might like her.»

«We knew it already,» Hyunjin replied with no interest, his eyes still glued on his cards, admonishing Jisung because he was trying to sneak some of the coins off the table and inside his sleeve; Minho stared at his friend with stupor, but Hyunjin seemed too focused on their match to pay attention to his friend.

«"Like her" as in, “I want to hold your hand under the moonlight”,» Changbin – the only one beside Chris who was listening to Minho, suggested, «or “I want to ravish you until you can’t stand”?»

Minho didn’t answer immediately, choosing to think about it for a while, even if he didn’t really have to; he undoubtedly found you attractive, and over time, he found himself slowly getting incredibly soft for you, to the point where he would glance around at random moments of the day just to see what you were doing.

The more Minho’s silence went on, the more his friends had gradually stopped focusing on their match in order to look at him with curiosity and malice, enjoying how the pirate’s face gradually got flustered.

«As in… both.» Minho confessed, making his friends hum and mumble in acknowledgement.

«Ah! … Well, we knew that already.» Hyunjin replied again, his sharp gaze once again back to the table in front of them.

«What do you mean?» Minho asked quizzically, since it was the second time his friend had mentioned it.

«Yeah, well, remember when Jisung was teaching her the basic of self defence?» Seungmin – who had kept silent until then, asked making Minho immediately nod, how could he forget that day? Jisung had been trying to teach you a few simple movements for what seemed to be hours, but in the end, you kept doing stupid and predictable mistakes because you seemed to be too tense to use a dagger – let alone a sword.

«Leave it, Han, she’ll end up stabbing herself by mistake.» he had told his friend with an arrogant tone, and he clearly remembered the flustered expression on your face. As always, you tried to fight back, but this time it was a little bit different; that’s how you ended up chasing Minho through the deck while screaming «I’ll fucking kill you, I swear!» until Changbin decided to stop you by stopping you mid run.

«What about it?» Minho asked again, not understanding what his friend wanted to imply.

«Felix and few other saw you laughing,» Seungmin added, «therefore, it was just a matter of time.»

Minho placed his elbow on the table and roughly massaged the bridge of his nose, trying to analyse the situation he was in: he liked you, but what happened few nights ago was just a result of the both of you being tipsy, and moreover, he knew that you wanted to go back home. What was he supposed to do?

«I’m not an expert, but try with a simple “I like you, please stay here with me”.» Jisung had spoken as if he could read his thoughts; only then Minho realized that he had never been silent in the first place.

Minho had eventually joined you in your bedroom few hours after Felix and Leana had left, even if you had already stated that he either fell asleep or he was spending the night gambling with the others. You seemed to miss his presence more than you usually did, especially because that night you were freezing: no matter how many blankets you were laying under, you just didn’t seem to warm up.

“It wouldn’t be punk rock for me to die like this,” you thought, breathing in your joined fists as you tried to ignore the constant shivers of your body.

A familiar knock on the door caught your attention, and as soon as you recognized Minho’s voice whispering his greetings, you had to physically stop yourself from asking him to join you under the covers so that he could warm you up.

Unlike you, Minho didn’t seem to mind the cold that much, but nonetheless he quickly walked up to you, pressing the palm of his hand to your forehead just in case you had a fever.

«I’m genuinely wondering how the hell you manage to live like this.» you broke the silence, your jaw trembling because of the sheer cold; although you tried not to think to the accommodation of your original life, your mind couldn’t help but wander to your beloved electric heater, your faithful companions during winter.

«You just ... get used to it?» Minho questioned back, not really able to give you an actual answer; of course, during the first years he spent sailing he was in the same situation as you – everyone had, but he eventually got used to it. Minho sat on the edge of your bed, mindlessly running his fingertips through your hair – a simple yet intimate gesture he had come to love.

«I can hear flowers blooming in that flower field,» he smugly commented the fact that you were keeping silent, and you clicked your tongue, asking what he meant, «what did you use in your world to keep warm?» he curiously questioned, and your heart soared at the realization that he was honestly and genuinely interested in your stories.

However, you were too cold for your brain to function properly, and you ended up talking about the concept of the electric heating in a very confusing way; nonetheless, Minho didn’t seem to mind you words, for his concern had increasingly risen.

«Hey,» the pirate interrupted your explanation, «are you sure you don’t want another blanket?» despite the fact that you were doing your best, he still noticed the occasional shivers and clattering of your teeth as soon as you stopped speaking.

«It’s okay,» you reassured him, «I used all the blankets Leana gave me… I’ll warm up eventually.» you answered hopefully, but Minho didn’t answer immediately; instead, he reached out, shortly enveloping your hand with his just to comment that it was as if you had stuck your hand into ice.

«Come here,» Minho said, stretching over your legs and fully sitting on your bed with his back against the wall, widening his legs so that he could form a space for you to sit in; you kept still in amazed astonishment, not quite trusting your thoughts on the hypothesis that Minho wanted to cuddle.

«Are you gonna kill me?» you blurted out, for your frozen brain decided it was the most likely solution.

«Quit that, princess,» he clicked his tongue, urging you to come closer, «you know we’re past that.» folding all your blankets around your shape, you slowly crawled in the space he made for you, trying not to lose the small amount of warmth you had created; you immediately tensed up, sitting straight and clutching the blankets closer to your body.

Since the night you almost kissed, you had never been so close to Minho, and for some reason, it was enough for your heart to pick up pace as if it was begging you to set it free through your ribcage.

«Come here,» the pirate repeated, his voice a little gentler – a little softer, and you found yourself leaning against his torso. Unlike you, Minho wasn’t using a blanket to keep himself warm and therefore he could move his arms freely; of course he used them to loosely cage you in his hold.

Although you had to admit that the position you were in definitely looked kind of weird, it was extremely comfortable; Minho’s steady breathing was slowly calming your nerves as well, and you found yourself relaxing in his hold.

«Do you want some of my blankets?» you mumbled quietly, embarrassed about the fact that you didn’t ask sooner.

«I’m good.» Minho answered immediately, gently repeating that you should try to sleep.

Despite the fact that you were comfortable, despite Minho’s presence, despite the fact that you were slowly warming up, sleep was definitely your last priority. The pirate’s nose brushed against your forehead as he was trying to adjust his position to get more comfortable, and you quickly noticed that his skin was cold as well.

«Minho,» you called out again few minutes later; the pirate hummed, and you took it at a silent question to go on, «can we please share blankets?» 

«Why?» he chuckled at your distress, and you could feel his soft breath in the side of your face. «You look cold,» you tried to justify yourself, «I have a lot of blankets, we can share.» you insisted.

Minho eventually gave up, and the both of you ended up shifting from your original position; however, this meant that your arms were touching as you were now laying next to each other, and there wasn’t a blanket you could use as an invisible barrier anymore.

Under the sea of sheets, Minho’s right arm snaked under your neck, pulling you to his body; as if you were magnets, you followed his lead, laying on your side and hugging his waist, resting your head in the crook of his neck, nuzzling as close as you could. Your nose was right against Minho’s neck, and you could almost feel the goosebumps he had whenever you breathed; you ended up blaming it on the cold temperature, since you were fond of keeping your mental sanity and you were madly trying to distract yourself from thinking about other ways to share body heat.

«You know, once we got stuck in the middle of an iced part of the sea,» Minho mumbled, talking about one of his adventures as if he was trying to prevent his mind from wandering towards the same sinful thoughts you were trying to avoid.

«What?» you hummed, too tired to try remembering if you read about it in the novel, «How did you get out of there?»

«Ropes,» was his immediate answer, «we ended up pulling on the rope until we could break the ice.»

«Like that “Vikings” episode,» you giggled to yourself in a tired voice; Minho had immediately questioned you about it, and you tried to explain to him what movies and TV shows were.

However, you were obliviously fighting falling asleep, reason why Minho ended up gently shutting you up with a gentle and earnest: «you’ll tell me about it tomorrow.»

As always you fell asleep first, but this time, when Minho moved you so that you could lay on your bed to sleep more comfortably and he could walk back to his room, you weakly grabbed his hand in your sleep.

«I get lonely if you’re not here.» you mumbled, still lost in dreamland. Minho was thankful to the lights being completely off and to you being asleep because the expression on his face was priceless: he was incredibly flustered, his blush was flaring up both his cheeks and the tip of his ears. That night, Minho slept next to you for the first time, and as you randomly woke up in the middle of the night, you found him laying next to you under the sea of blankets; you instinctively snuggled closer to his chest, only to realize that you were partially laying on top of his firm chest. Not wanting to disturb his sleep, you tried to scoot away as quietly as you could in order not to wake him up, just to lay next to him.

However, that was your initial plan, since you soon found out that Minho was indeed a light sleeper; the arm he kept around your waist had tightened out of reflex, harshly pulling you in your original position once again.

«Where do you think you’re going, princess?» he murmured, his voice still groggy due to sleep.

«I, uhm…» you hesitated, your brain was clearly too sleepy to come up with a clever and witty answer. Minho didn’t wait for you to find your words, though; keeping you close to his body, he gently rolled you on your back, partially draping his body over yours instead.

«Go back to sleep,» he murmured again, easing his left leg between yours, and nuzzling his head in the crook of your neck.

“He’s a cuddler?” you wondered in pleased surprise; your hand eventually ended up in his hair, running your fingertips trough it and trying to lull him back to sleep.

However, Minho found it impossible to fall asleep again, judging your wild heartbeat hammering right under his ear; he glanced up towards the small window in your room, and quickly deduced that it was still the middle of the night, meaning that you didn’t get to sleep much in the first place.

If at first he had tried to lull you back to sleep while caressing your hip in a loving manner, he quickly realized that his touch had quite the opposite effect on you; he also had to admit that the sudden proximity of your body and the position that you were in was making him significantly riled up as well.

«Can’t sleep?» he asked, shortly rubbing his eyes with his fingertips in order to get rid of sleep as fast as he could, deciding that you didn’t have to stay awake on your own; you settled for humming affirmatively at his question, and Minho effortlessly pushed himself up, partially balancing his weight on his right elbow so that he his face was hovering above yours. Due to the change of position, his thigh was firmly pressed between your legs, and you forced yourself to swallow a whimper as his knee slightly dipped in the mattress.

Despite the poor lightning, you could feel his gaze on your features, as if he was trying to see through the darkness; you were clearly trying to do the same, and another silence fell as the Golden Fleece was constantly rocking your body while gently following the rhythm of the night sea.

«Do you think the flowers growing in your head are contagious?» Minho blurted out all of a sudden, his left hand mindlessly running up your side in a gentle yet firm touch, «I think I might go back on my thoughts of you not being a siren.» he quietly added; you didn’t answer – your senses about to go overdrive due to all the different kind of constant stimulation added to the comfortable warmth of his body, settling for humming yet again, silently asking him to go on.

Minho ran his left hand from your side to your neck, and eventually started to run his fingertip over your features, delicately brushing over your skin ever so lightly, touching you as if you were some precious treasure he unexpectedly found in the middle of the sea.

«You have completely driven me mad,» Minho confessed with an earnest voice, his fingertips brushing over your cheekbones, «with affection,» he added, his touch brushing over the bow on your upper lip, «with desire,» you found yourself weakly gripping at the front his shirt as soon as you heard his hoarse voice overflowing with the feelings he was talking about, «to the point where I know I should want you to be happy, but I keep wanting – I keep craving, that you could find your happiness with me.» Minho’s confession made your head spin; you wanted to answer that his feelings were completely reciprocated, answer that you didn’t found happiness with Minho – you found a home. However, your voice died in your throat as soon as the pirate had leaned in, his lips hovering barely above yours, yet almost constantly brushing together due to the ship’s movement.

«I am completely enamoured of everything about you,» Minho had whispered then, making you suddenly tighten the loose grip you had on his shirt to the point that the necklace he had been wearing since they day you saved the crew from the sirens’ had fallen out of the collar, now dangling between your bodies, «your body, your personality, the crazy flower field in your head, princess, I – I don’t want you to go back.»

Your heart was overflowing with a different mix of feelings, but the happiness of your feelings being reciprocated seemed to prevail. «I stopped wanting to go back since me and Leana returned from O'draxxia.» was what you admitted out loud, your voice trembling due to all the sudden emotions that were almost setting your soul on fire.

Only then you leaned in – trusting your body more then your words, capturing the pirate’s lips in a timid first kiss, filling it with all the love you felt for the pirate. Minho returned your gesture immediately, kissing your lips slowly, tentatively, over and over again as he was trying to savour you, shortly kissing your lips just to drift his attention elsewhere and kissing your cheek, your nose, your chin, as if he was trying not to lose himself to the lust he was feeling. The kiss had eventually started to heathen when Minho leaned in to kiss you, just for you to run your fingertips through his hair and harshly closing your hand in a fist against his nape, tugging him closer to you and preventing him from running away, so that you could delicately running your tongue on his lower lip.

Minho’s kisses started to get less cherishing and more passionate, occasionally leaving a path of open mouthed kisses on your neck, his knee digging further in the mattress anytime he moved and creating the kind of friction you were honestly about to beg for. It was as if you were a small ship adrift caught up in a sudden storm; Minho kept worshipping your body and all you could do in that moment was to take, take and take, hoping that as soon as the storm had passed you wouldn’t have completely fallen into madness, wishing to stumble right in another one because you felt addicted to the rush of adrenaline. As your kisses grew hotter, so did your bodies and eventually, the sea of blankets you were covered with was progressively being scattered either on the floor or in a corner of your bed.

On deck, the sight of the sun about to rise in the distance was in stark contrast to the light drizzle that had started to fall, the sound of rain echoing on the wooden tiles and absorbing the faint noises of the pirates waking up for the morning shift; in your bedroom, Minho’s hair felt like gentle rain falling on your body everytime the pirate leaned down to kiss your skin as he was undressing you.

“Well, fuck,” you thought, admitting to yourself that Minho was definitely both a good and experienced lover. He had patiently took his sweet time to pay extreme attention to your body, studying how reacted to his different touches as if he was making up for all the lost time, occasionally showering you with praises as his head was nestled between your legs and he was lapping at your clit, making you quicklytumble on your first orgasm of the night. It had definitely been a long time since you had sex with someone, your boring routine had never actually given you an opportunity to meet new people – let alone think about a relationship, but you weren’t expecting Minho to act so smug about it.

As your bodies were finally connected,Minho had sneaked one arm under your waist while steadily moving his hips against yours, harshly pulling it upwards so that your back would be a little more arched and your naked bodies would be pressed together even more; once again, you were greedily taking everything Minho was giving you, helplessly running your fingernails on his back deep enough you would leave marks, beaming yourself in the feeling of his low moans and the goosebumps erupting on his skin out of reflex.

«Going dumb on me for this little action, princess?» Minho’s hoarse voice was filled with desire as he spoke, his hips gradually slowing until his movements came to a stop; you immediately whimpered loudly at the lack of friction, trying to move your hips in circles because you were desperately to create it on your own. You wanted to feel more, you wanted for that moment to never end. As you kept your movements slow and rhythmic – you had to admit that Minho still hoisting you up was doing half of the job, you grabbed the necklace sill dangling between the two of you with your left hand, harshly tugging it and therefore bringing Minho’s face closer to yours.

«Do you ever shut up?» you answered instead, the nails of your right hand – still gripping at his shoulders, were most definitely digging half moon shapes in his skin, and you felt proud of yourself for not ending up whimpering with need somewhere along your sentence; even if it was probably dawn already, you couldn’t see him clearly yet, but it didn’t take a wild guess for you to know that he was smirking at your words.

«I don’t know, do I?» he challenged, shortly capturing your lips in a passionate kiss, starting once again to move his hips to meet your movements.

«Ruin me, Minho,» you urged, keeping him close to you with your grip on the necklace, «I want to be yours,» you confessed then, your body slowly about to lose itself to the momentary euphoria of another orgasm, «I don’t want you to be anybody else’s but mine.»

«Do you think we can sleep in?» you mumbled, tired; you could both clearly hear that it was raining, and you desperately wished for your alone time with Minho to continue for few more hours; you were now laying in bed, lovingly cuddling in your post orgasm bliss.

«I’m on duty this morning,» Minho replied, caressing the bare skin of your shoulder, and admitting that he would have loved to spend the day like this; eventually, you and Minho woke up, washed up and got ready for your day.

Of course, during the day, the pirate had used any excuse to drive you in a corner of the Golden Fleece and kiss you as desperately as if it was your last time. Of course, you couldn’t escape a certain pair of eyes.

“Oh no, here they come, Sauron and Sauron jr.” you thought, chuckling to yourself as you saw Felix and Leana approaching with big and quick steps; you found it hard to contain your laughter, since they were lightly pushing and pulling each other as if both of them wanted to know first.

«Congratulations on the sex!» Leana had mischievously commented, and you immediately reached out to press your hand against her lips in a vain attempt to let everyone on the Golden Fleece know about your early morning activities, «you have hickeys everywhere.» you heard her mutter against your skin.

«Are you finally official?» Felix questioned, secretly happy to have you as a sister in law; you didn’t immediately reply, since you and Minho didn’t clarify it out loud.

However, as your gaze shortly wondered to your lover, who was continuously walking around on deck while changing his destination every now and then as he was trying to avoid Hyunjin’s Jisung’s and Changbin’s teasing – they were literally tailing him and occasionally trying to widen the collar of his shirt just to see «where do these scratches on your nape come from? Is there a stray cat on board or something?», you found yourself smiling gently at the sight.

«We are.» you confirmed, a smile on your face as you finally felt happy.

A month later, you and Minho were definitely official: he moved to your bedroom, and you managed to fit in your small bed nonetheless. You both spent your days doing your chores, and your nights enjoying your affection, either making love until you were exhausted or talking until you were on the verge to fall asleep.

Minho wanted to know everything about you, every single detail that you didn’t consider important, and you felt cherished, since you knew that no one had ever loved you like that. Actually, you wanted to know everything about Minho as well; although the author of the novel had paid enough attention to his character, there were a lot of things you didn’t know, and you found yourself listening to his stories, silently wishing that you were already in his company so that you could have experienced those memories together.

«You’re a pirate,» he had chuckled at your comment, «I’m sure you’ll get to experience your dose of adventures, too.» Minho was completely smitten with your presence, and so were you; slowly, you found yourself occasionally forgetting about your life before you had shifted into this dimension, admitting to both your lover and your friends that you didn’t want to find a way to go home any longer. Needless to say, they were all more than happy with your choice.

However, a month later, your destiny gave you an unexpected choice.

The Golden Fleece was now docked to a port for your usual restock of supplies, and as everyone was busy with their commissions, you and Minho decided to wander through the nearby marketplace, since everything about that world was new to you. You ended up buying a matching necklace, since the both of you were too scared to lose a ring in the middle of the sea, and you kept playing with it as you were strolling around, your fingers loosely intertwined together.

The marketplace was filled with the most random people, but what captured your attention was a small stall that seemed to be packed with books.

«I’ll check this out for a second.» you told Minho, who had simply nodded at you, answering that he was going to check out the stall right next to yours.   As soon as you quickly approached it, a certain book seemed to catch your eye in a magnetic hold: it was relegated in leather, some golden details that recalled the title written in beautiful handwriting. Honestly, a small familiar detail was the one that caught your eye, making your heart rapidly hammer in your chest: a small golden stone embedded right under the title was quietly reflecting the sunlight.

Immediately, you found yourself fanning the pages with anxious fingers, and you couldn’t believe what you were reading; the book was talking about your life, the life you were leading before finding yourself in the novel you had been reading. What the hell was happening?

Quickly, you jumped to the end of the book to read the summary, and you felt as if you couldn’t breathe: it was a short novel about a girl – who coincidentally had both your name and worked exactly where you used to work, who spent her quiet life in a small home town, occasionally meeting her friends.

Of course, it sounded rather plain and boring, but the description was perfectly matching your life; anxiety was slowly clouding your emotions as you opened the book at a random page.

“«Cleo, don’t sit on the window sill!» the girl had yelled from the kitchen, worried about her cat’s habits.”

You closed the book immediately, recalling the scene a bit too vividly; your cat had the habit to sit on the window sill anytime it was open, therefore worrying you to death, and every time you ended up picking her up in order to give her some extra cuddles to refrain her from climbing there yet again.

A whirlwind of thoughts were occupying your head; if this book was talking about your life, that meant you could go back to your ordinary life and keep living your days as you used to.

Going back meant not having occasional nausea due to living on a ship and not risking to die of hypothermia; moreover, all of a sudden, you were definitely craving to eat some junk food.

«Are you interested in purchasing the book, young girl?» an old lady called your attention. She was probably the owner of the stall, and you squinted your eyes at the familiarity of her face; to be honest, you were almost certain that she was the same person that owned the book-store in your original time, but that couldn’t be the case, right?

«Hey princess, if you don’t hurry up, we’ll leave you here!» Minho’s voice interrupted your thoughts, and your head seemed to clear just like the wind clears the sky after a heavy storm; you turned your head to look at your lover, who was looking at you with his hands on his hips, a smug yet enamoured look on his face. The Golden Fleece was about to sail, you reminded yourself, you had simply stopped in town to get some supplies, water and enough provisions for the next trip.

Out of instinct, you hugged the book to your chest, as your eyes remained fixed on Minho; you didn’t know anything about how you managed to end up in this messed up reality, and at this point, you didn’t care.

The chance to go back was right in your hands, but as you watched Minho scoff a laughter at your indecision, every trace of doubt vanished from your heart; you and Minho definitely had a rough start, but you had to admit to yourself that you wouldn’t want to live in another dimension without the pirate who was looking at you as if you were the centre of the universe.

Going back meant not having Felix waking you up in the morning, or Leana bursting into your room looking for cuddles because «Chris is busy with stupid pirate stuff.». It meant not seeing both Seungmin and Jeongin incredibly proud about the latter’s progresses in writing and reading, or Changbin, Jisung and Hyunjin restlessly trying to lure you into their gambling circle.

Going back also meant no more Minho; no more walking up in the middle of the night just to cuddle closer to him, no more having quiet sex on deck in the middle of the night, no more laughing among yourselves because of a stupid inside joke you created, not having him gently chuckling at your unconsolable face anytime he was drying your hair with a towel as you kept whining about your limited edition conditioner.

Most importantly, it meant no more Minho telling you that he loved you, his eyes full of love and sincerity.

«Thank you, but I prefer adventure books.» you honestly answered at the lady, and with a content smile you placed the book exactly where it was; you quickly walked towards Minho, who hugged your shoulders out of instinct as the two of you walked towards the port.

«Saw anything you liked out there?» he wondered curiously; you sincerely seemed interested in the book you were holding, why didn’t you buy it?

«Yeah,» you answered honestly, «you.» the pirate scoffed a flustered breath, and you circled his waist as you kept walking.

Unbeknownst to you, the lady was looking at you and Minho with a some sort of fond smile on her lips; as soon as you were at a reasonable distance, the book seemed to vanish, as if it had completely disappeared from this world. In a blink of an eye, the old lady seemed to have disappeared as well, and in her place was standing the original owner of the stall, a man who was selling every kind of jewellery shining brightly on the table in front of him.

Few meters away, a cat with a very unique appearance – black fur randomly dotted with ginger spots and light green eyes, was quietly roaming the port, satisfied with her task. She recalled being called in a different variety of names during her immortal life, “Ananke” was probably the most used among different cultures; however, she will always cherish the memories she had made with a very special human who had randomly picked her up on a rainy day, giving her a shelter, keeping her well fed and gifting her with a brand new name: “Cleo”.

Walking towards the Golden Fleece, your attention was caught by some pirates who were carrying a dozen crates on board that looked quite heavy.

«Did we have so little supplies on board?» you questioned Chris, as soon as you and Minho joined the others on the wharf.

«We had plenty!» Leana answered instead, «Me and Felix decided to fill your wardrobe with new clothes, as a welcoming gift!»

«But… I don’t have a wardrobe in my room…» you answered, wondering how could a wardrobe fit in there now that you and Minho were sharing the bedroom.

«Not yet!» Felix answered, mirroring Leana’s euphoria; you were about to answer him, when Hyunjin had asked you whether you had decided to stay with them.

«I did, Captain said it’s not a problem.» you nodded, imperceptibly pushing your body against Minho’s side as if to look for an invisible shelter; what if the gambler trio was against the idea?

However, Hyunjin had simply nodded, while Changbin and Jisung seemed to be genuinely happy about it.

«Well, that’s great!» you said, clapping your hands once, «Chris said that I could chose the first thing to do, and so I decided we’re about to raid a merchant ship!»

«Are you sure you’re okay? Did you perhaps hit your head again?» Seungmin wondered, instinctively reaching out in order to touch your forehead, as if checking if you had a fever. However, you were already walking towards the Golden Fleece with confident steps, as if you were meant to be there.

«Come on, scallywags!» you eagerly announced in a loud voice, as if you were impersonating the Captain, «Let’s go, Min Min.» you added then, your voice definitely more softer and a smile on your lips.

«Wait!» Jeongin halted everyone, his hands hovering in the air, «Did she just call him-»

«You heard the lady!» Leana interrupted Jeongin, quickly pulling the palm of her hand on the younger’s mouth. «Let’s go!»

“Ah, I really shouldn’t have wasted the Britney quote like that,” you pouted, “now I have to figure out another iconic thing to scream as we walk on the merchants’ ship.” you sighed, instinctively leaning towards Minho as soon as you felt his arm circle your shoulders.

«You seem lost in thought,» he pointed out, noticing your eyebrows furrowed.

«Does “it’s high tide, baby!” sound scary and menacious to you?» you wondered out loud, thing that made Minho burst out laughing, «Why are you laughing? It’s not like we can crash against their ship screaming “vibe check”!» you pretended to be offended, but you found yourself laughing along with your lover.

«“Vibe” what? Where did that come from now?» he asked, already knowing that this was just another one of your weird figure of speech.

«My flower field.» you proudly answered, tapping your temple twice, Minho rolled his eyes, and leaned in, shortly kissing your temple.

Everyone was busy on deck, the Golden Fleece had sailed once again; your gaze lost itself in the vast sea in front of you, and you found yourself recalling the question Leana had asked you when you were on your trip to O’draxxia.

«Do you believe in soulmates?» she had questioned you, and back then you uncertainly answered that you thought you did.

“What if me and Minho are soulmates?” you wondered, unconsciously wrapping your fingers around your matching necklace - both the one you bought at the market and the talisman made out of your precious clothes; you found yourself recalling the unpredictable change of your relationship, and you breathed a content sigh, for the first time in your life feeling completely at peace.

«Yes, we must be.» you softly mumbled to yourself, your voice barely above a whisper losing itself in the wind.  

all works © lettersfromaphrodite

Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories. I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.

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[hilsonologist]

COD MEN AND THEIR DOGS!

just my hcs for the dogs they would get!

TF141 + könig

gn!reader, fluff, no warnings really, adopt dont shop y’all !! , gifs not mine! can u tell im a dog person

cavalier king charles spaniel!

- didn’t plan on getting a dog until he came home and found you with a little cavalier pup in your lap

- a sweet girl with an old lady name like marjorie

- wasn’t super affectionate towards her until he was napping like an old man in his recliner and she curled up on his lap

- he woke up and acted annoyed, looked around to see if you were there then looked back at her and couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he pet her.

- life changed

- this dog is precious to him

- only the best brands of food, most reputable groomers, always has her favorite treats stocked up, wouldn’t trust anyone to watch her.

- you thought you loved this dog? john loves her 10 times more.

- christmas cards with your dog

- wedding pics with your dog

- she was def in your wedding

- the dog is queen of the house and you’re both totally fine with that

- your guys’ child tbh

a blue staffordshire bull terrier

- wanted to get you a guard dog, you insisted on adopting from a shelter

- was looking for a big mean scary looking dog but said he didn’t like their ‘attitudes’ (leave it to simon.)

- almost left empty handed but a little staffy caught your eye.

- stole your heart immediately the little guy was wagging his tail and sitting patiently at the kennel door. when the shelter staff explained he was a rescue from dog fights and had some temperament issues so he wasn’t easily adoptable he stole ghost’s heart.

- saw himself in the dog

- needless to say you took home that little staffy

- surprisingly patient with the pup and his behavioral issues

- he nipped at ghost once out of nerves and you prepared for the worst but ghost backed off to give him space instead

- invests in a lot of training for him, will switch trainers if he finds their methods are too hard on your pup

- i think the dog would bring you two closer and let him open up more, especially as the training goes on and there’s noticeable progress

- brings out a different side of ghost tbh, much more vulnerable and happy. not a care in the world when he’s with that dog

- remembers the adoption date and literally takes the dog for a day out, a (pup friendly) meal, a run around the park, a new toy, and finally a fancy ass treat when you’re all back home together

2 scottish terriers

- would not choose to own a dog per say, he basically is one doesn’t need another

- you already had dogs when you started dating and he would never ask you to get rid of them, they were your babies and you made that clear when you blabbered about them non stop your first date

- never saw himself settling down so seriously so he didn’t think much of it

- now he lives with two dogs, scottish terriers funny enough

- acts like he doesn’t like them

- calls them tweedledee and tweedledum

- definitely frantically researches if the dogs can have a bite of his dinner and gives them some if they can. not because the food is bad but because its so good he wants them to experience it too

- new dog toys keep appearing that you didn’t buy but soap insists it wasn’t him

- gets jealous when they’re on your lap getting all your attention

- you have to pet him too

- you went on a trip once and he stayed with the dogs, when you came back they were all sleeping in your bed

dalmatian

- no rhyme or reason for this one he just gives me a dalmatian vibe

- would probably have a male dog named pongo like from 101 dalmatians

- got the dog before you met i think

- loves playing fetch with him

- takes the dog on runs regularly

- absolutely dresses him up for halloween

- brags about your dog a lot

- probably has a pic of you and the dog sleeping as his lock screen or something

- pls take pics of the dog to send to him while he’s deployed or to show him when he gets home

dachshund

- you guys adopted him together a little after you first were engaged

- he named it zerstörer ( destroyer )

- runt of the litter

- definitely buys him little shirts

- “zerstörer nein!! drop my mask!!”

- has lost many masks to zerstörer

- this dog is a menace but könig loves him

- zerstörer runs your house like an evil monarch

- “mein schatz you can’t be mad at him…he is so little and cute…”

- pray you don’t have kids bc you guys will be walked all over by them könig is a sucker

- actually gets upset when someone calls him a wiener dog

- “nein. zerstörer is no wiener.😒😒”

- carrying him around all sassy like

[lmk-aus-galore]

Lmao, for sure. I mean, "he became a deeply protective and caring creature" or whatever they said in Roast of the Monkie Kids, and I sat there like....you mean. you mean the guy Tripitaka often agreed with, *insert some allegorical thing for persuasions of the heart, and that post on their similar nature* the one who get getting Wukong in trouble and stole fights at the end? Mmm, yeah he would push you off a cliff. But bc he's different here, we're contractually obliged (not personally, but when discussing objectively in fandom) to acknowledge those differences. I dislike JTTW Tripitaka, but I understand he's a different dude here. Also woah, didn't know that was something Tripitaka got hate for??? Most Wukong fans I hang around tend to like him. But 100% its genuinely funny Macaque gets the "bUT in jtTW" treatment bc in any other fandom it would never happen. But maybe its exactly because he clicks all the boxes of the fandom's villain fav that there's this push and pull to balance what someone thinks is a "lack of criticism" so they turn to the book and say "well if this was the BOOK he wouldn't be as popular" that is, of course, besides the people who genuinely have their lore all mixed up and with full confidence throw out incorrect facts. Also ughh, Macaque and the monkeys is one of my favorite running gags in this show and I really hope you're right because that means he maaaaay have been there during the Burning of Flower Fruit Mountain, if they keep that in since Erlang Shen is in the show. And it's right after the LBD incident. And yes, it's quite possible. To add on to your points, Wukong says "its time to give back what you stole" in s1 ep 9 and this show loves its parallels. Macaque's eye twitches then, and I wouldn't be surprised if he said that in their 2nd fight as he also stole their supplies. Oooh that IS interesting, I thought the fire sealing happened after the journey. I know a few people theorized that this was an AU where the circlet got taken off sooner, makes you wonder why? Honestly yeah, if they actually grew to get along then makes a whole lotta sense why Wukong would be upset. There's a thousand layers of tragic, because Imma be honest. I really struggle to see Macaque as being possessive or jealous. He'd going to need a serious trigger to do that, and it would have to be either serious resentment over Wukong not being there (FFM burning) or "Because normally you just RUSH to my rescue." being internalized and acted upon when "Monkey! No violence!" happens. The 1st fight def haunts him as it haunts Wukong bc we see him say "I need to stop dragging you into my mess" post s3. "But no! Wukong doesn't listen to anyone, doing whatever he wants and dragging everybody into his mess." Their fight drives me insane bc for the life of me, I can't imagine what motivates Wukong to throw shade like "always had a sidekick kind of vibe." and "on brand for you to have a worse version of everyone else's powers" and "that's a relief. I thought it was somebody important." or why Macaque wanted to kill him so bad "its going to be soo satisfying killing you with your own powers" why always the power reference? because all this over the MONK??? Nah. What caused them to spit hypothetical vitriol in mystery fight 2 so bad their relationship fractured into this. "It's great to see ya, bud!" being mocked again that time implies their 2nd fight had a heavy connection in bringing up the 1st as well if Mac is literally resurrected bothered over it instead of fight number two. "Looks like our own friend, the Lady Bone Demon" (s3 ep 1??) is ALSO weird af phrasing, because it sounds like Macaque was there during the LBD fight when we know he wasn't..........right? with the close timeline of events and her involvement in Mac's revival + the Diyu also freeing Azure + both of them initially hating Wukong, makes you wonder if its orchestrated to get back at him, like literally every villain thus far. Maybe for erasing his name from the book of life and death?

Especially with the trailer out.

I have a feeling the 10 kings are covering up their crime of releasing Azure and blaming it at Wukong.

Which despite it not at all being his fault, there’s too much evidence against him that unfortunately frames him as the one who released Azure or something…especially since all 10 kings are in a position of power.

Maybe this Season is more on trying to prove Wukong is innocent or something?

[fancifulplaguerat]

Sharing some thoughts about Clara because she deserves more attention and I’m obsessed with how the other two protagonists are these twenty-something medical men while she’s this circa fifteen-year-old saint girl who’s actually twelve days old who’s actually as old as Earth itself with magical hands. She’s the literal plague incarnate, an instrument of natural law, but she becomes Clara because she cares about people and her capacity to heal them so much she just denied her very identity. I adore the reveal that she’s branded a thief because she stole her own fucking name like can I ever express how much I want to scratch and bite (affectionate) when Spichka says to her, “You steal something and can’t remember it afterwards. Must’ve been something important—or else something you don’t just put in your pocket. Someone’s name, maybe?”  

And it’s painful to me how characters like Yulia/Andrey belittle her faith and question if she even believes in God, since faith/sainthood/etc. are what Clara clings to to define herself as a good person. So much so that it’s what allows her to be a miracle-worker—when Artemy talks to the Rat Prophet in his route, the Rat tells Artemy not to reveal Clara’s identity to her, because it’s only Clara’s belief in her holiness that makes her a saint: 

“She is, as a matter of fact, the disease. The Sand Plague personified. But—heads up!—she doesn’t even know it. And so she performs miracles, branding herself a miracle-maker—because she believes that she is one [...] everything she believes in comes true. And so she’ll forget how to do it as soon as she learns the truth.”

And on that note I have to include this interaction with Andrey because it devastates me: 

Andrey Stamatin: [...] I don't know what God you believe in, but I don't think you're even old enough to have a concept of one! And you are either a lying imposter—or an abominable Changeling, a temptress, a thing from hell, a shabnak-adyr, a maneater, made of dead bones and dirty clay!

> You heard me! You know the reason! *

> Don't yell at me, don't call me... that! I'm leaving... I'm leaving!

Andrey Stamatin: Shut up! What do you know about faith? What do you know about religion? You had barely been born and already you got your head full of the ravings of a failed prophetess—who's writhing her hands in desperation and envy as she's watching a new star rise—and here you are, thinking you can lecture me, even daring to accuse us of heresy and a revolt against God!

Though I never survive this interaction I think it’s one of my favorites in Clara’s route because it so poignantly encapsulates her conflict, while gesturing to her struggle to define/rewrite herself. Because despite what the Rat says, the Cathedral quest suggests that Clara’s wherewithal isn’t *always* enough. Ough. When Clara tells everyone to take her hands and not to be afraid, that nothing will happen, but we know how it all ends from the Bachelor/Haruspex Routes just. Devastating gameplay. It fills me with dread when Clara is tasked with getting water because of the Bachelor Route, when Anna says that the shabnak “cried” on the ill and Saburov says that the carrier put some sort of liquid on the plague victims’ lips. 

But tragedy aside Changeling Clara is so entertaining to me. I love being able to say shit like “I am death” and “Don’t make my angry... or I’ll bite!” to people. Very much enjoy getting to be the Horrors, or when the Rat Prophet says to her, “Greetings, plague dear! Wait just a bit more, we’re almost done embellishing your throne. The very heart of the town shall become the temple of the pest. You’ll have the world at your feet soon.” Lavish. Sumptuous. She is such a fantastic character the intrigue the tragedy the high drama of it all 

[seashellisinmyheart]

Analyzing the hell out of Striker's digs here because I've got nothing better to do.

It's kind of cute noting that he crudely added his name to that saloon sign. That placard with his name painted on looks to be one of the few things he actually made whereas everything else looks like it was acquired else where.

Also, you can kind of see the ladder on the right side of the wagon. Probably so he can either just sit up there or screw with the sign.

Can't go on enough about that little bedroom. From what we can see, it's pretty bare bones. Just a bed with a few accents tossed in. He seems to be fond of lights, considering he's got a bunch hanging over the bed as well as a neon cactus. The hides and the horns are probably there just for the Western aeshetic.

I would like to zero in on the bed. It's odd to me that it's not a one person bed. Maybe the dude just likes to sprawl out when he sleeps or maybe that was just the first bed he found. There's another possible explanation (illicit liasions), but I don't put much stock in it. Also would like to point out the bite mark in the headboard as well as the tattered bedsheets and patchwork pillows. This could either mean that the materials are just that old or that Striker is a violent sleeper.

Funny to me, that the drapes here have the same patchwork as the pillow. Can Striker sew? Plus, he's got a beer logo prominently displayed here, which could just owe to the overall 'man cave' like look or maybe he just really loves to drink beer.

I have no idea what the New Blood sign means. Maybe it's for more liquor? I also like how the wagon wheel is busted. Probably due to age rather then anything else.

I'm not sure why, but the overturned wagon really bugs me. Did Striker push it over or was it always like that? And what was inside of it? Hmmmm.

This looks like Striker's entire kitchen set up. Boy probably only knows how to make stew and other pot concoctions. No wonder the guy is so thin.

Now we come to another sign that Striker stole acquired. I'm guessing that he really vibes with the whole 'kill count' thing there. Does he like casinos? Maybe, but I doubt he's a problem gambler.

Again with the neon lights, Striker? This one is probably my favorite of his accents. It's the only reference to his snake heritage inside his lair. Now, maybe it's just a coincidence that it happens to be a snake. Maybe he just likes that brand of liquor. It's just really cool looking.

More lights! He's got them lined up around the train tracks. He probably ties up all his victims in that spot. Why, because why the hell not?

The most baffling thing Striker owns is that statue of himself with the massive B. Now, maybe he just has it due to vanity, but I have my own headcanon. Judging by all the beer signs he has, I'm guessing he gets sloshed a lot during his downtime. He might have put it up during a drunken bender. Something he thought was funny at the time and just decided to keep. Still think the massive B is only there just to hang his hat because he's too dense to think about the sexual implications.

He has one light shining on the statue just for show, as well as another neon cactus. I noticed his use of lighting is pretty haphazard.

Finally, there's his antiquated boom box. That seems to be his only real form of entertainment in his lair. It's already set to a fusion of country and rock (not bad sounding, actually). He probably drinks and listens to music when he's relaxed.

Tumblr won't let me add any more pictures, but he also has quite a few barrels floating around. Probably part Western feel and part storage unit (or maybe he just likes Cracker Barrel).

Well, that's Striker's hideout. He doesn't own much. A majority of it is just decoration. My guess is that he's used to moving around a lot and wants to travel light. I enjoy breaking this down because it's one of the few times we get to see a casual part of his personality.

[lorei-writes]

Winter Flower

Chapter I: That Lost; That Found

Masamune x OC [Hana] Summary: Hana wakes up in the gardens of Azuchi castle without any recollection of her past. Who is she? What was she doing there? And most importantly – what is she supposed to do now? Placed under supervision of Lord Date, Hana has to find her footing in the unfamiliar reality of the warring states. Series Masterlist

And so, the story begins.

Content Warnings: memory loss

“It is the first time a woman fell with snow into the gardens of my castle.”

Once upon a time, there was a bird clad in night, its wings housing thousands of stars. Wherever it flew, it stole from the sky. It laughed at the impunity of its own crimes until its voice grew rasp… And just as it thought it’d never be caught, winds tore its feathers out. The bird fell silently, too proud to flap its useless wings or to call for help.

Sometimes I wonder, whether the bird couldn’t have been caged, and thus spared… And whether I wasn’t meant to live out its fate.

I do not remember who I was before I fell. Truth be told, I do not recall falling either, nor anything that followed soon after. The furthest my memory can stretch is… probably this morning, when a maid arrived to apply salve to my feet and hands, only to see that I’ve woken up. It burned as she massaged it in, but not more than once she asked for my name and I could not answer her. I do not know it. I haven’t known even my very own face, and when she brought me the mirror I asked for, I was no more familiar with myself than with her.

It’s been half a day since then. I’ve been told to wait, so I do, even though my body still hurts and, if I could, I’d rather not move. The corridor before me is neither narrow nor wide. Were I to describe it, I’d call it bland, as there is nothing in this space that catches my eyes… Except the sliding doors, although I’d rather not look their way. Whatever is waiting for me on the other side of them, it fills me with dread, the cold air seeping through them doing little to ease my anxieties. The skin on my hands is red and cracked. Cool only makes it itch worse, to the point where it’s hard to hold back from scratching them.

The door opens. My shoulders tense. A man taller than me by nearly a head stands in the way, hazelnut eyes staring at me with… worry? The fur over his collar shivers, ruffled by a chilly draught, but it is me who he seems more concerned about.

“How are your hands?” he asks, reaching for them. I cannot help but notice the bandages running up his forearms – and he stops in his tracks, perhaps made aware of my own distrust.

“They’re… itchy.”

It seems to be the most accurate way to describe them. His arms cross in front of his chest, his forehead creasing thoroughly.

“You’re lucky we found you early, otherwise –”

“Hideyoshi.”

The man looks over his shoulder, as if branded by the voice that came from inside the room. He glances towards me, and puts his hand on my shoulder. “Come in.”

I don’t object.

I don’t think I can.

The room appears spacious, although I don’t dare let my eyes wander. Four heads turn towards me, none of which I can recognise. I drag my feet over the mats covering the floor and up to the long table, to then be pointed to my seat. Hideyoshi leaves me by myself. He takes his place at the right of the carnelian-eyed man, then lounged past what could be considered polite. White haori barely manages not to fall down his back, and yet, somehow he does nothing to remedy the fact. His smile has the hairs on the nape of my neck stand up.

“It is the first time a woman fell with snow into the gardens of my castle.” He stares at me, but I cannot hold his gaze for long. His chin now points even higher as he rests it on the back of his hand. I nearly beg for the question to spill from his lips, fearing the time it will.

“I – I am sorry for intruding,” I stutter, a thin smile splitting the face of the snake-like person to his left. Hideyoshi glares at him, but he joins the conversation just regardless, his voice a low rumble.

“How was your rest, little one?”

“I’ve rested well. Thank you for your hospitality.” I bow my head.

“And pray tell, why were you there in the first place?” I could swear I’ve heard him hiss rather than say. When I straighten my back, they all stare at me, all more similar to shadows rather than humans.

“You did have some guts to sneak in,” Eyepatch lisps. Oh, thank you, I was not aware of how terrible my position is.

“Dumb. You meant it was dumb,” the Fuzzball next to me grumbles.

“It isn’t easy to trespass into Azuchi, though, lord Ieyasu. Most assassins do not make it this far.” Glasses smiles from next to the Eyepatch, opposite of both me and Fuzzball. I see nothing to be cheerful about, Glasses.

“Mitsunari, nobody in their right mind would even consider threatening lord Nobunaga in such a crude manner.” Now Hideyoshi is involved in this too. Great.

“Falling asleep in the snow is not the domain of the sane either,” Snake is gracious enough to notice. I think I may be a mouse about to get eaten.

“I’ve heard experiencing cold can strengthen one’s –”

“Silence,” Mr Confident cuts off Glasses. Our eyes meet, my throat growing tight. “Who are you?” he asks, seemingly amused by the chaos around. They all wait for my answer, but — But I —

“I don’t know.”

Eyepatch laughs a hearty laugh while Fuzzball rolls his eyes. Not even Hideyoshi seems convinced, although he glares at Snake when that grins.

“What is it that you go by?” Snake has seemingly made it his goal to embarrass me.

“I don’t know,” I repeat. Eyepatch leans on the table. I do not appreciate the look in his remaining eye, and for a moment, it does cross my mind that I could hurt him if he laughed again.

“What about Hokuro then?” he suggests.

“Hokuro?” I echo, more dumbfounded than displeased… Although just barely. He reaches over to poke the mole on my cheek.

“Hokuro,” he affirms, but I shift back in my place, before he can touch me again to further push his point.

“Masamune, behave yourself.” Hideyoshi scowls. Tell him, Hideyoshi. I don’t know who I am, but I am definitely not a Hokuro.

“Come on, the lass needs some name.”

Masamune, I wouldn’t trust you with naming a rock now. I do not like the look Snake gives me either – if I could, I’d gladly hide my head between my shoulders.

“Perhaps Hana would be to your liking, little one?” he hums, having me wonder whether there is anything wrong with my nose. I point towards it, thinking that he indeed could have it in mind… But he shakes his head, this thin smile appearing over his face again, fox-like eyes crinkling with amusement.

“You could be a nose-Hana if you insist, although I thought of flowers.”

Surprisingly nice. I nod shyly.

The lord of the castle shifts in his seat. If there is one thing my body knows at its very core, it is not to ever cross that man. His attention turns towards me, and although I do listen, I do not wish to provoke him. In any way.

“Stand up.”

I do.

“Come closer.”

Unfortunately, I do. Because I have to. My legs tremble slightly as I step towards him, awaiting further instructions.

“Sit,” he demands, and I comply. I clench my fist, I clench my jaw – I am not a dog. Do not talk to me like that. My head hangs low, but he grabs me by the chin and forces me to look at him. This time, I do not relent under his gaze. I am furious. Who does he think himself to be, to treat me like a pet?

“That’s a curious expression you have there, little one.” Snake reaches into the folds of his kimono. His fingers are long and slender, each donning a neatly trimmed nail. He sets two brown bottles in front of Nobunaga, both closed with a metal lid. “Care to explain those now?”

“I do not know what those are,” I struggle to speak, the hand holding my chin pushing it up too high.

“They were found among your belongings,” Nobunaga more so accuses than explains. “Prove your intent.”

He lets me go. My fingers tremble as they unscrew the lids on both bottles, and when I bring them closer to myself, I realise both of them contain some smaller than bite-sized tablets. As per habit I formed who knows when, I shake out exactly one out of each bottle and throw them into my mouth.

“Swallow.”

You’re quite the charmer, aren’t you, Nobunaga? My poignancy aside, I do as the lord of the castle demands. I cannot refuse him, or so I fear…

And I wait.

And we wait.

And wait… Wait… Wait…

Nothing happens. I’d breathe a sigh of relief if my body hasn’t already known this would happen. At most, I am a little drowsy, and somehow, in less pain.

“Should you take another one?” the Snake suggests.

“Dosage can be the difference between a medicine and a poison,” Fuzzball grumbles from the end of the table.

“Perceptive as always, Ieyasu.” Snake smiles towards me. Very well. I swallow another set of tablets, to no greater effect.

“Were you even listening to what I’ve just said?”

Snake still smiles, so I —

Hideyoshi stops my hand with his own. “That’s enough.” His brows furrow, the concerned gaze he’s had for me morphing into a glare as soon as it reaches the Snake. “If she takes too many and dies, it still won’t prove anything.”

“My, yet she has taken them of her own volition.”

I just glance between the men, my mind being too slow for any coherent thoughts to form. Nobunaga urges me to look at him again, but this time, I nearly melt into his hand. He laughs, but my eyes can’t sharpen anymore.

“Docile creature,” he calls me before returning his attention to the other men. “Masamune, you’re in charge of watching over her.”

“Sure thing.”

“You’re dismissed,” he says and pushes me away. Mildly drowsy, I only observe, all of the present lords raising to their feet. Hideyoshi hoists me by my shoulder, but I am too confused to oppose him.

A one-eyed shadow stands in front of me. I think I may lose my balance and fall, but the hand he puts on the small of my back steadies me enough to prevent that. There is something feral to his smile, and for a moment I am certain I can see him wearing fangs.

“Come on, lass. Easy does it,” Masamune murmurs as he leads me forward, down through the blank corridor, past the room I’ve woken up in earlier today… Further, outside the castle gates. Into the city. Thick capes of snow lay on the ground, and although I do not know where this premonition comes from, I am sure it is plenty more than what one should expect in this region. The chilly wind has my nose sting; my eyes water as I turn my head towards the sky. Now I am the traveller in a foreign land, even if just by the ruling of my currently empty mind.

I shiver when he pulls me closer to himself. Masamune smells of spice, of chilly wind and of something I can’t quite put my finger on. He is warm, the fact alone offering me some relief… But he is also a stranger, one who attempted to name me Hokuro to add to his offences.

My shoulders relax only once we reach his residence, and I am led away by a group of maids. The moment my futon is set out, I topple over, the land of dreams outstretching its arms to catch me. It is a pleasant embrace, one that erases my worries… Alongside with any recollection of what happened soon after I took the medicine. At least I think it was medicine.

--

Tag list: @lancelotscloak @violettduchess @the12thnightproject @oda-princess @tele86 @rinaririr

Series tag list: @cheese-ception @nuttytani

Last tag for the general tag list -- if you'd like to be added to the series tag list (or for that matter, any tag list of mine), please, do let me know :)

[rrrandomism]

Samuel shows up at your door unexpectedly, inviting you for a night ride

a drabble inspired by a song i've been playing on loop.

I'm in front of your house, so come with me and let's roll

Don't waste time, just grab my hands. I don't wanna let go

You are my downtown, baby

Your eyes are stars in the night sky

You are the dream I want to dream every day

Baby without you, I can't do this anymore

*****************

You and Samuel have known each other since you were fifteen. He met you on his endeavor in uniting all high schools in Gangseo through violence. You sat beside him during gang meetings, shared his drinks with his arm around your shoulders. You offered him your home when he ran away from his own. You were there when he joined Big Deal, and stayed on his side during his days there. You were the comfort he sought when he was at his worst. You watched him get back on his feet and join Workers.

You, though he kept hidden from the world, were his favorite person, and now...

No. Nothing has changed since then.

You tried to reassure yourself as you took a drag of your favorite brand of cigarette, which also happened to be Samuel's preference. With that kind of history, you couldn't help but develop some kind of an attachment towards the man. So his favorite brand of cigarettes would eventually become yours too. That's just the way the two of you connect. Just that and nothing else. But God, did you miss him.

The smell of smoke couldn't cure your longing for him. So you put out your cigarette and left the balcony to go to bed.

You barely had time to see each other ever since he started working under a guy named Eugene. He told you that's the only way for him to accomplish his goals, to become king. Whatever "king" meant. You've been standing beside him through thick and thin, yet you never understood that crazy ambition of his.

It's only natural that both of you would eventually turn into strangers at this rate. Maybe it's time to let him go.

A honk of a car interrupted your train of thoughts. You reluctantly went back to the balcony to see whoever dared to disturb your peace.

It was Samuel, standing beside his Porche, looking up at you. Cigarette between his lips. There was something charming in the way he let his messy hair cover half of his face. Your cheeks flushed from the sight. You cursed yourself for reacting the way you did, when you've decided to stop caring about him less than a minute ago.

"Come with me for a ride," he shouted. Crazy bastard didn't even care if it was the middle of the night and people were trying to sleep. But you were not in the mood to argue with him.

"Wait!" you shouted back. Those people had probably been awakened by Samuel's shouting anyway, so what's the use of keeping your voice down now?

You grabbed your jacket and rushed downstairs.

Questions flooded your head and all you could manage was "done with work?"

He shook his head. "My desk is still filled with them. I just thought I needed a quick escape," he said.

"Eugene will get mad tho."

"He won't if he doesn't find out."

That's just asking for trouble. Does he have a death wish or something?

"Judging from how you are so relaxed, I assume the fiasco in the Second Affiliate has been taken care of?"

"I wouldn't say it has. I can see more works coming up 'cause Eugene decided to..."

Samuel stopped himself mid-sentence and let out a sigh.

"Look, sweetheart...

"Fiiiine. I'll shut up", you fake-whined.

Samuel stole a glance at your face for a second before he directed his focus back on the road ahead. And it was the first time in three years you saw him smile so genuinely.

"You're the only thing that keeps me from going insane."

You scoffed at his unlikely cheesiness, hiding your smirk with the back of your hand.

"I don't remember you being sane at all."

*******************

[missmeganlee]

Two very important things had/have a home on Netflix: Young Royals (obviously) and the Barbie movies, most importantly Barbie as Rapunzel. Interstingly, both have characters named Wilhelm in them. In this essay I will-

Keep reading at your own risk lmao. You're going to witness my most unhinged unhinged hours (thanks @zee-has-commitment-issues for letting me steal your unhinged brand for a second aha) I've had so far.

Congratulations, person on the internet you're about to witness unhinged hours.

A little refresher on the Barbie Rapunzel movie:

Rapunzel (Barbie) was raised by a woman named Gothel, who had magical powers and treats Rapunzel more as a servant/slave. When Rapunzel was a little baby Gothel stole her from her birth parents as revenge on her lost love, and king of a neighboring kingdom: King Wilhelm. King Wilhelm claims that he never loved Gothel; they were "just friends." Rapunzel falls in love with Prince Stephan, who is the son of King Frederick who is in the middle of a feud with King Wilhelm because Wilhelm believes Frederick stole his daughter (Rapunzel). Oh and there's a purple dragon, a white rabbit, and a creepy otter lol.

How to these two stories connect:

I think our Prince Wilhelm, gonna refer to him as Wille, from now on, is a descendant of King Wilhelm from Barbie Rapunzel. King Wilhelm has reddish/brownish hair, and guess who also has reddish/brownish hair, our Wille. And as we know with genetics, the parents of a baby with red hair don't need to have red hair themselves, but if one parent has red hair there's a 50% chance that the child will too. Now in the final scene from Barbie Rapunzel we see King Wilhelm with his queen, who has blonde hair. The combined genes for blonde hair with red hair can give way to a child with strawberry blonde hair (like Fabian's). My mom had strawberry blonde hair as a girl but as she got older it turned brown. And because King Wilhelm's hair was already reddish/brown it would make sense to me that his direct relatives would also gain that kind of hair color, but as those red hair genes continuously combine with other more dominate ones, the red would appear less so, like our Wille's hair is. Additionally, King Wilhelm and his queen both have brown eyes, and our Wille has brown eyes. Brown eyes are a dominate trait, so it is more likely that King Wilhelm and his wife's direct descendants would have brown eyes as well. Although both Rapunzel and Stephan have blue eyes, this is a recessive gene, and both have the genetics for browns eyes given their families. Rapunzel with King Wilhelm, and Stephan with his 3 younger sisters who have brown eyes. 2/3 sisters also have dark hair, as well as Stephan's father, so we know the genes are "strong" lol.

Looking at the costumes for Barbie Rapunzel, I'd say that it takes place in the late 1700s. So I'd say that Wille is a 5/6x great grandson of King Wilhelm. And the reason Wille was crying doing his makeup for the Valentine's Day ball, whose costuming perfectly matches up with the time of King Wilhelm, is not only because he's becoming a picture of exactly what the monarchy wants, but also because it reminded him the the great tragedy that fell his 5/6x great grandfather King Wilhelm, when his daughter Rapunzel was lost to him for 18 years.

*bows* Thank you for coming to unhinged hours

[cabbxges-and-kings]

𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐔𝐍.

— BASICS! ♡

NAME: Everyone knows me as Bambi, but I'm also open to the name Eden. Bambi has just become my brand mun name lmao.

PRONOUNS:  She/her

ZODIAC SIGN: Scorpio sun, Taurus rising, Pisces moon

TAKEN OR SINGLE: Single.

— THREE FACTS! ♡

Almost always my hands are really cold that even I notice how cold my hands are, so if you ever wanted to hold my hand now you have a fair warning.

My birthday is Nov 14th

I've watched Turn for the first time in late 2019, made Lydia in 2020 because I wanted to see how her dynamics with the other characters would be, been in the tumblr rpc since 2018

— EXPERIENCE! ♡

PLATFORMS USED: K.ik, w.attpad, a.mino, d.iscord.

PLOTTING / WINGING IT / MEMES:  Unless I already have an idea in mind, memes are the best way to start off something. I'm alright with plotting, but I'm not sure if I can offer much in ways of ideas unless I really know your muse. For dynamics, I love to develop them through plotting and see the growth from there, but I'm also open to winging things and seeing how things turn out.

— MUSE PREFERENCE! ♡

GENDER: I write male and female, but I probably relate more to female just by my own experience. I think my female muses are also more complex than my male ones. Sadly, also, aversion to female muses is still a thing in the rpc.

MULTI OR SINGLE MUSE: I run both type of blogs. Single muse blogs are easier to manage, but I also like the variety with multi-muse. Especially if two multi blogs interact together, there's a lot more dynamics you can toy with than just two single muse blogs interacting.

LEAST FAVOURITE FACECLAIM(S): I definitely have a few, but I don't see them all that often, so I don't feel like I need to state them outright.

— FLUFF / ANGST / SMUT! ♡

FLUFF: Generally, yes, I love fluff. The only struggle with it that I'm usually not sure how to continue it since it tends to take up a thread of its own for that purpose: fluff writing. I still treasure the moment when a dynamic have been in the works and they finally reach that point in a slow burn. For Abe, specifically, fluff isn't so easy for him just with his general attitude and complicated relationships. I'm open to it, but it'll take some work in a dynamic (well depending on who it is and dynamic type)

ANGST: This is easier for Abe overall. Abe is probably one of my muses that can get into angst the easiest. For me, I enjoy angst, but depending on what it is, it might take me a bit to get to it. Really emotional writing can burn me out quickly and I have to be in the mood for it. So it honestly varies depending on the context. For some muses its easier than for others.

SMUT:  I'm open to it, but I prefer to engage in this on my other blog and with people I interact with regularly. Someone might say they are 18+, but I'm still wary about people lying about their ages. So I prefer to have a connection with the other mun. I also require chemistry for it and some muses are more inclined than others. I usually use smut as a way to explore characterization and characterization of a ship, so that's where chemistry comes in. For Abe, he might have a s.ex addiction, but that doesn't mean he will sleep with anyone. Even for a FWB scenario, he needs to know the other person. So I'm not into insta smut. With some of my muses, I'm more selective.

TAGGED: stole it

TAGGING: steal it from me

[siremasterlawrence]

The Dawning Of The Sun Part 1/2

Simultaneously upon response The Courts of Legal order for The Senate and Congress have been called to action by President Allen my minion yes indeed everything is on schedule.

You see I have been invited to summit for a college level students higher learning class course in Washington and we get to meet The President unfortunately it is obviously heavy protected.

I am was whistling on my way to the visitors bathroom slipping in to stall I remove my remote control, pressing it pressuring the lights to go out and a panic to ensue.

The camera go rogue laying on the crowd to find President Allen pinpointing him for me on my app. I scan the room finding him with the accuracy of a heat seeking missile hit him with dart.

His eyes roll back, body sinks to the floor he is dragged through the darkness through a secret tunnel system and I make an escape like none has seen in their life time of ever will again.

A light edges in securing us an exit to the out side world we race to the helicopter we stole and make a haste return to my brand spanking new laboratory I created on my own.

One robot replacement at a time will soon be all I need to conquer everything in this world. “As soon as we arrive to the base my goons, lift him up in to the laboratory for me and leave us be.” I state.

“Yes sir” all four men agree flying us home in a speedy amount of time they leave me

to my plans. “You see Allen a few tiny clear attachments here and there then we can begin.” I finish.

A flick of the switch causes an electrical fiery spark and the mind mapping would begin a long with the injection. I let all settle in to his body a good hour in to it before I woke him up.

“Wakey, wakey, you dunce” I say shaking him back to life with hush stupefied but not expression on his face.

“Oh Master Lawrence, I had a nightmare of epic proportions.” He states.

“Relax my dear it’s all over now.”

“The world needs an attitude adjustment it all starts with The US.”

“I believe in your World Order”

“Others have had plans”

“So it’s true?”

“Yes, what do about that?”

“Give me names”

I turn on the television to see a alert for a breaking news flash interrupting my daytime drama and it says The President is missing I sigh feeling nothing at all.

He walks up with mischievous expressions on his face falling to his knees if only he is aware of it all. I sit him down aside from me and begin the explanation for my plan.

If must be well executed I reply giving him the need emphasizing of the event I pick up a sd card label it US. He stares at with such wonder as to say it’s the first time seeing it.

The next day he is finally reappearing at the main steps of the White House sd card in his hand and start to give them story I told

him to say. They are all skeptic beginning to analyze it but I knew the decryption would be almost impossible.

Eventually someone would place it in a lap top as my dinged I knew it is happening at this moment. The upload is happen behind a wall on their system once uploaded a signal will hit all satellites.

In a minutes a broadcast signal hit the air waves and screen in thunderous sounds amplified by each device upgrade grabbing hold of the unwilling participants of this event they soon will be though.

Like a switch everyone’s mind wipes cleat as they stare mindless in to space, spit is dribbling down their blank expressionless faces and they will be compelled rewritten to be compelled by me.

Clark Kent Aka Superman walks in to his job at The World Famous News Paper The Daily Planet to see the impossible no more like the improbable happen when he lays on every person in space.

He stops cold at the point he hears the faint sound of the programming at a higher level

of decibels sending his mind in to a tale spin of gigantic consequences down the line but it stops.

“Woah! Did I fall asleep or something?”

“Yeah I feel so light and relaxed”

“I am energized”

“Something is wrong guys I feel it”

“Oh relax Clark, you are such a worthy worth.”

“Why did I marry you again?”

“Lois “

“Joking “

“Hhhhmmmmnnn”

The world fails to notice any changes while it goes on except President Allen in his sleep dreams of what his Masters Grand Prix Gold Medal Worthy Plan Of World Domination. His cabinet, members of Congress and The Senate vanish and sudden reappear for weeks on end.

To Be Continued So Please Like and Reblog

[bean-ender]

Jason’s Hellfire Club List

I really don’t know how to like properly communicate at all but especially on tumblr because I don’t rlly post much but I am thinking thoughts (a rare occurrence) therefore you need to hear them

so in s4 episode 5 there’s a scene where Jason shows the basketball team (minus Lucas) a list of places to search and I think it’s really interesting so

Here is the list I was talking about, hopefully you can read it but if not the attempted image id is underneath keep reading

There are lots of interesting things about this I think

wheelers is crossed out, suggesting that Jason/ the basketball team already talked to any or all of the Wheelers (I know he speaks to Nancy but that's in episode 8 and I'm not entirely sure what was said because to be perfectly honest I'm a bad person who hasn't watched all of season four yet and has just spoiled it tremendously for themself) edit: a more likely explanation is that Mike just wasn’t there so they couldn’t talk to him, but interesting they put wheelers rather than his whole name like they did Dustin’s, and it’s plural

Big buy is not referring so some European brand I just found out existed by googling it, but actually is the name of a supermartket that I think El stole the Eggos from in S1, the full name is Bradley's Big Buy, just a cool easter eggo

Drama class being on this list most likely means that Hellfire itself is hosted in the theater room, which is what the wiki says. We know this because of "the stage lights, curtains and props seen around them during game night" which I never noticed because I don't pay very close attention. However, in order to gain access to the theater room, one or more of the Hellfire kids must also know the drama teacher and probably really like drama well, which is awesome. Theater kids who also play dnd unite (even though I haven't actually done anything yet because I never finished my character sheet, that doesn't matter)

I have no idea what thacher tike is. None at all. Google was completely unhelpful, I genuinely have no clue. Perhaps a smart person will see this and connect dots I didn't think of but I know nothing

I think it's interesting that (Jason thinks at least) Hellfire is hosted at the elementary school, when we've seen Hellfire meetings hosted in the theater room, and it makes no sense to have high schoolers in the elementary school. It's also odd that Jason writes the av closet specifically, when the av room is tied to the party but especially Mike and Will (although that may be my byler brain slanting it that way). Especially saying closet instead of room hmmm closet imagery...

There have been many posts from far more intelligent people about how the library is tied to everything (Will being found at he lirary, Nancy saying Barb was at the library, Nancy + Robin finding information on the Creels in the library, Hopper finding information on the experiments in the library plus his relationship (used not romantically but as two people that are connected) with the librarian and I think it's interesting (drinking game take a shot everytime I say interesting) how Hellfire is also tied to the library.

Weird that Jeff and Gareth are lumped together as Hellfire members but Lucas, Dustin, Mike, and Paul Cook (whoever he may be) are listed seperately. Perhaps because those other people are more important

Paul Cook is as it turns out a very common name, but one of the more famous ones is Paul Cook from the Sex Pistols. There appear to be no links from Sex Pistols to Stranger Things, no Sex Pistols played on the show, although they may be on a charavter playlist, I'm not sure. I don't think any other Paul Cooks are relevant to the show but who knows.

I have no idea what most of these actually mean or how they affect anything, it probably doesn't matter at all, but this post was fun to make and hey, first proper tumblr post with my own writing, more than like a sentence! hooray

I hope at least some of this made sense and maybe someone talented will see it and expand on it but for now this is all I have

Here's what the list says if you can't read the image (it's all in capitals in the original if that matters) (green is my commentary/confusion)

Lucas Sinclair

wheelers

big buy

drama class

Dustin Henderson

Thacher tire?? Edited because it’s very likely that it does say thatcher tire, googling it gets headcanons and things about Eddie working there, but that must have come from either this list or some other detail that also supports it.

Hawkins Elementary › * hellfire meetings!!?

--> av closet

Library? -> downtown

Jeff/Gareth (Hellfire)

Paul Cook

Park behind community pool edited because you guys are probably right, community pool makes sense especially because it was heavily featured in s3.

*> is used to encapsulate both "Hawkins elementary" and "av closet", as in "I think Hellfire meetings are held in Hawkins elementary, specifically the av closet" | just can't format that while typing, sorry

[bekoobove]

Fazbear Fears #4: Lights Out

...Desperate to disprove a small town urban legend, Tim ends up face to face with it...

The town sign declared itself Breaker’s Ridge, Utah, with a population of 4,000, but to Tim it was Nowheresville.

He drove down the quiet Main Street and groaned. He really hadn’t wanted to come here, but apparently his old friend had wanted to show him something. Why that thing was out here, he didn’t know, but he owed Kenny one.

Finally, Tim reached the address he’d been told to visit. He pulled his car over and stepped out.

Kenny, who had been pacing excitedly on the sidewalk, stopped and beckoned him over. Tim really didn’t need further guidance, though, as what Kenny wanted to show him was pretty obvious.

Behind him was a building that stood out among the drug stores and greasy diners. It looked brand new, its brick walls painted bright red. Large windows revealed flashing lights of every color from inside the building, and the sound of children laughing mingled with poppy, upbeat music.

On the roof, an enormous sign proclaimed: FREDDY’S PIZZA PARLOR.

Tim walked over and Kenny immediately wrapped him up in a hug.

“Personal space, Kenny.”

“Sorry.” Kenny responded, backing up. “I’m just really glad you’re here. It’s been a while.”

He gestured at the sign. “So...what do you think?”

“Is this place your’s?”

“Yep.” Kenny pointed at his shirt. Over his breast pocket there was a pin that identified him as Kenny McIntyre, Manager.

“Isn’t this exciting?” he said as they walked in. “I’ve always wanted to start my own business, and be my own boss.”

Tim looked around the restaurant. “Well, not your own boss, exactly.”

Kenny frowned. “What do you mean?”

Tim chuckled. “Come on, I can see what’s going on here.” He nodded at the main room which was filled with arcade machines, rowdy kids, and a stage with fancy, plasticky looking animatronics. “This is a Freddy Fazbear franchise, obviously. It even has that animatronic bear’s name!”

Kenny grimaced as they sat down at a table. “Um, no…the truth is that the Pizza Parlor is sort of a bootleg.”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “Wait, really? Aren’t you afraid of Fazbear Entertainment suing you?”

“They probably won't hear about it- it’s so far out in the sticks. Besides, they’re so busy trying to rebuild the brand and construct that Pizza-Mall or whatever it’s called east of here.”

“Eh, good point. They wouldn’t care what happens in this ghost town.”

“Well, no need to be mean.” Kenny said. “Sure, it’s small, but it’s still a really great community.”

Tim smirked. “Settle for this if you want, Ken. Me, I’ve got bigger and better places to be.”

A young boy ran up to Kenny. “Mr Kenny! Mr Kenny!”

Kenny smiled at the kid. “Hey, Roger, glad to see you back again. What’re you so excited about?”

Roger smiled back. “The Power Ghost snuck into my house last night! He stole our TV remote’s batteries. I saw him walking away into the field! I can’t wait to tell all the kids at school!”

Kenny gave a hesitant grin. “Uh, OK. I’m glad you’re excited, I guess?”

Roger ran off into the arcade area, already excitedly telling the tale again to another group of kids.

Tim stared at Kenny. “What was he going on about?”

Kenny shrugged. “Oh, that? Just a local urban legend.”

“An urban legend that steals batteries?”

“Well, yeah. The Power Ghost is apparently the spirit of a chubby little kid. He never hurts anyone, or even causes property damage. All he does is steal a physical power source once a night- usually a battery. I know it sounds crazy, but a lot of townspeople believe it.”

Tim cringed. He had figured these yokels wouldn’t be the cleverest folks, but he hadn’t imagined a story this ridiculous would be this widespread.

“What about you?” Tim inquired.

Kenny hesitated. “I wouldn’t...but I’ve seen it.”

“You have!?”

“Yeah. I’m not fully convinced, but enough people have seen it that I probably wasn’t just imagining things.”

“You really don’t think it’s some kind of fake?”

“I never said that, but it’d have to be a really good one. Roger isn’t the only one who claims to have seen it walk around.”

“What does it look like? Are the descriptions consistent?”

“Trying to solve the case, Detective Tim?” Kenny laughed.

“I’m not a detective. I’ve spent the last two years working in biochemistry, and if that’s taught me anything, it’s that there’s always a logical solution- or at least a more logical solution then ghosts.”

Kenny thought for a moment. “Well, like I said, really chubby. He’s also got skinny arms and legs, big feet, a propeller beanie- oh, and a weird ball on a stick.”

“A weird ball on a stick?”

“No one’s quite been able to figure out what it is.”

Tim rubbed his temples. What kind of weird ghost story was this?

Then, something caught his eye.

“Does it look anything like that?” Tim asked.

He pointed to the corner of the Parlor. There, doing a little dance, was a rotund child animatronic with a propeller beanie. Beside him sat a barrel that had several balloons tied to it with a piece of paper taped on that read ‘Take One’.

The kid robot waved a sign that exclaimed ‘Balloons!’. And in his right hand, he held a fake balloon- a long white stick with a striped ball shape on top.

Kenny looked at the robot, and mused on the idea. “I mean it sort of looks like the ghost…but that’s just Balloon Boy, or BB. He has really limited movement.” He pointed at a cord that connected the animatronic to a power outlet. “I doubt he could run all over town, breaking into people’s houses.”

Tim sighed with an air of superiority. “Kenny, I’m not saying this Balloon Boy of yours is doing this. Clearly someone has been using it as the ghost. Maybe they set it up that when someone sees it, they can pull it out of sight with a rope or something. People probably just think they see it actually moving its limbs, and another person starts believing the stupid story.”

“I guess…” Kenny muttered. He tensed up. “But does that mean someone's broken into my restaurant every night, stolen BB, and put him back? All for an elaborate prank?”

Tim shrugged. “People do complicated things for dumb reasons.”

Kenny tapped his fingers nervously on the table. “Should I call the cops? I don’t like the idea that someone’s managed to break in so often without me noticing, even if they don’t steal money.”

“I get the feeling that in a place like this, the news that the ‘Mystery of the Power Ghost' might be solved would spread fast. The prankster would hear about any police stakeout and wouldn’t show up. We need to catch this weirdo if we want to stop them for good.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“I’ll do a stakeout of my own.”

Kenny giggled, then stopped. “Oh, you’re serious.”

“Yep. You said you didn’t have any spare rooms in your house, anyway.”

“I mean, there’s a motel.”

“Either way I’m staying overnight in a cockroach infested room in a ghost town, and I choose the one I don’t have to pay for.”

“Hey. At Freddy’s Pizza Parlor, we follow health and safety codes!”

“Sorry.”

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

At 8 PM, the Parlor closed. The arcade machines went dark, and the animatronics waved goodbye, shutting down as soon as the kids were out of sight.

Soon after, Kenny walked out of the building, his day’s work done. He looked back at Tim, still inside.

“Sure you want to stay? You’ll be locked in from the outside.”

“I’m not a child, Kenny. I can handle this.”

Kenny shrugged. “Alright, see you tomorrow.” He closed the door and locked it.

Tim watched him get in his car and drive off.

He sipped from a cup of soda, and began staring intently at BB, as if looking away for a moment would give the thief ample time to snatch the robot.

The rays of sunset that had snuck in through the glass door began to fade, and within the hour there was no light left in the restaurant.

Undeterred, Tim flicked the switch on the flashlight Kenny had given him, and kept his gaze fixed on BB.

Still, Tim kept catching himself drifting off. He’d quickly shine the light in his eyes, and get back to watching, but that didn’t last long.

Tim woke with a start after one particularly long lapse, and checked Balloon Boy in a panic.

It wasn’t there.

Tim said some words that really weren’t welcome in Freddy’s Pizza Parlor as he rose up and jogged around quickly, still wiping the sleep from his eyes.

“Hey, you jerk! If you’re here, you better come out, and return BB. I'm gonna put a stop to your stupid prank!”

He entered the hall that led to the backrooms and screeched to a stop. There, standing just around the corner, was BB.

He wasn’t quite able to stop fast enough, though, and crashed into the creepy kid. It fell over, and Tim heard something crack.

“Crud.” He focused his light on the animatronic to see the prop balloon it was holding had shattered. The stick was fine, but the bright red balloon itself was in pieces.

“Where did Kenny get these things? They seem cheap.” Tim muttered.

He cupped his hand around his mouth and yelled, “Whoever you are, you’re paying for that!” Flashlight in hand, he snuck around the shadowy backrooms, searching for the prankster.

After ten minutes, he gave up, and returned to the hall.

“I don’t know where you’re hiding, but I’ll find you, and this whole town will know the truth.” he grumbled.

To his shock, BB was gone again.

“Oh, so is this the game we’re playing?” Tim shouted. “Can’t mess with everyone but you can mess with me? As if you’d ever even begin to fool me into thinking the ‘Power Ghost’s’ real.”

He set his head on a swivel. “Where is that stupid balloon robot now…”

Something behind him caught his eye. He turned to see BB, standing there, eyes right on him.

“Aghhh!” Tim screamed, stumbling backwards and falling onto the dusty checkered floor.

“How- how did someone do that? I didn’t hear a thing…” Tim whispered, trying desperately to catch his breath.

Tim looked back up at the robot. Something about it just seemed wrong. It seemed bigger, and not just from his low perspective. Its colors were slightly off, with the blue stripes on its red shirt looking more purplish in hue. And its eyes- they hadn’t just been posed to look up at him. While the movements were too subtle for him to see, he could tell the eyes were following him, focused on his chest.

Tim forced himself off the ground. Through his continued panic, he decided to use the flashlight to get a closer look at BB.

With another burst of shock, Tim realized the light wasn’t in his hand.

“Must've dropped it when I tripped…” The light was still on, though, and Tim easily traced it back to its current location.

Balloon Boy’s hand.

Its sign, Tim could now see, was resting against the wall, put aside to make room for the glowing light that was Tim’s one line of defense.

Balloon Boy’s eyes shifted, now focuses on the flashlight. It looked back at Tim for a moment, and laughed.

From its smooth, ball-like hand, a bony finger emerged, and flicked the switch.

And the lights went out.

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

Tim desperately felt his way out of the hall, following the wall back into the main dining room of the Parlor. All the while he racked his mind for explanations, for some kind of solution that could account for everything he’d just seen.

Maybe the prankster had found a way to control it remotely. Maybe this was some kid in a costume. Maybe the robots were supposed to walk around at night and Kenny had forgotten to mention it. Yes, he was reaching, but anything else made more sense than BB really being alive and haunted.

From every direction, that laugh echoed. Balloon Boy had made the sound during the day, every time someone grabbed a balloon. Then it was irritating. Now it was mocking and maddening.

Finally, Tim made his way to the front door. He tried to break through, banging against it with everything he had.

It was no use. It was reinforced, and refused to even crack. There was a little bit of moonlight pouring through it, letting Tim see just a few feet into the otherwise pitch black building.

“Ok…” Tim said to himself. “I’m probably- probably fine. It’s just trying to scare me.” He chuckled nervously. “And Kenny said it never hurts anyone anyway. It just steals batteries and junk like that. I’m good..I think.”

Then Tim facepalmed. “Wait, it? What am I saying, it’s a fake!”

The resonating laughter stopped for a moment, then continued, though different. It was deeper and more guttural than the ones before it.

Then, from in front of him, Tim heard footsteps. They were solid and heavy- definitely not that of the small plastic Balloon Boy.

“Ha! That you, prankster?” Tim grinned confidently, trying to act like he hadn’t been terrified moments ago. “Good job with the ‘Power Ghost’, but I think we should be done here, right?”

A shape moved into the moonlight.

It was Balloon Boy.

But it had changed.

It had gained an extra foot of height, and gotten a bit fatter. Its clothes were now red-and-purple striped. It had an enormous mouth that opened wide, full of teeth the size of toothpicks. There were five of those cadaverous fingers on each hand, each ending in a sharp point. And its eyes, once sky blue, had turned red and bloodshot.

The light may have been relatively dim, but Tim still got a good look at the monstrous machine. And it was that moment he finally realized: it was real.

He couldn’t even scream. He could no longer hide behind his doubts. A real monster marched towards him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

The nightmarish animatronic raised its emaciated claw high over its head. In a moment, it thrusted back down- and sunk it right in Tim’s chest.

Unimaginable pain shot through Tim’s body. He felt the crack of rib and the puncture of lungs. The hand continued to move, rooting around in its bleeding stomach, like a child searching a cookie jar for the last chocolate chip one.

Finally, Tim felt its horrible mitt grab something triumphantly, and pull.

There was a spurt of red liquid and a disgusting squishing sound.

In the thing’s hand, there was something crimson and pulsating. The creature laughed in delight.

That was the last thing Tim heard before his light went out.

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

The kids cheered as Kenny pulled up in his car. It was 9:00, and that meant Freddy’s Pizza Parlor was opening for business!

As he stepped onto the sidewalk, he thought about what he’d heard about while getting breakfast at the local diner: no Power Ghost sightings or missing batteries last night. It appeared Tim had been right. Kenny wasn’t completely happy about this, since it did mean someone had really broken in on a regular basis (he should probably upgrade the security, maybe hire a night guard). It was also a bit of a bummer that the ghost wasn’t real. In most cases such a discovery would be a relief, but the ‘Power Ghost’ wouldn’t have hurt a fly.

Still, maybe it was for the best. Kenny figured Tim was more than ready to get out of there, so he rushed through the small crowd of families, and unlocked the door.

Within seconds, kids swarmed the place. Some employees followed quickly behind, frantically trying to get to their workstations.

Kenny smiled. Felt nice to make kids happy. He just wished Finn would come here sometimes. But he was afraid of the animatronics, something Kenny didn’t blame his son for. They were definitely a little creepy…

A scream rang out from the back of the Parlor.

Kenny sighed. Had a kid thrown up in the ballpit already?

It was quickly followed by dozens more screams, some from adults.

Confused, and beginning to worry, Kenny followed the sounds.

Kenny gently pushed through the crowd gathered in the corner, and saw what everyone was looking in horror at.

It was Balloon Boy. He was dancing around as normal, cheerfully laughing at all the kids. However, every movement he made sent drops of blood splattering onto the checkered floor and the children’s faces. It wasn’t hard to see the source.

Balloon Boy’s white stick was no longer topped with the large fake red balloon. Instead there sat an imperfect, but seemingly satisfactory replacement- a disembodied, oozing human heart.

Kenny, like many were starting to do, vomited. It was disgusting and horrifying- how could Tim have allowed this?

Then Kenny gasped, realizing whose heart it probably was.

In a terrified daze, Kenny stumbled over, and unplugged the robot.

Behind Balloon Boy’s eyes, the lights went out.

The laughter didn’t stop.

[bro3256]

Who is Roo the Kangaroo?

To answer the question right away, he's a character I created that I now mainly use as branding on social media, but you might be wondering why I even have a mascot character to begin with since before 2019 I mainly used my real face for things like profile pictures, and it honestly comes down to me preferring to not show my face as often as I did a few years ago although that isn't the specific reason why Roo was created.

Roo was actually created on complete accident and was originally designed to be used in a project that has since been put on hold. I'm not a particularly good artist let alone a character designer so the design you see today comes from my own limited skills as an artist.

His design is simple because that's as much as I can do when it comes to drawing. I can't nail down small details very well which is why Roo doesn't have shoes and instead pants that extend to his feet. The only real detail Roo has is his fang which was added a while after the character was already created. I will admit that Roo isn't necessarily the most original character out there, heck the name Roo was intended to be a temporary name but it ended up sticking once I started posting more art of him online, but why Roo?

Well I got the name Roo from KangaRoo because Roo is a Kangaroo... kind of. When I initially designed Roo I didn't consider what he was supposed to be and instead designed a character based on simple appealing looks. I landed on Kangaroo because I felt like there's not a ton of unique Kangaroo characters out there that don't fall under obvious character traits so that made Roo stand on his own. I actually went back and redesigned his character slightly once I settled on Kangaroo so that whenever he's portrayed naked, he has a pouch.

And just to get the obvious "but only female Kangaroos have pouches" question out of the way, I wrote down a bit of Roo lore that explains this discrepancy.

Basically I stole the whole 4D Pocket concept from Doraemon but the pocket Roo has on hand isn't 4th dimensional. It acts like a regular pouch that Roo can remove at any time. This also makes it so that artists can choose to draw Roo with or without his pouch.

To wrap things up, I have to address something regarding who Roo even is, more specifically if Roo is my persona or a separate character. The answer to that is a bit muddy but I can confidently say that Roo the Kangaroo is its own character with no association to me as a real person. Although there are certain scenarios that Roo represents me, at the end of the day he's his own thing and I would like to keep it that way for the foreseeable future. So next time you see my profile picture and ask "is that's your fursona?" just know that I mainly have a Roo the Kangaroo profile picture so I can avoid using my real life face as much as often.