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justporo · 1 year

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Changing Trajectories (Stars that collide)

A while back I wrote this drabble about ascended Astarion suddenly interrupting one of Tav's jobs as a thief - almost ten years after they've parted ways. The title was How to Catch a Mouse

I've come back to it and decided to turn it into a longer story. So, we'll be right back at the moment where the first (very short) part left off: Astarion with his hands on Tav, interrupting her from stealing her target object. Turns out the vampire lord didn't happen upon Tav on accident this fateful night.

Song: Devil May Cry (Apashe & Sofiane Pamart)

Pairing: Ascended Astarion/Fem!Tav (You) Warnings: Graphic descriptions of violence, angst Note: This will not be like the usual fluff I write. In fact it will probably not be fluffy at all

~~~

You were pulled back by the hands firmly gripping onto your waist. You couldn’t help but let out a little shriek as you collided with the upper body of the person standing behind you. His presence was overwhelming now.

You could take in his scent now: he still smelled of bergamot and rosemary and the scent immediately unveiled memories you had desperately tried to forget, to hide in the deepest, darkest corners of your mind, to strangle so they wouldn’t haunt you anymore. But images flashed through your mind: of the close moments before, ten years ago, when you had thought you had found your soulmate.

Hands were still gripping hard on your waistline, holding you in place, pressing you against a firm body.

“Hello, my darling Tav”, you heard the voice purr again and felt his breath as it was leaning over your neck. No lips were touching your delicate skin, but you could almost feel the grin that bared fangs right above your quickening pulse.

“Astarion”, you whispered spiritlessly because it was the only thing you could muster. You knew you should feel terrified that you had fallen – quite literally – into the hands of one of the most dangerous creatures of the Sword Coast if not Faerûn. But all you could feel at the very moment was deep desperation and overwhelming sadness as more memories flooded you from a different time.

“Is this the way you’d like to greet me after all this time, love?”, Astarion said with a tinge of anger when there was nothing else coming from you. His hands spun you around, made you face him. His hands grabbed your elbows now, holding you in place.

Again, you couldn’t help but gasp. He was as strikingly handsome as you remembered, even more so! Ten year old memories couldn’t do justice to the vampire lord’s glorious beauty: his chin lifted arrogantly, every white curl perfectly in place, ruby eyes striking, piercing, boring into your soul and soft lips perpetually curled into the smirk that once had almost made you give everything to him.

And suddenly you felt rage overcome you, drowning out all other emotions you had felt before.

The element of surprise on your side you pushed him away, startling him. It was only a split second, but it was enough for you to step out of his reach.

“Don’t fucking touch me!”, you screamed at him and took more steps away from him – until you collided with the small stone pillar behind you. The amulet on it fell to the ground with a clattering sound. But you couldn’t care less in this very moment.

Astarion’s face had become a mask of rage, his eyes almost blazing with it. “You dare speak in that tone with me?”, he screamed back. Power rang in his voice and struck primal fear into you immediately.

You immediately scurried around the small stone column at your back and slowly took more steps backwards, trying to get away from him.

You realised two things: firstly, that it was very likely no one in their right mind should speak with this mighty monster in this tone because secondly, he could absolutely kill you and splatter you all over the ground if he wanted to. It probably wouldn’t even cost him that much of an effort. And he’d probably walk out of here with not a hair out of place.

You gulped as fear filled you as a delayed reaction to Astarion’s appearance.

The vampire meanwhile closed his eyes and took a deep breath in as he obviously tried to gain back his composure. He rolled his head and shoulders as an arrogant – and very fake – smile entered his face and he opened his eyes again to watch you again.

You stopped wandering back – there was no use to it anyway, Astarion was blocking the only way out of the room.

“I do apologise, it’s been a while since someone has been foolish enough to cross me.” His tone was civilised, polite even. His gestures that of a bored noble merely having a dull conversation. But the way the smile grew into a wicked grin baring his fangs was still a bit too predatory for his masquerade.

And still your heart couldn’t help but flutter again as he looked at you again – this time again not out of fear. He angled his head and looked you up and down.

“You look incredibly beautiful, my darling, even more so than I remember.”

Unbelievably enough, he sounded genuine. His gaze lingered on you, seemingly far away for a moment. It seemed you weren’t the only one taken aback by a sudden flood of memories.

“So do you”, you whispered before you could think better of it. His gaze snapped back to yours, a knowing smirk playing on his lips now. He looked a lot less intimidating now and much more like you had kept him in your memories.

Back then, you had always told him how beautiful he was. At every given opportunity. And each time he had smiled at you and given you a loving kiss.

Your chest started to ache as you lived through one of those memories.

“What are you doing here?”, you asked him before the pain of it could close up your throat.

“Ah, I could ask you just the same, couldn’t I?” He inclined his head a little and his smile grew making it even easier to mistake him for what he really was. He watched you carefully, noting how you had taken several steps away from him, but he didn’t move closer again. “But then again, I know very well what you are doing here, seeing as I was the one who had the cheese laid out for you”, the vampire explained and pursed his lips. His eyes twinkled mischievously.

Your jaw dropped: “You are the client behind this contract?” Obviously, you internally rolled your eyes at yourself. Why else would he have put up a show with the whole cat-mouse-thing. But you had been too starstruck in the beginning to make sense of it all.

That you hadn’t known the true identity of your client wasn’t that much of a surprise though. You only had had contact via messengers that had kept the identity of your customer hidden – but that was very usual in your line of work.

Astarion’s eyes started to sparkle even more as he watched the gears in your head turn and while his smirk grew, he started to saunter towards you again. He kept silent as he approached you once more as you kept feeling more and more alarmed.

This wasn’t good. In fact, it was terrible. This meant he hadn’t just happened upon you. He had specifically sought you out.

“Why?”, you simply asked as the vampire lord strode closer to you with the languid elegance of a cat.

He threw out his arms in a dramatic pose: “Why indeed? Because I wanted an artifact stolen, obviously.” One of his eyebrows twitched and he let his tongue roll in his mouth. He was so obviously enjoying keeping you on thin ice. Another flare of anger rushed through you.

And to add to your misfortune, you suddenly heard shouts and the stomping of heavily armoured boots outside the room.

You must’ve been found out.

Your eyes darted to the door, then back to Astarion who must’ve heard the same. His grin had become feral again.

“Oh oh, my dear, looks like you’re about to be caught in flagranti”, he said as he had almost reached you. Your heart and mind raced, searching for an impossible solution.

“Come with me”, Astarion whispered in a deep, sinister tone when he was close enough to reach out to you and elegantly offered you one of his hands.

Your eyes jumped between the door, his face and his offered hand. Outside the steps came closer. You were indeed between a rock and a hard place – and you couldn’t decide which option was more daunting.

“Rot in a dungeon until you die or take my hand, your choice”, Astarion said, his tone now cold and sending new jolts of icy dread through you. And you were suddenly sure that if you were caught and indeed thrown into a dungeon, he would make sure you would die there. So, you probably did not have a choice from the moment you had entered this room.

With your heart racing you took his hand and he immediately drew you in close to him: his forehead almost touching yours in a delicate way. Another gesture you remembered well from him. Emotions swinging wildly from incredible fear to bittersweet melancholy and back again.

“Glad to see you still made the right decision”, he mumbled. His red eyes dropping to your lips for a moment before looking in your eyes again. You weren’t sure you would agree with him.

As he made to turn, you remembered that there was still an amulet to steal. You were a thief after all and even though your client was an evil vampire lord and your former acquaintance you’d rather forget, you sure as hell wouldn’t miss out on the gold – not if you had gotten so close.

Astarion must’ve sensed your intention as your head turned to where the amulet had fallen to the ground. “Oh, don’t worry about that, my love”, he said with a wink at you. “That’s only a replica, I had the real one stolen and replaced months ago. And you should be glad about it because two of the three thieves that were sent didn’t make it out alive”, he continued to explain and let out a laugh at the end as your eyes widened in shock and you felt goosebumps all over your body.

You let yourself get dragged towards the door as your mind tried to make sense of what he had said. This whole situation was becoming worse by the minute. So – not only had he specifically sent you on a quest, but the job hadn’t even been his motive… “Was this whole shitshow just an elaborate setup to get to me?”, you asked the vampire and dragged on his hand that was now firmly held by his, fingers crossed. As soon as the words left your mouth you wanted to bite your tongue off realising you had shouted at him angrily again – and you feared how he would react.

But this time Astarion only grinned at you, lifted your arm and made you turn beneath your joint arms as if dancing until you were chest to chest with him again. “Oh yes, you’re only now getting this? I mean, I could have let you be taken by my servants or broken into your home for a quick little visit, but this is way more fun, isn’t it?”, Astarion drawled. You could only stare at him in shock as hot and cold shivers ran down your spine at his casual explanation of how easily he could have threatened you.

But more than anything you wanted to know why he had taken such elaborate measures to get to you.

But you had no time to voice your question as the door flew open and a bunch of heavily armoured city guards stepped in followed by a bald servant from the estate.

The guards took in the scene and immediately levelled their halberds at the two of you. Astarion let go of you and nonchalantly stepped in front of you and the very pointy and sharp-looking weapons. He casually crossed his arms over his chest – not a care in the world it seemed. But somehow his posture was still that of a threatening predator not that of prey backed against a wall. Maybe it was the way how he held his back straight and slightly leaned forward as if ready to strike at any moment or his absolute stillness as he confronted the guards.

Before any of the guards or the obviously terrified servant could say something, Astarion spoke up: “Care to explain why you are so rudely interrupting this sweet – and dare I say private – moment I was sharing with my beautiful lady?”

His voice was cold now and made the hair at the back of your neck stand up. You’d been the focus of this voice once this evening and deeply wished to not be it again.

“Well, do you care to explain what you and your lady which is also a wanted thief are doing here?”, one of the guards answered – seemingly the captain of the six men and women lowering their weapons at you.

“In fact, I do not. But – I feel rather generously today, so if you’d be so kind as to let me and my lady pass through, then we can all forget about this and go about our lives”, Astarion offered throwing out his arms and then clapping them together again.

The captain threw his head back in laughter and his guards joined in with chuckles. “Who do you think you are?”, the captain replied after a few heartbeats.

The vampire lord lifted one of his hands quickly. You could see it was surrounded by a soft red glow.

With lightning quick motions every single one of the guards had moved and were now pressing their halberds beneath their chins, the metal points already drawing blood for some of them, their eyes filled with the same red glow.

The servant screamed and tried to scurry away, but Astarion’s eyes shot to him and enclosed him in this sort of spell as well: making him grip his own throat with both hands and squeezing.

“I think”, Astarion spoke, his voice filled with otherworldly power “I am someone you don’t want to threaten.” He flicked his hand and the guards parted into a grotesque row for you, their weapons slowly pressing harder against their skin, cutting flesh now. Their faces distorted as they felt the pain.

You had become a statue, horrified by the casual display of violence. You were no stranger to bloodshed, by no means, but this… this was different.

“Come now, my love, before we’re further inconvenienced”, Astarion said as he turned to you again. His demeanour was that of bored arrogance again. He stepped over to you, put his hand on the small of your back and pushed you towards the door – you did not have it in you to resist. Too shocked, maybe, or too scared he’d do the same to you.

You passed the men and women quickly as they were silently suffering. Only as you were past them did you dig your heels down and tried to turn around.

“Let them… let them go”, you demanded shakily. The vampire turned to you, his face a sneer. “Tss, if it makes you happy.” He snapped his fingers and you saw how the spell broke, the tension in the guards’ bodies broke and they toppled over, gasping, screaming. Astarion snapped again and the door flew shut, blocking your view of the men and women. You turned to the vampire lord who was carefully observing you, still holding on to you with one hand.

“Don’t tell me you softened up, my love. After all you were the one pushing me to sacrifice seven thousand souls to become this”, Astarion sneered moving closer to you until his nose was almost touching yours. “Don’t tell me, violence shocks you know, Tav. You’re no innocent lamb.” His eyes sparkled with challenge; his lips curled in slight disgust.

You tried to hold his stare, but you couldn’t. Only after a few heartbeats you had to lower your gaze; because he was right.

He dragged you on. “Come on now”, he demanded, no room for disobedience.

The two of you walked through the giant mansion for long minutes. You weren’t even entirely sure how much time passed as you were too deep inside your thoughts and also kept coming back to notice how gently Astarion was holding your hand as he led you very purposefully through this maze of a place. There was no need for him to still keep holding on to you. You knew you didn’t have a chance to get away from him. But it seemed he enjoyed this method much more than other means.

Then, before you could round a corner, you heard voices coming towards you.

Astarion lifted his free hand again. “No”, you whispered almost out of reflex, your tone pleading. The vampire looked at you in annoyance but simply dragged you to a nearby, small alcove and with a quick mumbled incantation shrouded you in shadows for passing eyes as he pressed his body against yours.

Two servants passed, focused on their idle chatter, as you were painfully aware of the closeness of Astarion’s body: closer than you had been the entire night. You could smell him again as he carefully observed the two passing persons and you kept staring up at his face.

You knew the line of his nose or the way a deep wrinkle formed between his brows when he furrowed them as well as the back of your own hand. Despite everything that had happened this night you couldn’t deny how your body and not least your mind and heart reacted to being so close to Astarion after a decade of mourning him and yearning for him.

The way his body pressed against yours, making you remember how it had felt like to be held by him or kissed. Just how effortlessly close the two of you had been. Whole nights wasted away with laying around naked, talking, embracing each other - not even always ending in sex.

You had felt the walls of the fortress you had built around those memories and feelings start to crumble from the very first moment you had heard his voice again. But the stones started crumble dangerously fast now.

When the servants had passed, Astarion looked at you with a grin, but not seeming inclined to move away. In fact, he even pressed you harder against the wall with a cheeky grin.

You gasped, eyes widening at him as your heartbeat thundered and you realised that you absolutely were the dove facing the dragon and yet craved for this continue – to go further actually.

And Astarion must’ve seen something in your gaze as you looked up at him with doe eyes. His expression changed from playful and cruel to something that almost made your heart stop.

For a moment it seemed in his crimson eyes like something was desperately trying to claw its way up to the surface. Something that had been thought lost almost a decade ago. But the moment passed.

Then Astarion pressed his open lips to yours, taking them in a possessive kiss. His tongue slipped into your mouth, dominantly taking it for himself as one of his hands pressed to your chest on the naked skin of your neckline. With so much force it hurt, his hand wandered up your chest to your neck until he could almost wrap his fingers around your throat.

You could not help but moan into his open mouth in heedless pleasure as the kiss continued aggressively, all teeth and tongues, his fangs grazing your bottom lip and drawing just a single drop of blood.

Tasting you again after what had been ten years of abstinence almost made the vampire lord lose control. He moaned and his leg pressed between your thighs making you feel embarrassingly hot within in mere moments.

But then something changed. Almost as if an echo of what you had seen in his eyes for a heartbeat or two had come back to haunt him.

The kiss softened, his leg withdrew slightly and the hand on your neck wandered up further to softly cup your cheek. It became something sweet and slower until it was almost delicate and chaste, his thumb on your face caressing it with a featherlight touch.

And you felt your walls not only crumble but turn to dust – all the work of keeping these emotions out, for nothing. You were helpless under his touch and as it felt like something that could almost have been.

Suddenly, Astarion broke the kiss and stepped back – way more than necessary, as if he had suddenly an urge to get as much distance between you as possible. For an instant you saw confusion on his face, but a mask of teasing mischief was slipped quickly back into place.

“So, you do still want me”, the vampire said with another grin. “Interesting”, he whispered as one of his eyebrows twitched and his smirk grew. “Very interesting”, he said louder as he turned away and you asked yourself if he was doing it to keep a safer distance from you now.

“I trust you can find the rest of the way yourself, you’re a capable thief after all”, he said and threw you a last glance before he started to saunter off. “And don’t worry, I’ll be checking up on you again, very soon, my love.” He drew out the last words as he walked away without another look.

Of course, he hadn’t asked if you wanted that, but you had already realised that none of this had been your choice after all; it never had been.

And so, the vampire lord strode away, deep in thought about what kind of storm he might’ve started. While you kept standing there some long moments longer feeling helplessly violated by the events of the night.

But in your heart… In your heart you felt foolish and stupid and yet delicately warm hope rising up, slowly.

#astarion #astarion x tav #baldurs gate #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #astarion x reader #astarion x mc #baldurs gate astarion #astarion x oc #astarion x you #fanfic #fanfiction #astarion ancunin #bg3 spoilers #ascended astarion #vampire lord astarion #stars that collide

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camiefromstatefarm · 1 month

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We're back with some more 'Upper Moon Demons' headcanons!!! Today, we're focusing on my personal favorite. Slight NSFW warning.

Upper Moon 4

Hantengu/Hanito Jigoku (Part 1)

- Born in 1611, in a less populated town near Kyōto City.

Koki Jigoku, his father, was an extremely handsome and charismatic ladies' man. Parenthood was unexpected, but his heart melted when he saw his newborn son, who bore a striking resemblance to him. Despite his love for his wife, Koki struggled to abandon his womanizing ways..

Otsuru Jigoku (née Aisaki), his mother, was a strikingly attractive young woman with a caring personality. She had sun-kissed skin, a slender yet dramatic lean body, reminiscent of Devon Aoki, a heart-shaped face, warm brown hair, and silver to orchid eyes always filled with energy. Otsuru loved her husband intensely, but her love often turned deranged, driving her to murderous jealousy towards his frequent infidelities. She came from a wealthy family.

- Even as a young boy, Hanito was a stunningly handsome child with a sturdy athletic build and tanned skin. His spiky black hair messy and full, framing his brooding heart-shaped face and accentuating his piercing onyx eyes. His eyebrows were thick and expressive, often laced with a dramatic display of emotions. His features were sharp and chiseled, with high cheekbones and a straight high-bridged nose. He also bore a mischievous devilish grin.

- Hanito's life of crime began at just seven years old, not out of necessity, but sheer desire and bad influences. He ran with a trio of urchin boys, forming a band of young thieves who stole whatever they could to fill their pockets. Surprisingly, his parents, Koki and Otsuru, didn't reprimand him for his delinquent behavior. Instead, they adopted a lenient approach, telling him that as long as he avoided getting caught, he wouldn't face trouble at home. This unconventional parenting allowed Hanito to hone his thieving skills, shaping him into a skilled young thief.

- Stealing meant buying whatever they wanted, but for free. Hanito-kun rarely strayed from his tight-knit group, seeking the safety net of their protection. Hanito had a knack for evading capture, thanks to three key factors: his incredible speed, his skillful lying and manipulation, which convinced people he was just an innocent child, and his loyal clique of local fangirls who often helped him out of sticky situations.

Emiko-chan, gasps: Girls! Here comes Hanito-kun, act natural!

(Hanito passes by and smiles slightly before leaving)

Sakura-chan, giggles: You see that? He smiled at me!

Yumi-chan, cooing: No, I'm pretty sure he had his eyes on me!

Emiko-chan, huffing: Nuh uh! He was definitely checking out my hair!

(None of them realizing their missing hairpins)

Hanito, gripping all 3 hair pins: Too easy.

- The manifestations of Hantengu's emotions take on physical forms that reflect the age where he experienced those emotions most intensely.

Zohakuten 👹

Year 1623; a store clerk by the name of Mr. Yamada was fed up with the troublesome child's lies.

Hanito, defiantly: Let me go you big bully! There really was a wolf!

(He struggles trying to free his ear from the store clerk's harsh grip)

Mr. Yamada, angrily opens the door: Otsuru, your brat is at it againー

Horrifying. There knelt Otsuru ominously, in a tattered old kimono ー stained with blood spatter, one she kept specifically for these occasions ー with an ecstatic expression. Before her lay the lifeless body of a curvaceous young woman, a ravishing beauty with a face like a porcelain doll and dark sea-green hair. Her thighs impaled by two knives and her pale mint eyes froze in perpetual horror, surrounded by beads of sweat.

Otsuru, glances behind her: Ah, welcome Yamada-sama! Do come in, we're having a family reunion of sorts...

Hanito swiftly averted his gaze, closing his eyes to shield himself from the uncomfortable graphics. His reaction betrayed a familiarity with his mother's brutal outbursts, a hint that he had witnessed her madness before. In contrast, Mr. Yamada stood frozen, his voice caught in his throat as shock and terror rendered him speechless.

(Otsuru rose, her movements graceful like a cat)

Otsuru, curls her lips: And you, dear friend, are just in time for dinner. I do hope you have an... appetite for the macabre.

(She walks closer making Mr. Yamada free his grasp on Hanito's ear, slowly retreating)

Mr. Yamada, sweating: No... no! What have you done to that poor woman!

Otsuru, pats her son's head: Hush now, everything is fine... I'm bound to tidy the house after this.

Hanito, crying: How much more that nasty stuff is going to happen here?

Otsuru, gently and soothing: Darling, you know I don't have other options...

Mr. Yamada, pointing: You... what are you teaching that poor child, youー you crazy bitch!

Otsuru's eyes blazed with a dark intensity, her gaze flashing like a stormy sky. The air seemed to thicken, heavy with malevolence, as the unhinged madness gave way to a sinister wrath. Her long hair whipped around her face like a flail, as if the wind itself was fueling her fury. Her stained kimono fluttering behind her like a dark cloud.

Otsuru, in an ominous voice: Forgive me, good sir... but I'm afraid you've dug your own grave!

(A knife slid out of her sleeve and she launched at him. However, Mr. Yamada was quicker and dodged her attack)

Mr. Yamada, cornering her from behind: So reckless...

Hanito, yelling: Momma!

(Basically what happened was Mr. Yamada managed to grab Otsuru's wrist, twisting it, forcing her to drop the knife, and knocked the woman out.)

Mr. Yamada, grumbles: I'd be damned if I wasn't a former martial artist. I'm sorry to say it, kid, but your mother's actions have earned her a reckoning. She'll face trial and judgment for her wrongdoings.

Hanito's tear-stained face twisted into a furious scowl, his large bushy eyebrows furrowing in anger. His piercing eyes narrowed, flashing with intense animosity, his glare so heavy that it almost crushed the store clerk. It was unnerving to see how this boy could be both seriously handsome and intimidatingly fierce at the same time.

Hanito, darkly: You evil son of prick! Leave my momma alone or... or I'll kill you!

(He charges at Mr. Yamada attempting to punch the latter, but was triped over by Yamada's sliding kick)

Mr. Yamada, lifts Otsuru up: Don't try to fight me, Hanito, I'm three times your size.

Hanito, grabbing onto Yamada's ankle: No!!! I won't let a scumbag like you give me orders!!!

(Hanito twists Yamada's ankle causing the latter to wince and kick him back)

Mr. Yamada, scoffs: Blasted child. You're lucky I respect your father enough to let you off the hook.

The 12-year-old's rage thickened, his glare twice as spiteful as he rose from his position, gracefully like the fall was nothing. He balled both hands fist, ready to spring into action when two people showed up. A samurai and a middle-aged woman with the same green hair as the victim.

Samurai, analyzing the situation: So if I'm correct, this was the lady who your daughter was last seen with.

(The middle-aged woman just nodded)

Mr. Yamada: I fear to inform you... that your daughter is dead...

(The middle-aged woman weaped)

Mr. Yamada, frowning: I was just taking her son, Hanito, back home. That kid has been in a lot of hot water lately, I wanted to have a word with Otsuru about this...

Hanito, looks down bitterly: I was telling the truth...

Mr. Yamada, shouts: There was no wolf and never one to begin with!

Samurai, tapping chin: Note the freshness of the blood suggests the incident occurred within the past 30 minutes.

Mr. Yamada, still disturbed: The girl is inside. Poor thing was bleeding head to toe.

This was a night no one forgotten, especially Zohakuten who held onto that memory like an ideology.

Basically after that fiasco, Otsuru was convinced of 13 accounts of homicide and sentenced to death by hanging. Nobody wanted to inform Hanito what happened to his mother, believing it'd be too hard on him.

- To cope with the void left by his mother's absence, Hanito's fragile mind conjured a distorted narrative, convincing himself that she was a monster who had abandoned him, rather than confront the painful truth of her fate.

- After his mother's departure, Hanito spent his remaining teenage years by his father's side. Seeking a new beginning, they relocated to Gion, a prestigious district in Kyōto renowned for its vibrant entertainment and traditional geisha culture.

- Hanito only grew more handsome by the day. His voice deepened, and he became taller & stronger. His spiky hair had grown longer, reaching his shoulders. His heart-shaped face still brooded with intensity, but his features had matured, sharpening his cheekbones and nose. His piercing onyx eyes smoldering and framed by thick eyebrows that gave him a debonair look. At thirteen, he was already the most attractive guy in Gion.

- He idolized his womanizer father, emulating his ways but with a more sinister edge.

Hanito, exclaiming: Father, teach me how to charm the ladies!

Koki, smiling: Ah, my son, it's all about confidence and charm. Watch and learn!

- As young Hanito honed his skills, his reputation grew, and so did his ego. He began to see himself as a legend, a master of charm and deception. And his father, well, he was the one who had taught him everything he knew.

- He employed his charms to lure unsuspecting girls into his trap, only to rob them blind. Unlike his father, Koki, who had treated his mistresses with kindness and sincerity, Hanito's intentions were far more dark. He delighted in leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake, his beauty and charisma mere tools for exploitation. With each conquest, Hanito's confidence grew, as did his reputation as a heartless Casanova.

His father, Koki, looked on with a mix of pride and concern, aware of the darkness brewing within his son. Yet, he remained silent, allowing Hanito's destructive path to continue unchecked.

- At 14, Hanito experienced his first kiss under the soft glow of a lantern on a bench, in a secluded area of the Gion District. Maiya, his girlfriend, rested her head on his shoulder, her gentle eyes sparkling in the dim light. With his arm wrapped around her, Hanito felt a sense of vulnerability he'd never known before. As their lips touched, he tasted the sweetness of innocence, leaving him breathless. Maiya may not have been as pretty as the ryotei girls who often fawned over him, but to Hanito, she was cute in her own right. Her gentle soul and kind eyes captivated him. In that moment, Hanito felt like a different kind of man.

- Unfortunately, their relationship wouldn't last very long. Hanito's temper and insensitivity brought Maiya distress. Because of that, their relationship ended on bad terms that would leave the spiky-haired boy with his guard up.

- On his 16th birthday, Hanito's life took a reckless turn. He lost his virginity in a wild encounter with three bad bitches in one room, quite tumultuous but worth it.

Rorerei: a former geisha that kind of resembles a young Meisa Kuroki.

Kyoka: the daughter of the second wealthiest man in town & somewhat resembles young Fukada Kyoko.

Nozomi: a waitress who looked a bit like a young Nozomi Sasaki.

- They'd do it again the next night in the same Ryokan. Hanito enjoyed every minute of it. A cute girl named Mika ー cousin of Maiya ー would walk in on them while trying to find her room. This would fluster the young man greatly. However, Mika was... chilled with it and even joined in the fun.

When Maiya found out about what happened, she gave her cousin a 48 hour long lecture.

✅️

Aizetsu 😿

- At 18, Hanito's world was shattered when his father, Koki, died under mysterious circumstances. The discovery of Koki's lifeless body at dawn, drained of blood and beyond salvation, left Hanito reeling. Consumed by grief and abandonment, he plummeted into a dark depression, desperately seeking solace from the anguish. In his darkest moments, Hanito attempted to escape the pain through self-destructive means, but the void left by his father's absence only seemed to grow.

Aizetsu is the second physically youngest of Hantengu's clones. Since Hanito would no longer wore his hair spiky after turning 19.

- This led him craving solitude in the most somber area of Nishijin, where he could escape the world for a while. His only companion was a Japanese Bobtail cat he found injured by the roadside. He took her in, nursing her back to health by bandaging her paw and feeding her. He named her Usui, inspired by the rain that fell on the day they met.

- This was the second time Hanito displayed compassion towards another being. Together, he and Usui weathered the rainy days, a somber but comforting duo in the midst of Kyoto's bustling streets.

- In moments of introspection, Hanito would often hear his father's gentle voice whispering in his mind, urging him to stay strong and press on. The memory of Koki's words, though faint, remained a comforting presence, echoing through Hanito's thoughts like a soft breeze on a summer night.

- Eleven months later, Usui would find her siblings again. Although Hanito didn't want her to go, he did as he knew what it was like to be separated from family. But not before Usui rubbed against her close companion's leg and purred contentedly.

This version of Hanito became the base/blueprint for Aizetsu's creation. Each clone gain power using a series of events in Hanito's 87 years everytime he'd experience that emotion.

✅️

Karaku 💚

Year 1630; was when Hanito finally decided to move again and start over.

- Having grown into a stunningly gorgeous young man, his hair grew moderately past shoulder-length and wavy in a very sexy, satisfying, and stylish sense. His charm and good looks intensified, making him a magnet and true Casanova Killer. With his narrow piercing gaze, captivating smile, thick eyebrows, lean muscular build, nimble fingers, and glowing tawny skin, he was extremely irresistible to many. His voice fully deepened, and he grew taller, exuding confidence and allure.

- New year, new him. Hanito moved to Shimabara, a fascinating red-light district in Kyōto where life was an endless party.

- Hanito got to try liquor for the first time. A quarter cup of shochu mixed with ¾ cup of yuzu was enough to satisfy his taste buds. By the way, when he says the ladies at Shimabara were fine, he means it. During his time in Shimabara, he found himself hooking up with every woman who flirted with him. And that's saying a lot because Hanito was the talk of all town, a head-turner. Husbands would told onto their wives more closely at the charmer's presence, bachelors envied Hanito and wanted to be him and some were even mesmerized, many maidens found themselves falling for his charms and brooding persona, and the top most gorgeous women would even spend the night with him. As a result, Hanito acted overly cocky and prideful in many situations.

Let's just say, the ladies at Shimabara were like Makio/Mitsuri/Daki-level badness. Effortlessly pretty faces, voluptuous figures, stylish sense of fashion, sexy, and hot personalities.

- Let's just say, Hanito almost encountered the dreaded Kukushisen (Syphilis) this one fateful night. Nana, the chick he was with was really hot and was very experienced, luckily she brought mika (paper condoms) with her and they had a blast.

- Hanito actually first met Muzan at a party....

Hantengu's name holds a dual meaning, translating to both "Braggart" and "Half Tengu". The former suggests that The Demon King encountered him in a state of boastful pride, while the latter reveals a connection to the mythical Tengu creatures from Japanese folklore. Tengu are known for their striking appearance, featuring wings, beaks, and formidable magical abilities, as well as their mischievous and powerful nature. This namesake is fitting, as Hantengu's Blood Demon Art allows him to split his body in half, unleashing Tengu-like clones that embody the same quick and cunning spirit as their mythical counterparts.

- Unfortunately, they never got the chance to interact as the party got raided by a bunch of drunken thugs. However, despite being initially annoyed by Hanito's ego and two-faced nature, Muzan was intrigued by his soon-to-be-UM4's ability to charm and pickpocket people.

- Hanito's journey would take an interesting turn as he developed sadomasochistic tendencies. This transformation began with a chance encounter, where he found himself engaged in a captivating conversation with an alluring older woman... whose name remains a mystery. Deciding to step outside for some alone time, she pretty much... just dined in, left an indelible mark on his sensitive place. The sensation made him wince, but somehow he was enjoying it.

- Giving and receiving pain was more than just a fetish. He found himself really enjoying the suffering of people who wronged him. Heartbreak no longer hurt anymore, he was addicted to agony it brought him. Pain was pleasure.

- At 21, Hanito visited his boyhood town, only to discover his old home gone. In its place stood an Inari Shrine, alongside a garden where 13 graves lay next to cherry blossom trees in silent remembrance. He thought this view was rather satisfying and pleasing.

After Otsuru's heinous crimes came to light, the authorities embarked on a meticulous investigation, meticulously dismantling the house piece by piece to uncover the gruesome secrets within. Their grim task was to retrieve the remains of the 13 unfortunate women who had fallen victim to her brutality, whose bodies had been hidden or buried in various clandestine locations throughout the dwelling.

✅️

Urogi 🕊

Years 1623-1632, the town's population and commercial activities would slowly increase throughout the years.

The trio of urchins Hanito used to hang out with years ago were now successful yashi/yamichi (peddlers) ー by the way; their names were Bakuto, Omaru, and Kaito respectively: smooth-talking salesmen who may not be the honest people when it came selling things (Scam Artist Douma-san from the Academy AU should really hire these guys)

You may or may not have remembered the three girls who were obsessed with Hanito from the beginning. Emiko embraced her distinctive hair color - a pale silver with a soft baby blue undertone - rejecting the pressure to conform by dyeing it black. Meanwhile, Sakura harbored subtle affections for Yumi, but ultimately chose duty over desire and married a lord. In contrast, Yumi found true happiness with Omaru, her heart full of joy in their union.

Sakura, curiously: Who is that tall, dark, strong, and handsome brute over there?

Yumi, blushing: You're telling me. He's a snack.

Sakura, in a teasing voice: But, Yumi-chan. What about Omaru?

Yumi, nervous giggles: Oh, yeah... I forgot.

Emiko, looks up from sweeping: Girls? The porch isn't gunna clean itself.

Sakura, without looking away: Just a minute Emiko. We're too busy swooning over this hot new boy.

Emiko, raises a brow: Who?

(She walks over, trying to get a peak)

Emiko, surprised: H-Hanito-sama?

Well, they were both surprised to see each other. Emiko has now grown into the most beautiful woman Hanito has ever see. With her fierce meadow green eyes, flowy white hair, adorable smile, delicate frame, femininity, and great personality; she became the first woman he ever truly loved.

And Emiko; she always had a thing for that boy. Even after realizing he swiftly swiped her hair pin when they were little. She was absolutely smitten upon seeing this man again. He made her heart sing like no other person has.

- The time Hanito spent with Emiko were the best 2 months of his life. They shared an instant connection, discovering a deep affinity for each other's interests and values. Hanito, attuned to the subtleties of human emotions, realized his feelings for Emiko went beyond friendship after just three weeks of togetherness - he had fallen deeply in love.

- They got married on the first day of July, in the same Inari Shrine built where Hanito's childhood home used to be. He was overjoyed by this event, believing he might have a chance to a normal life.

- After bidding farewell to the town, they escaped to a serene foothill of Mt. Hiei, where they built a secluded haven near the charming town of Sakamoto.

"We are in love in love, haven't you heard. How we rock each other's world!"

(- Avril Lavigne)

Well that was fun to write! Considering Hantengu's backstory wasn't as detailed or shown like some of the other characters, and due the fact that he lived a relatively long human life... It made room for plenty of creativity.

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galaxyedging · 2 years

Text

The Thief x f!reader.

New Year's Eve Drabbles

Warnings: kissing, alcohol consumption. Smut warning for follow on chapters.

New Years Eve was supposed to be magical. The precipice of a new year. A new year full of possibilities and potential. Personally you just liked the idea of underling the old year along with any negativity from it. You never tried to build up the year ahead too much, through fear of disappointment. You certainly didn't get your hopes up for a magical evening. Even in a mansion that screamed to be the set for a fantasy film. Yet here you were, feeling pretty damn magical as you let a stranger kiss you at midnight.

A few wrong turns making your way back from the bathroom had let you to him. He stood by a roaring fire, the shadows from it danced along his profile. It was strikingly handsome. His hair and beard added a softness to his strong profile. His dark brown eyes were captivating as you mumbled an apology. He'd waved it off and asked you did you believe in magic. His large hand shuffled a deck of cards as he did so. You thought he would ask you to choose one as you let out a tentative yes. In a blink the cards were gone replaced by a bottle of wine. A lot of people at the party may have been drunk, you weren't one of them. Instantly you tried to workout how he did that trick. The bottle was too large to fit up his sleeve. His full lips quirked up in a smirk. "That's only a small taste of the magic I have in store for you." As pick up lines went, it was pretty cheesy but somehow he made it work.

"Really?" You shot him an amused smirk.

"All you have to do is spin the bottle and I will fulfil some of your desires, the ones that burn under your skin while you are alone at night."

The room became warmer as you sat next to him on the luxurious sofa. Almost in a daze you placed your hand on the bottle that he had laid on the table in front of you. It span in the middle of the table, round and round, almost unnaturally. It seemed to go faster and faster until it reached an almost dizzying speed then it stopped. Unsurprisingly, it pointed to your magician. You had to give him points for style. The clock striking the hour made you throw caution to the wind. Your lips met his with a passion you had never felt before. You couldn't get enough of him. Your lips met his again and again.

He seemed similarly affect until he pulled himself away. "Not yet. Spin again."

This time when the bottle spun, there were objects on the table. Small statues, they reminded you of game pieces. A suit of amour. A cowboy hat. Sunglasses. Others you couldn't quite make out in the dark of the room. All detailed. All fashioned from metal. The bottle came to an abrupt stop again. Pointing to one of the tiny statues. A pair of crossed swords.

#pedro pascal character fanfiction #casillero del diablo #New Years Eve drabble #the thief

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drarryspecificrecsdaily · 4 years

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2020.12.07

Complete fics posted on AO3 this day

1. Criminal by @the-sinking-ship [E, 83k]

►Things were going just fine for Draco Malfoy. He successfully conned and counted cards across Europe and America, amassing a small fortune, along with a lengthy rap sheet. That was until he made the grave mistake of returning to England for a high stakes card game and got himself caught – by Harry Potter no less. Now, Draco is stuck in England under Auror Potter’s guard with no friends, no distractions, and no escape. How the hell will he pass the time? And since when did Potter get so bloody fit?

2. Draco is a brat. by drarrys_bxby17 [E, 2k]

►Harry and Draco are bonded, and both are in love. Whether they want to admit it or not. It takes a while, but after all their flirting, it finally works out. Finally.

3. The Scarf Thief by @rockmarina [T, 1k]

►“I asked you to date me and you’re mad at me.” “Wrong. You asked me to date you while we were buying Christmas-themed socks for Weasley and I’m rightfully mad at you.”

4. The Sleepover by DarklingDarling [M, 3k]

►Draco Malfoy has been best friends with Belle Potter for as long as he can remember... the only thing is, Draco has a secret crush on his best friend's older brother, the quiet and strikingly handsome, Harry Potter. [...]

5. Solarium de Caritate by MJ_Gryffindork66 [M, 12k]

►Harry Potter hates Ministry Events. This is a well-known, indisputable fact. That is, until he and Draco Malfoy get to talking at one, and he's surprised to find himself having a decent time...

---

Fest/Exchange

1. everything the sun touches by @talkingtravesties [T, 2k]

►[...] “How did you know I was there?” “You breathe as loud as a hippogriff,” Malfoy said, still not looking up at Harry. “And I don’t know of anyone else at Hogwarts with an Invisibility Cloak.” ★ Drarropoly '20: Founders Edition | @gameofdrarry

2. He Must Be Up to Something by @camisoul-stars [G, 2k]

►Harry thought he and Malfoy had started to become friends, and maybe even more. But now Malfoy was avoiding him, so the obvious conclusion was that Malfoy must be up to something and Harry is determined to find out what that is. ★ Drarropoly '20: Founders Edition | @gameofdrarry

3. I've Built My Dreams Around You by @fw00shy [T, 4k]

►Harry loves Draco. But starting over is hard, even when you're in love. ★ Wireless Festive Minifest 2020 | @wireless-festive-minifest

4. Sunseeker by Anonymous [E, 15k]

►Harry is a struggling writer. [...] He also has a slight liking-Malfoy problem. Okay, he has a massive liking-Malfoy problem. ★ H/D Erised 2020 | @hd-erised

#drarry #drarry fanfic #drarry fic rec #harry potter #draco malfoy #daily list #2020 #2020.12

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dcwizardtrekki · 3 years

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The Dance

Things to know. First, most of the MCU never happened. Loki was found to have been mind controlled but Oden banished him to earth to make up for the chaos he had caused. He has been working with the avengers for five years and during that time they found and saved Bucky, Wanda, and Pietro from a hydra base. Loki with his magic was able to release Bucky from his control words as well as train Wanda with her powers. Also Vision was created during this time by an accident that tony created by Messing with something Hydra had been working on. (Just wanted to set you up a little bit.)

Classical music flowed through the air and couples waltzed along during the English Masquerade Ball that was taking place during an art action. Among these distinguished guests where some of the Avengers in disguise dancing with partner after partner as if they where looking for someone. They had gotten an anonymous tip that the slippery thief they had been after for months, would show their face here, tonight. To loot one of the most valuable art displays would be out on the floor, though for show only. The Mona Lisa painting. And no copy either. This was Leonardo da Vinci's original master piece, perfect bait for a thief who likes rare things. The biggest thing stumping them was that two or three months after every robbery the stolen object would just show up at random places they went to. Leaving the intentions of the thief a mystery.

Now from the shadows of the party stood a beautiful woman, unseen but watching everything. Especially the so called disguised Avengers. She had been watching them for a while now, knowing they where on to her trail. However instead of being upset she was both amused and intrigued. She was amused that they thought they could catch her. After all she had been Hydra's best spy for years, never being caught. Now that they where gone though she could do as she pleased. There was a reason she'd never been caught...but more of that later. The woman was intrigued however by a strikingly handsome God of Mischief. She observed how smoothly he danced and could even see that he was bored by small glimpses of his eyes. So, being board herself she decided to have some fun with the God of Mischief and maybe even get both of them to no longer be bored. Knowing how often he changed partners she smoothly placed herself in the way of his next change getting swept into the waltz.

Now in his arms she knew she had to catch his attention in order to get him to play the game. Clearing her voice she spoke in almost a whisper but just loud enough for him to hear her.

"Hello your Highness."

Snapped out of his repetitiveness by her words he looked at her curiously then spoke with a chuckle in his voice as they spun her long white hair fanning out as the did.

" I'm terribly sorry my dear. But whom ever you think I am I highly doubt I am he."

The woman smirked knowing he would now participate.

"Oh. Dear me. So your not the God of Mischief? What a disappointment. I suppose I should go back to my search then, and allow you to dance with all the other lovely ladies."

Loki looked shocked again for a brief moment, then smiled seeing a possible escape from his boredom.

"Well...It would seem you where correct in who you thought I was then. Impressive."

She laughed lightly, and he spun her out then back in.

"It truly wasn't that difficult. One must only search. After all. Seeing's as all the other Avengers are here. It would be only logical that you would be here as well."

He tried to look closer at her, but saw nothing of use in her eyes. She had the perfect poker face, and all attempts to read her mind where met by a surprisingly strong shield. Even more intrigued now he put a full smile on his face, also changing tempo as the song had changed. Focused on the woman in front of him he failed to see the rest of the team gawking at him as danced with her longer and better then anyone else he'd found tonight.

"Color me impressed darling. Tell me what made you so eager to find and dance with me."

She merely smiled and replied.

"I simply found you by watching people. Not because I was necessarily looking... As for the dancing. Well. I was bored. You looked bored. I seemed like a good arrangement."

Slowly the music stopped and Big Ben started to ring. She stepped back from him and gave a small smile.

"Now. As lovely as this has been I am afraid I must part from you now. Perhaps I will see you again next time you are bored."

Loki went to reach out for her to stop her, but just as the clock clanged again he lights went out. A moment later the sound of glass shattering filled the air and five seconds later the lights came back on. Only this time The case that had held the Mona Lisa was empty. Several people yelled in anger and several more had fainted in shock. The Avengers crowded around the case trying to find any clues as to who it was as Capitan America was baffled by the morals and reasoning of why the thief had stolen this painting. Meanwhile Loki stood off to the side deep in thought. Something was telling him the woman he had just met was the thief. However he couldn't find himself to be mad, now realizing the motives of the thief wasn't for any reason other then being simply a cure for boredom. Something he could heavily relate to. He then stuck his hands in his pocket to walk away but felt a piece of paper. Taking it out he found a note with elegant script and he smiled mischievously as he read it.

Dear Loki,

Next time your bored call me....

Perhaps we can do something fun.

Shhh don't tell.

Xxx-xxx-xxxx

Yours,

The Mystery Woman

'Live Long, Prosper, and Mischief Managed!'

#loki fanfic #oneshots #dancing #mystery #loki

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makeste · 4 years

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literally just a giant post of Bakugou faces.

today, 4/20 (actually it is very much still only 4/19 over here, but to heck with it, we’re getting an early start dammit), is Bakugou Katsuki’s birthday. and as someone who loves Bakugou and who also hasn’t found much worth rejoicing about in April 2020 in general, it’s important to me to celebrate the shit out of this day. but these are strange times and I am le tired, and so what my tired brain ended up arriving at was “just do a post about how much you love his stupid face.”

so these are my favorite Bakugou faces. I stopped after Kacchan vs. Deku because this post was already like 100k words (slight exaggeration) with like 40,000 faces (slight), and because this already took forever and the next 130-something chapters were only going to have about one fifth as many good faces compared to the first 120, even though there are some good ones there still to be sure. but anyway, so there are no spoilers here.

happy birthday Kacchan, and happy birthday to Kacchan’s angsty side profile with his hair covering his eyes.

why I like it: he scured.

lol but seriously. because up until this point he’s just been a complete asshole. even after he gets grabbed by sludgeman, he’s all “AS IF I’D LET THIS MUDMAN TAKE MY BODY FOR HIMSELF”, and he’s all feral-looking, and at first you’re like “eh he’ll be fine.” but then along comes this panel to serve as our narrator saying “he was not fine.” because he really is not. and on the page before this too, you can see how tired and desperate his struggles are starting to get. and absolutely no one is trying to help him. and he’s fighting, he’s straining, but he can’t. fucking. breathe.

and then this panel. and he’s just a kid. he looks so very, very young here, like this is the youngest he looks throughout the entire series except for in his flashbacks, and it’s because all the pride and bluster and anger are stripped away and he’s just a boy underneath it and he’s scared. “you looked like you needed saving.” exactly. exactly. and for Katsuki to actually ask for help is so rare. so you know that when he does ask (and he absolutely was begging for someone to come help him even though he couldn’t vocalize it. credit to Horikoshi for conveying all of that emotion in a single panel), he really, really needs it. thankfully there was one person watching who finally snapped himself out of that “a hero’s bound to come along soon” mindset that had everyone else gripped, and realized that he needed to be that hero.

why I like it: because he’s humiliated and fairly shaken up and also the most handsome he’s looked up until this point, but most of all he’s just chewing his lip and being all “god fucking dammit did fucking Deku really just save me, fuck my life, why is the universe fucking dumb.” like even after this hugely traumatizing experience, he’s incredibly resilient to the point where after he calms down, his lingering emotions are mainly just “smdh this is a new level of irritated even for me.” he is so brave and thickheaded and tough and absurdly, ridiculously petty jesus christ.

why I like it: like the old man said. his face just screams “I’m a rotten thief.”

there’s so much personality in this one expression. and then it’s juxtaposed against proto!Katsuki who I really desperately just want to punch in the face. just. my son my be a dick, but by god he’s an honest dick.

why I like it: baby?? cute baby??? mine?? my baby?!?

he’s just like. “I got it all figured out. gosh I’m so good at life.” that is the face of a child who has never encountered a single difficulty in his very young existence. everything is easy and he expects to be good at everything and he always is and he’s so, so pleased with himself. with a kid that little you really don’t want to go and shatter their dreams just yet, but maybe someone should have taken him down just a peg or two before it all got out of hand. alas. he was so cute that nobody wanted to and I can’t even blame them because he’s just that fucking cute, though.

why I like it: this is a very underrated panel which I think most people probably don’t even recall. it’s from chapter 11 just after he loses to Deku and Iida, and specifically right after Momo just completely lays into him and explains in vivid detail exactly how stupid every single one of his decisions was lmao. and it’s like he’s just had his eyes opened. he talks about her speech later, too, so it clearly had an impact.

there is no pride here at all. initially when I was reading this, I thought he was still shell-shocked. but looking back at it, and knowing what I do now about his unexpected willingness to accept criticism (something I certainly wouldn’t have expected during my first readthrough of this chapter), I think this is also a genuine “!” face as he realizes that she’s completely fucking right. YOU DONE GOOFED SON. but it’s okay because he learned from it!

also look how big his eyes are. when they get all wide like that. it’s so rare that I have to appreciate each and every time it happens. also he has no right to have such thick eyelashes. goddammit.

why I like it: because he’s strongest at his moment of weakness! because he’s upset but he learned from it! because he is such a strikingly human character with such complex emotions and there’s such a lovely mix of them on display here and that shit is my weakness! because this is when I signed the adoption papers (well, had them finalized after I initially obtained them after the “you looked like you needed saving” face in chapter 1, at least)!! because he always cries in front of Deku and doesn’t get embarrassed, but then he does get embarrassed if anyone else shows up! because his emotions around Deku are so raw and out of control! because the intensity of them is as compelling as it is confusing! but mostly because someone showing fierce determination while simultaneously showing intense vulnerability is basically the cheat code to unlocking my heart, and also the best thing anyone can ever draw in a shounen manga. thank you I’ll take infinity of them.

why I like it: because half of 1-A saw this face and instantly thought “fuck that’s hot” and then went “!! oh fuck me” but it was too late! that’s right kids. even knowing firsthand what a trashpile he can be, you’re still not immune to his charms. that confidence, though.

why I like it: the face of a boy who has just realized that holy shit, there are other people in his class. nothing gets past him. his reflexes are too fast.

why I like it: the slow motion (this is such a cool moment even if it’s at his expense lol), and the fact that this is such a weird and totally unique expression, and yet he somehow almost manages to make it look good. actually he does make it look good, let’s be real. of course, this was back when Horikoshi had more time to roll up his sleeves and really get into the art. look at all that shading goddamn.

why I like it: he cares!! he has feelings!! he has concern about someone other than him omfg whaaaaaat.

he’s so unsettled by what he just heard about Todoroki. the guy who was so strong and cool turned out to have an absolutely horrifying shounen protagonist past that he never let on about. honestly this scene is one of the reasons why I’m so strongly in favor of not interpreting Katsuki’s parents as abusive; because I just really like the character arc of him actually having a pretty good childhood, all things considered, but still having all these problems. because sometimes people actually do have everything going for them and yet they still screw up, because people are only human and sometimes you can fuck up (or be fucked up) even on easy mode! and if that happens it doesn’t mean you’re any more to blame, or more worthy of derision or scorn, or that you already had your chance so screw you, or any of that! anyway so that’s just such an interesting and relatively rare thing to explore and so I like it.

anyway. so just, the idea of him thinking of Todoroki as someone who had it made all his life, only to realize that’s not actually the case at all and that he’s actually the privileged one in comparison, just makes for a really great character-building moment. it’s a really big wake up call for him, especially given that he’s so often just wrapped up in himself and his own concerns still at this stage of the game. and it’s a moment that has a lasting impact on him and that he doesn’t forget, and it helps contribute to him starting to learn more empathy.

why I like it: my child is rabid please help.

but he’s so happy to have Ochako prove to be such an unexpectedly worthwhile opponent. she was sneaky and she nearly got him and he only just made it out by the skin of his teeth and fuck yes, that was awesome. he was really ready to throw down some more with her and it was gonna be the highlight of his fucking day. I just love seeing him acknowledge other people’s strength, because we know the value he places on being strong. so that’s a ton of respect from him, and Ochako fucking earned it, and this is just a great moment.

why I like it: just casually spittin facts and launching ships. nothing to see here move along.

why I like it: for everyone reblogging that one scene of shoujou!Bakugou from the anime over and over again, I just want to remind you all that as great as that scene is, we shouldn’t forget that in the manga he can be effortlessly handsome without even trying.

why I like it: as I said above.

why I like it: another one of the infamous “haah!?” faces. whenever he does these that one raised-eyebrow eye always goes so wide, and even though he’s trying to look like a pissed off thug it always makes him look surprisingly young instead.

also I’m not crazy for seriously wondering if Horikoshi’s art peaked all the way back in the sports festival arc though, right?? you honestly can’t find a bad panel even if you specifically go out and look for them.

why I like it: babyyyy.

I still don’t get how anyone could watch this scene and not get that he was way more upset than he was actually angry. he looks like he’s about to cry honestly.

why I like it: MY PRECIOUS SON’S ANGELIC SLEEPING FACE. all tuckered out. he’s had a hard day.

but seriously when you smooth out all of the >:O it is amazing how young he actually looks though. this one panel is shaded in such a way that you can see that he still has baby fat in his cheeks!! he’s just a little boy! HE IS A LITTLE CHILD LIKE THE REST OF THEM AND YOU MADE HIM PARTICIPATE IN THESE HUNGER GAMES AND HE KICKED ASS AND THEN GOT SAD AND YOU MADE HIM SLEEP AND CHAINED HIM TO A POST WHEN HE WOKE UP ANGRY AND TRYING TO BITE PEOPLE. anyways what a whirlwind of events huh.

why I like it: this child is literally trembling. he has been shaken to his very core. also for real though how did Jeanist even do that. anyways great internship or greatest internship.

why I like it: this is from chapter 60, right after he basically declares war on Deku and says he’ll crush him during final exams. then he turns around and is just like AND LET’S NOT FORGET THIS ASSHOLE HERE!!! and his eyes are practically bulging out and Todoroki just has his trademark “!!!” totally blank stare. this panel fully kills me guys.

why I like it: how was he THE CUTEST CHILD WHO EVER LIVED?? look at his little fists?! I can’t even deal with this???

why I like it: I actually like this one even more than the more iconic “the strongest heroes always win in the end” panel right below it, because in this panel you can more clearly see that he was crying quite a lot (he was only six!!), but it seems to me that it was more because of the unfairness of it than because he was hurt. even though he was hurt. but these jerks bumped into him and then acted like it was his fault, and it was two against one and he was much younger than them and IT’S JUST ROUGH YOU GUYS! LIFE IS HARD WHEN YOU’RE SIX! but he’s a little tough guy though so he scrubs the tears away in this very clumsy and boyish fashion because HE WON ANYWAY SO TAKE THAT! he is so little but already so determined.

why I like it: his eyes are just so intense all the time. even when it’s not an intense moment at all. also the dot shading here is so cool.

why I like it: okay so technically it’s the back of his head and not his face. but I feel like the fact that Kacchan was twitching and flinching and shaking too doesn’t get enough attention in this scene. he and Todo were both wigging out here and I love it. during the third light novel he also gets freaked out by the whole Disney Channel “we were telling a ghost story but now it seems like the story has come to life” plot that goes on at one point, just fyi. Kacchan is absolutely that kid who will refuse to watch scary movies just because “they’re dumb” and definitely NOT because he is scared, how fucking dare you sir.

why I like it: because this is the first of many scenes in this arc and the next arc in which he is freaking out but doing an excellent job of covering it up with his natural ferocity. he and Shouto have just come across one of their classmates’ arms lying in the middle of the path being chewed on by a villain in a straitjacket. his first reaction is to ask Shouto which of their classmates had been out on the path in front of them. he has immediately put two and two together, and he is immediately ready to throw hands with this dude, rules or no rules. but you can see the shading over his eyes though, and I think that -- along with the sweat visible on his face -- is a huge indicator of how horrifying this actually is to him.

why I like it: because this blank “processing...” expression that he sometimes gets when a lot of people are talking at once and he’s not really sure but he is pretty sure that he doesn’t like where this is heading, is my favorite.

why I like it: because even now it’s still ambiguous just what exactly was the prevailing emotion in these eyes and this expression, and the prevailing sentiment behind the “stay back.” I happen to think it was fear! not the same overwhelming, helpless fear as the 14-year-old who was caught up in the sludge, but a very on-edge, controlled-panic fear of a 16-year-old who’s trying to remain in control because he’s a hero in training now. and I think the “stay back” is the “stay back” of a boy who knows the look in that other boy’s eyes, and knows that it’s no use this time. it’s not protective, and it’s not hostile or defensive either. it’s just... resigned. don’t do it, Deku. that could have been the last thing he ever said to him, and it was measured and brave even through his fear and I love him so much.

why I like it: this is one which has to be viewed in juxtaposition with the panel immediately above it lol. Tomura looks like he could literally stare a man to death with those crazy eyes, and Kacchan is comparison just looks so ridiculously young and small and out of his league. but he doesn’t crack. but his eyes are super wide and even the shadows underneath them are stressed almost to their breaking point. like I’m screwed I’m screwed I’m so goddamn fucking screwed oh shit. my baby, guh. this was such a fucking scary experience though for real??

why I like it: same deal as above lol. this whole situation just keeps getting worse and worse, and here he’s just probing for more information while simultaneously trying to buy himself more time to think of a miracle plan. there really isn’t much chance of him getting out of here unscathed at this point (or at least there wouldn’t have been if the heroes hadn’t shown up), but I don’t think he’s letting himself think about that yet. but I’m sure it’s there at the back of his mind all the same.

why I like it: this is my favorite Bakugou face ever. SO MANY EMOTIONS. All Might came to save him! his hero!! he beat the bad guys (or so they think for that brief moment anyway) and it’s all okay now! he was alone but now he’s not anymore and All Might is there! and he is relieved, and he actually lets his guard down to show it for just a split second! his lip is trembling! I don’t think he even realizes for a moment, and then he does, and he immediately goes all tough guy again and the moment is gone! but while it’s there! it’s so much! I have never so badly wanted to hug a fictional character in my life.

why I like it: don’t you think this person could one day inspire thousands of others. do you see this courage in those eyes. the way he pushes past fear and panic and fatigue. don’t think, don’t doubt. just win.

why I like it: by now you have probably detected a pattern of me liking all of the Kamino faces because he was going through so many emotions that for once the walls just couldn’t keep up. he always looks so much younger when he’s not making >: faces. everything just smooths out. I also like that Horikoshi never makes his expressions symmetrical; he almost always has one eye wider than the other, eyebrows doing different things, stuff like that.

also this is when he sees All Might’s true form for the first time, and you can just see it hit him like a punch to the gut. All Might weakened; All Might weakened because of him; All Might might lose (!?!); All Might might die???? Katsuki’s entire world is falling apart in an instant, and in this moment he’s just a little boy.

why I like it: it beginsss. the angstening.

he’s not even resisting the hand guiding him. none of his usual unruliness or general aura of barely-checked rage. he just looks tired. and completely lost in his own thoughts. which as we now know were not good. I cannot fucking believe we had to wait another 25 chapters after this to finally get this kid a damn hug.

why I like it: because Bakugou Mitsuki is fulfilling my (and dating sim!Momo’s) lifelong dream of ruffling Bakugou Katsuki’s (spiky yet fluffy!!) hair. and all he can do is just chew his lip and halfheartedly glare at her all “mooooooOOOOmmm.” he doesn’t even really look pissed off here (because it’s hard to be mad when someone is talking about how worried they were about you and how relieved they are that you’re safe now, especially when that someone is your mom who isn’t normally the type to be so open about this kind of stuff at all), just begrudgingly grumpy. and I swear to god his bottom lip is made of fucking rubber the way he moves it around, just look at it.

why I like it: those eyelashes though!?!? [grabs Katsuki by the shoulders and shakes him roughly] WHY ARE YOUR EYES SO PRETTY.

why I like it: this is right after he found out he flunked the license exam, and you can see how upset he is. obviously we now know that shortly thereafter he went and had a complete meltdown. and buddy if you keep grinding your teeth like that, your dentist is also going to have a meltdown.

and yet again Horikoshi manages to strike this uncanny balance between making him look pissed off and making him look like he’s trying very, very hard not to cry. he just failed, again. it’s like the whole world is screaming at him over and over again that he’s not hero material at all.

why I like it: because he drags Deku out to the middle of nowhere and is all “I know you have All Might’s power and we’re gonna fight”, and Deku protests, and you expect Kacchan’s reaction to be just about anything other than what it actually is. this is as close to pleading as Katsuki is ever going to get. he may not be drowning in sludge but he is still desperate.

why I like it: this may be the best Katsuki that Horikoshi has ever drawn.

why I like it: super ultra mega unpopular opinion: I like this panel even more than THE PANEL!! that follows shortly after it. I am a sucker for when Horikoshi does this thing where he shows Katsuki’s face from a side profile, and his eyes are covered by his hair so you can’t see his full expression, but you know it is something vulnerable because he only ever does this when Katsuki is trying to hide his vulnerability. I could make a whole separate post just about these hair-covering-eyes faces lol. but out of all of them this is my absolute favorite. I can hear Okamoto’s voice acting in my head just looking at it.

why I like it: because it is THE PANEL. he finally broke completely; he let the walls fall away; he couldn’t hide it any longer. he’s so unbelievably torn up about this; he hates himself for it and feels like a failure; he’s lost and doesn’t have the faintest idea how to find his path again. he ended the Symbol of Peace. he was weak and wrong, and Deku was strong and right, and he can’t even hate Deku for it anymore, he just wants to understand what it is that he keeps doing wrong, why it is that he keeps failing.

why I like it: it’s, uuuuuh, angst.

lol it’s funny because at the beginning of the series, it was always Deku who was always crying at the drop of a hat. and to be fair this is still true. but Katsuki also cries way more than I would ever expect a rival character in a shounen manga to cry. and specifically he has cried every single time he’s had a dramatic and overly emotional altercation like this with Deku (and that’s three separate times now). is it because he’s always felt like he has less to hide around Deku? or because his Deku Emotions are so much more intense and volatile than his other emotions? at any rate, whatever it is, if this happens one more time (and I guarantee you it will too because A Certain Someone still hasn’t officially made an apology yet) he will officially lose all authority to ever call Deku out for being a crybaby again. meanwhile poor All Might will just be beside himself. I’m sorry dude, both of your children are just like this, you just gotta deal with it and accept their feelings.

why I like it: HE FINALLY GOT HIS HUG, BLESS.

and more hair covering his eyes! and chewing of the lip! and his head is bowed so much here, he fully allowed himself to be pulled into this hug and to accept this gesture of comfort for once in his life, just for a moment! after everything he was feeling, everything he was beating himself up over, All Might comes and tells him it’s not your fault. and there’s still so much guilt there, but he needs to hear this so badly that he accepts it all the same. meanwhile he is also CRYING AGAIN!? because this was the chapter where Horikoshi said “I am going to put all of the angst and cathartic conflict resolution into a single fight and it’s going to be the best thing ever” and it really was. do you even understand how much I love this. do you??

why I like it: OH GOSH I FORGOT ABOUT THIS, THIS IS MY OTHER FAVORITE KATSUKI HAIR-COVERING-EYES PANEL.

oh no. he’s ruffling his own spiky fluffy hair. he’s tired and he’s beat up (and whose fault is that lmao) and he’s learning all kinds of new things about himself today. he’s got basically nothing left in the tank, but for the first time in ages he has his path laid out in front of him again and he knows the way to start moving forward. he has been absolved of his guilt, the guilt which was eating a hole away inside of him. and all of a sudden he realizes -- it occurs to him -- hey, All Might finally admitted it, he really did give his power to Deku. but it’s still a secret though, isn’t it? it’s important, isn’t it? and so he tells them, hey, look, I get it, I won’t say anything, you don’t have to worry. it’s partially gratitude -- he owes so much to All Might and it’s ridiculous, that’s a fucking debt right there, and this is the least and only thing he can offer right now in return -- and it’s partially just... the right thing to do. like, common sense. honorable and shit. and it’s not like it’s a big deal or anything. but just, let them know.

I love his side profile so much and I love his hair and his ear and the scuffs on his face and his beaten up hand and his hunched up shoulders and him being soft and trying not to show how soft he’s being and he is precious.

BONUS:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY HANDS IN POCKETS GRUMPY TRIANGLE EYES ROVING FERAL HOG SON, I LOVE YOU.

#bnha #boku no hero academia #bakugou katsuki #makeste reads bnha #HEAVEN #MUST BE MISSIN' AN ANGEL #MISSIN' ONE ANGELLLL CHILDDDD #[camera pans over to the feral toddler digging through trash while I sigh in fondness]#bnha meta #bakugou meta

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bluebblurry · 4 years

Text

Peter Nureyev (a poem)

I want to be like Rex Glass.

A chivalrous secret agent who cares about people

Even though they’ve just met.

I want to fall so hard and so fast for someone.

And they fall right back.

I want to be like Peter Nureyev.

A nameless (and genderless) theif

Who can get away with just about anything.

I want to be smart, and cunning, and cool.

And earn the trust of someone I’ve fallen for.

I want to be like Duke Rose.

A caring spouse who’s secretly really good at cards.

Someone who’s smarter than you’d think.

I want to make a plan to save the world.

And someone follows me to the end of it.

I want to be like Peter Ransom.

A person in a found family

That goes on adventures that thrill you.

I want to have that family.

And someone I love there with me.

I want to be like Monsieur Dauphin.

A strikingly handsome person

That can catch the eye of someone important.

I want the world to remember me for something great.

And a certain someone doesn’t let it get to my head.

I want to be like Peter Nureyev.

A charming and stunning, wonderful person

Who isn’t who they say they are.

I want to make someone fall for me like no one else could.

And that someone would be like Juno Steel.

Someone like Juno Steel.

They’d be grumpy, but sweet, and smart.

They would make me feel like I didn’t need to be a thief.

Like I could have a name.

Like I could be happy.

I want to be like Peter Nureyev.

#The penumbra podcast #Tpp #Juno steel #Peter Nureyev #I don’t write poems why did i do this

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rockislandadultreads · 3 years

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2021 Historical Romance: Books to Read

I'm Only Wicked with You by Julie Anne Long

He's the battle-hardened son of a bastard, raised in the wilds of New York. She's the sheltered, blue-blooded darling of the London broadsheets, destined to marry a duke. Their worlds could only collide in a boardinghouse by the London docks...and when they do, the sparks would ignite all of England. Nothing can stop Hugh Cassidy's drive to build an American empire...unless it's his new nemesis, the arrogant, beautiful, too-clever-by-half Lady Lillias Vaughn. The fascination is mutual. The temptation is merciless. And the inevitable indiscretion? Soul-searing—and the ruination of them both. Hugh's proposal salvages Lillias' honor but kills their dreams for their futures...until they arrive at a plan that could honorably set them free. But unraveling their entanglement inadvertently uncovers enthralling truths: about Lillias' wounded, tender heart and fierce spirit. About Hugh's stunning gentleness, depth, and courage. Soon, Hugh knows that as surely as he'd fight a thousand battles to win her...the best way to love Lillias means breaking his own heart.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

A prim and proper lady thief must save her aunt from a crazed pirate and his dangerously charming henchman in this fantastical historical romance. Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She's also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it's a pleasant existence. Until the men show up. Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is smitten with Cecilia from the moment they meet. Unfortunately, that happens to be while he's under direct orders to kill her. His employer, Captain Morvath, who possesses a gothic abbey bristling with cannons and an unbridled hate for the world, intends to rid England of all its presumptuous women, starting with the Wisteria Society. Ned has plans of his own. But both men have made one grave mistake. Never underestimate a woman. When Morvath imperils the Wisteria Society, Cecilia is forced to team up with her handsome would-be assassin to save the women who raised her--hopefully proving, once and for all, that she's as much of a scoundrel as the rest of them.

Once a Laird by Mary Jo Putney

He yearns to escape his past... After the death of his fiancée, Kai Ramsey left Scotland to roam distant lands. He has searched ancient ruins, collected priceless antiquities, and escaped certain death after being imprisoned as a spy during the Napoleonic War. Ramsay has lived on the edge of danger for years—but everything changes the day a letter arrives for him from Scotland... She’s determined to protect her future... Signy Matheson has dedicated her life to the people of Scotland’s remote Thorsay Islands. With a fiery spirit and agile mind, she is a faithful ally to the aging laird. But now their leader is near death, and Signy must summon his successor at once. It’s time for Kai Ramsey to come home... Together, they discover ancient treasures and disturbing attraction... When Ramsay returns to Thorsay, he’s shocked to find that Signy has blossomed into an alluring beauty, and a force to be reckoned with. Their complicated past interferes with their unspoken desire as they work together for their people. Until a wild storm sparks first passion, then unexpected danger when a treasure trove left by their ancestors comes to light...

A Wicked Bargain for the Duke by Megan Frampton

Thaddeus, the new Duke of Hasford, holds his new title reluctantly, but his sense of duty is strong. Task number one: find a wife and secure an heir. He thinks he’s found the perfect choice in Lady Jane Capel—until her sister, Lavinia, bursts onto the scene. Vivacious, rebellious, and strikingly beautiful, Lavinia is determined to keep him away from her shy, sweet sister. And she’s also determined not to think so much about his broad chest and strong thighs. When Lady Lavinia and Thaddeus end up in the most compromising position, witnessed by Lavinia’s mother and nearly everyone at a party, they’re forced to get married to protect their reputations. With no love between them, but with an heir to conceive, they strike a bargain in bed. Only Lavinia demands passion, and Thaddeus complies, with both of them realizing this marriage of convenience may turn into much more...

#Romance #historical #historical romance #regency #duke #to read #tbr #Book Recommendations #reading recommendations #books to read #new books #library #Library Books

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insomniac-dot-ink · 6 years

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The Clockwork Princess

Genre: fairy tale, wlw original story

Words: 8k

Summary: A young woman is trapped in an hourglass that is hoarded by a dragon, a thief regularly breaks into the cave to take a few treasures.

The princess tries to convince the thief to break her out.

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The Thief

It’s half-past sunset when anything vaguely interesting happens. 6:32 to be exact, Caroline always knew the time, no matter how much she tried to forget it. It was tucked away in her head like a never-ending hum drumming rhythmically against her temples.

It would be impossible to forget the time in place like this anyway.

She isn’t expecting the change, she’s halfway between dreaming and drawing circles in the fog of her chamber. And then something moves in the corner of her eye.

Caroline shifts, the sand tumbles off her lap toward the cool golden bottom of her cage, freeing her to roll toward the edge of the glass. She squints out into the world.

It looks as it always does: rolling hills of gold, small jewels, coins, shining rings and priceless ivory teeth fillings. The whole cave filled to bursting with treasures and anything that sparkled, illuminated by a large skylight up above that allowed for small streams of faded sun or moonlight.

And of course, the clocks.

Caroline doesn’t know exactly what affinity Heratis had for time, perhaps nothing at all, perhaps he too was trapped by the constant ticking of forward motion, as immortals do. The clocks are endless, buried in the coins: grandfather clocks the size of two men, tiny coo-coo clocks that sang every hour. Brown leather wrist watches, sundials the size of dinner plates, fat white candles laying unlit, little mechanisms and gilded machines she had no name for.

Clocks, clocks, clocks, time keepers. Most of them had ceased working years ago, some ticked on despite themselves, all saying different unknown times from around the globe. But there are the few that Heratis kept neatly and routinely wound and polished.

A stately grandfather clock made of an entire oaktree, a tiny ornate pearl clock on a pedestal in the center of the room, a skeletal wristwatch that held a piece of the night sky, and, largest of all, a giant green jade clock stationed on the cave wall, inlaid finely in the grimy stone itself and the size of a carriage.

The oak, the pearl, the sky, the jade clock and then finally an enormous glass hourglass half-submerged in coins. She knows all about the last one.

All of them meticulously announced the time down to the second as the sun moved across the sky and forgot them, Caroline wished for the life of her she could forget as well. It is 6:38.

Nothing seems any different and Caroline is all but willing to sink low into her capsule again, but then comes another flit of movement, a single flurry of motion off to the side. Her eyes go wide, a shadow is dashing across the hills of gold, light as a feather and footsteps quiet as a ghost.

For a moment she’s not sure if she’s hallucinating it, if some dark reaper had finally come for her after all this time or if she had simply lost her mind. And then she sees a single coin rustle under the figures hasty steps, the thing was touching down, real.

“Hey,” her voice is raspy and aches from disuse, she presses her palms against the glass, “Hey! You!”

The shadow doesn’t stop, in fact it treads more quickly across the shimmering sea, Caroline scowls, she takes a deep breath and musters all her strength. “STOP!”

She isn’t sure if that would work.

The ghost, the shadow, the nothing, turns toward her, Caroline’s face goes slack, a jet-black cloak floats around what appears to be another person. The cloak dances in place, dark and moving as if plucked from the darkest storm clouds, wispy and strange. But there’s definitely a person within.

Caroline starts waving her arms wildly in the air, she is seconds away from weeping or self-combusting.

The face of a young woman appears curiously out the dimness of the cloak’s great hood. She has lank black hair ruffled around her face, like a frame of thick disheveled raven feathers. Her skin is a chalky grey, the color of a muted winter day or flat concrete road.

Her eyes are strikingly dark, inky black pools the color of her cloak and sharp as daggers. Her face is rather plane, unremarkable, thin-lipped and expressionless. Blank. As if you are meant to forget it right after looking at it. Caroline doesn’t care, she starts flailing more wildly.

“I’m over here!” She cries, “I’m here!”

The figure hesitates, she is several paces away, body poised for flight and a tangible confusion written across her face. She looks like she doesn’t know what to do with the vision of a bedraggled blonde princess stuck inside an enormous glass hourglass.

The figure doesn’t move as Caroline beckons for her.

Her face starts to cave in, “do you hear me?” She scowls, “I know you can see me.” Or at least, she hopes she can.

The figure takes a few measured steps forward, she looks the hourglass up and down, “Do you work for the dragon?” Her voice is flat and cool, like stagnant spring water.

Caroline cocks her head to the side, showering sand down her body as she does. “No, no,” she says quickly, “I’m hostage. The dragon Heratis took me long ago and used my life force to-”

“Okay.” She says bluntly, “Well don’t make too much noise.”

Caroline’s eyes go wide, “What?” She bares her teeth as her thoughts burn hot, “Let. Me. Out.” She gets to the point.

The woman frowns, looking her over again, and then she turns. Caroline waits for a moment, waiting for something, but the figure just bends over to look fastidiously over a few golden coins and a particularly large ruby.

“Did you hear me?” Caroline repeats, “I’ll start screaming.”

She looks up, “You can if you want, the dragon is out.”

Caroline opens and closes her mouth, blood slowly raising to boil in her veins, the stranger isn’t wrong. Heratis was out hunting and nowhere nearby.

Caroline’s scowl calcifies into a snarl, “Yes. He’s out.” She put her hands on her hips, “And do you not see this giant hourglass?” She gestured around her, the thick beautiful glass and heaps of sand she slept in surrounding her. “My family will reward you handsomely for returning me.”

The stranger blinks, “What’s your name? Kingdom?”

“Princess Caroline,” she says quickly, pressing herself up against the glass. “Of Timus. To the east!”

The stranger shrugs, “Never heard of it.”

Caroline’s face breaks out into an angry red, “What do you mean?” She bawls her fists up.

“Sounds fake,” the woman turns away.

“Why would I lie about this?” Caroline stomps her foot indignantly. “You will have more riches than this entire cave if you release me.”

The woman slipped several more coins into a satchel at her side, “I have heard of this.” She took a few soundless steps forward. Her hand was just as grey as her face, with blunt black nails and ringless long fingers. She tapped on the glass, “This is the hourglass of the Whistling Sea,” she nods, “It’s one of the dragon’s top prizes.”

“Yes, it’s priceless,” Caroline’s encourages, face lighting up again. “We could steal it and be rich beyond measure.” She tries to appeal to her.

The thief turns, “And be chased and eaten by Heratis?” She waves, “Sucks to be you.” She says simply and put the ruby in her pack.

Caroline screws her entire face up into an angry mess, “You can’t leave me here!”

“I am going now,” the woman starts to flit away, dark as shadow and fast as the breeze, just as she arrived.

“Thief!” Caroline bangs on the glass with her fists, “Devil!” She cries, “I’ll eat your bones and drink your blood if I ever get out of here!”

The last part might have been a little dramatic, but in her defense she had no other company except a dragon for the last century.

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

The Hourglass

Caroline hugs her knees to her chest, sitting bonelessly against the glass and half-submerged in fine white sands. She looks out unseeingly into her home. A cave of wealth, and death. It is 11:55 am, the 133th day of the year. A Monday.

Somehow she still hates Mondays.

The mounds of sand stir around her, tilting as the sea of coins dips and oscillates, she looks up. An enormous head struck a shadow above her, a face like stone and unmoving cliff faces stares back at her.

He has a long dirty-white beard and a long jagged face, colored pale brown and rimmed by aging whiskers. His features all plucked from a time no living creature could remember, a time of storms and boiling seas and bursting earth, the dragon breathed something ancient and bloody.

He has green eyes, acidic and deep set in his long face, she can’t see the rest of his enormous lizard body, but she knows it’s there: a weather-beaten pale hide and city-spanning wings, worn and pock-marked with small holes.

Caroline just sighs, her stomach had stopped turning at the sight of him a long time ago. She nods over to him in acknowledgement.

The hoard churns as he touches down, a perturbed ocean under his weight, Caroline flounders as everything tilts, but a clawed hand descends. She falls to her backside as her cell is plucked up by the golden top. Caroline scrambles to right herself just as the hourglass is turned over.

Marking another day.

She takes a deep breath, kicking back to the top of the heap and gathering at the edge of her glass prison as the sand starts draining toward the chamber below. She had learned long ago to simply huddle at the edge and ignore it, or she surely would have gone crazy decades ago from the constant dripping.

“Little bird,” a deep rumble of crashing ocean waves and earthquakes gashing across landscapes addresses her. “Why don’t you tell me a story? A new one.”

Caroline blows pieces of stray golden hair out of her eyes, “Can’t this be the day you eat me, father moon?” A name from a time when the people cowered from the lord of time and greed. He just grins down, letting out a wet and rolling laugh.

“Who else would give their life to my hourglass then?” He purrs and places his mighty head next to her chamber. “So much life to give, little princess.”

She rolls her eyes, “I have a story of a knight taking down a greedy lizard.”

He laughs, “No, a new one.” He licks his lips, “Or I will bury you again.”

She sighs unhappily, “Fine. Let’s have one of the maiden and the nightingale. With a song so lovely it boiled the oceans away and enchanted the night to never cease.”

She had been thinking of this one for a long time.

The dragon closes his eyes and begins to listen. Caroline’s heart sinks, she consoles herself that least she isn’t submerged under the ocean of riches this time.

-----------

The Bargain

Caroline is lulling in a restless sleep, strange shapes and colors run through her mind and her body is floating somewhere distant and cold. It’s 3:43 in the afternoon, it doesn’t matter when she sleeps, so it doesn’t matter when she wakes either, it’s just by chance that she rolls into consciousness in time. She blinks groggily and rubs at her face, eyes nearly missing the stranger above her.

A dark figure stands on the top of a golden hill, Caroline’s eyes go wide, she was once more overcome with a sense of an illusion haunting her. She gulps, “hey…” She speaks softly. It had been almost three weeks.

The figure doesn’t turn, but Caroline is sure the person is grey and looking over jewels in her hand. The same as before.

Caroline clenches her teeth, hard, this really wasn’t a knight. She takes a deep breath, drawing herself up and crawling to the side of the hourglass. “Hey!” No response, just a cold back turned to her.

Caroline widens her stance, a hot prickle flickering deep within her chest. She tosses her head back violently and takes a deep heaving breath.

“Aaaaah,” she let out a piercing, grating scream from deep in her chest. The sound quickly deflates like a pierced balloon from the effort, but she draws another breath to start again.

“You have to be kidding me,” coins cascade down in tiny trickles as the thief approaches her.

Caroline glances at her through slitted eyes, “Aaaah-”

“Come on,” the thief waves her hands, “There has to be knights around here for this sort of thing.”

Caroline put her hands on her hips and leers out, “Perhaps you could fetch one for me.” She juts her jaw out, “Or simply hand me a hammer?”

The thief looks her cage over, “How?” She seems momentarily confused.

Caroline grows a small smile, “Simple,” she leans forward, “Break the glass and hand it to me.”

The woman rolls her eyes, “Look, I get it, you’re stuck and that sucks.”

“Oh my God,” Caroline huffs, “Being consoled by a spineless thief. This is rock bottom.”

The woman growls, “You’re not making a good case for yourself.”

Caroline’s gestures for her, “Angry? Go ahead, try and hit me.”

The thief opens her mouth, and then closes it. A wry smile crosses her impassive face, “Very funny.” She shakes her head, “But I am spineless.” She says slowly, “And I’m sure someone mightier than me will come along for you.” She looks around, “Someday.”

Caroline groans and sits back in her mound of sand, it was halfway full by then. “Please?” She finally says, “Pretty please? Do me a favor. You’ll get a thousand favors back.”

The thief hums, “how do you even get trapped in an hourglass?” She squints, “how are you still…?”

“Alive?” She finishes her thought, “Magic.” Caroline explains simply. “Stupid, terrible magic.” She taps a blue vein on her arm, “Don’t be born with enchanted blood. First rule.”

She presents a smile again, “Noted.”

Caroline’s face softens and she tries to melt into something pleading and pitiful. “I haven’t seen another person in decades. The knights have… become scarce. And the dragon is fierce.”

“The dragon is very fierce,” the thief responds clippedly, “and not all of us have thick glass around us.”

Caroline put her head in her hands and let out another cry, “The first person to successfully break into the cave… and they’re an asshole!”

The thief gives a miffed noise, “bad luck then, princess.” She turns, “You wouldn’t happen to know the most expensive small item in here?”

Caroline just makes a rude gesture toward her and the thief chuckles and picks up a chipped emerald and golden necklace before hopping down the heaps of treasure once more.

Caroline refuses to watch her go, “First person in decades,” she continues to grumble, “And they’re just here to steal things. Typical.” And they weren’t there for her.

---------

The Wait

Caroline blows warm breath onto her glass case, painting designs with her fingertips in the mist that fogged up the inside. She draws an intricate bird with wings of fire, in her mind’s eye it burns up the whole world: one branch and building at a time, smoldering the whole land into nothing.

Lucy had once said she was afraid of fire, all witches were. Caroline wasn’t afraid of anything now, there was nothing left to touch her.

She closes her eyes and imagines sleeping again, floating into somewhere dark and soundless. But sleep doesn’t come. She opens her eyes again and writes a small word: S.O.S. She designs the letters, attaching swirls and delicate flowers sprouting from their backs as she had many times before.

She closes her eyes when she’s done, leaning against the cool walls and sighing.

Forgotten.

She bites down on the word like it’s a piece of moldy fruit in her mouth. They aren’t looking for you anymore.

They aren’t sending anyone.

Despair lodges so cleanly in Caroline’s chest she thinks she might choke on it or stab her straight through. She flops over and puts her head beneath the yellow sand that trickles from the tube above, closes her eyes and lets it wash over her.

She could go to sleep again. Let the dragon bury her and the sands to drag her deep down into the endless restless dreams, like the maiden before her had done.

Dream until her entire life force is spent and empty, ready to replaced by the next girl.

Forgotten.

Caroline takes her head out of the sand and crawls over to the side of the glass, she isn’t ready yet. It isn’t over yet.

Though she can’t explain why.

She continues to expand her small drawings, erasing, and breathing again, art that would never be seen or remembered. Her eyes glaze over.

It’s 8:40 at night, two weeks since she had last seen Heratis.

Caroline perks up as a slight movement dashes off to her right side. The coins shift.

She sits up in place, “Back so soon?” It had only been two days. Two days four hours, five minutes, 22 seconds.

The shadow pauses in place, her eyes flicking up and face briefly illuminated by the streaming moonlight. She has a bloody gash across her lip and molting purple bruises just below her right eye, turning yellow as sour candy.

Caroline peels her lips back, “Bandits?” She guesses, the thief just grunts, a wordless affirmation. “Let you do all the work and then take the treasure themselves.” Caroline tutts, “No honor these days.”

The thief draws her hood up to cover her bloody face, “No need to mock.”

Caroline dances in place, “Trust me when I say I have nothing left to lose,” she starts to make faces, “I have no pride left. Watch this.”

She squishes her face up to the glass, mashing her nose up and slobbering across the smooth surface, the thief makes a quick sound- it might’ve been a laugh.

“Please don’t distract me,” the thief bends down and starts inspecting priceless items again. “Some of us have jobs.”

“Do you want to switch?” Caroline offers hopefully, “I have no job. No worries,” she drags her hands through the loose sand, “Just sand, really quiet a lifestyle.”

The figure shakes her head, “I’ll pass,” she looks up with a quick grin, “And unfortunately I was not blessed with enchanted blood.”

Caroline could have started to cry, wild emotions surge through her, maybe it was just from communicating with someone for so long.

She opens her mouth to keep her talking, but both of their heads jerk up at a new sound. An approaching whooshing boom, caucus fills the space as winds as strong gail storms bluster through the vast cave, the thief’s hood flies back to reveal her horrified expression.

The whomping grows louder.

Caroline wrenches her head around, voice urgent as a lightning strike, “Hide.”

She isn’t sure if she’s loud enough, but the address seems to jolt the thief from her shock, she stumbles to the side. “Quickly,” Caroline gestures, “Behind me. Bury yourself.”

The woman moves like a corpse in the breeze: disjointedly and carried by something beyond herself. She falls toward Caroline, staggering for the hourglass and managing to dive behind it, “Dig!” Caroline commands as the woman crouches behind her. The thief starts desperately clawing her way into the treasures and covering herself.

She is just barely submerged when mighty claws touch down, shifting the ocean of treasure but luckily not sending Caroline capsizing.

She sits up in place, the dragon’s maw is bloody with a successful hunt. He must have gorged himself for those two weeks, he would be close to sleeping soon.

Heratis settles heavily, letting his limbs fold up under him and head bending down with a drooping grace. Caroline opens her mouth to distract him, but addressing him first would be suspicious after all this time and she stops.

Heratis gives her a long look, blinking slowly and consideringly, Caroline holds her breath. “Think of another tale Little Bird,” he finally says, “I will expect one when I wake.”

Caroline exhales in relief as he swings around and places his jagged pale head down far away from her. “Of course,” she replies softly, but his eyes are already closed.

Just as quickly as his eyes close she hears the shifting of coins behind her. “Wait.” She hisses between her teeth, “He’s not asleep yet.”

Wide black eyes stare back at her, the woman’s face and neck just visible underneath her shallow grave of treasures. The woman’s hood is torn down and Caroline notes the small twisting horns on her head and pointed ears, she must have been some sort of elf or even a tiefling.

Caroline tilts her head, perhaps a hybrid.

The thief looks away, ‘when?’ She mouths.

Caroline shrugs, “time is slow for him. Hours. Days. He’ll be completely asleep eventually though, that will bring luck on your side.” The thief’s eyes become dinner plates, her thoughts written all over her features: days?

“Don’t worry,” Caroline grins, “his hearing is bad,” she explains slowly, “it’s just movement he’ll notice. Wait.”

The dragon breaths out, they both jump but nothing else follows.

Caroline settles down, lying in the grains of sand and observing the situation. The thief shoots her an annoyed look and she just shrugs back.

“Wait,” she repeats, “What’s a prison after all?” She adds the last part bitterly and with at least a little sense of pointed irony.

----------

Questions

The thief’s eyes are screwed up into angry little blights on her face, ‘what are we waiting for?’ She mouths, making barely any noise at all from down below.

Caroline is lounging next to her, “Sounds of snoring.” She says simply, “Also, you can speak a little louder.”

“Ugh,” The thief groans, “Princess,” she growls, “I really don’t have time for this.”

“Why don’t you do that magic trick with your light steps then?” Caroline asks back, looking down at the black cloak tied neatly around the thief’s throat.

The woman opens her mouth, she glances over to the dragon, and then back. Small sweat droplets trail down her temple.

She was afraid. She wouldn’t risk running right now, Caroline smiles loosely.

She relaxes into the bottom of her chamber, “What’s your name then, great thief?”

The woman scowls back, “It’s ‘Great Thief.’ Capital G. You got it.”

Caroline snorts, “Well, I’m Caroline of Timus.” She repeats, “Princess, capital P.”

“I remember,” The thief huffs and turns slightly away. A full minute passes before the woman carefully clears her throat and catches her eye again. “I’m Vera.” She finally says, “not that it matters.”

“It’ll matter,” Caroline winks, “In the great epics written about this later. The Great Thief: in the dragon’s belly, but not forgotten. When she wouldn’t get help for the captured princess.”

Vera makes a small noise in the back of her throat, “Do you plan on getting me eaten?”

Caroline gives a heavy sigh, “Not yet.” She says assuredly, “I’m not actually an asshole. Like some people.” She lifts her eyebrows pointedly.

“Well you’re not making yourself a lot of friends right now.” Vera grumbles.

“Where are you from Vera?” She changes subjects.

Vera eyes her warily, “Nowhere,” she says bluntly, “The Northern country.”

Caroline nods, “I could have guessed that.” Very few people south of the equator had chalky grey skin, like the face of the moon.

Vera shakes her head, “And you, from the Kingdom I’ve never heard of.”

Caroline smiles, “Maybe you don’t have very good hearing.”

The other woman gives a small chuckle, “You sound rather clever, how do clever girls get captured by dragons?”

Caroline droops, unsuccessfully smothering her own pout. “It’s,” her mouth goes slightly dry, she sighs, “It’s as stupid as it sounds.”

Vera raises her eyebrows, “Oh?” She follows Caroline’s gaze, “You tripped and fell into a glass case?”

Caroline just groans, “I believed… someone I shouldn’t have.” She explains cryptically, “And they bargained with the dragon.” She peels her lips back in disgust, lamenting herself. “Never trust beautiful witches. It’s all warts from there.”

Vera studies her, “I’ll have that printed on my next saddle bag.” She smiles, “Consorting with witches though,” she almost leers, “Someone must have not been a very good human royal.”

“The worst,” Caroline says darkly, smiling back sourly, “But how else would I get in here?”

Vera just nods, “Understood,” her eyes trail down Caroline’s pink summer dress and the curve of her waist. “Second question,” she hums, “Does this thing make you immortal?” Her voice is even, deceivingly flat.

“Depends on your definition,” Caroline touches the sand, “It feeds off me. Keeps itself turning and stops me from aging, but not from dying.” She looks up at her ceiling. “It’s not the best deal quite honestly.”

Vera was quiet for a long moment, she frowns delicately. “What did you bargain for?”

Caroline didn’t reply for a long moment, thinking it all over blankly. What do I have to lose? She reflects briefly.

“No, not me,” She finally replies, glancing up crisply. “Do you want to steal my secrets as well thief?”

Their eyes meet and Vera raises her eyebrows, “If you wish.” She snorts, “It doesn’t appear that I’m going anywhere.”

Caroline rolls her eyes, “It’s just as I said: don’t trust beautiful witches… And don’t fall for them.” She looks down at her lap emptily, “Lucy wanted more time. More life. Keep the cruelty of ages off her.” She looks off into nowhere, murmuring. “And I wanted to make her happy.”

Vera looks away, averting her gaze off to the side. “Princess’s with problems. Ah.”

Caroline sniffs, “And thief’s with problems.” She retorts, “Such as getting beat up by bandits.”

Vera makes a face at her, “A job hazard. But one of us isn’t stuck in a glass coffin.”

“Not yet!” She shakes her fist.

They exchange a long look, and then, despite themselves, they start laughing, a sharp childish giggling that Caroline tries to cover with her hands. Prompted from the absurdity of the darkness, and the gold, and the slumbering dragon that had yet to snore.

Vera stays perfectly still but seems to really look at Caroline now, “tell me,” she asks slowly, “What have you been doing with the dragon all this time?”

So, Caroline tells her a story: of a foolish human princess who ran away with a witch. Of a witch who feared death and an hourglass. A bargain with a time dragon and everything else.

Vera slowly, carefully tells her snippets of information as well: she was hired by a great lord who planned to accumulate wealth for an army. Vera guessed that the army was for taking over the grand principality, but that really wasn’t her business, nothing seemed to be her business.

The moon crosses the sky like a perfectly round hole in the darkness, a falling silver coin, Caroline drinks in the sight of another person. Of a real conversation.

Finally, she touches the glass again, “So,” She asks softly, “How does one get into the business of thieving for lords?”

Vera purses her lips, “They run out of options. Among other things.”

Caroline raises her eyebrows, “Family?”

Vera shook her head with forlorn, “No.” She looks up at her own little horns on her head, “Unacknowledged,” she gives a thin smile, “You can call me a bastard if you like, that’ll at least be correct.”

Caroline’s studies her exposed moon-grey face, “Well, my family abandoned me too,” she sighs, “so maybe that’s how people like us end up together.”

Vera gives her a funny look, “I suppose.” She looks away, “You know I’m a,” she pauses, watching Caroline, “So you’ve guessed, I’m a hybrid.”

Caroline shrugs, “Sure,” she says and itches her nose, “How else would an elf walk like a shadow?” She smiles, “No one has done anything like this, you’re stronger than any of the other silly heroes who’ve came so far. It’s impressive, really.”

Caroline can’t help but catch the briefest surprised smile crossing Vera’s face at that, she tugs it back into something guarded. “Well I’m not a hero.” She replies quickly, “And you ran away from your whole life for someone, so that’s impressive too, really.”

Caroline laughs a bitter and light sound, “Now I’m being teased. It’s not all that, just stupid youth.” Their eyes meet and Caroline can’t explain it as her heart squeezes for a moment. “I get what I deserve.”

Another moment passes, the moonlight cascading over the cave from up above and their breaths catching in time with one another.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Vera’s voice was quiet, “It’s a terrible thing done, no one would deserves it.”

Caroline shivers from head to toe, their eyes meet again, and she doesn’t know how to place it. She wets her lips, waiting, a bubbling force rising in her chest.

Vera lifts up, shifting some of the coins and exposing her shoulders, then she stops, as if biting down on something too, holding it beneath her tongue and rolling it around. They stay breathlessly watching each other, perhaps something more might have come of it.

Instead, they both jump as booming guttural sound echoes around the cave. A deep snore.

Caroline and Vera exchange a look. Caroline tries not show her face fall, “Go,” she points, “Take as much gold as you can carry. He stopped counting this junk ages ago.”

Vera was still looking at her, mulling her over. She takes her time unburrying herself and then grabbing everything in arms reach.

“Caroline,” her face is flushed and Vera hunches over slightly, searching for something, and then she just nods. Caroline nods back.

“Go,” it’s a whisper this time. What else is there to do? She asks herself, Caroline waves her arms, “Quickly!”

Vera rises on her ghost feet, gathering the cloak around her and barely disturbing a thing as she darts away, into the night, into the nothingness.

I hope you got what you were looking for.

And she was alone again.

-----------

The Dream

Vera is gone. But what did Caroline expect?

She told herself to stop expecting things. Perhaps it was just the sign she should let herself sleep again, let it all go.

She hovers at the top of her chamber as the hourglass finishes filling, swimming in the sea of sand with just her upper body barely above the surface. She braces herself as the mechanism turns over again, forcing her to slip toward the bottom and then dig her way back to the air again.

Not that it mattered. She didn’t need air.

It takes another month for Heratis to wake again, Caroline already had her next story meticulously planned for him.

He blinks open his crusted, glossy eyes and she calls to him. “I’m ready.” He settles in expectantly, waiting before he needed to go out feeding again.

“How preparatory of you,” he puts his enormous head by her, blinking his acid green eyes and resting his soft leathery beige cheek by her cell. “Go on.”

She lifts her eyes up, “This one is about a tiefling and an elf who fell in love. And their daughter who rose above it all to become a star on the horizon.”

She begins again.

-----

Caroline is wavering between waking and sleeping, as she had been for days now, letting the drowsy sand wash over her, quietly, consumingly. She could be lost like this, she could dream again.

Her eyes are closed and head lulling down on her chest, thoughts floating in and out as she dreams of fresh buttery bread she keeps bringing to her lips only for it to disappear on contact. She turns in place, deep within the sand.

A sharp tap erupts besides her, insistent and sharp.

It’s 2:22 in the afternoon, a Thursday. Heratis was out- having left after she finished her last story.

Caroline blinks awake and turns, kicking her way out of the sand and pushing her way to the edge of the cage. She has to rub her gritty eyes when she sees someone next to her in the streaming daylight. A figure draped in a billowy black cloak.

Inky eyes capture hers, “Vera?” Caroline rasps, her throat tightening almost painfully.

Vera nods slowly, tugging at her fingers. “That ransom for you,” She begins awkwardly, swaying in place and looking somewhat lost. “Would it still be a lot?”

Caroline just shakes her head, “I lied.” She says carefully, “My parents did try to bargain for me at first, for posterity's sake, but,” she hesitates, “But what is a daughter who ran away?” She sinks down, “there is no longer a reward I’m afraid.”

The truth weighs heavily on her chest, forgotten. She slid quietly to the bottom of her cage, “I lied.”

“I know,” Vera says with a hard tone, hesitance written over her pinched expression. “Sorry, I already knew that. Caroline,” She looks up darkly, “There is no longer a kingdom of Timus.”

Caroline’s mouth falls open, thoughts thumping in her temples and heart racing. In the back of her mind she already knew that, deep down she had known that for a long time.

“Vera,” She swallows thickly, sorrow welling up from somewhere she didn’t know existed. She tries to focus, “Why are you here?”

Vera had never tapped on her glass before and her hands are empty of any treasures, in fact, instead of a satchel at her side there was the hilt of what looked like a heavy weapon. Something is different.

Vera looks down at her feet, as if she’s a small child suddenly caught taking cookies from a jar. She scuffs her foot on the coins and her mouth becomes a squiggle line across her face, strangely bashful.

“I just thought,” Vera put her palms up helplessly, “you know. It does, actually, really... suck. To be stuck somewhere.”

Caroline’s draws herself up, “Yes. We’ve been over this. It sucks.” She says dryly and fixes her with a steady look, “Is… that it?”

“I mean,” Vera rubs the back of her neck, “I’m not actually a hero or anything.” She mumbles, “Most people don’t want to think of me as anything at all, but,” her eyes dart up, bursting with something. “I dunno, I just kept thinking about your silly face stuck in all this sand…”

“Yes?” Caroline’s heart speeds up, eyes going wide.

“And I thought, well, I mean, maybe I had been wrong,” she fidgets in place, “and maybe I could steal something good for once.”

Caroline’s mouth falls open like a screw came loose in her jaw, “You won’t get a reward,” she says quickly, manically. “Obviously. I don’t even have a kingdom anymore.”

Vera speaks gently. “Yeah, I know.”

Caroline’s mouth is still hanging open, “I have nothing for you.”

“I know.”

Caroline crams herself up against the glass, “You don’t know what this means. I can’t, I mean, I can’t thank y-“

Vera’s tone is quick and halting, “Don’t think about it. Come on, before I change my mind.” Her eyes flit over to the mouth of the cave.

“We’d have to run.” Caroline speaks as if in a dream, Vera nods grimly back, “We’d have to be fast.”

Vera breaks into a broad grin, a real one. “I’m fast.”

Caroline steps away from the glass, hands shaking. “Can you break this damn thing?”

Vera’s grin turns wild and barbed, “You happen to be in luck,” she says gleefully, “For you have a thief at your service and she happened to be sent to the dwarf kingdom’s artillery last month.”

“No,” jitters course through Caroline’s system, “No way.”

Vera pulls out what appeared to be a golden hammer, the head is as big as the girl’s head and looks as heavy as a small cow. It’s covered in small brilliant symbols and built with the fineness of smart hands and a little magic.

A flutter surges through Caroline’s heart, it couldn’t be real. “Amazing,” she claps her hands, “Amazing Vera!” She wonders if this is what being high was like, or in love.

Vera lifts her chin up, “Step back.”

Caroline can’t move fast enough, retreating until her back hits the opposite wall of glass and her muscles tense all over. Vera lifts the hammer above her head, heavy and shining in her hands. Their eyes meet for a brief second, something stretches between them like a sunbeam across ice: blinding and fierce.

Caroline holds her breath, “I’m ready.”

The hammer swings down before Caroline finishes the sentence, Vera’s face is screwed up in red determination and she lets out a feral grunt as the weapon falls. It strikes with a terrifying crunch that must have shot tremors up Vera’s arms.

Heavy and solid it thunks against the glass and, to Caroline’s amazement, a jagged raw lightning strike crack bursts across the surface. Tears well up in her eyes despite herself, hot and stinging with feral trembling hope.

A second thought strikes her: the hourglass was one of Heratis’s most prized possessions, the dragon had meant to be away awhile and yet…

She tenses all over, “Quickly.”

Vera’s face screws up again, “Huh!” She grunts and brings the hammer down once more with deadly blunt force. This time Caroline’s entire chamber shakes, she steadies herself on either wall and gasps as more spiderweb-thin cracks spread.

“That’s it!” She whoops, “You are my hero you damn fool, keep going!”

Vera’s cheeks flush ashy-grey at that, but she heaves the hammer down again with a teeth-shattering crash. Another crack.

Then comes the roar. A roar like flood waters slamming down across canyon creeks, the sound of terrors in the night children dream up and bones crunching against cold stone. A roar erupting from somewhere so deep it might as well be from the earth itself.

Caroline jerks up, “Hurry, hurry!” She nearly breaks into tears again, “He’s sensed it. He’s coming."

Vera looks pale and almost sick to her stomach, ready to bolt at any second. For a moment Caroline expects her to turn and sail away on light feet into somewhere soundless and dark. Safe.

For a moment Caroline wants to tell her to do just that.

Vera clenches her teeth, “watch out.” She lifts the hammer with her entire body, solid and lurching from the effort, she struck a silhouette all young girls knew: a champion of old. Vera brings the hammer down with a terrifying crash, the glass dents inward, caving in.

“There,” Caroline staggers as the cage jostles, “Almost!” She can see the unfiltered light, she can taste the clear air.

Vera backs up, sweat streaming down her forehead, the effort obviously taking a toll on her trembling limbs. The roar comes again, but this time accompanied by the whump of massive wings.

Caroline burns with a heat that feels like it might incinerate her, she’s so close. “Ah!” She screams and rushes for the cracks in the glass, pushing on them with all her strength.

“Wait-” Vera barely gets a word out before a shadow with deviled horns and blooming fury descends. They both scream.

“Who is tampering with my hoard?” The beast roars with a raw vitriol, “I will crunch your bones and burn your whole family to dust.”

Vera snarls back, “My family already told me to shove off, so,” she grins daringly, stupidly. “Try again.”

A clawed hand shoots forward, grasping Vera’s small body and lifting her.

“No!” Caroline moves in that moment, she has to, she digs her heels into the shifting sands, braces herself, and then flings herself at the cracks in the glass. Everything shatters.

She gasps, her skin stinging with a thousand pinpricks and a shuddering burn. Her insides wash with what felt like frigid ice water, like sucking in artic wind in every sinew. The tumbling mix of hot and cold surges with a dizzying weight through her, time reclaims her with a vengeance.

Her eyes spot white, ears ringing and the taste of grit and soil bleeding through her taste buds. The world smells raw and vivid as a sucker punch.

Mortality singes every nerve in her, a stranglehold of life and promise of death all once. Caroline takes a second to look at her hands, pale and empty, she clenches and then unclenches them. She can feel the sticky pain in her shoulder from where she bashed it across the glass, she can feel the thrash of wind against her skin and an aching hunger throughout her body, aches and aches and aches.

She tingles, her thoughts heave, slipping through her fingers like burning ashes. She no longer knows what time it is.

“Aaahh!” Caroline looks up as a sharp cry fells the air, breaking her out of her brief reverence.

Heratis is holding Vera around her middle, lifting her through the air and bringing her up to his green cold gaze.

“And who are you?” He growls, “Who are you to touch my things?”

Vera shakes like a leaf, she looks ready to puke on the spot. She must have gathered something from deep within though, something Caroline can only guess at. “Who- who are you to make anyone a thing?” She says, just loud enough and then growls forcefully: “go eat your own tail.”

The dragon laughs, its voice filling the whole space. “Oh, I’m going to make this slow.”

“Hey!” Caroline screams, feeling the burn of her fledgling lungs. “Heratis!” She musters a battle cry, bursting with new and terrible life. Something that had been building in her for a very long time. “I have your things here.”

Heratis turns toward her with the sluggish movements of a beast older than the sky itself. “My little bird,” he sneers, “How ugly your wings are.”

Caroline draws herself up, she reaches for the sands cascading out of the hourglass like carnage out of a gut wound. “Stop me.” She scatters the sands, tossing it away to fall between the cracks of the treasures and disappear.

“Ugly, ungrateful,” he seems to forget Vera for a moment and comes rushing forward with the force of a small hurricane. “Small, petulant, creature.”

Caroline latches her hands around a giant piece of glass from her cage, gripping it between her tingling hands and yanking it loose, the sharp edges bite into her skin as she hefts it up. She grimaces as her palms split up, blood seeping down her wrists and across the smooth surface of the object.

She gives the hourglass beside her a savage kick, sending what’s left of it toppling down the golden hills and away. She lifts the shard of glass over her head just as the dragon’s dives to catch the hourglass, Caroline is faster. She leaps, soundlessly, ruthlessly, and thrusts the glass fragment deep into the side of the dragon’s face.

The shard pierces the dragons soft aged cheek, enchanted by her spilling blood and filled with the fury of a girl who had lost everything. His skin bursts with a sluggish red gash and Caroline tears downward.

She wedges it deep within his face before letting go, his eyes go wide for a moment, processing this new foreign horror. He reels back, head thrashing and body whipping about, shaking the entire cavern itself. Caroline falls to her knees and staggers in place.

A momentary glee balloons in her chest, but then the dragon releases Vera as he clutches at his ruined cheek- tossing the girl aside like a scrap. Vera’s body sails limply across the open space.

“No,” Caroline leaps toward her, feet flying and heart pounding so hard it might burst. A roar drums in her ears and her mouth tastes of copper and bile.

“No, no, no,” she put her hands out to catch the other girl, mind screeching, but she is still several paces away, not close enough. “No!”

Vera is falling, face stricken and body tossed like a boneless ragdoll, and then the next moment she is turning in midair, situating her feet toward the ground and decelerating. Her cloak flutters as she rights herself like a falling cat and softly lands.

Caroline tries to dig her heels in as Vera’s comes down feather-light.

She barely manages to slow before crashing into the other girl, running headlong into her body and almost sending them both sprawling. Vera grabs her around the waist instead and swings them both around. “Stupid girl!”

Caroline laughs in her arms, “Brilliant shadow!”

They hug for just a moment, though neither would ever admit that’s what it is. Then the thrashing of Heratis comes back to them. Coins spray around them and a growling screech resounds.

“It’s ruined!” He cries and lets out a growl of a thousand baited hound dogs.

Caroline turns toward the wall, thinking quick. “Can you get up there?” She points to the massive jade clock perched high above.

“What?” Vera grabs her arm, “We need to get out of here.”

“We should stall him first,” Caroline counters quickly, keeping her eyes on the dragon as he tries to turn, “he won’t rest until that clock is wound again. That will buy us time.”

Vera seems to open her mouth to argue, but then glances back at the dragon and only nods. They both start racing; Caroline’s veins are ice and she barely registers the endless light just outside the cave. She waves at Vera as the other woman crawls up the wall with the speed of a specter and grabs at the big hand of the giant clock.

“Turn it!” Caroline screeches and watches as the dragon’s prize is wrenched out of time.

Heratis roars, blood streaming down his chin and neck. “Don’t touch that!”

Vera lets go, the dragon grabs for his treasure, trying to restore the item back to the exact second. Vera darts away, landing on the ground lightly once more, Caroline takes her hand. “Come on.”

They grin with the bloody exhilaration of almost-victory, they turn, they run.

The sunlight is as bright and fierce as a first kiss, a first breath, a first forever. Caroline is skipping as they tumble down the mountain side, skidding and flinging themselves down and away, every scraped knee is a new promise.

She only stops once, “Thank you Vera!”

They approach the edge of a forest, just far enough away from the cave for the dragon cries to be muted. Caroline didn’t even know there was a forest outside, it was a young and bright thing, more oaks than it was pines and brimming with bird calls and rustling life.

Vera is panting and holding her sides where the dragon had squeezed her. “Me?” She wheezes, “You’re the one that stabbed him back there.”

Caroline turns to her, hair loose and wild, “You didn’t have to come for me. You didn’t have to do any of that.”

Vera looks away and huffs, “We have to keep running, he can fly you know.”

Caroline hadn’t stopped smiling since she’d come out, “Just one second,” she reaches for Vera’s hand once more, “One thing and then we can flee to the ends of the earth, or ends of the kingdom at least. He’s a lazy thing.”

Caroline glances back up toward the cave, roaring was still emitting from it, “Make it quick.”

Caroline gets on her tiptoes, Vera was too tall. “Ahem,” she clears her throat, “I am in your debt. And as a freed princess, you have my eternal gratitude.”

Vera turns to her, making faces, “What are you on about?”

Caroline takes Vera’s cheeks between her hands, “A legendary hero.” She reaches up, “Wresting me from the dragon’s clutches. I show my thanks.” It was a silly thing, but all story books are silly.

She lifts herself up, closes her eyes and softly presses her lips against the other girls. It tastes like blood and burning lungs, but Caroline is full to bursting with the whole entire world. She kisses delicately, tender against her raw skin and thumping heartbeat.

Her head swims with exuberance and she thinks she might never sleep again.

The kiss is chaste and careful, Caroline falls back again quickly, still smiling. “There.”

Vera looks blankly back at her, cheeks burning a vivid dark ash and eyes huge. “Oh,” she blinks, stammering, “I mean,” She holds her black feathery hair back, “That’s… Oh.”

Caroline laughs and leans into her, “that’s how it’s supposed to go.”

“Not my stories,” Vera appears thunderstruck.

“Then how do yours go?” Carolina’s face hovers inches from Vera’s, ready to press another shy kiss to her cheek.

Vera grabs her hand and pulls them forward as a howl bursts from far behind them. “I’ll tell you later.” She hurries them onward, “It’s a story of a silly trapped girl and a selfish thief.”

“Will I like this story?” They keep running as Vera begins a new tale.

“I hope so,” Vera’s face is aglow with a wide smile, her pointed white teeth stretching across her lips, a lovely shameless thing. “Hopefully if it’s not over yet.”

Caroline chases her steps, “Not yet!” She cackles, “If you’d like to see the rest that is.”

Vera squeezes her hand, “Lead the way.”

They laugh wildly and descend into the dappled thick woods.

The world settles and Caroline’s face is turned up, thick with sunshine and fury and a whole new world beyond her glass and sand. Her hands run bloody, and her body aches with bruises and a new licking hunger, and there is no time at all.

The End

#wlw #fairy tale #lbtq fiction #original story #sapphic #original writing #wlw writing #fantasy #f/f #my work #writers on tumblr

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dailyfeitan · 6 years

Text

1550 word one-shot by @separationboundary

Prompt: “What now?” “I don’t know , I didn’t think we’d get this far.”

Mistakes were made, we just can’t remember what they were

Feitan awoke on the floor with gummy eyes glued partially shut and a mouth that felt as if something small and furry had crawled in it and died a few days ago.

He coughed and cleared his throat, rolling, with some difficulty, onto his back and managed to open both eyes a slit. He contemplated the ceiling: ugly white acoustic tiles with the occasional water stain.

He had no idea where he was.

All he knew was that he’d been drunk and he was still drunk. He looked around as carefully as he could without moving his aching head. His eyes felt like the lids were made of sandpaper.

Nope. No recognition whatsoever.

He tried to remember what he remembered last. That made his brain hurt and he rolled, after a few tries, onto his right side.

Chrollo. Chrollo was lying next to him, seemingly sleeping peacefully, a few strands of white fake fur from his collar sticking to his lower lip.

Ahh, that was right. He and Chrollo had been drinking with the Troupe and, when everyone else had passed out, decided they’d head into town to stir up some trouble.

Ugh.

Chrollo seemed fine, though, sleeping on his back, his mouth slightly open, snoring softly and adorably. Feitan smiled.

Enough of that. He had to figure out where they were.

With a mighty effort he rolled left up onto his left side.

Uh-oh.

Stirring up some trouble indeed. There were bars. Feitan looked blearily around. Oh, hell.

They were in a jail cell.

Feitan rested briefly on his back, staring at the dingy ceiling again. He was still so wasted and he had to get himself and his Danchou out of here.

Ugh. There was a movement beside him and he canted his head that way.

Chrollo was waking. He stretched, yawned, and opened his eyes.

“Danchou,” Feitan said. It came out a buzzy croak.

Chrollo leant his own head toward Feitan and the smaller man was struck, as always, at how ethereally beautiful the man could look. He was shit faced, unwashed, and lying on the gritty floor of a jail cell and yet he looked pristine and beautiful.

“Fei!” Chrollo said as if he hadn’t seen the little Spider in ages. “Wass goin’ on?”

“We locked up,” Feitan said, gesturing vaguely at the bars.

“Have you tried uh … tried the door?”

Feitan shook his head. He had a total of three lockpicks in various locations on his person but truth be told he didn’t think he was sober enough to stand, much less fiddle open a lock.

“What now, Danchou? Others probably worried.”

“Well,” Chrollo yawned delicately, “I dint think we’d make it this far.” he said philosophically, “We godda get ow …”

Silence. He’d lost his train of thought.

Feitan groaned and flipped slowly over, trying to get his arms and legs underneath himself. After a few tries he managed it.

Chrollo giggled.

“You’re drunk as hell,” He said happily.

Feitan side-eyed him.

“You wasted, too, Danchou.”

“But I don’t look like a constipated turtle right now!”

He dissolved into quiet laughter.

Feitan tried to ignore him, gritting his teeth and struggling to rise. He made it up onto his knees and realised that his tunic was gone. He was dressed in his black boots and a pair of black stretchy boxers and nothing else.

Well, shit.

So much for picking the lock. He looked around owlishly.

They had to be in some podunk police station. The cell wasn’t a proper one - it had been installed in a regular room. There were four sides, one of which was the door, and the entire cell was just sitting on the floor.

Could he lift it?

He tried to get a foot under himself and a wave of nausea swept over him. He glanced around. No sink or toilet. Not even a bucket.

Ugh … fuck!

He lay back down.

Ahh, better.

Chrollo pawed at him.

“D’ya thing Phinks an’ Shal got away?”

“The rest of the Troupe back at the hideout Danchou. Remember?”

Chrollo’s fine brow furrowed.

“Oh, yeah …”

Feitan sagged backwards, glaring at the ceiling as if it was to blame for their incarceration.

Chrollo began humming tunelessly.

Well, Danchou wouldn't be much help.

Abruptly the door to the room opened and an officer came in. He glanced at them then retrieved something from the single desk in the room. Feitan watched his every move.

The man exited without sparing them another look but the small Spider had learned two things: there were at least two more people in the building judging by the voices through the open door, and the man had had a big ring of keys on his hip.

Feitan resumed studying the watermarks on the ceiling.

The ceiling.

Shit.

Feitan sat up straight and groaned as his head pounded and his stomach did a few flips.

“Danchou! I know a way out!”

Chrollo’s humming didn’t stop.

“Danchou!” He shook him sharply.

“WHAT?”

“Know a way out.”

“Then go, get out. I’m so comfy …” His eyes drifted shut.

“You lying on dirty concrete!”

“Sooooo commmmmmmffeeee …”

“Tch!”

Feitan gripped the cell bars and hauled himself upward. His head spun and he had to tip his forehead against the cool metal. After a few moments he looked up. The bars seemed to stretch upward forever - in reality it was a good ten feet.

The small thief shook his head and began to climb.

“I can see your underweeeaar!” Chrollo sang suddenly, dissolving into giggles after.

Feitan cursed. He cursed the bars, he cursed this cell, he cursed that tenth shot of vodka he’d sipped out of Chrollo’s navel back at the hideout. Had they had sex? Shit, he couldn’t remember. He was pretty sure somebody had blown him. Shalnark?

He canted his head back and stared upwards. Had he progressed at all? Yes, he was closer. He inched on.

Sober, Feitan would be out by now and have killed all the guards. Drunk off his ass he felt lucky to have made it the eight and a half feet up the bars toward freedom that he had. He glanced down. Chrollo had fallen back asleep.

There was a noise outside the door. Footsteps.

Feitan froze, a small Spider clinging to the cell bars, almost to the ceiling.

Voices.

One more than before. Four officers, then.

His arms began to shake. The wild night out had sapped his strength. Fuck it. He wasn’t going to give up the distance he had already made. He resumed climbing.

He finally - finally - reached the ceiling. He felt as if he’d just run a marathon.

He shakily braced himself against the bars and felt upward. The ceiling was as he suspected: a standard dropped ceiling with a thin framework of metal and acoustic tiles suspended below the actual ceiling. It would be the work of moments to lift up a tile and …

Feitan frowned.

The tile lifted about three inches.

Well, shit. The ceiling was indeed a dropped one but the drop was a matter of six inches and the narrow space was packed with wires, ducts, and cables. Even Feitan couldn’t squeeze through.

Double shit.

Voices. Again.

Feitan slid down the bars like a fireman down a ladder and was crouched into the smallest shape he could be when the door crashed open.

Chrollo woke with a yelp and one of the police officers shot into the room, backpedalling furiously, and ended up back first against the cell bars. Feitan, despite his alcohol load, managed to kill the stunned man and relieve him of his keys before he slumped to the ground.

Another officer, a big one, loomed in the doorway and Feitan snarled, hiding behind the body of the first man.

“Jezus, Phinksy … you scared the fife … life, outta me!” Chrollo whined.

Was Danchou hallucinating? Feitan risked a look.

The ‘officer’ wasn’t an officer at all but Phinks, looking strikingly handsome in a police uniform that didn’t quite stretch across his powerful shoulders. Shalnark, similarly attired and grinning, peered out from under Phinks’s arm.

“Baka!” Feitan yelled, straightening.

“Yeah, you’re welcome!” Phinks yelled back.

Shalnark immediately made soothing gestures. Feitan handed him the keys through the bars.

“We doing just fine!”

“Then why are you locked in a jail cell and …” Phinks stared appreciatively down Feitan’s lean, pale body, “And … uh … naked?”

“Not naked!” Feitan said, blushing. He sincerely had no idea at what point he’d lost his tunic and scarf. At least his junk was covered. “Having more fun than you!” He insisted

Shalnark was trying to get a boneless Chrollo - who was giggling helplessly - standing.

“It’s almost dawn!” Phinks resumed, shedding his dark blue police issue jacket and draping it around Feitan’s shoulders. “We’ve spent all night looking for you two and you can’t even say thank you?!” Phinks lifted the smaller man to his feet.

Franklin looked in, saw Feitan, sighed heavily, and eased back out again.

Feitan grumbled and pulled the jacket closed around himself - what reached Phinks’s waist fell to Feitan’s crotch.

“C’mon, Fei …” Shalnark cajoled, still grinning. “Make nice-nice, now”

“Fine. Thanks.” And the disgruntled (and half naked) little thief stomped out the door.

#one shot #fanfiction #writing #separationboundary #writing prompt #feitan

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detectiveangusmcdonald · 6 years

Text

The Despair Zone| Chapter 1: Welcome to the Academy

First Previous Next

Summary: Sixteen high school students find themselves trapped in a high school by someone forcing them to play a killing game.

Word Count: 1359

Warnings: None

Notes: The chapter in which everyone is introduced. My beta said it was fine, so I hope he’s right.

Read on AO3

Magnus woke up with a jolt. He wasn’t dreaming, yet all of a sudden he felt like he was falling. He groaned and sat up straight. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he took in his surroundings.

He was in a classroom, sitting in one of the desks. They were arranged in a nearly perfect square. There were sixteen seats in total. The chalkboard was empty, but not spotless. Did Magnus fall asleep in class again? He tried to look out the window, only to find that it was covered.

Magnus got up to try and take the cover off of the window. He pulled; it didn’t come off. He tried again, still nothing. Third time's the charm, he thought before failing again. The bolts were holding pretty tightly.

He looked around the room again, now noticing a folded piece of paper on one to the desks. He opened it.

Opening ceremony begins at 9:00 in the gymnasium.

Magnus searches around the room for a clock. The one above the door read 8:30. He had time, so he went to find other people.

The hallways were empty, so he picked a direction and stuck with it. He read the signs on the doors but didn’t look in. He figured there would be time to explore later.

He passed by the door to the entrance hall when he heard voices. He pushed open the door.

There was a large group of people standing in front of a huge industrial lock. A handful of them turned around when he walked in. One waved. “There’s another!” Someone else called out.

“I think that’s everyone.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I found the class roster, and it has sixteen names on it.”

“Why don’t you’d role call then?”

“Alright.” The voice cleared their throat. “Ren Bir, Ultimate Mixologist.”

“Here!” A dark elf girl standing next to Magnus called out. Her skin was dark gray, and her hair was white. She was wearing an old-timey, white, high collar dress with a brown vest buttoned in the front on top. Her boots were black and had a small heel.

“Barry Bluejeans, Ultimate Engineer.”

“I’m here!” A human guy across the room yelled. He had brown hair and blue eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses. His hair looked like a mullet in the front, but thankfully it wasn’t long in the back. He was average height and a bit overweight. He was wearing a red jacket over a plain white t-shirt. True to his last name, his jeans were a bright blue.

“Magnus Burnsides, Ultimate Protector. “

“Here!” Magnus saw many different expressions and body language. Some people were tense, probably because of his height and build. Others relaxed a bit after hearing his title, but most were confused. He could hear murmurs of “What does the Ultimate Protector do?”

“Drew Davenport, Ultimate Pilot.”

“Present and ready for duty!” Magnus couldn’t find out who it was coming from at first. When he looked down, he realized why. Davenport was a gnome with fiery red hair and pretty impressive facial hair. Magnus was a little jealous. He was wearing a tuxedo and a blue bow tie. Honestly, he looked more like a butler than a pilot.

“Carey Fangbattle, Ultimate Thief.”

“Here!” A small, blue dragonborn, more like a lizardborn, calle dour. She was wearing typical rogue attire with a yellow bandana tied around her neck.

“Kravitz Heriotza, Ultimate Hitman.” The mood of the room suddenly went uneasy.

“Uh, here,” A strikingly handsome man said. He had dark skin and dark hair done in dreadlocks. He was also wearing a tuxedo and a sweeping black robe. He looked like the Grim Reaper himself.

“Alright, um, Merle Highchurch, Ultimate Botanist.”

No one said anything. Everyone was looking around the room for Merle, before the person calling role said, “Oh wait shit, that’s me.” There were some laughs and various groans throughout the crowd.

Merle was a beach dwarf with white hair and a long beard. His eyes were a beautiful hazel color. His attired was, well, one of a typical dad’s.

“John Hunger, Ultimate uhhh…” Merle pulled the paper closer to his face. “It doesn’t say what your talent is, buddy.”

“That’s an issue, since I don’t remember my talent either,” A slim man with salt and pepper hair said. He was wearing a sharp gray suit, a narrow black tie, and some very nice shoes.

“Okay, uh, Lucretia Marasini, Ultimate Biographer.”

“I’m here.” A mousy voice called out. She was a human girl with short, white hair and dark skin. She was wearing a light blue dress with a white cape and looked like she was trying to make herself smaller.

“Angus McDonald, Ultimate Detective.”

“Here, sir!” A small boy said. He had olive skin, dark hair, and dark eyes behind very big glasses. His attire could only be described as “fancy boi.” Magnus felt the overwhelming urge to ruffle this kid’s hair.

“Lucas Miller, Ultimate Planeologist.”

“I’m here.” Everything about this voice screamed “nerd.” His skin was tannish, but it didn’t look like it was from the sun. He wore a lab coat and nerd glasses.

“Johan Pellegrino, Ultimate Violinist.”

“Uh, here.” This guy’s voice was droopy and sad. He was the spitting image of a bard. A violin was strapped to his back.

“Killian Shimojo, Ultimate Archer.”

“Here!” An orc woman called out. She had green skin and black hair. She was pretty buff and could probably give Magnus a run for his money. She was wearing a white tank top and brown pants.

“Lup Tacco, Ultimate Pyrotechnic.”

“Here, darling!” A green-skinned elf yelled. She had very short hair in a punk-style haircut. She was wearing a yellow crop top, navy blue pants, and knee-high boots. She was carrying a red umbrella for some reason.

“Taako Tacco, Ultimate Chef.”

“Live and in person, baby!” Another elf that looked almost exactly like Lup said. The only difference was his blond hair was long and braided. He was wearing a giant purple wizard’s hat. His tunic was white, and his leggings were navy. He was wearing knee-high black boots and a purple wizard’s robe.

“And finally, Julia Waxmen, Ultimate Woodworker.”

“Here!” Magnus’s head rushed when he heard her voice. He had gone to middle school with Julia and developed a major crush on her. His friends didn’t see it, but she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.

“Alright, that’s everyone,” Merle said, putting the clipboard down on a nearby table.

“I think I speak for everyone when I say this. What the fuck is going on?” Taako gestured around the room when he spoke.

“That will probably be answered in due time, but how do we open the door?” Ren asked.

“Can we brute force it?” Magnus suggested. Some of the stronger people nodded in agreement.

Angus walked up to the door and studied it for a minute. “Nope, too sturdy. Not even a tornado could rip it out.”

“Can I try to pick the lock?” Carey stepped up to the door.

“Maybe it’s a combination or coded lock,” Lucas said.

Angus looked some more. “I can’t find a keyhole or a number pad.”

“Magic?” Killian suggested.

“There’s something weird in the air.” Taako turned to Lup. “You feel it too, right?”

“Yeah, for some reason, I feel drained.”

“Then how do we get out of here?” John asked.

The room erupted into voices. Everyone was trying to voice their opinion, but it was too loud. It only quieted down when the sound of a school bell was heard and a monitor Magnus had not yet seen flickered to life.

‘Hello, is this thing on?” A cartoonish voice came to life. “Opening ceremony begins in 5 minutes in the gymnasium.” The screen turned off.

“Should we go?” Barry asked.

“Do we have a choice?” Davenport retaliated, leading a majority of the group out. All who remained were Magnus, Kravitz, Lucretia, and Angus.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Kravitz said, rubbing his arms a bit.

“There’s no point in waiting. Besides,” Angus turned around and smiled, “what’s the worst that could happen?”

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jimlingss · 7 years

Text

The Leather Loafers

Words: 11.2k Genre: Fluff & Humour, Cinderella!Au Summary: Yes. You went to the ball. Yes. You ran into the prince. Yes. The shoe fits. BUT-! You aren't that Cinderella bitch. THEY'VE GOT THE WRONG PERSON! Warnings: Swearing...that’s really it. lol

Midnight strikes the clock.

A child is curled up at the fireplace to stay warm. The cinders crackle, dusting along her cheeks but the girl pays no mind, staring straight into the flickering flames. A few of the orphans behind her snicker beneath their hands. “Look at the new kid! She’s so dirty! We should call her Cin-”

A chunk of coal smacks the boy right in the forehead and he falls back on his butt, outright stunned. The mischievous smiles of all the other orphans fall as she holds a steaming fire iron like a sword.

“You want to fight?! Fight me like a real person instead of laughing behind my back! Huzzah!”

The children scream in terror, arms in the air as they scatter and run. A bunch of them end up toppling over each other in a heap and you laugh, swinging the device that’s used to poke the fire. The mother of the orphanage comes over in hysterics, dragging you away. “Let go of me!”

“Y/N!” She screeches, “This is unacceptable!”

The small, meager dwelling is in absolute chaos.

They say that midnight is the time when the events of the day have been sealed into fate.

Even the most powerful magicians, witches and warlocks cannot reverse the day again when midnight hits. It’s the glue that seals all envelopes, the second where the ink of the history books have been dried. Time cannot be changed. And it happens all at the magical time of when the clock hits twelve.

[Present Day]

The sea is sparkling in a rich cerulean shade that matches the sky. You look at the sailors in slight envy, thinking about what it would be like to sail across the ocean and if you could possibly sneak on their boats…

“Come get the best silk fabrics!”, “Get your spices, get your spices!”, “The brightest jewels of all the land! Buy them today!”

The town is a lot livelier than the other places you’ve been, a certain bustle at the marketplace and at the stalls. Merely wandering around has improved your own mood. “Young girl!” A swollen lady motions you over. “Would you like a pair of shoes?”

You approach, looking at all the fancy slippers and boots. “You’re not from here, are you?” She looks at you with a smile and you blink at her.

“How did you know?” You glance down at your attire, having purposely changed it to blend in. It was a red dress that went to your ankles, brown buttons at your torso and a cute white flower pattern where the skirt flared out.

“My dear, it was only a guess.” She laughs at how befuddled you are. “I just didn’t recognize you, that’s all. But where did you come from?”

“Oh, I don’t really come from anywhere. I’m a merchant traveller, so I never stay in one place for too long.” Your fingers run along the shoes until you stop at a simple pair of brown loafers. It’s cute and simple with tassels. They’re far from luxurious or any glass slipper.

That’s why you like them.

It’s you. “I’ll take these ones.”

“Good choice.” She grins and wraps them up nicely in parchment. There are only a few coins left in your pockets to spare once you hand her the money. “Is there any reason you came here though?”

“Actually…” You lean in, “I’m looking for a ship.”

“A ship?” The lady’s brow raises. “What for?”

“To sail across the sea. Do you know where I could find one?”

“I’m afraid I don’t.” She chuckles at how crestfallen you look, “And it’s quite expensive, don’t you think? I don’t think I’d be able to afford it even if I sold everything I had! Best of luck, child. I hope all goes well to you and come again if you need shoes!”

You slip on your loafers immediately after leaving the stand. It matches quite well with the ensemble you have on and you’re wholeheartedly satisfied with your purchase. You’re so happy, staring down at the soft leather that you nearly ram into someone and them in turn, almost steps on your new assets. “Hey! Watch where you’re going!”

Your scowl and ironic shout goes ignored. No one pays any attention as the squire in front tacks something on the board of the town hall. Everyone’s gathered, murmurs and squeals emitting from young women’s mouths. You sigh, walking off until a messenger boy interrupts.

“The Royal Ball! Mandatory for all citizens! Everyone is welcome into the castle! The prince will be looking for his future queen! Make sure to come!” He’s waving a curled up piece of paper, the flyers sandwiched in his armpit. The boy stops you right as you’re stomping off and he shoves one of the flyers into your hands. “Make sure to come too, pretty miss! Prince Seokjin is looking for a wife!”

The Royal Ball.

What was this? A stupid matchmaking dance party?

With a scoff, you crumple up the paper and chuck it behind you. Every other girl your age would be fainting at the opportunity, running to seamstresses to collect the most beautiful gowns and pampering themselves with powders. But you could care less. You didn’t want to be royalty or queen for that matter. All you wanted was a ship. And all you needed to achieve your goal was…

“Money or gold.” You murmur, backtracking in your mind as your steps reverse. Your fingertips swipe the crumpled ball and you open it up again. “The castle…”

A light sparks in your head.

If everyone was to be in attendance this evening then it definitely would be chaotic.

You smirk, mumbling to yourself as you tuck the paper away. “A perfect time for a heist.”

The night arrives quickly.

There are hordes of people in ballgowns, colours of mustard yellow and vomit green. They appear in horse carriages to flaunt off their nonexistence wealth, each carrying a red sealed envelope invitation. The women’s faces are thickly powdered, colours on their eyelids dynamic to the point that it resembles peacocks. They look like they painted their faces on so thickly that you could probably peel it off like a sticker and you wonder if they played a game of ‘how tight can we make our corsets’. The men are no different, clothes extremely tight that it’s disturbing and their white wigs crammed on their skull. All of the people and peasants are boisterously laughing, attempting to draw attention from the prince who’s nowhere in sight.

It’s not like you care. You’re here for one reason and one reason only.

The moon is illuminating your shadow in the trees. No one notices when you jump the branches and sneak in further. For a millisecond, you’re pleased with how hungry you used to be in the orphanage since it taught you how to climb apple trees and swipe fruit from the farmers.

Somehow you make it past the royal guards, landing inside the botanical gardens and swinging off an orchard branch. A crunch in the leaves puts you immediately on alert and you dive for the wall but then you realize it’s the wind.

You’re in.

There’s no time for celebrations when you haven’t actually completed your mission yet.

You slip inside, amazed at the magnificent hallways and how gold adorns the trimming of the white walls. A moment later, you’re contemplating swiping a vase or painting but they’re far too heavy and large to bring away…….perhaps a decoration trinket might be enough…..

“Hmm. He is kind of handsome.” Each of the portraits are of a different royal member but you find yourself staring up at the infamous Prince Kim Seokjin. A mop of brown hair with eyes to match but his orbs are rounded in a way that looks far too innocent. He does indeed live up to his attractive name and you can at least understand a little more why so many fawn over him.

He probably won’t have any problem finding a wife tonight.

Just as you turn to keep walking, you don’t realize that someone’s right there. And that someone is strikingly familiar to the portrait.

Jin strides by, lost in his thoughts and he too does not notice the girl who’s lowering her head down. It’s too late when it occurs to him. His shoulder accidentally collides with the other person and it shatters him from his trance. He spins on his heel. “Excuse me, you’re not suppose to- huh.”

There’s no one there.

He must’ve imagined it.

Kim Seokjin continues on his way, having no time to waste as he is late to his own party.

You breathe a sigh of relief as the footsteps fade. When the coast is clear, you slither out from your hidden spot, graciously thankful that there was a hidden gap between two walls that you slid into. You were nearly caught by the prince himself. What a disaster that would’ve been.

Unfortunately, you aren’t completely lucky.

You have no idea how to get around the castle and you find yourself utterly lost for god knows how long. You turn left and right, walk up and down several stairs, forward and backwards. It’s a literal maze. The halls are replicas of each other, twisting paths and you swear you’ve been in circles. At some point you contemplate jumping from the second level window, only to envision yourself breaking your own goddamn neck.

“Hey! Who are you?!” A roar booms through the empty corridor. “You’re not suppose to be here!”

You crane your neck at a snail’s pace, met with two royal guards. At the sight of you, their eyes grow wide and your grip on a golden goblet slips through your fingers. “THIEF!”

“Oh shit.” Your legs propel you forward and you rush down a hall, knocking over plants when you can. Out of nowhere, three other royal guards come out screeching, whipping out their swords. “You don’t play any games, do you?!”

You leap down a flight of stairs, darting past the gardens that you came from. With your quick reflexes and the years of experiences from being in similar situations, you step on the wooden bench and fling yourself over the fence. The guards scream at you and five more come running from the left. You should be scared. You should be terrified. Instead you’re laughing your head off while sprinting off.

What a sight it must be for a hoard of twenty royal soldiers to be chasing after one girl.

It’s a miracle when you find the exit and right as you’re about to book it to freedom, you find another figure like you running. Except she’s in a lovely, blue ball gown that looks like the stars were sewn into the silk and you see the familiar prince- “Wait! Wait! Where are you going?!”

“Fuck.” You sharply turn right, making a bunch of the guards smash their faces onto the ground when they try to tackle you down. The Heavens are blessing you when Prince Seokjin is too busy chasing after some chick and the guards are caught off guard by your turn.

“Wait, I don’t even know your name!”

You plunge into the bushes.

Midnight strikes the clock.

There’s a saying that criminals always return to the scene of the crime. You’re not exactly sure who came up with this line but one thing’s for sure - they don’t know shit. Why the hell would you ever go back?

Rule number one in thievery, if something doesn’t work out, you get the fuck out.

You’re not going to linger around to wait for them to catch you. That’s why the minute dawn hits, you’re booking it to the borders, ready to run to the next town...but your plan is slightly flawed.

“W-what do you mean I can’t leave?” You fail to hide your face under the hood when you look straight at the soldier with your eyes nearly falling out of its sockets. “What?!”

“I am deeply apologetic but it is a royal declaration that has been put out this morning by the King himself. All the borders and entrances are closed off. It applies to everyone. No one can leave or enter. Please understand.”

This Kingdom does not play any games. But did they really need to go this far for one measly thief? You didn’t even end up stealing anything! On the brighter side of things, it didn’t seem like the guard in front of you recognized you at all.

“You see...my grandmother is very ill...she’s on her deathbed. I must go immediately.” You fib without thinking, easy lies that roll off your tongue. To add to the dramatics, you even begin to sniffle, pretend that you’re a poor maiden in grief.

“I-uh…” The guard is muddled, not knowing how to comfort you. “I am so sorry but I cannot go against orders. I am sure that the borders will open up very shortly. As soon as the Prince finds the girl.”

“The girl…?”

The soldier doesn’t say any more and you don’t need him to. The entire town is full of rumours and whispers. There’s a handful who are crying on the streets, frowning and mourning their loss of grabbing the precious prince’s attention. The rest seem to be mystified, word having that this ‘so called’ girl was an absolute beauty and a perfect match for the prince.

He had become incredibly infatuated and was now searching the entire land.

Now you can only hope that he finds this chick quickly so you can get the fuck out.

“It’s a shoe. They’re trying on some glass slipper or something…” A vendor giggles, “If only my foot wasn’t so big, I would’ve fit in it.”

That’s odd.

Did they really think a shoe would be enough to determine-

“Excuse me.” Someone taps you on your shoulder. As you turn, you detect the colours of the kingdom and the imperial seal. You freeze. “Excuse me, miss?”

The royal palace soldier is bewildered at how you lower your head. “I-I…” You fake a large cough. “-am very sick. Very contagious.” You force yourself to hack your lungs out. “-death…...Goodbye.”

“Wait a second!” The short squire in a powdered white wig stops you and three other soldiers block your path. “It will only take one short second! Can you please try on this slipper? It is required by the royal family!”

The squire doesn’t care that you are dressed like a peasant. He is simply exhausted from running around since four in the morning, gone through at least a hundred homes and a thousand feet. “Do you have any paperwork? What family are you from?”

“Uhhhh…..” You’re a fish out of waters, mouth opening and closing multiple times. “I…”

If they knew you were without paperwork...that you had snuck into the kingdom or worse...that you broke into their precious king’s castle last night….you’d surely be arrested and hung.

“There’s no time!” The squire screeches out, hysterical without proper sleep.

The short man shoves you back - “HEY!” - ignoring your cry of protest as the guard catches your fall. The squire takes your foot, and throws your brand new loafer into the dirt. “Are you serious right now?!” You’re unable to struggle when he forces a glass slipper on your toes. “WHAT THE F-”

It fits.

The shoe fits.

The shoe fucking fits. It slides in like a glove, like it was perfectly made for you.

“Oh no.” “Oh yes.” “We’ve found her.”

Everyone exchanges looks, the squire ready to burst into tears from happiness and the guards in shock. You are appalled, ready to run over the mountains and never return to the godforsaken place but then they’re hauling you off.

“No! No wait! You’ve got the wrong person! I’m not her! I wasn’t even there that night! NO!”

It must be karma.

They’re right. Criminals do always return to the scene of the crime after all.

‘The prince must see for himself!’ and ‘there’s no other choice’ is what they told you while they bathed you from head to toe. They scrubbed your skin clean, trimming your hair and polishing your nails. It’s not much of a makeover but a whirlwind of makeup and mirrors.

When you can finally catch a breath, you’re seated at a vanity. A maid is powdering your face with an intense vigor, causing you to cough at the puffs appearing in the air. She goes as far as tying up you in a tight corset dress and plastering a white wig on your head. “Are you excited to meet the prince?”

“Hardly.”

“What?” The maid frowns, confused as if you had said you hated puppies and cake frosting. “Why?”

“I know this is hard to believe.” You grab her hands, looking in her eyes desperately. “But I’m not the girl. They have the wrong person.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” She squeals out, “the shoe fits!”

You have no response to that ridiculousness and the maid ends up brushing you off, too far gone in her excitement. “Well you look absolutely beautiful, miss! And I’m sure you’re just not remembering things! If the shoe fits then it fits!” She exhales a breathy sigh. “I’m so excited for the royal wedding! It’ll be beautiful! I can hear the bells chiming already!”

“Wedding?!”

You might faint.

Meanwhile, Kim Seokjin is marching down the hallway, his white cape flowing behind him. His attendees are just as ecstatic, large grins on their faces that swell their cheeks. The prince’s mind is racing a mile, ready to confess the thousand things he’s thought of to the person who’s stolen his heart.

“We’re here, your majesty.” The servant bows his head and some of the maids jump for joy.

The maid who was helping you earlier is outside the room. “She is ready.”

If Jin was being frank, he’s not quite sure if he’s ready himself.

Nonetheless, the doors open for him and he inhales, stepping inside. They close a second later and the woman of his dreams is standing in the middle of the room, back towards the prince.

He fumbles with his pockets, scrambling for the box and ring. The prince is unaware of your rage and animosity. “My beautiful princess….you have stolen my heart and now I think of no one but you, my fair maiden. Please, will you do me the honour of marrying-”

You turn around.

Jin’s face falls.

There’s two minutes of complete silence. You’re staring back at him with an unimpressed expression. He’s gaping at you, the exact same state you were in earlier.

“You’re not her.”

“Damn straight I’m not!” You throw off your wig, hitching the ugly, massive ball gown in your hands to stride up to him. Prince or not, how dumb could he be?!

“Did you really think a shoe would work?!” You lecture the baffled man, not caring if you’ll be executed in a blink of an eye. Your finger pokes him directly in his chest. “It’s a shoe. One shoe size. I bet one hundred other girls could fit in that damn thing!”

It’s almost comedic, the way Kim Seokjin’s eyes are big and rounded, staring back at you. Up close he is indeed handsome but he has more boyish qualities than what you expected. He’s a lot bigger than you are too, especially in height and his much broader shoulders. Contrastingly enough however, he seems like a child and you have an urge to protect him. With his soft ruffled black locks and his head tipping to one side at your indignation, he looks completely innocent. He looks naive.

“Huh.” -is all that comes from his mouth.

In your hands are the leather loafers. You dust them off, kicking off your pinching shoes and sliding your pair on. By then, Jin’s already dragged his feet out the room, pale as a ghost.

The king is frozen like ice. Some might say that he was cursed by an evil witch, turned to stone. But no. Simply, he is wholeheartedly shocked by his son and what utters from the boy’s mouth.

The courtyard silence is broken when the queen’s palm meets her forehead in a slap.

“What do you mean she’s not the girl?!” The king cries out in dismay, “How irresponsible can you be, Seokjin? We’ve wasted so many resources...so much time to search for this girl and now you tell me the one we found is not it?!”

His parents threw a huge ball for him, inviting anyone that was breathing into the castle and when that wasn’t enough, they sent out every single royal guard to look for one girl that their son was continuously gushing about. “It’s humiliating!” All the citizens in the town were now expecting a wedding and if there wasn’t any news soon…

“I’m sure we can find her!” Jin protests, “She has to be somewhere under the sun! And when I find her, I promise that I won’t-”

“Marry the girl that fits the shoe.” His mother slams down her fist, booming an ultimatum throughout the entire castle. “Or marry that princess from the faraway land.”

The prince parts his lips but he knows that once his mother has made her command, no one can change it. He stands there for a long time, contemplating and weighing each option. Then he decides-

“I’ll marry the girl.”

He’s going to marry you.

Not really.

He said it to ward off his parents. If Jin was anything, he was tenacious and once he set his heart on something, he swore to himself he would do it. And he’s going to find her.

No matter what it might take.

“Boo.” Your gentle voice visibly scares the man as he jumps and lets a yelp out of his mouth. “What are you doing?”

“I could ask you that!” He shouts but then cringes, quieting down before he draws attention. You run your eyes over his figure and he’s long abandoned his princely attire. The cape is draped on the chair and instead he’s sporting a brown tunic and belt, boots and gloves, much like what a hunter would wear.

“Going somewhere?”

“N-no.” Jin protests but then you look directly at the open window and how his leg is sticking out halfway. “Maybe I am. But that’s none of your business. In fact, what are you even doing in my bedroom quarters?”

“You’re the one who brought me here.” You cross your arms. “We both know I’m not who you’re looking for. But they won’t let me leave. So, I came here for answers. Though it seems like you already have plans.” You gesture to him wildly, how there’s a sack over his shoulders and how he looks like a burglar, except this is own home.

He’s running away.

“Don’t try to stop me.”

“Don’t worry.” You flop down onto his plush mattress. For a second, you’re in absolute awe of how you sink in like it’s made from feathers. “I won’t.”

“You...won’t?”

Jin looks at you in all his confusion, not used to being able to do exactly what he desires. As he tilts his head to one side and blinks at you with his rounded eyes, you wonder why the guy is so innocent and naive.

You sigh, “You have no real plan, do you?” He blinks again. “Do you even know your own kingdom? How will you get around? And how will you go about without being recognized or caught?”

“You’re right….”

“Of course I’m right.” You scoff. “Do you know how long I’ve been doing this sort of thing for?”

Seokjin reaches his hand out. “Then come with me.”

“What?” Your jaw drops and you shake your head. “No. I don’t think so. I’ll just stay here until you come back with your girl, alright?”

“No.” He smirks. “You’re completely right. How could I ever possibly find her without your help?”

“I-”

“And do you know what will happen if I can’t find her?” Prince Seokjin takes a step closer to you, another step...another step. Your back hits against the mattress and you stare up at him-

“You’ll have to marry me.”

You cock your eyebrow upwards. “Is that a threat?”

He considers it for a while and nods. “Yes it is. So what will you decide, fair maiden?”

The leather loafers on your feet don’t move an inch. Your eyes connect to his while your mind scrambles, weighing all the options. Jin beckons you forward. You exhale in exasperation, grabbing the black cloak that hangs off of his golden rack and you heave yourself upwards.

“Do you even know my name?” You drop the black cloak on his head.

Jin grabs it, revealing his grin. “I don’t.”

You look out of the window, thankful that the distance isn’t too much. “It’s Y/N.” And you jump.

Midnight strikes the clock.

The maid is doing her daily rounds. Last night while finishing her job, she had caught you sneaking into the Prince’s quarters. She couldn’t help but giggle and blush. “Oh how active the youth are…” But now dawn has long risen and the king was asking for his presence.

As much as she hated to interrupt whatever the two of you are up to, she has no other choice.

“Excuse me…” Her hand knocks several times on the surface of the door. “Prince Seokjin, your father is requesting for you.”

Upon hearing silence, she decides to crack the door open.

If she sees you lying in bed with him, then she’ll just have to shut it softly and make up some excuse in front of the royal parents. After all, she didn’t want to stop any heirs from being made…

“Prince Seokjin…?” The door swings open when the knob slips from her fingers. “......”

The maid’s scream ricochets throughout the entire castle. A swarm of guards come running, other servants hot on their heels. They all gasp at the sight and someone faints.

Prince Kim Seokjin is gone. There’s a single note on his bed. It reads: ‘I’ll be back’

Daybreak has arrived hours ago and so far you’ve been to three stores.

All of the cordwainers and shoemakers have been bewildered by the glass slipper, asking about the origin since it was just yesterday that the squire had been running around with a similar shoe. You don’t blame them for their curiosity. The glass slipper looks like it’s made from ten different mirrors, sparkling and glimmer with each turn. The light hits in it such a way that’s as if it’s made from magic.

You manage to brush it off their questions by mumbling that you found it somewhere. But when you’re the one who bombards them with questions, if they know who could’ve possibly made it or if someone’s ever bought something like this, they absolutely have no idea.

“I’m hungry.” Jin complains, immaturely whining and putting his head on your shoulder. “I’m hungry. Buy something for me.”

In addition to Seokjin being innocent and naive, you learn he’s quite childish. It feels like you’re babysitting a toddler.

“Go buy something then!”

“I don’t know what tastes good.” He pouts and then speeds up to walk alongside you. “Why isn’t anything working out? How come no one knows anything?”

“Beats me.” You shrug, slowing down and looking at the market stands. “Did you really think it would be easy though? Quite honestly, of all the places I’ve been, I’ve never seen a glass slipper in my life before...how does someone even walk in that without the glass shattering and causing your feet to bleed?”

You tap his shoulder to stop. “Wait here.” Seokjin nods and obeys your word like the puppy that he is.

When you leave him, he takes the opportunity to look around. The market is bustling with his citizens, the sky bright blue and the ocean whips waves every so often. It’s refreshing. His entire life has been comprised of being trapped in castle walls, studying and reading. Whenever he could have fun, it was either wandering around the royal gardens or boring games of chess, all under close supervision.

This is the first time that he’s been out. The first time when he can breathe the fresh air, see the people that he’ll be governing….

“Here.” You return shortly after, putting some bread into his hands. “Eat up.”

Jin stares at it and his eyes flicker up to you. Somehow without needing to say anything, he’s already caught on- “Did you pay for this?”

“Of course I did…” You laugh nervously. “Stop asking questions and just eat it.”

“You didn’t pay for it, did you?” The Prince eyes you and you make no reply. “Y/N.”

“I didn’t okay?” You whisper out harshly. “But hurry up before we get caught!”

Jin scoffs at you and pushes you aside. He disregards your ‘what the hell are you doing?!’ and marches right up to the stand. He pulls several golden coins out of his pocket and hands it to the lady. “Thank you for this.” She’s bewildered but takes the money anyhow. The older woman is charmed by his good looks, not interrogating him and luckily she doesn’t realize who it really is.

“Was that so difficult?” He walks back to you, taking a big ol’ bite. “Are you a criminal or what?” As it comes out of his mouth, you watch his eyes widen. “Oh my- you’re that girl! The one I ran into! I knew I saw someone!”

“You’re mistaken, your majesty.” You grit out, emphasizing his title. Grabbing onto his sleeve, you drag him along. “I’m a travelling merchant. Just...sometimes things happen to appear in my pockets.”

“So you’re a kleptomaniac?” He laughs out loud. “You’re a criminal then.”

“And at this rate, I’m a kidnapper too.” You spit out, hurling him towards the alley. Jin almost yells out but you cover his lips with your hand. He looks down in his fist and is thankful that the bread didn’t fling out. “Shush.”

Two royal guards are looking around and fortunately enough, they stop right by the alleyway without seeing you.

“Have you seen him at all?” One says to the other, murmuring to his companion. “I can’t believe the prince is lost.”

“Maybe he was kidnapped by that girl.” He shudders. “She was quite feisty when we took her in.”

“Shh…” The other looks around. “Not too loudly. Remember what the king said? We have to bring him back without drawing any attention. It would be bad if people knew.”

“Right. Well then, I’ll probably head left. You should lead right. If you run into anyone or anything, just shout it out and a bunch of us will come running.”

The man nods in agreeance, “Let’s find his royal highness before we get into trouble.”

A sigh of relief blows from your parted lips when the guards walk away. Though when you turn back to the prince who’s, quite literally, in your hands….you realize he’s been gazing at you the entire time. The pair of you are pressed up right next to each other and you don’t miss the way his pupils are focused on your lashes and flickers down to your cupid’s bow. He smirks against your palm and then…

“Did you just kiss my hand?!” You draw away from him with a disgusted expression.

Seokjin laughs menacingly and takes a chomp of his bread. He goes on ahead without waiting for you. “Where are we off to next, fair maiden?”

You’re starting to realize that the prince is indeed a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

“I haven’t seen something so delicate and beautiful before. In all my years…” The spectacles of the old man glassmaker sits on the tip of his nose. “This is absolutely phenomenal.”

He nurses the glass slipper in his hands. You look at him carefully. “So...do you know where this might’ve come from?”

“I-...” The man sighs and sets down his glasses. “I really can’t say. I’ve never seen something like this.”

You and Jin trade looks, disappointment washing over his features and you let out a heavy breath. “I can say however…” The glassmaker wraps the shoe back into its parchment. “...there might be a place….”

“A place?!” Jin leans over the table, his orbs sparkling. You try to tug him down but to no avail. Thankfully, the old man is without his glasses and cannot discover that it’s the royal prince inside his modest shop. “What place is it?”

“On the outskirts of the next town over, slightly into the countryside.” The glassmaker chuckles at his enthusiasm. “My old friend there has a shop much like this one but he has a shoemaker for a wife, so I bet they’d know a thing or two. It looks like something they’d make together anyways.”

“Thank you.” Seokjin grabs the man’s hands, bowing his head slightly with a huge grin on his face. You shuffle him over, mumbling ‘alright, alright’ while you scribble down the directions.

As you finish, you find Jin closely gazing at all the trinkets in the cases. The sunlight refracts against the ornaments and radiates a light onto his face, reflecting in shades of the rainbow. “Your husband is very lovely, madam.” The old man chortles and you stare at the prince with a hum.

There’s no point in correcting him. “I suppose so.” And for some reason, you don’t want to either.

“Are you okay?” Kim Seokjin lowers his head to meet your glued eyes and his lips are pouted together cutely. “Fair maiden, what are you thinking about so deeply that you can’t even hear me right now?”

“N-nothing.” You finally get a grip on yourself, peeling your irises away from his. A heat creeps up on your cheeks but you ignore it, clearing your throat loudly. “I’m just thinking.”

“About?”

“The royal guards are inspecting everyone who’s leaving. How will we-”

Jin frowns when you don’t finish your sentence. His eyes follow your line of sight, straight onto the- “Oh no.”

“Oh yes.”

“That’s….”

“It’s the only way.”

You capture his hand, pulling him towards it and the man in your grasps whimpers.

The sun soon falls and the moon takes its place, the sky shifts into a black shade like a flickering candle has been blown out. It would be otherwise freezing cold but you’re pulled up right against him. The royal highness whose mint breath ghosts across your skin, so close that you can hear his heartbeat and every inhale he takes. It’s been hours since you’ve been like this.

The two of you snuck onto a hay cart that was being transported to the next town over. It was being pulled by a horse and a farmer that was partially blind and a little bit dumb. He didn’t realize that there were two humans under the itchy blanket covering his hay. And the soldier that let him pass also failed to realize this.

You both have managed to escape successfully but at what cost?

You’re extremely uncomfortable, your side sore and you haven’t been able to move an inch; too scared that the man who’s whistling and leading the horse would notice. Thus, the pair of you are still facing each other like lovers in bed, except each of you are diverting your eyes, refusing to look at the other.

It’s been hours. And by the farmer talking to himself, you figured out that there was three more to go.

“Fair maiden…” Jin murmurs quietly and the velvet of his soft voice immediately grabs your attention. You wonder why he keeps calling you that. “You told me you’re a merchant traveller. But where is your travelling group?”

He supposed that talking to you would pass the time more quickly and be far less awkward. Plus, he was incredibly curious about you. There were so many things that he hungered to know.

“I’ve been playing it solo for awhile...just travelling on my own.”

A bit more truthfully, it was because you never felt included with them. They were all business-oriented, calculating and strict with the schedule. You preferred to play it by ear and see where unknown paths lead you. At some point, you felt too held back and decided to take a short break from the other merchants.

“How did you become one?”

A direct question like that would usually feel intrusive. But rather, you could feel the sincerity within his sparkling eyes. Jin was genuinely curious about you. He wanted to know more about the outside world after being stuck within the palace his entire life.

“I’m actually an orphan.” You reminisce with a smile. “And was not a very obedient child.”

Prince Jin muffles some laughter as he sinks his teeth into his bottom plush lip. “I can see that.”

“Someone eventually took me to sell me as a slave.” Jin frowns and is disgusted by the idea of human trafficking - especially since it involves you. “But then I proved myself useful with my...naturally…..talented hands…” You laugh nervously about revealing your stealing tendencies to a law-abiding prince. “So I was instead traded off and the merchants decided to keep me until I was old enough to help with their business.”

You don’t know why you’re telling him so much but Jin is a listening ear that you’ve never had before. He’s sincerely interested and not just asking to create small talk. “I’m actually looking for a ship.”

He smiles brightly. “Why?” Even in the darkness, he can tell your eyes are glittering at the topic.

“For adventure. My entire life I’ve been going on foot and I’ve only heard about the merchants who go to sea. It looks so wonderful and beautiful out there...freeing. Not only that but a ship is a great way to escape easily.”

Jin laughs even louder. The farmer doesn’t notice as he’s halfway to dozing off and still whistling to himself. “So, you want to be a pirate? Raid and steal and then flee?”

“No….” You pout and he represses the urge to squish your cheeks together.

“You know….if you work for the King, you’d have to go on a lot of trips overseas. You could see the world and do all of the things you’ve wanted to do.”

“What are you implying?” You look at him with a serious expression. “That I become your royal subject? Or your royal advisor?”

Suddenly, there’s a bump in the road. The wheel of the cart strikes directly at a rock and the cart jostles violently. You feel yourself hitting the side and you shut your eyes tight to not make a sound. Instinctively, your hands jolt out to grab onto his shirt but before you’ve even realized, Jin’s already secured an arm over your waist to keep you still.

If you were close to him before, now you were pressed right up against him.

“That you stay with me.”

Your heart stutters and your tongue refuses to roll off words. You blink at him harshly, barely able to see his features when it’s this dark out and your only source of light is the moonwash pouring through the holes of the blanket. “I’m a free woman.”

“Then what would it take for me to keep you?”

You swallow hard and he smirks. “Would I have to steal your heart?”

At the greasy line, your mesmerization is shattered. You scoff and roll your eyes. “Not if I steal yours first, Seokjin.” It’s rude to address him without his royal title and he’s been wired to punish anyone who doesn’t but with you, he likes it too much.

He’s definitely not as innocent as you thought he was.

It’s an hour away from midnight by the time you arrive. You’re snickering in giggles as the both of you help each other climb out of the cart. “HEY!” The farmer shouts but by then, you and Jin are already holding hands and booking it into the trees.

You make it onto the street of the small town and remarkably, it’s flitting with people.

The doors of all the shops are open. The lights of the interior are glowing out to the cobblestone path. The scent of baked bread lingers in the crisp air and there are children running around with each other. Street performances are playing and families huddled together, reminding you of a festival. It’s a warm ambience.

“So, you just...fell in love with her?”

It was your turn to ask questions. And you couldn’t stop yourself from prying about this mysterious girl that he was this desperate to seek out.

“Yes.” He exhales breathlessly, nose bitten red from the chills. “It was simply love at first sight. It’s a feeling. I knew she was my true love.”

You’re silent for a long time. “....uh huh..well then.” When Jin looks over, he realizes that you’re holding in your laughter.

He halts in his tracks and crosses his arms like a child throwing a tantrum. “Why are you laughing?”

You allow your giggles to break free and you apologize as you wipe your eyes. “It seems ridiculous, don’t you think? How did you know it was true love? All from just one dance?”

Seokjin is visibly frustrated when he throws his head backwards and spins to face you. “You just don’t understand. It’s this feeling...ugh!” He can’t explain it in words and at that moment you’re about to laugh again, a yelp falls from your mouth.

Kim Seokjin grabs you and begins dancing to the man playing the fiddle.

“What are you doing?” You whisper out harshly, looking around in embarrassment. There are a few children dancing too but no adult and certainly not in the way you two are.

His palm is clasped against yours, other hand on the small of your back while your hand is placed on his shoulder. It’s a less fancy version of the waltz, incorporated with some dramatic twirls in the middle of the slow pace. Jin laughs but you manage to step in time with him.

“You dance?”

“Not really.”

“Lies.” He grins, watching as each time his foot moves back, yours moves forward. You’re dancing impeccably and though not as gracefully as a duchess or an aristocrat, he enjoys being kept on his toes. “Where did you learn?”

You shrug, not noticing how several people have stopped to observe you both in astonishment and how more children are joining in. The fiddler is smiling wide, picking up with his playful tune. “I travelled a lot so I picked up a few things along the way.”

Jin dips you backwards deeper than necessary but his arm is secured around your waist, pulling you right back up to him. You laugh at the movement and the pair of you continue to move fluidly. His hood is down, face revealed in the lights but no one for a second would even suspect that he’s the prince. Who could even imagine that he would be on the street of the town next over, dancing with a merchant girl.

But he is. He’s right here with you in his arms. Jin is leading and you’re swaying to the rhythm, pressed against his body. He’s holding you close to him, millimeters away and an inch from your noses touching. You’re holding your breath without meaning to. It’s strangely intimate. To the point where your heart races and you feel like you’re melting into sweet cream.

“This is the feeling.” He says in a mellow murmur. “This is it.”

Prince Kim Seokjin with a mop of brown hair and rounded eyes is most definitely not innocent.

You’ve made a huge mistake believing that he was a naive boy. No. He’s a snake in tall grass. A mischievous trickster, a wolf in sheep’s clothing and he knows exactly what he’s doing. With his little, sly smirk and his irises flickering down to your lips…..he knows you’re heated clay in his fingertips.

And you’re falling for it.

The two of you are leaning in for a kiss, his forehead grazing against yours and the strands of his locks tickling your skin. You’re focused on his soft lips, waiting for them to touch yours. The moment has been long awaited……

You falter.

Jin opens up his eyes again and gazes into yours with worry, wondering why you stopped.

“What are you going to do when you find her? That girl that you’ve been looking for.”

He swallows hard, knowing that he’s come this far and has no other choice now.

“I have to marry her.”

Midnight strikes the clock.

In the morning, you easily find the little store on the corner of the street.

There’s an awkward tension dawdling but neither you nor Jin addresses it. The adventure you have with him is ending soon and that’s all you can focus on. He wants to find the girl. And you’ve agreed to help him. Any minute now, you’ll be parting ways.

“Do you know who might’ve made this or who bought it?” You whisper, side glaring at the milkmaid who’s obviously eavesdropping. “It’s very important.”

The man calls over his wife and the two inspect the glass slipper together. They’re both concentrated and in awe at the magical shoe that glimmers with every turn. Jin is hitching his breath as your hands are clenched in anticipation. This could be it.

The woman opens her mouth- “I’m sorry. We don’t know.”

It’s a dead end. Again.

Seokjin doesn’t speak a word when you’re exiting through the door. He thanks them and catches up with you fairly quickly. “Y/N-” You’re on the verge of crying and he realizes it in a heartbeat. “Hey...it’s okay.”

“Aren’t you a bit worried?! We’ve been running in circles! There are no answers no matter where we go!” You take the glass slipper that’s wrapped in parchment from his hands. “Why?!” And in the instant of your frustrated recklessness, the fragile object slips from your fingers….

Smashing onto the ground in a million fragments.

Jin doesn’t flinch. You stare at the particles sparkling in the light…..and you burst out crying. “What the fuck?!” The passersby are all glance at you and the prince has no choice but to drag you away from the scene before you draw too much attention.

Yes. He feels like choking you to death but at the same time he doesn’t. Instead, he hooks his arm over your shoulder and buries your crying face into his velvet cloak as he walks off. “Stop crying.” The royal heir commands you in an authoritative, low tone. “Y/N. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“I’m sorry.” You wipe your face with your sleeves, still upset to no end. Why are you such an idiot? And why were you getting so emotional? “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Seokjin finally lets you go in an isolated area and he pats your head reassuringly. He never expected you to have a clumsy side and with you in hysterics...he finds it a little bit adorable.

You hiccup once, taking a deep breath to calm yourself down. The shoe is long gone and he didn’t even bother to pick up a shard to keep. Everything he’s worked for has been ruined. “How will we search for her now?”

“Well, she should have the other shoe. And I’ll know.” Jin taps his head, indicating his memories and he smiles at you. “You were right after all. It’s kind of stupid to use a shoe.”

He trails away and mutters something under his breath. “MaybeIdon’tneedtofindher.”

“What?” You frown, catching up with him. Unfortunately, you can’t ask for any clarification when the milkmaid from earlier comes running from behind.

“Excuse me! Excuse me!” She’s waving her arm frantically, heaving out her lungs as she grabs her knees to take back her breath. “I-”

Jin’s immediately on guard. “Is there something we can help you with?”

“The...the shoe.” She wheezes out and places her braids back into place when she realizes how handsome he is. “I..my name is Mag. I’m Mag the Milkmaid and I couldn’t help but overhear earlier. It looked familiar like I’ve seen it from somewhere before.”

You and Jin exchange looks.

“I only remembered after you left!” Mag tries to explain herself. “The night of the royal ball...the one where the prince was looking for his maiden…I couldn’t go since my son was ill but I remember seeing this beautiful girl who was wearing the exact same shoe. A very peculiar thing. That’s why I remember it.”

“Oh.” -is all Jin manages to let out.

“Do you know where she is?” You take a step forward, a huge grin forming on your lips.

“Yes! From the house over there!” She points down the long street. “It’s at the end of the road. The family there received an invitation for the ball.”

The both of you thank her graciously and she’s happy to help, skipping on her merry way.

“Aren’t you excited?!” You grab onto Jin’s arm. The guilt that had caused you to melt down has vanished. “This is great news.”

“Yeah.” His lips are tight and he nods firmly. “This is great.”

Seokjin isn’t as visibly happy as you expected him to be. Maybe he’s internalizing it or perhaps like you, he can’t believe it. It’s done. She’s really here. He’ll find the girl of his dreams and they’ll be whisked away into marriage. You don’t dwell on any of those thoughts, rushing to the place that the milkmaid had described.

Your fist knocks on the wooden door thrice. You wonder if there’s anyone home when a full minute passes. “Maybe we’ll just come back another day-” Jin’s cut off short when you pound the door with all your might.

“Who is it?!” An angry shout sounds from within and the door is pulled open. An older woman in a puke coloured dress is on the other side, wearing a disgusted expression and her hand on her hip. “And who are you?!”

You clear your throat, sneaking a peak at the prince behind you. He’s keeping his face downcasted behind his hood and when his eyes catch a glimpse, he shakes his head. That’s not her.

“Does anyone else live in this household?” You clear your throat to sound dominant when she doesn’t budge an inch. “I am a messenger from the Kim Royal Family. I was sent by Prince Seokjin himself.”

The lady’s mouth drops open. She stutters, eyes bulging and she scrambles. “O-..of course! Come in, come in! My apologies! I just didn’t know who you were. I’m so sorry things might be a mess. My goodness! My goodness!”

The two of you step into her abode. “This is my associate.” You motion to Jin when she glances at him doubtingly.

“Sit down, sit down.” She forces you to the sofa. “Have some tea.” And she pours something lumpy into the tea cups. “I’ll be back in just a moment. Make yourselves at home.”

The way she twirls is quite elegant but the facade is immediately broken when she sticks her head by the staircase. “Girls!” Her voice is terribly shrill and it rings in your ear. Jin, sitting beside you, also visibly cringes. “Girls! Get down here this instant!”

“What is it now, mom?!” “Don’t you see that we’re busy?!” Heaving footsteps shake the ceiling and they come rumbling downstairs like bulls.

“Get yourself in order!” The older woman pinches her daughters and whispers too loudly. “Someone from the royal palace is here.”

The two girls gasp, straightening out their hair and dresses. They bump each other to use the mirror in the hall, cursing underneath their breaths and picking out the boogers hanging from their noses. You sigh, waiting for them patiently and soon enough, they come sauntering into the living room.

“Good afternoon.” They murmur in unison, dipping themselves. “How can we be of service?”

“Yes. Just..uh...lift your heads.”

The girls look at you in confusion but obey. You hitch your breath, focusing your eyes onto Jin’s. He gawks at them and….shakes his head. “They’re not her.” He leans in to whisper and you sigh.

“Is there anyone else in this household?”

The older woman laughs nervously. “Of course there isn’t. There’s no one else. I can guarantee you that.”

If there was one thing you know after working in the burglary business all your life - you know when someone’s acting suspicious.

“Y/N?” Jin stands up after you when you march past the women.

“Excuse me!” They trail after you in sharp exhales, dramatic gasps following. “Excuse me!”

You break into every single room, kicking down every single door. “This is highly inappropriate!” The middle aged woman screams after you, sounding like a predoctoral as everyone parades up the stairs behind you. “Excuse me! NO!”

There’s a locked door leading up to where the attic is. “NO!” You ignore the distraught woman’s scream, not hesitating to bring up your leg. The door goes flying off the hinges as you boot out your foot. The ladies mouths drop open and even Jin is mesmerized at your brute strength.

“You…” There’s a girl that you come face to face with, a peasant whose beautiful enough to become queen. She looks gentle and kind, staring up at you from her seated place on the floor. Her eyes are rounded and wide, seemingly innocent. And her blue gown drapes around her.

“How dare you lie to the prince and the royal family?!” You turn to shout at the women who are scowling at the girl. “You will be rightfully punished for your deceit!” It appals you how dirty and dusty the attic is. You can only shudder when you consider how long the girl’s been locked in here for.

“You’re her, aren’t you?”

The girl stands up, not answering your question and her eyes are connected to the man who pushes himself into the room. Seokjin is without a smile. His gaze is on you. “It’s her.”

Those simple words spoken are enough to overwhelm you. The unknown girl beams and runs into the prince’s arms. “You found me.” She buries her dirtied, pink cheeks into his shoulder. The edges of your lips manage to raise.

He’s found her. “Congratulations.”

Kim Seokjin never stops staring at you.

Cinderella is a nice girl, albeit her name is quite strange. She’s pleasant and compassionate, making it difficult for you to come up with reasons to hate her. All this time, you imagine their love to be shallow but they match well together…..

“I promise your stepmother and stepsisters won’t bring you any harm for the rest of your days.” You reassure her, holding her hands with your own. “They will be punished for what they have done to you.”

“They are still my family...” She murmurs and then smiles gleefully. “Thank you. For everything that you’ve done. I haven’t had a chance to speak much to the prince but he’s spoken very kindly about you. You’ve helped him a lot...and you’ve helped me.”

“Please.” You roll your eyes. “The guy doesn’t compliment anyone but himself.”

She frowns and tips her head to one side. “No. I don’t believe that’s true. He showered you with praise in our conversation.”

“Oh.”

“Ladies. Are you ready? It’ll take a few hours before we arrive at the castle and it’s best if we move before sundown.” The squire is smiling widely, thankful to Heaven and Earth that the prince is in healthy condition and very well alive. It’s been weeks since his grand escape. Upon hearing where he was and how he found the girl of his dreams, a royal carriage was sent urgently to get him.

“Yes.” Cinderella steps inside the carriage. “Are you not coming in with us?”

Jin’s looking out the window and the feeling of sourness somehow appears back on your tongue. “I’m fine. I’ll just sit up front with the coachman.”

The man inside who you’ve been spending day and night with doesn’t spare you a single glimpse. It makes you even more infuriated. “Move.” You misdirect your irritation to the squire.

“Oh, you’re joining us?”

He yelps when you take a huge chunk of the seat, squishing the squire and the coachman right next to each other until the smaller man is practically on the lap of the other. “Alright then. Shall we? Hiyah.” The coachman lightly whips the reins of the horses and it moves forward.

The entire trip back to the castle, you’re mumbling to yourself. The two men at your side frown and exchange glances with each other, wondering if you’ve gone mad. The sound of the girl’s chirpy laughter drifts out. It takes everything in your willpower not to turn around.

Jin can marry and love any girl he wants.

Yet...why are you so upset?

“Are you alright, miss?” The squire inquires for the sake of your sanity.

“I’m quite fine, thank you.” You cut him off short, refusing to speak. With a deep breath, you focus on your surroundings instead.

The sceneries change, town into forest, the bright blue sky into a tangerine hue. It’s quite lovely to be outdoors and refreshing when you take large inhales of the fresh air. Four hours pass by until you’ve arrived back into the borders that you desperately tried to escape so long ago.

The castle comes into view and soon enough, the royal guards are swarming.

“Hey!” One rapidly points as you hop down. “It’s that girl! The thief!”

You’re surprised that the guard still remembers and you nod in amusement. Almost instantly, Seokjin is at your side and he raises his hand in front of you like a shield. “There is no such thing.”

“But-” Another soldier taps the boy’s shoulder and after a swap of expressions, he stands down. “My apologies, your majesty.”

“Isn’t it great to be home...your majesty?” You tease Jin, having not heard the title in a while.

He giggles with you. “Oh, what a home this place is.”

“Is there something humourous?” Cinderella interrupts without bad intentions, genuinely curious as her eyes flicker between the both of you.

“Oh no. It’s just that...I don’t really address him with that title which I know sounds bad since he is prince but uh-” You don’t know exactly how to explain yourself but you don’t need to when the squire comes running back.

“Prince Seokjin!” He’s breathless and dying with his tiny legs. “The King and Queen are calling for your presence immediately!”

Cinderella grabs onto his hand and you stare at it for a second too long. “That doesn’t sound good.”

You smile meekly at his panicked expression. “Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“Yeah.” Jin returns the smile but in a more sheepish fashion, discreetly letting go of the other girl’s hand. “Let’s hope so.”

The King and Queen are indeed furious with their son. But their anger thaws into relief and happiness when they realize the girl he was looking for has been found. If he’s truly in love with her like how he described, how can you be bitter?

You’re happy for him…..

……. ….. …

Who are you kidding? You’re a thief. Not a liar.

“Knock knock.”

His mischievous grin is seen through the crack of the door and you wonder how such a silly and childish man will someday rule the country. “You know there’s no point in you opening the door and then saying ‘knock knock’ as you knock, right?” You set your belongings aside, plopping down on the bed as he enters.

“How are things?” You ask him. “I haven’t seen you around. You’re so busy these days. Guess the prince is useful after all.”

“Psh. Of course I’m useful. Do you know who I am?” He smiles and sits next to you, finally feeling comfortable after sitting in a long meeting with other dukes and attendants. Jin even kicks off his shoes and relaxes himself. “Things have been fine.” His voice softens and he hesitates. “When are you planning to go?”

“Oh ho ho. Are you planning to kick me out already? After all this time that I’ve helped you? You won’t let me stay here to bask in the luxury for awhile?”

Seokjin pouts and he mumbles, “I never said you couldn’t stay.”

“I don’t know.” You answer truthfully before you decide to tease him some more. “You’re going to give me a ship, right? Well I mean...you don’t have to but since I’ve helped you so much…” You expect a snide comment or maybe for him to actually gift you your biggest desire. But when he makes no comment, you decide to be more serious.

“I might leave soon.”

“You should stay.”

“Yeah...maybe I will.” You nod and let your voice linger off. Then you clear your throat when the air becomes too intimate and you become hyper aware of his close proximity. “Maybe I’ll stay a little while longer. Until the royal wedding.”

He makes a sound, half between a scoff and a laugh. “The wedding....right.”

“When is it? Haven’t you proposed yet?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean ‘I don’t know’?” You’re utterly confused at his behaviour, even moreso when he stands and begins to pace in front of you. “You said you’d marry her. It’s what the King and Queen and everyone in this kingdom wants. It’s what you want...right?’

“I don’t know.” He halts and exhales a huge breath. “I just don’t know, Y/N.”

Jin is frantic. You already know what’s bothering him...he just doesn’t know how to propose.

“Look. It really isn’t that difficult. You don’t have to be worried. Any way that you do it will be perfect. Girls eat up anything that’s romantic. She’ll say yes. You and I both know that. Don’t be nervous.”

“That’s not it-”

“Watch.” It’s too painful for you to see him lost. Yes, he’s not as innocent as you thought he was but sometimes you just have to show him how it’s suppose to be done.

“What are you doing?” He watches as you get down on one knee and his breathing hitches when you gaze back into his eyes. “Y/N.”

“Kim Seokjin.” You call his name softly and a creep of a blush sweeps up your cheeks, past your bashful smile. “When I first met you...I was going to raid this entire castle from top to bottom.” He laughs quietly and you giggle. “We haven’t known each other for too long. Probably not long enough to jump into this sort of thing. And I’m sure the both of us who are adult children are nowhere near ready for marriage.”

What started off as a joke has turned into something incredibly sincere. Each word that whispers from your parted lips is dripping with genuinity. “But being on this adventure with you has made me realize something. I don’t want to be alone anymore. I want to be with you.”

“If we can spend the rest of our lives having silly adventures together then I want nothing more.” You inhale a staggering breath, “Will you marry me, Jin?”

“Yes.” He blurts it out without thinking twice. “I’ll marry you.”

The pretend proposal closes up nicely and you hop onto your toes. “See? That wasn’t so difficult. Now you just have to do the real-”

“No.” He strides up to you and engulfs you in his arms. “I want to marry you. For real.”

“What?”

Jin pulls away and he gazes at you in absolute adoration and devotion, gliding his eyes on each of your features. He represses the urge to kiss you right then and there when you’re staring back at him in such confusion. “I want to marry you. Everything that you said...I want to say back at you. You’re ridiculous, Y/N. But I love you.”

“I love the way you can break into someone’s house need be. The way you know what you want. The way that you’re fearless and I didn’t fall in love with you just from one dance. I fell in love with you for who you are and everything that you are….and I am sounding like such a sap, aren’t I?”

“You are.” You grin back at him. “But….I-...what...what are we going to do? We just went searching for this girl and now she thinks you’re going to marry her!”

Seokjin grabs you into another embrace, digging his nose into your shoulder. “We’ll figure something out. We always do. And I’m sure she’s understanding.”

“Are you sure about this, Jin?”

“I’ve never been more sure in my life.”

Turns out that Cinderella isn’t as understanding as you wished her to be. When the two of you broke the news out to her (granted not very well as you kept on delaying the message), she bursted out the room in tears.

The King and Queen are also shocked at their son’s indecisiveness - though they’re not completely surprised with his behaviour. But once they find Jin’s eyes pinned on you, they’re relieved. It’s not like the first time around.

They can tell that this time - it’s true.

“Announcing...the royal engagement of the Prince and the Princess!”

The squire declares it in the courtyard and all the townspeople cheer, throwing up confetti. Jin looks absolutely amazing in his suit, despite him complaining that it’s uncomfortable. Your own attire is a golden dress that falls from your hips like raindrops to the sky. The corset is much too tight for your liking but you suppose you can bear with it when your fiancé can’t stop himself from staring.

At the very least, your toes aren’t being pinched to death. You fought with your life against the maids and in the end, you won. You’re not wearing any fancy shoe or even glass slippers. Just the plain old leather loafers that you’ve grown to love.

The sea is sparkling in a rich cerulean shade that matches the sky. You have never felt happier to be in the place that you are. And the celebrations have just begun.

The children giggle and murmurs of how beautiful the pair are murmured from ear to ear. Cinderella is caught within your line of vision and you find the tears on her face long dried. The coachman is keeping her company and even causing her to laugh with mirth. The King and Queen from their seats, themselves, are exchanging chuckles.

“You know we’re going to have a really long engagement, right?” You lean over to whisper in his ear. “You still haven’t convinced me enough.”

The mischievous prince smirks. “Have I not stolen your heart, love?”

“Hm...I wouldn’t say that.”

“You’ll still be a free woman.” He tells you as he holds your hands. “And I’ve already promised to see the world with you. What else do you need?”

Your hand tightens in his and you plant a gentle kiss on his lips. “I just want to make sure you won’t go running off with a different girl when you have a great dance with her.”

He laughs and kisses you back. “I won’t fall in love with anyone else but you.”

The day bleeds into night. Jin is by your side until the end. Midnight strikes the clock.

#bts scenarios #bts fanfic #jin fanfic #jin cinderella au #jin fluff #sfwbangtan stories #oh man after so much angst #we're doing a 180 on this blog #WELCOME TO THE CRINGIEST FLUFF EVER WOOO!

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d-noona · 6 years

Text

AERO

SUMMARY: In a future of political, economic and moral collapse, a genetically enhanced superhuman prototype named Y/N escapes from military confines and dwells amidst the decadent underground street life of *Seoul* to avoid government agents who want to bring her back into the fold.

WORDS: 2233

Jeon Jungkook x Reader

M.List | CH. 05

CHAPTER 04 - MEETING THE INFORMANT NET

After Y/N's last run of deliveries, she surveys the place, and in a nearby window her pupils dilated to zoom in to the other building just right across. She sees several admirable statues and displays that she can probably fence for a large wad of cash. Y/n goes to an alley way, climbs up the side of the building, reaching the top. She takes off her black glasses. A distant car headlight sweeps her and Y/n's pupil glow for a split second with a green retinal reflection, much like of a cat. As y/n looks up into the night shadows of an alley between high rises. Wearing a skin tight black pants, rubber soled high-tops, a black leather jacket, and black gloves. She is a silhouette in the darkness. She hefts a black nylon bag over her shoulder. Once on top she disables the roof security camera with a piece of black tape over its lenses, she crosses to the edge overlooking the alley. The street is twenty two stories down. Her target is a narrow roof formed by a setback in the facade of the next building, one hundred feet below her and eight feet away horizontally.

Holding on tight on her gear bag as it is unzipped. Y/n's gloved hand yank out a large bundle of black nylon rope. She hinged the lock as a carbine is snapped around a steel pipe. She stepped on to the parapet, jumps at a down angle, as she plummets down the face of the building. She adds arm pressure to the belay around her waist, then inverts with a snap, dropping feet first now, the rope making shush sounds across her leather jacket. Y/n now builds later speed across the face of the glass high-rise. She reaches the bottom of the arc, the rope stretching, taking the shock, and her lateral speed wipes the world into a blur.

Y/n arcs upward, starting to slow. As she flashes above the parapet of the target rooftop, she then releases the belay, and lets the rope slide through her arm, dropping onto the rooftop with a soft thump, feet-first, crouching like a tiger or a panther light on its feet. She then turns onto the skylight , as y/n jimmies the latch and lifts the cover, she ties a rope on a steel pole, dropping herself ever so gracefully into the spacious apartment.

Nodding in approval looking at the luxurious space of the apartment and its architectural design, she goes to work, padding gently to the apartment. She opens drawers, looks inside cabinets, picking up object examining them. Y/n enters another room silently, hefts a small porcelain figurine, 17th century Venetian. She slips it into her bag, a pair of small gold dolphins follow. Y/n then hears something, she investigates further, peeps in a room with a man talking. Stokes on a computer keyboard. The walls are bathed in a blur CRT glow as Y/n slips the door open a few inches and looks in to the room.

A man still sitting at a bank of computer monitors, half a dozen screens, racks of computer gear and peripherals of all descriptions. The room is dark except for the glow of the screens and power lights winking from the equipment. Haphazard heaps of papers, photos, files and printouts are piled everywhere on very expensive antique tables and couches. The man Jeon Jungkook, is speaking directly into the video camera.

"Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is a video of Free Korea Bulletin. The cable hack will last exactly sixty seconds. It cannot be traced. It cannot be stopped, and it is the only free voice left in this city..." Y/n slowly walks out of the room and continues rummaging the belongings of the cyber hacker.

Y/n can't see Jungkook's face directly because his back is turned, but she can see him in one of the monitors. Early 20's with intense, almost haggard, yet strikingly handsome features. His brown doe eyes blaze with intelligence and he projects a fierce energy as he speaks. Y/s registers surprise as she realizes who the guy is. The pirate cyber journalist known as Informant Net in the flesh.

Jungkook scrolls back through the video he has just digitalized and hits a key command which processes the image through a masking filter. Pixilation blurs the contours of his face, leaving only the intense eyes clear. He watches it to check that the effect is complete.

Y/n knew she was right, he was just on the same deal as everyone else. Power hungry, living and hiding under his expensive apartment. He seemingly is a part of the richer parts of the City. Y/n slowly backs out the door and stops as she sees something. On a table just inside the room, is a statue, an Egypt-deco affair of gold and onyx depicting a creature half-female, half cat. It's illuminated from above a single pin point of light. Y/n looks at it utterly transfixed, she snags it and backs out of the room. As she stuffs the statue on her bag and heads back out.

Then a security guard, Ruben, has found the rope. He flicks his Maglite up to the open skylight and his eyes go wide. He un-holsters his 9mm, scanning and listening around him. He crosses to the alarm panel near the door and punches in the silent alarm code. As Y/n approaches, the guard is scanning the shadows his gun sweeping the room as he moves forward and y/n is moving down the hall toward him on a collision course from the other side. She senses something on a level that no ordinary man or woman could feel, a sound, a vibration, the guard's body heat perhaps. As he approaches the corner and pops around the wall corridor, it was empty.

Y/n slips through the door quietly but suddenly stops, lit only by a night light, a woman lying on bed with a young girl about 7 years of age, having just tucked her into bed. The woman Janna Reid and her younger sister Juliette. Janna looks up locking eyes with Y/n as she screams in fear "In here! Help, in here!"

Jungkook hears the cries and shoves aside a pile of papers and grabs a pump shotgun as he chambers around. Ruben breaks into a run heading for Janna and Juliette's room, as Janna grabs a lamp and hurls it with all her strength at Y/n.

Y/n's body reacts, the lamp tumbles end over end, in slow motion Y/n moves with amazing speed seemingly blurring the world. The guard flings the door open, sweeping his gun towards Y/n. Y/n sees everything in slow motion, except for Y/n who is moving in a rather much faster pace. Y/n easily ducks the lamp, which is just shattered against the wall as the guard takes aim with a two handed grip. The room goes dark as the lightbulb explodes. Y/n moves sideways before the guard can pull the trigger.

The room strobes with the shot but the bullet goes where Y/n was, not where she is now which is halfway to the guard moving like a freight train. A second shot was heard, the bullet carves the air next to her. She reaches the guy and gets a hand on the gun, yanking it down and around in a sweeping roundhouse which twists it out of his hand. The guard Ruben was 6'3" and 250 pounds, mostly muscle. Y/n follows through with a foot sweep takedown and drops onto the guy hard with his arm twisted behind his back. Y/n unloads the pistol sliding out the magazine and jacking out the chambered round. She throws the gun away and mag the other. The guard struggles to move but Y/n drops onto him knee first again, knocking the wind out for a while. Y/n looks up at the terrified woman and the crying little girl.

"Sorry" she whispers to the ladies as she bolts out the door, she sprints down the hall. Suddenly, Jungkook appears in front of her with a shotgun leveled at her. It has a built in mini-xenon light and it is blinding her night vision, making it hard to see exactly where he is aiming at. She is at a momentary disadvantage. Though Y/n knows with a sweep of her finger she can probably cause the poor man to be thrown by the wall since her abilities have improved vastly for over a thousand years. She however was amused by the man's predicament and decides to play along.

"Put it down" says Jungkook. Y/n does this and drops the bag on the floor. Jungkook calls to Janna, eyes riveted on Y/n. "Janna, are you okay?" he asks. Janna not going out of the room, creaks the door open and answers "We're alright Jungkook." Jungkook scans the room to look for the beaten security guard. "Ruben" he shouts.

Y/n smirks at Jungkook, knowing that he may be looking for the poor man lying on the floor. "If he's the side of beef with the walkie-talkie, he's okay, but give the man a few minutes. He's a little bit knocked out for a while." Jungkook sees the statue peeking out of the open bag amazed and relieved. "You're a thief?"

"Girl's gotta make a living." As y/n responds with a Cheshire grin on her face. The frazzled and confused Jungkook responds "Thank God. I was expecting someone else."

"First time I heard that. Guess you weren't expecting the pizza delivery guy." Y/n responds sarcastically. She turns around as she heard a creak on a door as she's Janna hanging back in the bedroom attempting to pacify the crying child. "Im sorry if I caught you at a bad time." She responds to both Jungkook and Janna.

"It's alright were just a little tense right now." Jungkook withdraws a bit but keeping a wary eye on the beautiful thief. He notices the status hanging on Y/n's bag. "You have good taste. French, 1920's attributed to Chitarus." He says.

"Yeah. Whoever that is." As y/n responds nonchalantly. Jungkook tilts his head and quirks an eyebrow at the woman standing in front of him "So what? You liked it because it was shiny?" Y/n taking a note on the sarcasm floating out of the man's mouth. Y/n seemingly wiser beyond years stares at the man blankly and responds in the most monotonous voice to contrast the man's sarcasm. "No, because it's the Egyptian Goddess Bast. The Goddess who comprehends all Goddesses, Eye of Ra, protector, avenger and destroyer. Giver of life, who lives forever. I can keep going you know..."

Jungkook just looks at her, fascinated. Then, Ruben emerges from the bedroom, holding his ribs as he fumbles out his handcuffs and heads for Y/n. Jungkook panics "Stay back Ruben. The guards are on their way."

Too late. Y/n moves like lightning, grabbing Ruben's wrist as he reaches for her. Yanking him off balance and getting him in a sharply painful come-along hold with one hand bent up behind his back. Y/n has maneuvered him between her and the shotgun, trumping Jungkook's hold over her. She gave him a smile "Look, I'd love to discuss art but I gotta jet." She marches Ruben backwards into the living room controlling the big bodyguard with the thumb-hold and keeping him between her and Jungkook.

"Easy, easy. My wrist is gonna snap" Ruben pleads in pain as he attempts to calm the girl. Y/n responds to him "Yep. That could happen" then she turns to Jungkook and grins "By the way. I love you show"

At that moment there is a thundering crash at the front door. Y/n's head snaps around as a squad of private security cops wearing ballistic armor haul back and pound the door again with a steel battering ram. The doors were blasted open and a group of heavily armed rent-a-cops spill inside, their flashlights sweeping the apartment. As they raise their weapons towards Y/n she salutes the men. Moving like grease lightning as she bolts away from Ruben, who finds himself suddenly handcuffed to a heavy wrought-iron table. As the security squad moved, they submerged to try and stop her. She runs like a black blur. Jungkook yells for them to stop with his words distended "Noooo! Waaaiiiittt!!!"

Y/n crosses her arms over her face and hits the window at a full run. The glass explodes outwards in a diamond shower. Y/n disappears into the night, like she was never there. The cops didn't even get a shot off. As Jungkook runs to the window to check on the poor woman to see if she is still alive, he looks down. He catches a glimpse of Y/n leaping from balcony to balcony, down the face of the building ninety feet below. She vanishes into the shadows at a street level. Jungkook watching in fascinated awe as the curtains blow around him in the night wind.

#jeon jungkook #kim taehyung #park jimin #jung hoseok #kim seokjin #kim namjoon #min yoongi #bangtan sonyeandan #bts #jungkook x reader #action #fan fic #romance

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hookedonapirate · 7 years

Photo

Wild at Heart (Chapter 7/?)

Read: Prologue Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6

Graphic Art credit to the lovely and wonderful @jell-obeans Thank you so much!

Summary: Born and raised by rich parents, Emma Nolan has always done what’s expected of her, from what clothes to wear to what school to attend, what career to pursue and even who to marry. After graduating from Harvard and going back home to Storybrooke, South Carolina, she agrees to marry Oz Walsh by the wishes of her parents. With a year of engagement behind her, she goes to Boston for business and has to fly back home to get to her wedding. What happens when she has a run-in at the airport with a dashing, blue-eyed thief who is apparently bound and determined to throw a wrench in all of her plans? Will she make it back to Storybrooke on time for her wedding or will she find her home along the way?

Rating: M

AO3 FFN

Emma’s jaw almost dropped to the floor, and her eyes were wide and glazed over in appreciation. Since she’d met Killian, she had already admitted to herself that he was gorgeous in simply a t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans or black leather pants, but at the moment, her brain was frazzled, unable to comprehend how breathtaking he looked dressed up in a suit. He was standing in front of the fitting room, wearing a black waistcoat, a shiny red, silk shirt, black trousers and shiny black dress shoes. If his outfit weren’t enough to be her undoing, the light amount of chest hair poking out because his shirt wasn’t appropriately buttoned, certainly would be.

Killian slanted his hips as he swung the suit jacket over his left shoulder, holding it there with his index finger and falling into a smug, yet sultry pose, like he was some sort of fucking supermodel or something.

He lifted one of his brows, pulling the corner of his lips into a cocky smirk, accentuating the apple of his pinked cheeks and making the skin by his eyes crinkle in the process. This man seemed to surprise her more and more during the time they’ve spent together. She did not have one doubt he was going to be the death of her. And she hated that. She hated it to her very core.

Damn bastard.

“So… judging by the fact that you seem to be drooling on the floor, I take it you like my ensemble, love?” he razzed, his grin never faltering, and God, those damn blue eyes were buzzing with heat and excitement, she just wanted to skip the salsa dancing and push him into the fucking fitting room to jump his bones.

“Well, judging by the fact that there is indeed not saliva dripping from my mouth, your analysis is not a fact, it’s an assessment,” she corrected him. “A rather invalid one, may I add,” Emma chided, rolling her eyes as she approached him casually, attempting to shake his words from her shoulders.

“My apologies, your honor. I didn’t realize I was in a courtroom.” Killian chuckled in obvious amusement, but the sound was abruptly halted when her hands were attracted to him like a magnet, and before she knew what she was doing, she was pressing over the material of his waistcoat, her fingers brushing over his collarbone.

Emma had to steady her breathing at the small contact. “Although, I have to admit, you do clean up well, Jones,” she complimented, managing to control the low pitch in her voice. Emma really needed to pull herself together - she was currently engaged and needed to constantly remind herself of that fact.

“Thank you, love. Was that so hard to admit?”

A sarcastic smile took over her lips, her eyes still scanning him over as she decided there was something missing. He was strikingly handsome, well , smoldering hot to be more precise - there was no mistaking that - but the outfit seemed to be incomplete. “Hmmm, the clothes are nice, but you need to something to complete the look.”

Killian flashed her an inquisitive glance, furrowing the patch skin between his eyebrows. “And what pray tell would you suggest, Nolan?”

Pursing her lips together in contemplation for a moment, her eyes lingered over his chest before realizing what was missing. She pressed the palm of her hands into his chest, not failing to notice the solid muscle underneath or the stutter of his heartbeat as she did so, her eyes drifting up to meet his. “A tie. Be right back, I’ll get you one.”

Peeling herself away before he could even muster a response, she inhaled a few shaky breaths as she went to fetch a tie for him, even though he would have to cover that sinful patch of chest hair with his shirt. Yes, a tie was definitely for the best

Emma perused the selection as he waited patiently, picking one that was to her liking. She brought it back to him and he watched curiously as she approached him and hung it around the back of his neck. Her breath hitched as she noticed the close proximity between them, his impossibly blue eyes piercing into hers.

“I don’t know how to tie these, love,” he spoke softly.

Emma grinned and buttoned his shirt the rest of the way before pulling up the collar of the shirt, her lips pressing together in concentration as she started mindlessly working on the dark fabric.

Killian playfully rolled his eyes as though he should have known that she knew how to tie these things. “I take it you’ve done this before?’

Emma nodded. “I tie my father’s all the time. Does that surprise you?”

“Not at all, actually. From what you’ve told me, I’ve gathered that you and your father are close, am I correct?”

“I would say so. I love both of my parents, but my father has always understood me more than my mother has.”

“It seems like that’s the case.”

“My mother, she just grew up in a really strict household. Her mom passed away when she was ten, and then her father died after he was remarried, so her stepmother raised her, and she didn’t have the greatest childhood. Her stepmother was a royal bitch, to put it lightly.”

“Ah, I see. And your father was the best thing that happened to her, then? Besides you, of course.”

“Exactly,” Emma replied, finishing the tie and pulling the knot snugly into place before letting go of the fabric and stepping back to assess the final product. She grinned at her success. “Perfect.”

They paid for Killian’s clothes and went to a different store to buy an outfit for herself, but she tried it on in the fitting room without stepping out to let him see it. She could tell he was disappointed, but as soon as they got back to the hotel, she went to the bathroom to change. She also curled her hair and pinned it into a side-bun before applying some dark eye shadow and shimmering, wing-styled liner. She dusted her cheeks in pink blush and coated her eyelashes in black mascara, her lips in a fiery red color that matched her outfit. Smacking her lips together, she studied herself in the mirror before taking a deep breath Her stomach was full of butterflies, and she didn’t know why. This was not a date after all.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, it was his turn to be awestruck. Emma was wearing a red dress to match his shirt. It was a long-sleeved, one-shoulder, backless made of tulle and lace, and had slim waistline, which she covered with a thick dress belt. The skirt was embellished with a twisting hemline and had a high slit on one side, while the other side draped down her right leg. To top it off, she was wearing black fishnet stockings and leather stilettos with six-inch heels and crisscross straps that tied around her ankles.

Killian’s reaction did not disappoint. His eyes popped out of his skull as he visibly roamed her body from top to bottom, then back up again. He was utterly speechless, shaking his head as though suffering from whiplash. He graced her with a smile that could set a woman’s heart on fire, which it certainly did to hers.

“You look…”

Emma flashed him a coy grin, tilting her head and batting her lashes flirtatiously. “I know.”

Killian chuckled and stepped up to her, offering his arm. “Ready to go, love?”

She nodded and looped her arm through his. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

~*~

The club was dark, apart for the colorful strobe lights on the ceiling, and there was latino music seeping from the speakers as they arrived. They walked around with their arms linked together, scanning the place and getting a feel for the mood, watching the dancers warming up. They both approached the bar and ordered a drink, so that Killian would feel more relaxed. He drank a rum as she nursed a vodka and coke, and she couldn’t help notice one of the bar patrons staring her intently. She ignored him and gave her attention back to the handsome British man sitting next to her. Her fingers were a bit shaky, but it was not because she was afraid of embarrassing herself in front of the dance crowd, trying out salsa moves for the first time, like Killian was. No, this was a different kind of nervousness; one that she couldn’t quite explain.

When the song changed, Emma slipped from the bar stool and grabbed Killian’s hand, leading him to the dance floor. She turned to face him, catching him looking rather anxious, it was actually quite adorable. “Relax, just follow my lead and you’ll be fine,” she told him, flashing a reassuring smile.

He offered a small grin in return, nodding his head.

Emma showed him the basic salsa steps, instructing him to keep his knees bent. She did several turns with him before she took both of his hands in hers and placed them on her hips, allowing them to sway into rhythm with the beat. She could visibly see his expression change, his breath catching in his throat as her own breathing was becoming ragged. Placing her hands on his shoulders and massaging him to ease out the tension she knew he felt, Emma leaned in closer, whispering gentle words into his ear. “You have to relax.” She could tell that her breath tickled him, she could feel him shudder as she inhaled several deep breaths to steady her own nerves. Their chests were very close, almost touching, and Killian’s hands were still on her hips as she covered them with her own and started guiding him and allowing him to fall in sync with a rhythm that felt comfortable for both of them.

At first, they were focused on the dancing, both of them laughing when Killian fumbled over his own feet or spun Emma the wrong way, causing her to crash into him. Killian would easily shrug it off and continue dancing, and Emma could tell he was having fun. After awhile, he started to feel more relaxed as their feet and bodies were moving together in a fluid motion.

“See? You’re a natural,” Emma praised him as her palms ran over the silk fabric that covered his chest, continuing up to his broad shoulders before she rested her hands there.

He flashed her a tentative smile, and she could sense that he was not entirely convinced. “If you say so, love.”

As the night went on, Emma became more bold with him. Dancing with him felt so natural and enjoyable, she wanted to kick it up a notch. The music changed to something slow as she turned around in his arms and started slowly and seductively grinding her body against his hips. She heard a small groan over the music as Killian’s hands immediately crept to the sides of her frame, softly stroking her curves. She craned her head, allowing his lips to brush against her ear as they moved their bodies against one another.

Emma let her fingers slide through his hair, both of them easily getting lost in the music, and each other. Then his right hand moved lower and lower until he reached the slit her dress, his fingers working up her skirt and finding her black garter underneath it, his hand gripping and resting on her thigh. The tension between them was so thick, the warmth in her stomach was building, she didn’t know how much longer she could take.

“You’re not hiding any handcuffs under this dress, are you love?” he asked playfully, arching a curious brow.

Emma threw him a rascally grin. “How badly are you willing to find out?”

“You have no idea,” Killian groaned, continuing to grind himself into her; she could feel his hardness through their clothes. “Is this okay, love?” His voice was seductive and silky, sending shivers down her spine.

Emma nodded; her core was clenching as she bit her bottom lip. She didn’t know if she could hold back if she wanted to. And she wanted this man with everything she had. The staggering, speedy rhythm of her heartbeat, her flushed skin and shaky breathing all told her so, along with her soaked panties.

The realization itself made her spin around, pulling him flush against her body before grinding her hips over and over against his thigh, yearning some more friction. She curled her fingers around the back of his neck, and the other hand clutched onto his shoulder to steady herself as his mouth descended to her neck, assaulting her with soft kisses, his stubble prickling her skin. A strangled moan slipped past her lips as she lifted his leg, hooking it around the back of Killian’s thigh. He dipped her back and then brought her to him again, their eyes locked into a heated stare.

Emma slowly lowered her leg, grabbing onto his tie to bring his mouth closer to hers. Her brain was a cloud of lust, but her heart was feeling something even more. That alone scared her so much, it crippled her. She had a death grip on his tie as she gazed into his eyes, seeing that he was waiting for her to make the next move. She very much wanted to. But she couldn’t. Emma pulled herself out of the trance and disentangled herself from his hold.

“Emma? You alright?” he asked, his eyes full of genuine concern.

“I’m fine. I just have to use the ladies room.” Emma turned around and walked way, making her way to the restroom.

She took a few moments to piece herself back together. She was feeling a pull at her heart, but she couldn’t let herself fall. She needed to stay strong.

Emma drew in a long, deep breath, closing her eyes and allowing herself to relax. She would just go back to Killian and tell him she was ready to go home. It didn’t matter how, she just need to get back to Storybrooke. Emma reached for the handle, opening the door and leaving the restroom in such a haste, she crashed into someone in the corridor. As she felt a pair of hands clutching onto her arms to keep her from feeling, she looked up realizing it was the same man from the bar.

“My apologies,” he said, flashing a crooked smile.

“It’s okay,” Emma spoke quickly, escaping his hold.

“Leaving so fast?” he asked with a chuckle. He smelled of alcohol, making her cringe.

“Yeah, I have to get back to my fiance,” she lied, hoping he would get the picture.

“You mean that guy over on the dance floor who’s chatting up that Latina?”

Emma looked past the man, seeing that he was correct. Killian was conversing with some busty, dark complected broad, both of them smiling and seeming to enjoy the conversation. A pang of jealousy coiled up in her stomach, her hands balling into fists. She started to walk past the man, but he grabbed her arms. “Hey, listen, don’t you worry, I’ll show you a good time.” Before she could react, the man pressed her back against the wall, kissing her neck and trying to put his hands all over her.

“Get off of me!” she yelled, struggling against him. He wouldn’t listen and started getting more aggressive with her, so she kneed him directly into the groin, make him double over in pain as he held his crotch, but he didn’t back off. He became angrier and was about to hit her when there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and got punched in the face by a very angry-looking thief. Emma watched as the man tumbled to the floor before she promptly fled through the door of the club.

“Emma..” Killian called after her, hot on her heels as she escaped into the cool, night air.

“I can take care of myself!” Emma called as she started marching down the alley.

“Emma, wait! Where are you going?”

“Why is it any of your business? Why don’t you just go back inside and dance with the your latina girl?”

“Emma, we were just talking. She said that you were doing a fine job teaching me the salsa moves. I swear, love. I only have eyes for one woman.”

She spun around, glaring at him doubtfully, but she could see the wreckage in his eyes as he stared back at her. “Why would you want me anyway? I’m just a spoiled Princess?” she spat, trying to catch her breath.

“Emma… you and I both know that’s not true.”

“It doesn’t matter, I’m getting married to Walsh.”

“I’m bloody aware of that,” he snapped back, irritation laced in his words. “You remind me every two minutes.”

Emma swallowed thickly, seeing the hurt flashing in his eyes.

“Tell me something, love… why are you going through with this? We both know you don’t love him.”

Emma mocked him with a laugh. “You read my diary and suddenly you know my whole life story. Well, guess what? You don’t know shit about me!”

“I know enough,” he argued, clearly unwilling to back down. “And I don’t need a bloody diary to know that you’re not in love with him! You’re quite the open book, yourself. I also know that you’re not just marrying him to follow your parents’ wishes.”

She scoffed. “Oh really? So tell me, why am I marrying him then, mister perceptive?”

Killian stepped closer to her, his eyes never breaking their gaze. “You’re with him because he’s a safe choice. You know that he’ll never break your heart. You can’t break something that doesn’t exist, and you can’t mend something that’s not broken. That’s why you gave in so easily to your parents. It was the safer option. With him you can never get hurt.”

“And what makes you so sure?” she managed, her voice completely wrecked.

“Because, Emma… you and I have more in common than you think. You may have lived a sheltered life, but it’s not difficult to see that no one has really ever accepted you, other than your parents. That’s why you don’t want to disappoint them. They’re all you have. Without them, you have nothing, so anytime something good comes along, you shut it out completely. You put up your walls because it’s just safer that way. I know because I did the same thing.” Killian paused briefly, drawing in a deep breath before speaking more softly. “That is… until I met you.”

Emma was completely stunned in her spot. She didn’t really to know what to say to that. Her eyes were stinging with tears as Killian walked over to her, closing the distance between them.

She didn’t back away as he approached her.

“Emma, you don’t have to be afraid with me…”

A tear slipped down her cheek as she read the sincerity in his eyes.

“You don’t have to marry someone you don’t love… it’s okay to take what you really want,” Killian murmured, lifting a hand and brushing his thumb over her cheek to wipe away her tear. She wanted to believe him, she wanted to trust him, but instead she found herself backing away.

“Just take me back to the hotel, please,” she asked him quietly, her body trembling from the chilly air.

Killian nodded and offered his jacket to her, draping it over her shoulders.

Emma’s eyes were swollen with tears as they took a cab, both of them silent during the entire ride. She felt like a selfish asshole for thinking the way she did, knowing that she had loving parents and a warm home to go back to.

He had it so much worse than she did, and yet he had opened up his heart to her her over such a short period of time. He accepted her knowing that she was a wealthy snob who only seemed to care about herself. But he knew the truth. He was willing to look past her hard exterior, willing to see her for who she really was at her core.

Emma felt her heart constricting, watching Killian gaze out the window and give her the space she asked for. Her hand silently moved over to the spot between them, but he didn’t notice the movement, his facial features through the reflection of the window indicating that he was deep in his thoughts.

His hand was resting on his lap as she took it into her own, slipping her fingers in between his. Killian turned his head, but he didn’t glance at her, he only stared ahead as she saw his adam’s apple bob in his throat. There were no words, no yearning looks, just the feel of palm against palms, fingers squeezing, flexing and seeking comfort from the other.

The taxi stopped in front of the hotel and she reluctantly pulled away from Killian, both of them stepping out. They paid the driver and made their way inside the building, both were quiet, not breathing so much as a word as they took the elevator. There were a few people who left, getting off on their floor, and Emma and Killian were alone once again.

As the elevator ascended, his words were playing in her mind on a constant loop.

You don’t have to marry someone you don’t love… it’s okay to take what you really want.

And it wasn’t just that - everything he said back in the alley was true. Without her parents, she had no one who truly accepted her.

Emma didn’t really know what came over her, maybe it was his words that were taking hold, making her believe that she could really trust him as he said she could, or maybe it was knowing that they were indeed much similar than she had ever imagined since she met him, and in such a short period of time, he seemed to get her more than anyone else ever had. Either way, Emma was moving from her spot and grabbing Killian’s tie, pressing him into the wall, her lips crashing into his. It was a bruising kiss that made her skin tingle, both of them easily getting caught up in it. His hands were cupping her cheeks, lips moving passionately against hers as Emma’s fingers were carding through his hair. Their tongues were on fire, dancing and twisting around the other, eliciting little muffled moans. His body was warm, pressed against hers, and she realized that she wanted him more than she could really comprehend.

Breaking the kiss to catch her breath, Emma pressed her forehead against his, gasping for air.

“Emma…”

She hushed him by pressing her fingers to his swollen lips. “You were right… I don’t want to get married Killian… not now… and not to Walsh.”

Killian trapped her hand, kissing the finger that was still on his mouth. “Then, what do you want, love? What does your heart desire?”

She didn’t even need to ponder the question. “I want you. I’m not sure what that means yet, but I know that I want to find out…”

Killian graced her with a small smile. “That’s okay, Emma. Admitting what you want is the first step.”

She blushed, smiling back at him. “What’s the next step?”

“It’s whatever you want it to be,” he replied warmly, caressing her cheek.

She smirked at him mischievously. “And if I wanted to skip a few steps?”

Killian chuckled. “If you’re sure that’s what you want… then that’s okay, too.”

“I’ve never wanted anything more,” she admitted, breathlessly.

With that, her lips crashed into his again as the elevator doors opened. They never stopped kissing as he picked her up, allowing Emma to wrap her legs around his hips, and her arms around the back of his neck as he carried her out of the elevator and to their room.

Once the keycard unlocked the door, they busted through it before Killian kicked it shut, both of them devouring each other with a fire and passion she had never known before. They were knocking over lamps, bumping into picture frames and crashing into furniture in their wake, neither of them willing to stop. Killian pressed her into a wall and released her red, swollen lips, leaving her panting and breathless as he left a trail of hot kisses along her jaw, nipping and sucking the skin there as she leaned her head back. His lips reached her neck, his tongue hot and desperate on her skin as his hand slid under her dress, caressing her thigh as he pressed his erection into her clothed center. She moaned from the contact, arousal pooling in her belly, deciding she needed him now before she went crazy. Undoing his belt and unzipping his pants, she smashed his lips into his, eliciting a groan from his throat.

In a quick haste, Killian carried her over to the dresser, thrusting her into it a little too eagerly, and Emma yelped in pain because of the tattoo she had previously decided would be a brilliant idea.

“Sorry, love,” he apologized in a breathless slur, concern etched into his features.

“It’s okay,” Emma assured him before capturing her lips again, her fingers working quickly to loosen his tie, but as much as she tried to ignore it, her tattoo was throbbing in pain. Killian could sense this, and broke the kiss, pulling his lips away.

“Emma… I think we should clean your tattoo. We wouldn’t wanted it to get infected.”

Emma pouted, but she knew he was right. He released her from his hold, putting her down before he took her hand, leading her to the bathroom. Emma kneeled on the floor, hunching over the bathtub as Killian lifted her dress to expose the inked area, soothing it carefully with his fingers before cleaning it with some warm water and soap.

He left the bathroom so she could change, and she loosened her hair, letting it fall over her shoulders before undressing and slipping into her nightgown. She entered the bedroom being careful not to let the fabric make contact with the tattoo. Crawling into bed, she spread out over the mattress on her stomach, leaving her bare bottom uncovered to let it air dry, as she rested her head on the pillow.

After a while, Killian fetched some ointment, applying a shallow layer and rubbing it gently into her sensitive skin. She loved how kind and caring he was to her, his hands moving in a way that made her feel safe and loved. She got comfortable in bed, not wanting to move, still feeling a bit of a sting from the cream he used on her.

~*~

Killian sat up in bed, watching Emma sleep as she looked so peaceful and beautiful, breathing in a slow rhythm. His head was still dizzy from everything that had taken place that evening as he leaned over and dropped a delicate kiss to her temple. Very quietly and carefully, he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

Removing his clothes, he stepped into the hot, soothing water as it cascaded over him. He ran his hands over his face, taking a deep breath, vision of emerald greens under his lids. He was so glad that she was able to confess to him what she really wanted. He was glad that she was calling off the wedding. He really didn’t want to tell her the truth. He didn’t want that to impact her decision. He wanted her to come to the conclusion on her own.

Killian sighed as he started washing himself, lathering the soap into his skin. He really couldn’t stay in the same room with Emma being half naked in bed, her bare bottom exposed. There was no way he would be able to sleep with her next to him like that. Killian grew hard again just thinking about her. Emma’s body was so gorgeous, her skin so soft and creamy, it took every ounce of control within him to be able to pull away when he’d caused her pain.

However, he was certainly feeling the consequences of his actions as his hand lowered to his rock-hard cock, his rough fingers wrapping around him and gently stroking the thick weight. A low groan escaped his lips as he pulled at the skin and started working his hand up and down, feeling every ridge of muscle underneath. Dipping his head back, he got lost in the sensation, he almost didn’t hear the movement of the curtain behind him.

“Killian…”

He was startled as he turned around, his eyes meeting vivid green ones. There was apology in her features, but also hunger and desire as she gazed back at him, the hint of a sly smirk curving her lips.

He drank her in with his eyes, taking in the delicate features over slim, naked body as she was sprayed with droplets of water from the shower. “Emma… what are you…?”

She peered down between them, licking her lips as he swallowed thickly, vaguely aware that he was still holding his cock in his hand. Stepping closer, her hands came up to clutch onto his shoulders, and he lost a breath as she whispered into his ear. “I’m taking what I want…”

His entire body shuddered and his cock twitched in excitement.

“Did you really think I could fall asleep after what happened? You obviously couldn’t.”

He swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to gather his wits. “Is this is a dream, love?” he asked, not believing she was actually there in front of him.

Emma’s grin grew wider as she grabbed both of his wrists and brought his hands to her breasts, letting him touch her exquisite gems, the pink nipples hardening underneath his palms. “Does this feel like a dream to you?”

Killian smirked as he worked his fingers into the luscious, decadent skin. “They certainly feel real to me… and also like heaven.”

She laughed lightly as her hand descended, wrapping her fingers around his stiff cock and pumping it gently. “What about this?”

He let out a guttural groan. “That also feels like heaven. Little minx.”

They were both touching and caressing each other, moans of pleasure filling the confines of the shower walls when he whispered in her ear. “Love, we should take this to the bed before I end up pressing you against the wall and hurting your tattoo again and risking an infection.”

Emma, however, didn’t relent. In fact, she smirked and got down on her knees in front of his throbbing cock. All coherent thoughts left his mind when Emma took him in her mouth, sucking lightly at his tip and licking his slit as the precome started oozing out of the velvety flesh. She was still pumping him in her hand when she started bobbing her head over him, devouring most of his length and completely blowing his mind .

“Oh, fuck..”

This definitely had to be a dream. Killian groaned and buried his fingers in Emma’s golden locks, rutting his hips into her warm and welcoming mouth. When he looked down, he saw his cock disappear between her reddened lips, and he felt his arousal building, the overwhelming pleasure coursing through him, it was almost enough to make him come right then. Before he did, though, he gently took her hand from his cock and brought her up to him.

“Love, I want you so badly.”

Emma pouted, but she couldn’t deny that she wanted him too. He could see it in her eyes.

She wiped her mouth as he turned off the shower, grabbing a towel from the rack and drying them off before discarding it.

He grabbed her and kissed her fiercely, lifting her up while being careful not to touch her tattoo as she instinctively anchored her legs around his hips. He carried her in his arms, stepping over the tub before managing to make it to the bedroom without his legs buckling underneath him. With her body clutching onto him securely, he grabbed a condom from the drawer of the nightstand, where he had previously decided to stash them instead of his bag.

Their lips were still attached, tongues still delving and sweeping into the other’s mouth to taste one another as he effortlessly carried her over to the bed.

Turning them around, he sat on the edge of the mattress, letting her land on her knees and straddle his lap, her dripping, bare center kissing the tip of him. A rough growl escaped into her mouth as Emma ran her fingers through his chest hair and down his abs before taking his aching cock in her hand.

Ripping his lips from hers, he allowed her to tear open the wrapper and sheath his long length with the latex as his dark eyes were raking over her breasts, his fingers grazing her soft, delectable skin. They were the most beautiful things he had ever seen in his life, he still wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“So beautiful, Nolan,” he whispered in her ear, his voice completely shattered. Their eyes were locked as the anticipation finally became a reality. His member was still in her hand as she pressed his velvety tip to her slick wet folds and lowered her hips, slowly descending upon him. Killian quivered underneath her at the contact, stretching her tight walls until he was fully buried inside of her heat.

He was groaning softly, cupping the delicate weight of her breasts into his hands as she rolled her hips up and down, slowly riding his dick. He wrapped his hands around her small frame, sprinkling kisses down her chest, his tongue licking the skin as he made a trail through the valley of her breasts. Her hands went to the back of his head, fingers sifting through his thick, damp hair as he kissed each of her nipples, drawing out long, shattered moans from her pretty lips. She dipped her head back as he took the pink puckered bud into his mouth, softly sucking and worshiping her with his mouth as his hands were pressed into her hips, guiding her movements and pressing her onto him.

A string of curses and groans tumbled from their lips as he thrusted into his writhing goddess, her core throbbing tightly around him.

“Gods, Emma… fuck, you’re so tight.”

Emma grabbed his shoulders and arched her back as she lifted herself up and down, taking him all in before rising back to the tip. Her breasts were bouncing in front of him as they moved and he took the opportunity to bury his face there. She moaned and picked up the pace, riding him faster.

“Oh, God, Killian,” she breathed out, her walls collapsing around him and pulling him in deeper.

“Emma… I’m not going to last much longer. You feel so bloody incredible.” His fingers were deep into her skin, holding up her slim figure as moved inside of her, hitting the right spot with just right amount of force and consistency.

“Killian…”

Her soft cries became screams of blissful pleasure, sending waves of heat through his body as she came around him, causing his cock to pulse inside of her as he released his seed. They were moaning, their breathing shallow as their movements slowed, both of them trying to piece themselves back together.

With the condom discarded, they both collapsed into the bed, Emma’s head resting on his chest as he dropped soft kisses to her disheveled hair. They were sated and spent as they drifted off to sleep, and it wasn’t until Killian woke up the following morning with this naked, blonde beauty in his arms, when he finally realized last night was indeed not a dream.

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#cs ff #cs ff au #captain swan #cs fanfics #cs smut #wild at heart

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