#the fact that Girl Wander is an integral part of who he is as a person is canon makes me crazy. what do you mean

[crabussy]

hes so girls. I love you wander

[georgiapeach30513]

Got A Secret, Part 4

Summary:  Doug is about tired of you, and you learn of Dayton’s new director.

Pairings:  Dayton White X Reader, Nick Vaughan X Reader

Rating:  mild

Warnings:  language, mentions of cheating, implied sex, 18+ ONLY

Word Count:  2.9K

Previous

Series Masterlist

*dividers created by @firefly-graphics​

Dayton looks over your body, half of it on full display, minus the top of your butt crack down. You were adorable with your face squished into his pillow, sleeping soundly. He walks a cup of coffee over to the bedside table, and wanders back into the living room. There was another meeting today, and while he should wake you up, you looked peaceful. You were not used to constantly being on like he was.

He takes a sip from his own mug, waiting for his ever prompt team to burst through the door without knocking while he watches his back yard. It was pretty minus the security fence around the property. Remembering times when he didn’t have to be so secluded from the word. When people weren’t trying to get a glimpse of his everyday life. He didn’t know how to get back to that time.

Doug and Ray walk directly into the living room, eyes moving around, and even Ray steps into the kitchen. Preparing his own cup of coffee while simultaneously looking for you, “We’re missing a very integral part of this operation. Did you already piss her off again?”

“No,” Dayton slurps on his coffee looking at the men, “She’s sleeping. Let her sleep,” Doug gives him an odd look before walking down the hallway towards your room. Opening the door, and then laughs at Dayton.

“What?”

“Well, that didn’t take long, did it? She’s just like every other girl. Ready to jump on your cock. I mean, we’ve all seen the leak. You’re quite impressive. But the fact that you’re able to get them to actually fall for you is the real mystery. They’re with you for a few weeks and realize that your cock is about the only thing you have to offer. You’re not your characters.”

Ray clears his throat as you walk out of Dayton’s bedroom, a bit more disheveled than you usually were. But dressed, and holding your mug close to your mouth. “Doug, you’re very much aware that I don’t like you, right?”

“Dayton doesn’t pay me to be liked. He pays me to make sure the media is in his favor. Just remember the image you see is perfectly curated for general audiences. That young girl, we hid his indiscretions with her by using you. Much more age appropriate and easier for the public to stomach. Don’t act like you’re special here,” it was almost as if Doug didn’t care about his client. Just cared if his client was making money so he could be paid.

“I actually know Dayton behind the scenes. I’ve seen the real him.”

“He shows you what he wants you to see,” you raise a hand to him, ready to slap his pompous cheek, but Doug catches it. “You’re just like the rest. But you’re getting to live here. Getting the private jets, the engagement rumors have already been put out with confirmation from an anonymous source. Don’t get attached to an actor,” a maniacal laughter exits his mouth, and you’re even more disgusted. Trying to pull your arm away from him.

“Now, we need to discuss your next outing,” changing the subject, he drops your hand and marches to the table. Grabbing up a bag, and pulling out his laptop. “We’ve got to sell this relationship.”

“It’s sold,” annoyed, you sit down at the furthest seat from him. Hoping that Dayton would eventually speak up on your behalf, or even his own. But instead he sits there ready for Doug’s plan, like a good obedient client.

“Why are you trying to sell something so bad? It’s like this constant filtering of proof we’re together. There’s been no organic sightings, just your paid photographer who flips through the pictures and sells the best ones. It’s an old trick that needs to stop. You continue down this route it’s just going to look like a forced relationship you’re using to bury something else. Oh, you are, aren't you?”

Ray looks over at you with a big smile. Bouncing his legs up and down, “See, I told you, Doug. The fan base is getting tired of these PR stunts. And it’s just too quick. You want them to believe that Dayton has had a secret relationship for…what’s the damn timeline again? It keeps changing and I can’t keep up. You’ve got your sources going to too many outlets, and even they can’t keep the story straight.”

“Because concrete answers lead to mistakes. If we keep changing this timeline, there’s nothing to argue about the relationship because no one knows for certain. We also haven’t confirmed anything officially. We keep official statements away until this contract is up,” you dramatically roll your eyes because he was completely clueless. It was his job to sell something and he was failing. “What would you suggest then shooting Star?”

“If you want to sell this, social media posts are a direct link from Dayton, myself, and the fans. It can be in a neutral location. But a candid photo of us together, cuddled up, or in the background of someone else’s photo. You’re trying too hard for something that should be simple. And the timeline is confusing. You want to convince people it’s real or made up?”

“Off and on for a year and half,” Dayton says quietly, and everyone turns to look at him. “That picture, the first one. It dates back to the Oscars over a year ago. Fans clocked the suit immediately. That picture has done better than these pap walks. She’s not wrong. And that wasn’t even from an official source. You sent it to various blogs and fan accounts. That’s what sold the relationship. Not the painfully obvious force feeding you’re doing now. I start the movie tomorrow. Ray, you just be ready with your phone. Star, you come to set. It’s that easy. Now, are we done here?”

Doug taps his fingers on the table a moment before closing his computer. Making sure to glare over towards you. He knew you were right. Nobody looked at Dayton’s fandom as much as Doug’s team. The relationship was turning unbelievable quickly, and he was to blame.

“Fine, you two think you can sell this relationship? Prove it. There will be no official statement from either of you. It makes the breakup easier. You can slowly fade away into the background once again, Star. You can live your normal life.”

“Except I can’t. Unless it’s another Hollywood celebrity. No one will want to touch me. I’m only doing this because you set it in motion without my consent. Now, I’m trying to make sure I don’t look like a fool for being in a fake relationship with Dayton White.”

“Call time is four in the morning. Make sure you arrive on time,” you shake your head no, laughing at him. “Excuse me?”

“I’m not his makeup artist for this shoot, remember? I’ll arrive around lunch break and bring my boyfriend, possibly fiancé, some lunch instead of him eating from craft service.  Remember, Dougie, I’m doing you and your client a favor,” Doug hated that you were not as easy to manipulate as Dayton.  He was never particularly fond of you, but trying to control you was even worse.  You just wanted things your way.  He just hoped you wouldn’t screw up Dayton’s career, and by default his money.  He wouldn’t stand for it.

“I thought your new girlfriend was coming today?” Nick looks around the set looking for you.  “How did you two meet?”

“She is my makeup artist.  She’s actually on her way.  You sure you don’t mind her sitting in today?  She’s a bit of a perfectionist, and she didn’t do my makeup.  Knowing her, she’ll be dragging her kit in here, and ready for touch ups.”

“Sounds about right,” Nick answers nonchalantly, making himself a plate.  Dayton didn’t fully pay attention to the comment, and hungrily looks at the table of food, “You going to eat?”

“Uh, no.  She’s bringing me lunch,” Dayton suddenly gets a genuine smile, and he leaves Nick’s side immediately as he turns to walk towards you.  “I thought I told you not to bring that,” he complains, looking down at your makeup kit.

“I’m glad I did.  Dayton, they…your base is the wrong color.  Also the wrong formula.  You don’t wear oil based formulas.  Water based looks best on you, and more natural.  I can’t even see any of your natural freckles, people love that about you.  And it’s gunked up in your facial hair.  And…peach blush?  We’ve talked about this a bit of a red cream blush, under the foundation so it makes you look sunkissed.  I told you to tell them that.  What powder did they use?  And concealer?  It’s caking up on you, and…” you look behind Dayton as Nick gives you a little wave, and your mouth closes immediately.

“Dayton, why is Nick Vaughan here?”

“Ah, let me introduce you,” pulling your free hand he leads you over to Nick.  Nick looks at you bashfully, and licks his lips.  “Star, this is Nick, the new director, and Nick this is…”

“We’ve met,” he holds out his hand anyways, and you take it for a quick shake, but drop it too quickly.  “Interesting to see you dating Dayton.  I thought you didn’t like the Hollywood type?”

“Maybe it wasn’t just Hollywood that I didn’t like?  Maybe it was arrogant directors?”

“Oh, dear.  Nick, would you excuse us?” Dayton drags you away from Nick, leaving behind your kit.  It didn’t matter where you went, because Nick was still looking towards you smiling.  “I’m going to make this quick, because I’m starving, but…you and Nick?”

“This is why I have an open invitation on set because Nick is the director?  I can stay all day sitting beside him?  Son of a bitch.  Why didn’t you say anything?”

“What is going on?”

“Nick…he’s my ex fiancé.  Ugh,” you press your fingers into your eyes and try to collect your thoughts.  You thought you were never going to have to see Nick again, and here you were essentially being forced to be here, so that Ray could get some candid photos.  “Hug me.”

“What?”

“Hug me, comfort me,” Dayton grimaces as he wraps his arms around you, “Dayton, you have literally been inside of me, and this is the best you can do?  You’re a fucking actor.  Hug me.”

“What are we doing?” He was so confused.  He was slowly learning just to trust you in all of this because your instincts did actually make sense.  “Star?”

“Shh, so Nick and I broke up because he got his first big movie, and he got this giant big head.  The whole not dating Hollywood types isn’t completely untrue.  But it was mostly because he wasn’t the Nick that I fell in love with.  You know, it’s complicated, but you could have told me Nick was the new director.”

“I didn’t even know you were engaged.  You…was this public knowledge?” You shake your head quickly, and turn to look up at him.  Whispering ‘kiss me’ as you stare up at him.  His hand slides behind your head, and he pulls you in close for a sweet kiss.  Had you been a normal woman, you would have almost believed him.  The way he pulls back and rubs his thumb over your lips was a nice gentle touch, but you push that aside, because you were both acting.  Dayton couldn’t be capable of real emotions.

Ray steps up to you, letting Dayton know he had very little time to eat before they were back to working, and you hand him his lunch.  He preferred to eat in private, and you were left awkwardly standing around with Ray and Nick.  “I have a few phone calls to make,” Ray steps away from you.

“So, you actually are dating America’s sweetheart, huh?  To be honest, I saw all those headlines, and just assumed it was a tactic to cover up his barely legal taste in women.  Then again, Dayton has this weird ability to make people believe things.  You know he’s  cheated on you?”

“We weren’t exclusive.  You and me, we were.  I had a ring on my finger, and you had the taste for your leading lady.  You want to blame the breakup on just me not liking Hollywood, and I went along with it.  But let’s not pretend that you casted people based on who would give the best blowjob.  People in the circle talk, Nick.  I loved you.  And you disappointed me.  I have kept your secret of cheating because you asked me to not screw up your career.”

“So it is a fake relationship?” He laughs, shaking his head, “I knew it.  I know the look when you’re in love because…because I’ve seen it.  And I can’t ever get it back, can I?  You’re riding out this whatever it is with Dayton.  I guess you really were the problem.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” You demand.  Following him as he walks away and sits in his director’s chair.  “Nicky?”

“It was after I proposed that you started pulling away.  You’re scared of commitment.  That’s why the woman I know is in a fake relationship, a fake engagement.  Alienating everyone else around you.  It’s better to pretend than have something real, and work for it.  Things get serious, and you have a tendency to run away.  Why is that?”

“You forget, you cheated on me.”

“You weren’t the same after I proposed.  Each day you grew more distant.  I searched for attention in other people, and it was wrong.  I can admit that.  But throwing yourself into your new client, Dayton, and saying that you couldn’t be around, and maybe we should just wait on the marriage wasn’t an accident either.  Face it.  You were too scared that we wouldn’t work out, so I made the decision for you.  I should have just ended it, and that’s on me.  But I knew it would be easier for you to accept if you had someone to blame.  I took the fall for that.”

“Don’t act like you did me a favor, Nick.  You cheated.”

“Once, it was wrong.  You were already on the road, and you had texted me that we needed to talk.  You were breaking up with me, weren’t you?” Groaning, you nod your head.  Nick always had this weird ability to read you, and that’s what scared you.  He was far from perfect, but he was caring.  He was understanding, and he just always got you.

“I can’t do this right now.”

“No, you’ve got to smile for the cameras and make them believe that you’re really with Dayton.  You can live this fake fairytale narrative that you had in your head, and still have this heart of stone, pushing everyone out of your life because you don’t want to be vulnerable.”

“I have never said that Dayton and I are in a fake relationship.”

“You didn’t have to,” you wanted to hate Nick.  Wanted to not care about what he thought about you, but you did.  He was the closest thing that you ever came to letting go of your insecurities.  You had never allowed someone that close to you before, but then the engagement happened, and you realized how real it was, and how you didn’t want to hurt Nick in the long run when you would eventually leave him.

At one point you believed that Nick had loved you more than you ever loved him, until you found out about the ‘cheating’.  Then you convinced yourself that Nick had been lying all along, but now…you weren’t so sure.  You wanted things to be easy, but they never really were.  Maybe that’s why you were okay deep down with hiding behind this fake relationship.  You were getting the perks, without the feelings involved.  You didn’t have to be vulnerable because it was all fake anyways.

You look over at Nick, and he was still just as handsome as you remembered.  Still had this kind smile that made you melt, and want to giggle right along with him.  Nick’s romanticism terrified you.  He was too sweet, too caring, too understanding, and it felt stifling.  Like he was always smothering you with good intentions and a healthy relationship.  He was better off without you, just like you were better off without him.  The only problem was when you should have been paying attention to Dayton walking back on the set, you were still looking at Nick.

You didn’t see the slight fallen face of Dayton.  You hadn’t made that face when you were looking at him.  Even when Nick looks back at you smiling.  Giving his body a warmup shake, he pushes it aside.  It didn’t matter.  He had to work, and you were coming home with him.  You would be in his bed again tonight, no doubt, and you would be gripping onto his back and screaming his name.  At least he had a live in sexdoll, and that’s exactly what he had to tell himself.  Because he had to focus, and he didn’t like Nick looking at you.  He wouldn’t be eating alone anymore.  He would be staying with you whenever you were on set.  You got too comfortable with Nick, and there was more to your breakup than you had told him.

Next

Masterlist

Taglist: @tis-thedamn-season​ @marveloustaylortot​ @pono-pura-vida​ @sstan-hoe​ @infatuatedharleys​ @missusbarnes-rogers​ @whiskeytangofoxtrot555​ @peaches1958​ @seitmai​ @smile1318​ @andydrysdalerogers​

[rottenprincessshura100]

Idk if you already covered this or not but whats your opinion on Shiemi seemingly being the next Shemihaze or something?? And that connected relationship with Amaimon?

Hi there!

Thanks for the ask!

Here's my take on the Amaimon, Shemihaza situation.

First off, what is the new Shemihaza, really?

Shiemi is the next Shemihaza, or rather Shemihaza Nephilium. The original Shemihaza crystalized her body to keep Amaimon under control. Luckily Shemihaza has children living in Assiah, that continue on her legacy, children that are part human.

What we can surmise, each incarnation of Shemihaza gives birth to the future Shemihaza, and all of them are named Shiemi. We have no idea who the father is.

Each generation of Shemihaza gains her power by absorbing energy from the crystallized version of the original god. Yet, not all Shemihaza's children have powers. Shiemi's mother was born a normal human, as the bloodline had weakened and diluted. Also, the crystal seems to be losing power.

But here's the weird thing our Shiemi from the current timeline seems very powerful. I have a hunch that she was made differently. Was Shiemi a specialized clone? An IVF pregnancy conceived in section 13? There's something fishy to her story and we don't know all the secrets yet.

We know that something happened between Shiemi's grandmother and Lucifer. Is Shiemi part demon? Originally conceived as a potential body for Lucifer? Whatever the original plan was, Jeremiah sympathized with Lucifer and is somehow trying to corrupt Shiemi's soul to make her easy to possess.

In Shiemi's past, Jeremiah treated our Shiemi as some sort of puppet and made her do something terrible, something that warped her mind and caused her to forget who she was. That's why Mephisto enrolled the girl at True Cross Academy and had her integrated with other teenagers. He's trying to enrich her heart so she survives any possession attempt. Thanks to Rin and Yukio's love and friendship, she's strong and has a fighting chance.

Shiemi might also get out unscathed because Angel is the other potential vessel of Lucifer and I need to quickly talk about that.

Shiemi is the planned vessel, Angel was created through a happy accident for Lucifer. He infected one of his clones with temptaint.

But is Angel a pure Lucifer clone? I still think he looks like one of Uzai and could be a combination of Shiemihaza and Lucifer. That would make Jeremiah a blood relation to Angel and Shiemi. I think Angel and Shiemi were created through a similar process.

Jeremiah meanwhile, is a snake in the grass of the Uzai. He's trying to weaken the minds of both Angel and Shiemi and give Lucifer lots of options for vessels. He's been on team Lucifer for a very long time.

AMAIMON AND SHIEMI

Now for the fun stuff.

What's up with these two?

Amaimon is an immature little fuck of a hellraiser. In the early days, sometime in Mesopotamia, between 4100-7500 BCE Amaimon went on a rampage and tried to destroy the world. Shemihaza used her incredible power to stop Amaimon, by sealing his powers within her own. In essence, Shemihaza tamed and tempered the demon king.

Shemihaza, considers Amaimon as a servant. Yet, Amaimon has other ideas. He thinks they are soulmates.

Amaimon is a single bachelor living the high life until a new Shiemihaza turns up. Then he has to grow up, have responsibilities and be a decent "spouse."

This entire "bride" theme Amaimon likes to talk about. It has roots (no pun intended to the original fight.)

Amaimon loves to battle and hates to be forgotten.

The fact that the Shemihaza bloodline has devoted its life to taming him is the closest thing to love Amaimon has. Shemihaza always brings the action, and they recreate the first fight over and over. He always has her undivided attention and it completes him. He would wander aimlessly trying to find worthy opponents without her until the world was nothing but ash.

Other demons need to find human life partners, but Amaimon hates humans. Besides, why would he lower himself to socialize with weaklings when has a goddess to torture?

Losing to Shemihaza must give him the warm fuzzies. She curbs his boredom, kicks his ass and keeps him in line. Secretly, I think the little masochist enjoys it. The Shemihazas are super cute, mean little kewpies, totally his type.

Now did Shiemihaza love Amaimon? I'm not sure, but she allowed him to keep his ego and body. That, at the very least, shows a great deal of empathy. Plus, they combined powers when she bound his heart, they are both a part of each other now. And that isn't an easy decision to make unless the devotion was mutual. If you take a look at Amaimon's heart, it's encased in the vines and raspberries of Shemihaza....awwww.

The current Shiemi.

Amaimon doesn't like her because he's weak. He wants his sparring partner back and feels that Shiemi is defective. He goads her into fighting harder and tries to jog her memory. He doesn't want to win, he wants his partner to wake the fuck up.

Amaimon made it work. Got Shiemi so mad that she started fighting back, and she was suddenly made aware that Jeremiah did something to her. Amaimon was helping.

Now, did Amaimon and Shemihaza have any kids?

Going into crack theory land, I discussed this before that I had my suspicions. Demons can't make children like humans can, they have to possess things. Either directly or indirectly.

The Direct Method.

The direct possibility, Amaimon loses his body sometime during the inception of section 13. Did he pull a Satan and try to possess a pregnant Shiemihaza, tainting her offspring? Maybe.

Mephisto eventually was successful, creating Amaimon a body. (But maybe that's how Mephisto gets the idea to make Satan's sons? Who knows.)

The Indirect method.

Amaimon's crystal is intertwined with Shemihaza's crystal.

The future Shemihazas are sent to absorb power from the crystalized goddess as children. That's how the power is carried on

But I think the occasional flaw happens in the process. The Uzai had a baby who equally absorbed Amaimon and Shiemihaza's crystalized energy.

That child was probably Yuri Egin.

Amaimon and Shemihaza had a kid. And that screwed with everything!!! Amaimon had a daughter, not a bride! The bloodline was corrupted!

Yuri was seen as a terrible mistake and an embarrassment. A creation that shouldn't exist. The Uzai probably wanted the child destroyed.

Instead, Mephisto and Shiemihaza hid Yuri with exorcists in deep cover as homeless people. Granny Shemihaza couldn't kill her child and Yuri was probably the rightful heir to the Shemihaza throne.

(That's why Shiemi's mom had no powers, she wasn't next in line.)

Yuri has combined powers and the ability to control golems and green men, has taming abilities and reminds Rin of Shiemi. That's because she's related to her.

That would mean that Yuri was Shiemi's aunt, and would make Rin, Yukio and Shiemi cousins. So, unpopular opinion. Neither Rin nor Yukio gets Shiemi...but because they're family, they don't lose her either.

It makes sense, that granny Shemihaza is the one to kill Yuri at the end of the blue night.

She felt that the terrible deed was her responsibility because she hadn't done the right thing. Her sin attracted Satan's ego into Assiah and she allowed her feelings to get the better of her.

[lawngnomeofdoom]

Part Four: when I'm near you

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Five Part Six Part Seven

Summary: Connor seeks advice on his new emotions from Markus, but when Connor is resistant to his suggestions, Markus decides to force his hand. Some jealous Connor fluff!

A/N: Yay part four! Thank you for reading this far and for all the kind messages, hearts, and reblogs, it all means the world to me. Keep being kind to each other :)

“Markus, thank you for agreeing to meet with me,” Connor said rising from the café table to greet his friend.

“Of course Connor, I must say that I was surprised that you asked me for coffee though,” Markus said taking a seat across from him. Outside the café’s window was the police station, and citizens of Detroit moving about their day, humans, and androids alike, thanks to Markus.

“Oh?” Connor asked wondering what social faux pas he had committed now.

“Well I’m happy for the company Connor, but neither of us drinks coffee.” He explained.

“Right, I suppose it’s a human phrase I’ve picked up.”

“So, what’s on your mind?” Markus asked, his eyes studying Connor’s. Seeing Markus and other members of Jericho act so naturally human was a wonder to Connor, but it also made him feel inferior in some sense, why couldn’t he adjust like them? He did think he had been making decent progress until Y/N arrived.

“I wanted to ask you for some advice regarding new emotions I’m struggling with.”

“I see, what emotions seem to be troubling you Connor?”

“Ones having to do with…affection.” He replied after a brief pause. To Connor’s surprise, the corners of Markus’ lips crept up into an amused smile.

“What’s her name?” He asked. Connor’s face became bashfully blue with a thirium blush. He thought of feigning offense, why would Markus assume he had to ask about a particular person? But the success of that scenario was well below 0%, Connor knew that without a preconstruction.

“Y/N.” He admitted finally.

“Tell me about her.” Markus grinned ear to ear as he leaned back in his chair.

“I met her at the station, she is a detective and an old friend of Hank’s. She’s highly intelligent, a very efficient officer. Her work ethic is one I greatly admire.” Connor told him. Markus raised a brow.

“And?”

“And… she has a lovely laugh, something about it brings about a certain feeling akin to peace in me. Y/N is kind, she treats me like…like a person, with respect and integrity. I have found myself enjoying listening to her speak, even if it is on mundane things, she makes them fascinating somehow. I have also found myself trying to memorize things about her, the way she likes her coffee, the way she bites her bottom lip when she’s thinking, and the songs she hums to herself. Oh and she smells like lilacs.” Connor finished. He looked up to see that the expression on Markus' face had shifted from playful curiosity to a sincere gaze.

“Oh, Connor.” Was all he said.

“I am struggling because I find myself distracted by Y/N on a daily basis. My eyes and my thoughts always wander back to her. We were at a crime scene and I whispered something lewd in her ear, I’ve never done anything like that before.” Connor finished.

“What do you need from me, Connor?” Markus asked leaning forward.

“I wanted your advice on how to rectify the situation.”

“Rectify?”

“Yes, I…” Connor glanced around their surroundings and leaned in, whispering to him.

“I had lustful thoughts about her just the other day. I imagined her and I were… well long story short, I imagined her in a rather compromising position over my desk.” Connor told him as softly as possible. Markus kept a straight face for a moment until his bottom lip quivered and he burst into a fit of laughter. Connor sat back with his hands on the table, perplexed by the hysteric reaction.

“I’m sorry Connor, I really am. I just never thought I would see this day.” Markus explained after catching his breath.

“What day?”

“The day Connor, the most advanced android out there, has a crush on someone.” He smiled.

“Markus don’t be ridiculous. We discussed it the other day, Y/N and I are just friends.”

“Do you imagine bending all your friends over your desk?”

“No! That’s precisely why I need your help in preventing those thoughts from further polluting our friendship.” Connor insisted. Markus shook his head.

“Connor, this is a confusing time for our people. Every new emotion is terrifying, uncharted territory but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t explore it. It means the exact opposite in fact.”

“I don’t think I can do that, thank you for meeting with me Markus but I’ll just have to figure this out myself,” Connor said standing from his seat briskly and leaving Markus alone in the café.

A few hours later Connor glanced up from his terminal for the tenth time in the last half hour hoping to see you at your desk. He knew you’d be at lunch around this hour, but you usually took it at your desk, or if you did go out for food it wasn’t for this long. Hank noticed his constant checks and rolled his eyes.

“She said she was with a friend for lunch.” He grumbled.

“Oh." Connor said fiddling with a pen. A clock ticked loudly in the mostly vacant station.

“What friend?” He asked after a moment. Hank raised a brow.

“I didn’t interrogate her on who she eats burgers with, does it matter?”

“No, I suppose it doesn’t.” Connor yielded. Another few minutes went by and Connor’s head shot up as he heard your laugh echo across the station along with a familiar male voice. His eyes quickly found you as you walked to your desk, located to the right of his own. He noticed first that the man you’re with has his hand on the small of your back, and that man was Markus.

“Jeez Connor, you okay?” Hank asks. Connor notices for the first time that he had completely crushed the pen he had been holding, the ink staining his hand.

“You can’t be serious Markus that is unbelievable.” You say sitting down in your desk chair. Markus sits on the edge of your desk facing you, he gives Connor a sly side-eye before continuing.

“Honest to God, can’t make stuff like that up. Oh, hey Connor.” Markus smiles, giving him a cheerful wave.

“Markus. What are you doing?” Connor asked, his tone dry and demanding.

“Just meeting friends of my friends. I came looking for you but ended up meeting Y/N by chance. I know you two are such good friends, I thought it only right to invite her out to lunch.”

“Thank you again for buying me lunch Markus you really didn’t have to.” You say and lightly pat his hand, making Connor’s fist tighten again.

“You bought her lunch?” Connor questioned with a sharp edge to his voice.

“Come on Connor, a lady as gorgeous as she is, well it was my honor.” Markus grins and kisses your hand softly, making you blush, which in turn makes Connor rise from his chair.

“Can I speak with you, Markus?”

“Now? I was hoping to spend some time with Y/N.”

“Now.” Connor demanded.

“Well, when you put it like that, sure. I’ll see you later Y/N.” Markus says with a wink, as he follows Connor to a vacant hallway out of your line of sight. Without hesitation Connor grabs Markus by his collar and pushes him against the wall, his eyes enraged.

“What the hell are you doing?” He growled.

“Easy Connor. Just spending time with one of your dear friends, what’s the problem?” Markus smiled, unphased by the aggressive hold Connor had on him.

“I don’t want you to spend time with her like that. Touching her and kissing her hand. You don’t get to do that.” Connor asserted.

“And why’s that?”

“Because…because…oh. Oh, I see.” Connor said releasing his hold on Markus’ collar. Markus patted the wrinkles out of his top and shook his head.

“Took you long enough, although I will say it didn’t take much to make you jealous.”

“Jealous,” Connor repeated. He hated the word, but Markus was right. A fire had ignited in him as he watched Markus make you giggle, get to touch you even slightly, get to take you out for lunch. Such small things but he treasured them more than he knew.

“The tactic you used was very clever. I’m sorry for roughing you up.” Connor said with embarrassment.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m just glad it worked. She is a very lovely girl Connor; I can see why you have such a crush.” Markus said patting his friend’s arm.

“So what do I do now?” Connor asked, his tone dripping with desperation.

“Well, there's plenty of perfectly good desks in here..." Markus grinned and then put his hands up when Connor shot daggers his way.

"Okay, okay, my bad. Start with dinner."

[nevereverlandboys]

Different Pulses 

Pairing: Felix x Reader

Warnings: Swearing

Summary: After Pan gets defeated, Y/N and Felix live together in Storybrooke with the "heroes". They both don't get along and seem to avoid each other, until the "heroes" need to leave them alone to save Henry from another threat. Will Y/N get along with the cold, distant boy?

Part: (1/?)

@madd-devil

This story is heavily inspired by "When it's cold" by:

@the-original-weirdo-83

@peter-pan-on-neverland

Y/N's eyes wandered through the small room, from the small bed to the huge window, stopping at the small drawer underneath it, before finally stepping further in. The walls were dyed light blue and besides a big clock and a flat screen they were empty. There was nothing unusual with this room, nothing really striking and yet it still felt a little strange. She walked forwards and ripped the dark curtains away, opening the window to welcome the golden sunlight into the room, warming her skin. The air smelled different and even the birds chirped in another tune. It seemed as if this world was quieter than the other, less dangerous and more welcoming. For a moment Y/N was soaked into the moment and drifted off into her thoughts, as suddenly some cursing in the next room ripped the girl out of her thoughts. With an annoyed snarl, she rolled her eyes and let herself drop onto the small bed, trying to ignore the sounds that probably came from the grumpy former second in command. After all, he still did not like being taken from Neverland, as he found himself with Y/N in a new home in Storybrooke. He still did not fit in and fought with everything he had to integrate. The second in command was stubborn and feisty, hot-tempered and constantly in a bad mood. Felix had barely granted Y/N a smile since they came off the Island and after he was brought into Mary Margaret's and David Charmings flat, everything went worse. The lost boy usually locked himself up inside his room, stayed there until after dinner to grab himself the leftovers, before vanishing back behind the wooden door. He never seemed to understand the technology around him, not even trying to understand it, but getting angry instead if it did not work out like he had imagined it to.  Y/N on the other hand, found herself in a healthy relationship with her hosts real quick. They took it as their own responsibility to take both of them in, after Pan was defeated. Felix, because he was the most stubborn boy that would never find his peace in an orphanage and Y/N, because she was the only girl next to Wendy that lived with the lost boys. After all this time on the island, she found herself being close to Henry as well. The small, young boy was like a little brother to her, making the girl laugh and joining her whenever Mary Margaret would allow them to go out. She was a careful woman and even though she trusted Y/N, there was no reason for her not to be cautious. Also Y/N suspected Mary  not to act like granting the girl a privilege while Felix was still being guarded. 

Another loud yell from behind those walls disturbed the girls' peaceful daydreams once more, so she grabbed the pillow and pressed it over her head to muffle all the sound, trying her best to ignore everything around. It was a day too pretty for this and Y/N only wanted to relax, but not a few minutes of delightful silence later, she heard a knock on the wooden door. Moving her body properly under the sheets, she faced the door and mumbled just loud enough,"Come in."

The door swung open and revealed the former second in command's worried face, his sweaty hair hung down his face and he breathed so loud that the girl could literally feel anger flooding in the room. The atmosphere turned immediately tense and the room seemed to shrink around her with each second passing. Y/N held her breath and raised one eyebrow in confusion, trying her best to hide her insecurities behind a questioning look, as the lanky, blonde boy's eyes pierced her urgently. 

"Where is the little rat?" Felix spoke in a hoarse tone. 

"The ra-" She started confused. "Oh."

Henry.

"He took my cloak." Felix raged. "Where is the bastard, so I can smite him!"

"It's in the laundry." Y/N interrupted him before Felix would even try to hurt Henry and give him the fault for her doings. She found it in the bathroom and washed it along with the other laundry. The girl's voice was almost inaudible, well knowing the boy's temper from all the countless encounters with the other lost boys. Felix's eyes twitched and he gritted his teeth as he slowly came closer, one step after another, to close the distance that kept her away from him, the only distance that gave the girl at least a little bit of comfort. Henry could be glad to have to spend the time with the grumpy lost boy on weekends only. How much she envied him.

"What?" He snarled with his face just a few centimeters away from hers and for a moment her mind went blank, the only impulse she felt was to storm out of the room. As she crashed to the door, Y/N did not even bother to look back and swiftly grabbed her shoes and keys before leaving the apartment.  The door swung shut with a loud crash that echoed through every room as Felix swayed back in his own room, every cell inside him questioning why his heart felt so heavy. Y/N was not even sure if the lanky boy bothered to chase after her and if her actions seemed a little exaggerated, but when Felix built himself up in front of her, the girl's heart sank into the bottom of her body and fear overtook her mind. The former lost boy had been cruel to other boys for less than that.

She did not stay out for long, simply walked around the block to get some fresh air and to get some space from the tall boy. Also, because she knew that Mary would be mad if she was not home when the woman returned. The first week did not start well and Y/N let out a frustrated sight as she thought of the future. Mary and David left her alone with him half of the day, having the boy locked up in his room was not consoling though, the fact alone that he was present was enough to make her feel nervous. When she returned to the apartment, Felix was nowhere in sight, so she quickly snuck back into her room, hoping that he would leave her alone for the rest of the day. On the other hand, she had to make sure that he would not hurt Henry, the poor boy did nothing wrong. For a moment Y/N hesitated until she decided to get Felix's cloak from the washing line on the balcony. Not a surprise that the asshole did not know it was there, when he never left his room. Still, the girl felt a little curious when she thought of what he might do all day by himself- especially with no understanding of technology. Was he not bored? There was no convincing answer that she could think of and Y/N wondered if she would find out as she strutted with the big cloak in her hands towards Felix's room. She  knocked at the door and immediately regretted it after the previous events. Nevertheless she tried to be brave and push her fear aside, telling herself that the former second in command was not threatening at all.

She knocked again when nothing happened and suddenly some angry footsteps stomped into her direction-, firm and loud, before the tall boy ripped the door wide open, revealing his furious face.

"What the fuck do you want?" Felix growled, the veins of his neck throbbing and his hands pressed so tightly into fists that his knuckles turned white. 

"I-...eh." Y/N stammered nervously and tightened her grip onto the cloak. Her eyes widened as she thought, He would not hurt me, would he? "I have your-"

"Keep that!" Felix interrupted her, his words were like poison.

Felix slammed the door shut before  the girl could say another  word, leaving her in the dark hallway with an unsettling feeling inside her guts that something was wrong. But how could she even tell what? Felix never spoke to her that much and it was pretty obvious that he would not do more in the future. All Y/N knew was that the grumpy boy missed the island and that he missed Pan, even though the girl never understood his obedience to the green devil. Peter Pan was manipulative and evil and she was glad he never left Neverland alive. Felix couldn't give her the fault for his loss, she had never helped the heroes and even refused as the only one next to him to say a word. Well, Y/N opened up quicker and befriended the "heroes" after everything they did. It was a saint if she could speak freely about it. The cloak must mean a lot to Felix, or else he would never be this angry, even for a boy who had a tendency to violence-, he never hurt Y/N before. She really hoped he would take it back and overcome his rage. The idea that Felix might only looked for a reason to hate Henry more occured her a few minutes later, but it was an unspoken thought that seemed to be way too assumptious.

"I am sorry about Peter." She moved her forehead onto the wooden door, resting it there for a bit and after a while she watched a single tear drop down onto the ground. Peter was not completely evil, not to Y/N at least and deep inside he was a loss to her as well. There was a short time where Felix seemed to be nice too, back on Neverland just weeks before Peter got defeated. He had shown the girl a flower field and tickled her until some boy's would crossy their way and disturb that lovely moment. It was the first and only time he had ever been close in a comforting way. Since then, Y/N had always hoped to see the boy underneath this rusty shell, but it was all gone since the second he stepped off the boat.

The door stayed closed and she stared at Felix's cloak, wondering what to do with it. When Y/N returned to her own room and snuck underneath the covers, the cloak was still under her arm. It did not smell like Felix anymore. The ticking of the clock was the only sound filling the room, capturing the girl's eyes to check the time- six pm. It was late, almost time for Mary Margaret to come back from work and cook some dinner, and when it was time for Y/N to sleep, David would come home too and Emma would come tomorrow, to bring Henry over for the weekend. Y/N barely saw David. He was always busy with his work in the police station and would get home late in the night. He left Felix and her up to Mary and Emma, which was definitely a hard task thinking of the rebellious boy next to Y/N's room. The man could not stand the former lost boy, the girl had seen it in his eyes when Emma brought her onto the ship, back then,  from escaping Neverland. Felix's emotions seemed mutual and everyone around could sense it. That both of them were separated most of the time, was not so bad after all. Mary Margarett even tried to take it as an opportunity to get to know more about the former lost boy, but all her attempts failed. The boy kept shut, would not reveal his past and barely replied to any of the woman’s actions. It was tiring to watch, quite a show though. It seemed like a boring game of charade, in which Mary kept asking him countless questions and then tried to interpret his annoyed growls as he ate some cereal. Breakfast was a strict rule for him to join and dinner to avoid. 

Y/N rolled over and grabbed her phone, turning some music on to change her thoughts and kill the silence. Even though it was so early, she felt how her eyelids were getting heavy, how she slowly drifted off into sleep, using the cloak as a pillow. Throwing it away was not an option for her, there could always come a time where the former lost boy would demand it back. 

It felt like a whole night when the girl woke up from a strange feeling of someone pulling on something underneath her. Out of reflex, she tightened the grip on the cloak in her arms. The pulling got stronger and when she realised that this was not a dream, she slowly opened her tired eyes.

"I changed my mind." Felix scoffed. "I want it back."

With a mind still dizzy and drunk from sleep, Y/N's sight was still so blurry, that it was hard to catch up and she needed a moment to follow the lost boy's words. He obviously meant the cloak, but why did he make such a fuss about it when he did not want it in the first place? 

"Y/N?" He pronounced her name so carefully when he realised her eyes were closing again. She did not respond. 

The sound of Felix's knees hitting the floor startled the girl out of sleep, finding herself sitting bolt upright in bed, pressing the cloak with widened eyes tightly against her chest. He let out an amused chuckle, grinning from ear to ear. Being fully awake now, Y/N realised why the tall boy was here and she slowly reached her hand forward, handing the boy his cloak over. What the hell did he do in the middle of the night inside her room? Why could this not wait? Her eyes wandered to her phone on the small nightstand-, it was eight pm and winter. It caused the girl to genuinely laugh to herself.

"Sorry for washing it." She whispered meek, avoiding Felix's gaze and dropped her head back onto the pillow before turning  away from him to close her eyes. 

"It's all right." With that Felix quickly made his way back to his own room, the door closing so quick as if he had run.

The next day he kept quiet, did not say a word at breakfast, not even a snarky comment towards Henry who was constantly talking about one of his favourite movies and its heroes. The word 'hero' usually was enough to make the former lost boy explode. Not this time. His steel like eyes were glued onto his bowl as he ate in silence. Later he would sit in the living room, watching some TV that Henry forgot to turn off and would not even complain when Y/N joined and switched the channel. For a moment she felt his eyes burning on her skin. When she met his gaze, the former lost boy rose to his feet and walked away, slamming his door to confirm he was in his room now. Felix was strange and not the friendliest boy for sure. Still, Y/N had the feeling that there was more behind his behaviour that he would let her on and that he exaggerated an act. Mary would give her some tasks over the time like getting the groceries, which she would really appreciate doing, since it was a great way to get out. Y/N and Felix were no prisoners of course and the cold of the thick snow creeping in from the outside would keep her under her covers anyway. There never has been snow on Neverland. It was entirely strange and yet so familiar, waking a nostalgic feeling inside the girl. When Y/N found her way to the grocery store, there was no one to harm her and she had all the time she needed to wander through the different Isles and shove anything she liked into the shopping cart. There were no lost boys with spears and torches, that would hunt the girl down until her feet would bleed. No Pan that played his dangerous, manipulative games, that only entertained him in a twisted, sadistic way,  satisfying him, that it could already be a kink. 

It was freedom. 

The good snacks from the store disappeared immediately inside the drawer, keeping it safe from Henry or Felix. Both had the tendency to steal Y/N's food. She would often cook for herself, learning new skills since there was nothing else to do anyways. As soon as Mary returned, the girl hoped she would bring some more groceries, but she got disappointed. The snow held her off too long, the mood to go into the supermarket was simply gone and Y/N could understand that.

"You can go with Henry." She smiled and grabbed herself something to drink from the fridge. 

"When will he be here?" Y/N asked, raising an eyebrow as she waited for an answer. The short haired woman slowly turned around, her face seemed to be frozen in an unbelieving, perplexed and slightly fearing frown.

"Isn't he here alr-" She stopped and both of their heads shot into the same direction when a key was put inside the front lock, turning and unlocking the door. The girl expected the young boy to get home, instead, Emma stormed into the apartment, shortly followed by David and the girl already saw on their faces that something was wrong. Mary let go of what she was doing and closed the distance between them with quite some concern on her face.

"They took Henry!" Emma bursted out, her eyes searching the room as if her son could just hide somewhere and would just magically appear any moment. She looked full of hope. David gently rubbed her back and told Mary to get her things. They always seemed to find trouble and now Y/N finally understood what Felix meant, when he once claimed that their hero being was only a facade and they were the true danger. Were they? Henry was gone and that was because he was so important to these women.

"Who took him?" Y/N asked worriedly.

"Stay out of this, you are not a part of this." Emma ignored the question and  gently shoved the former lost girl out of her way to get her keys. She ripped the door wide open and jumped down the hallway without bothering to close it, expecting the others to follow quickly. 

"We will get Henry back." Mary turned to Y/N, trying to comfort her by holding her hands. "You don't have to worry."

It was not the young boy she worried about and the short haired woman knew that. With a quick glance back to Felix's closed door, Y/N gulped and immediately shook her head.

"I can come with you!" She protested at the thought of being all alone with the former second in command.

"No," Mary said and sighted. "I need you here."

Her gaze wandered off to Felix's door again and her look grew frustrated. Y/N followed with her eyes and nodded before facing the short haired woman again. She turned to the counter and grabbed her purse to pull out her wallet.  Then she collected all the money she had and put it in a sugar box inside the shelf. 

"I trust you enough." Her words meant a lot. "Besides, once in a while Regina will check up on you two."

With that, Mary Margaret turned around and gave David a final nod, before both of them left the apartment to join their daughter in the car. As soon as Y/N closed the door behind them, everything went into an uncomfortable silence. There was no single sound instead of the unbearable striking of the clock hanging on the kitchen wall. 

"Great." Y/N moaned quietly. At least they could have told her who took Henry and for what possible reason. The adults would always seem to know better and in this case they decided it would be better to keep Felix and her out of this. Did they really want to leave her out of it, or was Y/N just not to be trusted? Felix would easily try to convince her about that. The former lost boy probably would not  care  at all. It was smart of Mary Margaret to hide some money for Y/N. The fridge was almost empty and she wondered how long they would be away and when she would need food. There was nothing good inside it, nothing appealing, so  Y/N closed the door and strutted back to her room. Dropping into the sheets, she grabbed the remote next to her pillow and turned on the TV. Henry had shown her how to use it real quick as he often joined the girl to play video games. All those years living here and using all these things caused him to always be smarter and it was the first thing Y/N noticed that Felix disliked about him. At the end, there were countless things the scarred up boy hated, but Henry was always the center of his anger. 

With the time passing by, the rumbling in the girl's stomach got louder until her tummy literally screamed for something to eat. Back in the kitchen, there was still nothing  appealing and with a quick glance to Felix's wooden door, she wondered if the former lost boy would like to eat something too. Each step further towards his room felt more heavy and Y/N's stomach turned inside out. The moment her knuckles knocked against the cool wood, she questioned why she even tried to be nice and get along with him. The floor was cold, maybe she should have put on some socks or turned on the heater. There was no sound on the other side of the wood and Y/N started to wonder if Felix was even home, when suddenly some heavy footsteps slowly strutted closer. Felix swayed the door wide open and rubbed his tired eyes, then rested his heavy head on the doorframe. He only wore some grey sweatpants, revealing his scars on his pale chest. The air around the girl thickened and her body heated up at the sight of his messy, sweaty morning hair. 

"Sorry." She mumbled and avoided looking at him. His presence alone caused shivers to run down her spine. "Did I wake you?"

"M-hm." Felix grumbled tiredly, fighting to keep his eyes open. Y/N's eyes wandered back to the open kitchen and its clock. It was four o'clock.

"Are you hungry?"

The tall boy remained silent for a moment, his dull eyes staring at the girl as if he did not understand the question, turned to look at his bed, then slightly nodded with his head as if it was the hardest thing to do.

"I could eat." He spoke with a deep, raspy voice, laying his focus back onto Y/N. Fuck, he sounded so hot, it caught her off guard and left her unable to speak for a glimpse moment. 

"I am ordering food." She said after a small moment. "What would you like?"

Felix pressed his brows together, then lifted one in confusion. "How does that work?" He asked and Y/N chuckled in amusement, feeling how her stiffened limbs relaxed. 

"You choose a restaurant and then decide what you want to eat." She explained and showed the blonde boy her phone. "They deliver it and you pay."' 

"Ah."

Y/N were not sure if Felix was not understanding it, or simply did not like it. He brought his hands up to his arms and rubbed the scarred skin, feeling how cold it was and finally bothered to put on a T-shirt. If Y/N were honest with herself, she liked Felix's exposed back. Muscles danced under tender flesh, as arms stretched upon the ceiling, forward and crooked together, pulling the cotton over his chest. Back on Neverland, Felix always seemed to be violent and rough, harsh to others and never in a good mood. There has not changed much, yet the dangerous, threatening touch was missing since he came to Storybrooke with Y/N. He was bent to new rules now. 

"Pizza." Felix said and stepped closer, closing the distance and bent down to take a glimpse of the menu. "Do they have some?"

Y/N's skin started to prickle when she felt his breath against her cheek and immediately froze in place. Why was he so close? 

"You know Pizza?" She asked unsure, still a little curious. Felix smirked and let out a husky chuckle. "Sure I do."

He walked past her into the kitchen, grabbed a glass of water, gulped it down, filled another one, gulped it down, but when he repeated that for a third time, the second in command could not finish it and disposed of the remains in the sink.  He turned around to check the time and widened his eyes as he realised how late it already was.

"The days are dark during winter." The boy mentioned with a side-along gaze, as if he knew that she might have criticised him for sleeping that long. Y/N did not know how to respond, but was confident enough to join the tall boy in the kitchen, pulling the chair back and taking a seat at the table. Both of them did not say a word and with each second passing in silence, she regretted sitting there with him even more. 

"Why did you run from me earlier?" The question caught her off guard, she needed a moment to think for the right answer. The girl tilted her head in Felix's direction, his eyebrows were lifted up in a questioning look and he leaned at the counter, waiting for the girl to open her mouth and speak.  He was just curious, not too gruff nor angry. 

"You scare me sometimes." Y/N admitted. "It's like being back in Neverland."

The former lost boy nodded disappointed and shifted his gaze out of the window to hide half of his features as if she would ever be able to read them.

"You really did not like the Island." The boy stated, receiving a light nod as an answer. "Was it so bad?"

"There were no toilets."

Felix could not help but chuckle, a warm genuine smile spread over his face and he nodded his head in agreement when he faced her again. 

"Toilets sure are great." He laughed. "Or warm running water."

Felix pushed himself away from the counter and slendered over to the girl, taking a seat on the chair in front of her. "It took me three days to find out how that works, by the way." He added after a small pause. Y/N could only shake her head in response and give him a brief smile. "Must have been cold."

The tall boy agreed in silence and crossed his arms in front of his chest, waiting for the food to arrive. He would disappear for a while to go to the bathroom, giving her some space to clear her mind. All she could think about was how beautiful the former second in command looked when he smiled, making her nervous the longer he stayed with her. For a moment, it seemed like he was another person when she was all alone with him. 

"Where are the others?" Felix asked when he returned from the bathroom, pulling the chair around to straddle it. 

"Someone took Henry." Y/N admitted low, not even wanting him to know that, well aware that he would only mock this situation, probably having expected such a thing sooner or later. 

"Hm.’' Felix let out an amused chuckle and gave her a winning smirk, one that said,"Told you so!"

"We're on our own for a while." The girl said, checking her phone for a message from the delivery guy. Not long. Almost here. How the time had passed by.

"I am  fucking happy they are gone." Felix snorted and rolled his eyes."They were such a pain in the ass."

At least they gave him a home and clothes, food and no worries about his current life. That was something and even though Y/N knew how beautiful the Island could be, the former lost boy had not been safe there. None of them were. How could he still be so blinded after all? Y/N wanted to respond but decided to keep her mouth shut. Right at that moment the doorbell rang. Shifting from her seat, Y/N strutted over to the door and opened it, waiting a few moments for the delivery guy to get up the stairs and hand her the Pizza. She pulled a twenty dollar bill out of her pocket and handed it over to the man before closing the door. The boxes felt hot on her cool hands and the smell of fat, cheese and pepperoni filled the room, making the girl realise how hungry she actually was. Felix's stomach started to rumble when she started to cut her Pizza, so she assumed he did not have any breakfast either. For a moment the girl really enjoyed the boy's company and hoped he would stay longer, but she was also sure that he would take his food and vanish as quickly as he used to do. Yet, Felix never ceased to amaze her. He waited in silence until she was done cutting, then he took the knife and in that moment her fingers touched his, she felt  a quick, electric sensation followed by butterflies rumbling in her stomach. Taking the Pizza, she quickly strutted into the direction of your room to hide her sudden joy, just to be stopped by Felix calling her name.

"Where are you going?"

"Into my room?" Y/N gave confused back ,wondering why he would want her to accompany him all of the sudden.

"Oh- I thought…" Felix sounded disappointed.

"Oh…" Her eyes widened and maybe she sounded a bit too harsh. "I thought you wouldn't want-"

"Nevermind." Felix barked harshly and swiftly vanished behind his own door, not even giving the girl a chance to say another word. Damn, this boy was so sensitive, his mood was constantly switching and Y/N wished to find out why he was always  so pessimistic about everything. Not now, she thought, not now. First she would eat, then she would take care of that matter. 

The boy let out an annoyed sight when he opened his door after Y/N knocked not long after she finished eating. Felix was eating the last slice of his pizza and held the empty box in his other hand.

"Why are you always coming to me?" He snarled.

"I just care about you! For god’s sake! You act so fucking mean since we came here and I wonder why." She raised her voice and knitted her eyebrows together in a serious manner

"Please don't do this." Felix moaned theoretically. "Please don't act as if you cared!"

Felix swiftly turned around and threw the empty box of Pizza aside. His fast movements caused her to flinch a little, but still she managed to remain calm.

"You don't care!" He snarled. "Nobody cares. Just leave me alone."

The tall boy did not need to turn around and give her a final glare, he made it clear that she was not wanted and no matter how much he needed her help, she respected his wishes. Y/N had really no thought to waste about him when she went straight into the bathroom to take a bath that might cool her nerves. That fucking audacity and this childish behaviour, as if Felix really meant what he was saying. They both knew he was not serious and that he was simply lying to himself about his emotions. There was no place for love in his heart after being manipulated by Pan for so long, nor  for friendship. Y/N did not care what the former second in command told himself about their friendship, it all has been a lie and a game for Pan, something to entertain him. It was worthless. His loss meant nothing, still Y/N cared how Felix felt about the betrayal of every former boy.

While she stripped off her clothes, the girl waited for the bathtub to be filled with hot water and bubbles, a metaphorical way to clean her thoughts when diving in. She should rather think about helping someone out and earn some money, so she could afford buying her own things. She splashed the water with her fingers and slowly sank deeper into the bathtub to enjoy the silence. The hot steam filled the room and when her thoughts drove off to something pleasantly, she almost forgot the time. Back in Neverland there was nothing to worry about time, the days were almost all the same and no one was there to rush someone. Things have barely changed in Storybrooke, since there was nothing to do for Y/N and the lanky lost boy, so they needed to find something to kill the time. 

It had been an eternity since the girl had taken a proper bath and maybe it was time to get out, but the hot water remained too tempting for her to step out. With a deep breath she closed her eyes and leaned back, as suddenly a door slammed shut, immediately telling her that Felix was leaving his room again. His slow footsteps definitely made their way towards the bathroom and Y/N realised that she did not lock the door. She did not really forget to lock the door, right? The girl could not recall it and to get out of the water, to check was too late, as she watched agonised how the door handle went down and the door swung wide open, causing her heart to skip a beat. The tall lost boy did not seem to notice her at first, but as soon as he entered the steamy room, Felix froze in place. His eyes widened and his face turned blank. For a long moment, they both stared at each other and Y/N felt relieved that she was at least covered by a thick foam of bubbles. 

"Fuck, sorry...I-" Felix stuttered through half open lips, as if the little sight of a girl's skin was enough to steal his voice. It gave Y/N her confidence back.

"I didn't mean to-" the boy still couldn't open his mouth while his gaze burned holes through her. It took him a moment, but suddenly Felix shook his head to ban whatever he was thinking about and shifted his eyes away, then turned on his heels to swiftly leave the bathroom. 

At least he could have closed the door, Y/N thought as she sunk deeper into the water in embarrassment. Fuck, how in the hell could she forget to close the door? At least he did not see anything, or did he? The whole situation left her frozen in place, unable to think clearly. Y/N did not even dare to step out of the water to close the door, so she just sat there, trying her best to calm down. After a while, the skin of her fingertips were already wrinkled up, leaving a rough touch on her softened skin and she finally thought about getting out of the bathtub. A long time  had passed, since Felix stepped into the bath and now the water was starting to get cold. The girl's eyes searched the room for a towel until she realised that she had washed them and now they hung in the living room. Fuck this shit.

"Felix!" She called him as loud as she could, but there was no answer. The boy did not respond until she called him again.

"What do you want?" His voice echoed through the hallway. She sounded unsure and intrigued. 

"I have a problem."

"Well now you have two." Felix yelled back.

Y/N frowned in confusion and lifted her head.

"How's that?"

"I ain't interested in your first problem."

She let out an annoyed sight and rolled with her eyes and brought her fingers to her forehead, running over her skin in a steady, relaxing movement. Why was he like that? Was it really necessary to always find a way for drama? 

"I don’t have a towel." She whined, hoping for him to bring her one. The grumpy boy did not respond again, an unbearable silence filling the apartment. Felix was there, the girl knew that he was. He had not shut his door yet, so he must be in the living room or kitchen where he would perfectly understand you.

"Felix…" She called him, already giving up that he would come and breaking her mind by finding a way to get past him. "Please."

A few seconds later she heard his footsteps come back again, the wood creaking under his weight and announcing the boy’s arrival. He did not even enter the room, instead Felix threw the towel through the open crack.

"I need to take a piss, so please hurry up!" He said rather cowardly before the footsteps led him away, then shutting the door shut. Y/N did not hesitate and got out of the water as quickly as she could, barely drying her skin before she sprinted into her own room before the former lost boy would cross her way again. 

Why did such things always happen to her? Could it not have been someone else to walk in like Emma or Mary? Of course not, destiny always found a way to punish the girl,- first Pan, now Felix. Nevertheless, the cold boy stayed inside her mind all the time. She dressed herself and got ready to snuck under the blankets. For a while she allowed herself to dream of him cuddling against her back, how his big body would feel like pressed against hers, or maybe even… on top  of her?

NO.

Fuck no, she was not having dirty daydreams of mister cold facade. There was nothing special about Felix, right? Eventually that long scar that ran over his jagged jawline and those blue, stabbing eyes fascinated her. Those  piercing eyes, that were sharp as daggers and intimidating as the gaze of a shark. There was definitely something mysterious about the former second in command, still, Y/N had told herself that she was done with adventures and risky decisions- Felix was definitely one of those,- that she could tell. He was hot, but also the biggest asshole she ever met. The former lost boy kept wandering through the apartment and distracting the girl's dreaming thoughts with each passing second. He would not leave her mind until she fell asleep.

(Next Chapter ->)

[hopeymchope]

Random Danganronpa S musings after having 24 hours to digest the announcement

— Get a load of that cover art. I’m sort of surprised that they spoil the existence of Toko’s other personality right there on the front, but I guess that’s a pretty early reveal in the very first game and it’s also heavily telegraphed in advance, so no biggie. The real question here is: WHY is Komaru so prominently shown when her starring role is the only game not included in the collection? I would fucking LOVE to later find out that we’re also getting Ultra Despair Girls in this set somehow, but I don’t think there’s any chance of that. And I seriously doubt she’s going to be integral to the events of Danganronpa S: USC. So what gives? Perhaps it’s just another way to mislead newcomers, like the prominence of Kaede and Hifumi. The entire selection of characters here is sort of curious and makes me wonder if this art already existed before now. I don’t believe I’ve previously seen it, though.

 — I wonder how they’re fusing the turn-based combat into the board game this time? Obviously there shouldn’t be some random “exams” that occur at the end of a board, because the story is no longer centered around completing years of school. So what’ll be the driver behind encountering enemies? Maybe they’ll be on random board spaces? 

— They showed us the screen where you can choose higher-level cards that represent more powerful versions of the game characters just like in Ultimate Talent Development Plan. But the main reason to use those rare-unlock options in UTDP was to get tougher characters for use in the Despair Dungeon. I’m not expecting a dungeon crawler to be included with this one, so what’s the purpose of the S-level cards and such? ........ Unless I really should expect dungeon crawling to be integrated into this somehow! I’m just spitballing now, but maybe we will progress through various boards, and some boards will represent dungeons/combat areas? 

— Of course I assume Junko is behind the invasion of Monokuma and his army of Mono-bots. I’m quite confident that this is going to be another AU where she has a whole new plot for driving despair just like she did in UTDP/Despair Dungeon. Perhaps the entire resort trip is part of her overarching plan. We’ve already seen Junko (on the title screen) and “Junkuro” (seen above) in the screenshots so far, too, so Mukuro is presumably acting as support for Junko’s plot once more. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Tsumugi is in on the plot again as well... even though I’ve long wanted to see a version of Tsumugi who isn’t just evil. I was actually disappointed when I unlocked the scene in UTDP that revealed she was still putting on a front to hide her true nature. 

— The prescence of “Junkuro” strongly implies that we won’t once AGAIN won’t get to see Mukuro as herself. :( That was one of the big disappointments of UTDP for me, although I realized at the time that UTDP was mostly made out of existing assets. However, now that they’re making a bunch of new sprites and CGs for Danganronpa S, it makes the idea of trapping Mukuro in her disguise just much harder to swallow... I hope I’m wrong and we can unlock some way to play as Mukuro as herself. UTDP at least gave us a retro sprite for her, but it doesn’t seem like it’d be that difficult to give her a proper sprite set.

— What can we glean about the gameplay from the above screenshot? What drove the player to wander into a dead end of the board? Will such dead ends potentially hide some special items, rare events, or secret pathways? Is the player’s choice to venture down there somehow connected to the “Mission” stated at the bottom? Are these “missions” going to be side objectives or the main requirements to progress? It’s also noteworthy that every image/video of the board we’ve been given shows the same section of the same board. Is there only going to be one massive board for each runthrough, or will we still see different board options/”courses”? I hope for the latter, but I could do without the Despair Course...

— Dude, I was shocked to see that Togami is ripped on the title screen. Still, I guess it’s believable enough that he’d take the time to sculpt his body as much as possible. I was much MORE shocked to see Kazuichi looking fucking CUT in the swimsuit scene. What the hell?! How many abs can you develop from mechanic work? Because I am assuming none. I guess he must work a lot of crunches into his days. 

— Remember the “Future Course” in UTDP? It took a ton of time to unlock it, but I loved that there was a way to bring in the Danganronpa 3 anime-only characters, even if it was just for simplistic retro-style sprite interactions. I wonder if we’ll see anything similar with those characters in this release? They already have the retro sprites, after all! So here’s hoping for more time with the Future Foundation crew. 

— Really digging the fact that you now unlock story/interaction scenes on a menu where you can rewatch them. That’s going to make the scenes I’ve experienced so much easier to track! I’d really like to see them provide some hints for any spaces on the menu that are unfilled, but I won’t hold my breath.

— The selection of characters featured in the Collector’s Edition art print is sort of random, isn’t it? When you take all three together, is there any commonality they share? This feels like the result of some Japanese fan poll that determined these to be the most beloved/marketable options or somesuch.

[alanis-altair]

dark hallways and potions | marauders x platonic!reader

summary | Moony, Padfoot and Prongs find their best friend sneaking through the abandoned corridors of Hogwarts at night.

pairings | marauders x platonic!reader, slightly Sirius Black x fem!reader

warnings | it's actually total fluff, but mentions of wounds and bruises, domestic abuse and a little self destruction aaand English isn't my first language as you may have already noticed so I'm sorry for my lame ass writing and every mistake I did (maybe you'll find the name Alanis somewhere instead of y/n because I always write those fics with my name first, I'm sorry if so)

word count | 1910

...

It was far after midnight as the not so tired Sirius Black gave up and opened his gloomy eyes in a deep sigh. He couldn't make it to sleep; nightmares keeping him up, that caused him to turn left and right, desperately trying to find a good sleeping position to make him feel comfy. But all of his attempts didn't work.

So the black haired boy looked around. The moon was gently shining onto his covers, while soft snores came from his three friends. The loudest noise was definitely caused by James, not that it surprised Sirius. Still, the young boy kept quiet, not wanting to wake up Remus, who just had had a rough night.

Sirius started to get bored and glanced at his bedside table. Only two things had managed it onto the table; his squiggly wand and the infamous Marauder's Map. Shortly after, Sirius mumbled a 'Lumos' and illuminated the dorm a little. The spell followed another one, including some of his favourite words: 'I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good' and the Map showed him whole Hogwarts.

With curious eyes the boy watched every step of every person awake, until he stopped at a very certain name. y/n y/l/n. His y/h/c haired best friend was wandering through the abandoned corridors, well aware of the consequences she had to face if she got caught. She moved towards the Tapestry Corridor, near the Dungeons, where the potion storeroom was located.

What the bloody hell was the infuriating girl up to again? And why would she need some potion ingredients? Sirius had no clue. He felt like he didn't have a choice other than waking up James, which is what he simply did.

"Prongs! Prongs!", he screamed in a whisper, making his good looking friend mumbling and turning to the other side of the bed.

"For fuck's sake, wake up, you lad!"

"What is it, Sirius?", James replied in a screaming whisper, too. He didn't sound amused or happy to be woken around 2AM.

"Looks like Mane is doing some mischief without us, can you imagine?", Sirius shortly explained, which caught James' attention.

"Ugh, not again...", the brunette sighed.

"Well, I think we should check on her, now!", Padfoot proposed, earning a brief nod from his best friend.

"'Right...", James said and got up. Both of the Marauder's quickly dressed and grabbed their wands. They were about to leave their dorm as a raspy voice stopped them.

"You're not going anywhere without me", Remus started, "especially not if you're that bad at whispering!", he exclaimed, voice held low to not wake up Peter, too.

Padfoot and Prongs turned around surprised, but remembered Remus' Werwolf senses and that it was impossible to whisper without him hearing every single word. The two boys sighed; Sirius a little mad at himself because he was eager to grant the young wolf some sleep.

The three boys sneaked almost soundless through the Gryffindor Common Room and used some of the secret passages to avoid the open corridors.

"So, what do you think y/n is doing again?", James asked curiously and a little tired. How many times had he and his friends protected the little girl from getting herself killed? He couldn't remember.

"What she's always doing", Moony answered, "hiding something from us or preparing some pranks on Snape."

It sounded simple, but it wasn't. y/n had, similar to Sirius, great problems with her family, who was trying to make a perfect pure blood wife out of her; beating her up badly when she wouldn't listen to what her father told her to do.

The y/e/c eyed girl hid her bruises from the Marauder's every time, not that it would stop them from finding out, though. But still, she was bloody stubborn and determined to keep her problems all to herself, causing the four boys to worry a lot.

She was a loyal part of the Marauder's, too, and never hesitated to sacrifice herself if James, Sirius, Remus or Peter were in any danger. She nursed all of Remus' wounds and scars and helped him to accept his flaws, while y/n practically was Sirius' therapist and James' advisor for everything that had to do with Lily Evans. Even for Wormtail she took her time and put effort in integrating him more into the group, although Peter secretly accepted that the girl with the mane resembled more of the Marauder's spirit than he did.

Knowing that y/n creeped through the black hallways again made not only Sirius uncomfortable. The three Marauder's quickened up their pace, following every of the girl's steps on the map. Some minutes passed, when they were close to the Tapestry Corridor. Three wooden wands were uplifted; enlightening the dimmed corridor and revealing a small back, covered by y/n's hair.

"Mane? Hey! What are you doing here?", Sirius addressed the girl and y/nstartled. Quickly she turned away from the door she was about to open with shaky hands.

"None of your business, Black! Could ask you the same question, couldn't I?", was y/n's rough answer.

"Well, we're not the ones sneaking through the hallways at night!"

"Well, James. In fact, you do. Right here, right now", the y/h/c haired countered.

"What Prongs was trying to say was that we're only here for you. You're the one doing stuff without informing us", Remus caught up, "and I'm sure you're hurt again by the way your hands are shaking."

y/n cursed the tall boy with the freckled face for his gift to read people like a book. He was attentive and good with human behaviour, exposing the unofficial fifth Marauder more often than she would like to.

"Ugh, I hate you. Y'all", y/n commented and catched Sirius' worried look upon her.

"No, you don't. You love us, all of us", James corrected the tiny girl and grinned.

"So, are you going to tell us what you're up to here?", Sirius demanded to know, again.

"Wanted to brew a potion, nothing more...", y/n admitted. But of course this wasn't enough of an answer for Sirius fucking Black.

"For what purpose?"

"As painkiller, certainly. Just look at how her body is all tense", Remus replied instead of y/n herself. The girl sighed resigned and leaned her aching body against the cold of the door behind her.

Almost simultaneously, Sirius tuck his wand into his waistband and stepped forward to lay a hand on y/n's waist and back. She hissed in pain, but relaxed when the warmth of Sirius' body reached her own shivering figure.

y/n leaned into his touch and was secretly more than grateful her friends discovered her; not sure if she would've made it without them. The last encounter with her father wasn't a nice one.

"What about I and James get the ingredients for your potion and brew it, while Sirius puts you to bed, huh?", Moony made a proposal and got a weak nod from the typical strong girl. Her legs started to feel like jelly, as all of the pressure left y/n at the presence of her friends.

Without hesitation, Sirius lifted his best friend into his muscular arms. Immediately y/n curled up and placed her vibrant head against his shoulder; absorbing all of his warmth and smell.

"Hold on a minute...", James suddenly interrupted, "is that Padfoot's joggers with Moony's flannel?"

This thought came into Prong's mind as his wand gleamed onto y/n's body, searching for any outer wounds or bruises. Just the moment he said it, Remus and Sirius laid eyes on the almost sleeping beauty.

"Yeah, that's definitely my joggers! Been searching them for a couple of weeks now!"

"I guess our Mane here felt free to use our closet...but we can't be mad, Padfoot. Just see how good it looks on her", Remus noticed and giggled after.

"You're probably right...", Sirius said before heading towards the boy's dorm again.

Unsure James and Remus were left alone, watching the storeroom door as if it would open just by their gaze. Which it didn't.

"Any idea what we need for the potion?", Prongs questioned and observed Remus and the door.

"Kinda...", Moony whispered, drawing attention to the correct opening spell for the door.

"I mean, we should take her to Madame Pomfrey. Her pain seems bad, so..."

"You know we can't do that", the young werwolf stated, "her parents will know and it'll get worse. I dislike this as much as you do, but look at me. I'm the perfect example that our potions do their work, otherwise I wouldn't be standing here.

Remus' calm voice convinced James and he nodded in agreement. "Fine, then let's open this bloody door."

...

Meanwhile Sirius was carrying a half asleep y/n to his bed. She didn't move on the way back, nor did she talk to him. But his eyes already found some deep blue and purple spots on the skin of her wrists, giving him an answer. He'd absolutely kill her father if it'd stop him from hurting the precious girl in his arms. Just as all of the boys would defend y/n.

James had already thought of asking Mane to move in. With Sirius and so on, so she was safe. But it was something he knew y/n would be too modest to accept; she'd feel bad after, which is why Prongs kept quiet.

"Here you go, little one", Sirius whispered as he tucked y/n into his bed. She let out a content groan because of his smell surrounding her. She snuggled into the soft pillow, looking as cute as hell.

"Hey, y/n, you need something else?", Padfoot asked softly while caressing her cheek.

"Just you", she aspirated tired. Sirius' heart grew warm at the words of her. It meant the world to him that an angel like y/n, put on the hell of earth, still managed to melt his heart and giving him so much love, even though he wasn't sure if he deserved it.

Fulfilling her wish, the boy with the long dark hair laid next to y/n and pulled her into his arms again. She let out a relieved breath and buried her head into Sirius' chest.

He was almost asleep too, when James and Remus returned from getting the ingredients they needed for the healing potion. They eyeballed Sirius and y/n position knowingly, giving Padfoot a certain look, that he decided to ignore.

Moony and Prongs made quick work of the potion, not even waking up Peter, who was sleeping as deep as a stone, while Sirius watched the sleeping girl on top of him.

"Portion's ready. You should wake her up so she can sleep through and feel better tomorrow", Remus mumbled eventually. Sirius did as he was told and started to stroke y/n's hair, in order to carefully wake her up.

"Mane? y/n? C'mon, love. Wake up and take your medicine."

"Huh?", y/n murmured sleepily, not understanding what was happening around her. Remus sat down next to her and Padfoot, holding a small bottle of glass in front of her face.

The y/h/c haired girl thanked the boy with a grateful look and took a sip without squinching up her face at the bitter taste of the liquid.

"Thank you all, boys. For wasting your time to sleep and caring for me...", y/n said with a small grin.

"Always", they responded and smiled before going to bed, this time all of the five Marauders.

...

annotations

Mane is the Marauder name for the reader I came up with because I thought it was fitting (I'm sorry if you don't like it)

[soupthatistohot]

Sk8 headcannons because brainrot pt. 2

- everything Reki has ever taught himself has been because of the wonderful world of YouTube tutorials

- Kojiro wanted to get his ears pierced in highschool like Kaoru, but he didn't do it because he was afraid of tarnishing his image (which is ironic when he gets a massive tattoo later in life)

- Langa doesn't like cats because he thinks they're mean

- there’s a stray cat that lives near Langa’s house and even though he doesn’t like cats, he leaves out milk and some fish for it sometimes because he feels bad

- Langa has never had a pet except a goldfish he won at a carnival once that he managed to keep alive for four years somehow.

- Kaoru technically needed glasses in high school, but he didn't wear them because he just didn't care at the time (until his vision grew poor enough that it affected his skating)

- Miya gets called a furry by Reki on the daily

- Reki has some knowledge in video editing and has considered starting a YouTube channel

- Langa has a diary, something he started after his father died. At first he didn't really know what to write, so he would just talk about his day, but eventually he got to the emotions part. The diary was especially useful during his fight with Reki in which he was trying to figure out his emotions (it was also useful when he realized he might have an itty bitty crush on his best friend)

- Joe is the biggest dad friend of the group in terms of doting on the kids and giving advice and stuff. Both Reki and Langa come to him often for advice, and Miya hangs around his restaurant a lot.

- Langa has one (1) succulent that he has managed to keep alive for three years. Its name is Gary, and it may not be the prettiest, but it is not dead yet!

- Reki never tells his mother when Langa is coming over and she's trained herself to just expect a lanky Canadian to be wandering around her house at any time.

- It took Kojiro a really long time to figure out his sexuality (and that's valid!!)

- Hiromi has been hopelessly in love with his manager for three years and has tried on multiple occasions to confess to her, but either something interrupts them or there's some sort of misunderstanding about it. Those are his more violent nights at "S".

- After befriending Reki, Langa and Miya, Hiromi is a little more careful about his tools of sabotage during beefs (and he lowkey feels guilty for injuring Reki in the beginning)

- Kaoru and Reki are actually closer than one might think. Reki ends up asking him for advice just as much as he asks Kojiro.

- Reki can't do something mundane without his ears being occupied. He ends up listening to music or podcasts a lot when he does chores or is working on a board alone (but if Langa is there with him, he'll talk his ear off instead).

- Miya's family isn't particularly bad, they're just a little distant. They assume everything is okay because Miya's so successful with school and skating, and they trust his integrity (which makes it very easy for him to sneak out to "S"). He doesn't really talk to them (or anyone, really) about his struggles.

- When Miya and Koyomi meet, he shows her all his video games and suddenly Reki's little sister is a gamer girl

- Langa almost wore a long-sleeved top to the beach and Reki had to go make him change before they left ("you'll melt in that, are you crazy?!")

- Kojiro knew damn well that Kaoru had a business trip and that the gang was going to the beach, but all other parties were unaware. He just decided to tag along as to not be left out.

- Kaoru trims his own hair, as he finds salons to be ridiculously overpriced for those with long hair

- Reki dogsits for his next door neighbor sometimes, they have a shiba named Onigiri (rice ball).

- Kojiro’s pennant was a gift from Kaoru and he wears it literally all the time except in water (so it doesn’t get ruined)

- Reki’s father is pretty absent, so Oka takes it upon himself to look after him

- Langa occasionally picks up odd jobs in order to help his mom out with finances

- Langa’s favorite animal is dolphins. He had a phase as a child where he read like fifty dolphin books and it was his entire personality for a few months. Despite this, he has never actually seen a dolphin irl

- Reki takes really good care of his nails and Langa… does not. He bites them and it annoys the shit out of Reki to the point where he’s just like “please… just let me file them for you” and Langa relents despite the fact that he hates the sensation of getting his nails filed

- Reki sometimes talks to Langa about getting depressed and one time Langa is like “yeah I getchu” and Reki is just like “heh?” And Langa says “I mean my dad died and I was in counseling for like months after that before I came here” and Reki is just like “oh”

- Langa is Reki’s bi awakening and it takes him a hot second to figure that out

- sometimes Langa pretends to be more oblivious than he is, either for shits and giggles, or to obtain information

- Kaoru knows exactly how to seduce women, and occasionally uses this to his advantage. It just sucks because he’s not into women.

- Reki is super observant, but whenever Langa does something that’s an indication that he likes Reki, he’s just like “WELL MAYBE IM OVERANALYZING THIS CANT BE REAL-”

- Langa (in general) doesn’t feel the need to be super secretive about anything. He’s honest (sometimes brutally so) and doesn’t always think twice before he says something. This can be both good and bad depending on the context.

- Reki doesn’t sleep a lot. He literally has to go to bed past midnight, he absolutely cannot fall asleep earlier. He gets up at 6:30am every day of the week, even weekends. It’s just how he’s programmed.

- Kojiro used to go to the public gym before Kaoru commented about how unsanitary that was. Ever since then he got freaked out about going to public gyms (especially as someone who works in food services) and cancelled his membership. He bought his own equipment and works out on his own now

- Reki knows how to do rainbow loom. His sisters had a phase with it.

- Kojiro drew on himself with pen when he was bored in school.

- Miya has a habit of eavesdropping on conversations he’s not meant to hear

[yoongi-sugaglider]

Jungkook x reader

fairy/soulmate au

Warnings: fluff, mentions of war, mentions of bodily injury, ummm...fluff? lol

Word count: Exactly 10k on the dot!!!

A/n note: So this was supposed to be my secret santa/ winter project for December 2020 but some life stuff came up aka my dad had some very severe health issues that kinda broke my brain for a while. He’s doing better now though and I finally was able to just sit and give this story the love it deserved. To @birbdae​ I am so sorry this is late but thank you so much for being patient with me~ Happy belated birthday and I love you bunches~

“Mother, tell me the story again?” The young girl whispered as she clung to the Queen’s multitude of skirts.

“Hush now my love.” The elegant lady gathered her child into her arms, eyes struggling to see her tiny face in the dusky twilight that surrounded them.

“Please Mother, I’m scared…” 

The woman sighed, allowing her silvery hair to fall into her eyes as she pressed her forehead to her child’s and allowed the icy chill that surrounded them to comfort her into speaking.

“Once upon a time, there lived a young maiden so fair that kingdoms bowed down at the very mention of her name.”

“Queen Merialiies, the most powerful of the frost fae.” The little princess sighed, settling into her mother’s arms and allowing the familiar words to comfort her.

“Aye, that she was. And the kindest. A great war ravaged her country. So devastating was it that half the world lost their lives and the balance of life and death were in chaos.”

The Queen clutched her child closer, shivering as her eyes trained intensely on the entrance of the isolated cavern. “When the war was over the maiden emerged from hiding, seeking out her people and gathering them from their hiding places. She knew that if they were to revive the world they would have to come together, for their strength lay in their bond with each other.”

“Because our joined power is always greater than if we are alone.”

The Queen chuckled, nuzzling into her daughter’s hair and placing the most gentle of kisses to her forehead. “Am I telling this story or you my love?”

The child smiled up at her, giggling as she patted her mother’s cheek. “I’m sorry Mother, please, would you keep going?”

“Alright, where was I?”

“You were about to come to the best part!” 

Smiling the Queen nodded, though her grip on her child tightened. “The maiden persevered, gaining strength from her people as they guided the world towards rebirth. But something was wrong. The poor dear, though surrounded by those that loved and adored her felt alone. Something was missing in her life. A love that she could have all to herself. She began searching, hoping to find one who could see through her strength to the innocent and lonely woman within.”

“And she did Mother! She found her own truest love.”

“Shh, quietly my lovely.” Her panicked gaze wandered the dark, listening intently to the wayward sounds that filtered in through the stone and ice.

“You’re right. She found her love. A twin flame to melt away the loneliness in her heart. The one who carried not only a burning love for her, but also the twin pair to her wings.”

The youngling sighed, burying her face in her mother’s chest as her tiny fingers wrapped in the delicate silk of her bodice. “Twin souls. They were happy right? Finding each other?”

“Of course my love. Finding your twin soul is a cause for celebration. And they did. They celebrated for weeks after. Two kingdoms joined together to celebrate the greatest love story in the history of the fae. There was no war, only peace and prosperity.”

The sounds from outside gained in volume. Explosions and cries for help echoed through the cavern as the two held each other close.

“Mother…”

“I know baby. I’m here. It will be okay…”

***

“My Lady where are you?” 

The young woman flinched, tucking herself farther into the frost covered tree as she watched her jailer...lady in waiting, search for her in the gardens down below.

She’d been avoiding the poor harried woman for hours, hoping to not be dragged back to the small cabin they called home and be forced to sit down and study her histories again. The tutor they’d found liked to drone on and on, more busy with facts and numbers than the great stories of heroes and villains that the young woman preferred to daydream about. He’d taken on the job willingly, a poor clumsy scholar that tended more towards the clumsy side despite the brilliance of his mind.

“My lady! Sir Namjoon awaits you! Please stop hiding and come so that he can teach you like we hired him to!”

The woman snorted, knowing she’d be able to hide as long as she needed if it meant she didn’t have to hover protectively over her inkwell while the man droned on. Luck was not on her side this day though. Where normally her fingers would have done their work, gripping tightly to the course bark that wrapped her beloved tree in silvery protection, today they faltered in the cold.

She barely had a moment to react, a silent oh! of surprise slipping from her lips as she took her tumble. The ground rushed up to meet her, its snow covered embrace announcing her hiding spot with a resounding crash.

A gasp echoed through the clearing, swallowed by the sound of rushed footsteps crunching their way through the freshly lain snow. The fallen woman groaned, eyes filled with the sight of the uncaring forest staring down at her as she lay resigned to her fate.

“My Lady you mustn't lay on your back like…” The maid stuttered to a halt, delicate fingers coming up to cover her lips as her eyes filled with misty tears. “Oh...oh your ladyship I...I’m so s…”

“Hush now Solaris. It’s been 14 years.” The woman sat up abruptly, dusting the snow from her dress and rising to brush it off of her back. “I’ve had enough of these woods. Come now, Sir Clumsy britches is waiting for me.”

Solaris couldn’t help the tittering giggle that slipped from her lips. She bowed her head, giving the young woman a small curtsy as they began making their way back towards the village.

“Might I ask why you’re always climbing that tree my lady?” She couldn’t help her curiosity. It seemed her charge was always running off, attempting to find some adventure or another in any attempt to escape her duties.

“Honestly? I’m not sure. I just…” The young woman sighed, fingers brushing at her skirts as she ducked beneath a wayward tree branch and stepped out into the clearing that housed their small cottage. “I’ve always felt like I was searching for something. Even as a child. I suppose I thought if I could see more of the land, see more of the world from up high I’d be able to figure out what that something is.”

“And have you found it my lady?”

The melancholic woman shook her head, pausing at the door to the cottage and glancing once around the clearing. It was a modest little place they called home, situated just inside the wall of trees that surrounded the capital city of their kingdom. They managed to live quietly here, benefiting from the security of the centuries old trees and forest while still being close enough to the large city to fulfill all of their living needs. It was home, though not the one she’d grown up in. That was a fairytale now only to think about in the quiet nights when she tossed and turned with nightmares of the past.

“No...I haven’t found my twin flame. Not...not yet anyway.”

***

“Your Highness! There’s news from the capital!” A hurried Solaris burst through the front door, eyes wide and panicked as she struggled to catch her breath from the obvious nonstop run from the market to their home.

“Goodness Solaris. Take a moment, calm yourself.” The young woman rose from her chair, absolutely grateful for the interruption from Sir Namjoon’s usual rantings as she guided her breathless maid to the chair she’d been occupying.

“Sir Namjoon, would you kindly draw Lady Solaris a cup of water? I’m sure she’d be grateful.”

The usually calm man grew flustered at the request, rushing towards the tiny kitchen area and rifling through the items for the requested object. Surprisingly nothing fell or broke though as the man returned with a tall cup of cold water and handed it to the maid with trembling hands and the tiniest of a dimple filled smile.

“Y...your...your water my Lady.” He muttered, scurrying back to his large stack of books as if terrified to have Solaris’s attention on him for too long.

After allowing the woman to take a few sips to calm herself her mistress took the cup, placing it off to the side and handing over a handkerchief to allow the woman to wipe at her sweat covered brow.

“Now, what’s got you so flustered that you had to burst in here in the most unladylike of manners?” She smiled in amusement as the woman inhaled sharply, almost as if preparing for the most magnanimous of speeches.

“Your highness! The king! He’s come to the capital and he’s calling all the maidens of the kingdom to attend him! It’s required that all, no matter their status, must see him at once!”

“That conquering tyrant.” Where normally she would be calm the woman suddenly burned bright red with a strange fury. “First he takes our country and now he wants all of the maidens to attend to him?” She turned from her hand maid, fury twisting her features as she stomped over to the window to glare out at the surrounding forest.

“No my Lady, you’re mistaken.” Solaris stuttered, sitting up in her chair as she finally allowed her thoughts to settle. “It’s for the First Prince. They’re wanting a marriage of good faith to allow the two kingdoms to integrate peacefully.”

“P..peacefully??” She sputtered as she turned from the window. Throwing her hands in the air she couldn’t help but to rant. “Those hot heads should have thought of that BEFORE they burned our crops and raided our villages! We’d have easily come to a compromise of some sort had they come bearing that same mentality before taking up arms against us!”

“Madame, they…”

“Yes yes I know.” She waved off Namjoon’s words dismissively. “My father didn’t want to send me there. Didn’t want his precious daughter to ‘descend into that den of thieves’” She tossed up air quotes, sarcasm dripping from every word she spoke. “Really, you men and your misplaced pride. It’s ridiculous how foolish you can be when you think with your sword instead of your minds.”

“With our...m..Madam!” The look of shock on the poor scholar’s face would have been priceless any other day. But for some reason the stately lady of the house just wasn’t feeling the need to tease the scholar.

“So how are they doing this?” She made her way to her favorite chair as she spoke, dropping into it with a huff and staring out of the small cottage’s window. The drifting snowflakes outside caught her attention and she watched them dance their way to the ground as she listened to Solaris explain the situation.

“They’ll be sending soldiers to each house bearing invitations for each eligible female.”

“They’ll be tallying each one up too. Make sure they can count each household while they’re at it.” She grumped as she folded her arms on the window ledge and plopped her chin on her forearms.

“More than likely, yes. And adding to that they’ll send the same soldiers out the day of the ball to come and collect the women.” Namjoon chimed in. “They’ll claim it’s a safety precaution but more so it’s to ensure none of them run off.”

“Why would they do that?” Solaris blinked innocently, her dazed expression and glazed eyes giving away how little she understood of the situation. “A ball! Just imagine all of the beautiful dresses we would see. And all of the handsome young men!” Her giggle echoed through the silent cabin. It quickly died off when she realized neither of her companions were sharing in her excitement.

“Honestly, I forget sometimes you weren’t old enough to remember the war and how horrible things were for our kind.” Standing from her window seat she brushed at the gossamer fabric of her dress as if attempting to rid herself of some imagined dust. “When is this ball they have planned?”

“In three days. They’ll begin sending out soldiers in the morning.” Solaris replied, hanging her head sadly.

“I see. Sir Namjoon, we’ll resume my studies once I’ve returned.” She turned away from the teo, making her way to her room and beginning to pack a small selection of her belongings.

“Wh...Miss...what are you doing?” Solaris demanded as she sidestepped the whirlwind of a woman who was now packing small packages of dried meats and medicines from the storage area of the kitchen.

“I can’t be there. If they find me, find out who I am? I just...I have to go.” 

She finished packing, mind a cold void as her determination was already set. After informing the two where she was going she set off, hoping to escape whatever fate was trying to force her way.

***

The woods were lovely, dark, and deep.

She found herself sighing at the sounds that greeted her as she stepped from the tree line to survey her surroundings.

Before her and stretching far off into the horizon was a massive frozen lake, it's surface dappled by the hoof and paw prints of the many animals that dwelled in the safety of the forest beyond and refused to sleep the winter months away. A rare smile graced her lips, one almost as secretive as the hidden cave she turned and began to make her way towards.

Her steps became lighter as she crunched through the snow, the weight of the sudden announcement lifting from her shoulders as she stepped beneath the glistening blue stalactites. The interior was dimly lit from the light that gently filtered through from the ice that protected the entrance from prying eyes.

The only sound that echoed in the place were her unhurried footsteps and a gentle dripping that whispered to her from somewhere further back in the darkness. She'd visited here many times before, a quiet reprieve she'd found several summers ago when she'd come to the lake to escape the insufferable heat of the season.

The locals didn't visit it,claiming it to be haunted by a human's soul that'd taken up residency in the place a millennia ago, back before the wingless race had died off. It suited her perfectly well as it gave her the solitude she needed to allow her poor broken wings a chance to be free.

And she did just that as she dumped her pack beside the cold ashes of the firepit she'd made during her last visit. Unsnapping the corset that since her waist she allowed it to drop beside her pack and stretched out what remained of her wings.

The nerves had died off long ago, the burnt ends though still stung with the phantom pain, a dark reminder of the night her entire childhood was ripped away from her. She sighed, glancing over her shoulders and imagining the wings as they used to be, a swirl of silver color patterned with flames and snowflakes that gave her the glorious joy of flying through the freezing winter air.

Fluttering them once and then twice she stretched them, letting the cold cave air cool them after being compressed within her body heat for so long. It was a shame really, but she didn’t allow herself to dwell on it for too long, she had a camp to make and some relaxing to do.

***

Jungkook had had just about enough of his aides. They hovered at all hours of the day, incessant in their rambling about court protocol and how important it was to not start any fights with the locals. He was well aware.

He’d never even wanted the war that had ravaged the Winter Kingdom. Had begged his father and the generals to try peace over everything else. But in the end the words of a child had gone unheard by the war blinded adults.

So here he sat, shivering violently from the cold as those blasted tittering fools for his aides dashed around his chamber. He could have called on his flaming core to warm him, but after the first day of doing so only to find himself collapsed in the hall from using far too much energy, he’d just decided it was better to suffer the cold than to appear weak in front of his unfortunate enemies.

“Sire! We must leave now. You mustn’t be late for Lord Hoseok’s dance lessons!” The tiny mouse of a man squeaked, trying so very hard to appear contained and in charge despite the dark circles of worry beneath his eyes.

“Jimin, you know that even if I’m early Lord Hoseok will still grind me into the dust for not learning that infernal winter waltz faster.” The Prince frowned, taking in Jimin’s fear-streaked face.

“That may be Your Highness. But should you dally any longer you’ll be late for sword training with Sir Yoongi as well as etiquette lessons with Lord Seokjin. We have to stick to your schedule or they’ll all be displeased and tell your Father!” Jimin squeaked again, petite hands fluttering up to cover the trembling of his lips.

“My father is too busy planning out his next conquest to even pay half a mind to what’s going on with me or my ’schedule’. Never mind…” He sighed, getting up from the window seat he’d been staring out of and making his way out of his room.

“Have Taehyung meet me at dinner. I’ve got something to discuss with him.”

***

The day continued on, lesson after grueling lesson eating away at what little patience the prince had left.

He collapsed into his chair at dinner, too exhausted mentally and physically to pay any mind to the meal scattered out before him.

“Sire, Lord Taehyung has arrived.” 

Jungkook glanced up, a tired smile being all he could come up with for his friend.

“You look like a dog dug you up in the yard and used you as a chew toy then reburied you and shit on the pile of dirt.” The young man commented as he took his place beside the monarch in training.

“You know I could have your head for that.” Jungkook grumped as he tossed a pea from his plate in the young Lord’s direction.

“Ah, you could. But they’d have to catch me first.” His statement was emphasized by the pea he’d caught between two fingers.

He was nothing if not quick. He’d worked long ago as an assassin but now sat as Jungkook’s right hand man as well as his best friend.

Jungkook smiled, probably the first pleasant expression he’d worn in quite some time.

“So my great and glorious super Prince, future king of all that is boiling and frozen, to what do I owe this most prestigious of honors of being called upon and humble myself in your magnanimous presence?”

Jungkook just about choked on his water, laughing and coughing at the ridiculousness that was Taehyung’s words.

“By the flame you’ve been hanging out with Lord Seokjin again haven’t you?” He snorted, dabbing a napkin at his nose to clear out the water that’d streamed out while he was laughing.

“I mean, the man has great taste in puns. As a Master of many things it behooves me to learn the delicate art of insulting royalty at every turn without actually offending them.” Taehyung shrugged, spearing a chunk of glazed carrot and waving it through the air as he spoke.

“Well, I called you here for a favor actually.” The prince leaned forward, eyes taking in the unaffected assassin who’d busied himself munching on the food that Jungkook was decidedly ignoring.

“Is that so? Whelped a brat that needs hiding?”

Jungkook sputtered, cheeks a bright crimson as his eyes darted around the empty dining room.

“Taehyung!!”

“That’s a no. Only virgin cheeks brush that brightly at a subject like that.”

“I’ll have you know!!!”

“Hush now, poppa’s thinking.” Taehyung smirked at the flustered royal. “If it’s not that..hmm…” He tapped his chin, pretending to think long and hard while Jungkook tried to gather his bearings.

“You’ve insulted a young maiden and her father’s come a calling wanting reparations and you need the family off’d?”

“For the love of...Taehyung please!?”  Jungkook collapsed forward, head buried in his arms as he screamed silently into the table cloth. “You’re never allowed near Seokjin again I swear.”

Taehyung snorted, eyes dancing with glee at having gotten under his friend’s skin.

“So, you’re tired of the court and want to escape is it? Get away from the ball daddy King face arranged so you don’t have to marry some country bumpkin ice queen?”

“I!! Wait. No you’re right. That’s exactly it.” Jungkook’s head jerked up, his face a picture of surprise and awe at how astute the man before him was. “How did you know?”

“We’ve been friends for going on 12 years now my little dongsaeng. How could I not know that you’ve been pushed to your limit and need to escape?” Taehyung smiled, reaching across the table and patting Jungkook’s elbow.

“Don’t worry. Hyung will get you out of this castle. I’ll meet you on your balcony at midnight. Pack light and wear that disguise you’re hiding in that secret compartment at the back of your closet.” Taehyung rose, grabbing one last chicken leg as he began to make his way out of the room.

“How did you…” Before he could finish his sentence though the assassin was already gone, having disappeared into the shadowy hall with one last flirtatious wink thrown over his shoulder.

***

The escape from the castle was simple thanks to Taehyung. A cloak and some heavy clothing were enough to disguise the wings that marked the young Prince as the royal that he was.

The two friends departed with reassurances from Taehyung that he’d lead the guards on a few wild goose chases just long enough for the ball to have come and gone. Jungkook counted his lucky stars in thanks for the effectiveness he’d come to rely on in his friend for so many years.

He took flight, the snowflake and flame veins that marked his wings becoming a blur as he darted through the snow covered canopy of the woods that marked the southern boundary of the Winter kingdom’s capital city.

It didn’t matter where he ended up, he just flew, darting here and there through the trees with a freedom and joy he hadn’t enjoyed in flame only knows how long. He allowed his mind to wander, thoughts a chaotic jumble of hopes and dreams he only allowed himself to think of when he was alone in his rooms at night.

Something gave him pause as he flew. He’d been going for quite some time, but a strange light had flashed at him out of the corner of his eye. A blue glittering affair that’d appeared between the trees despite the woods being pitch dark and most of his vision having been obscured by the blur of fluttering snowflakes.

He pulled up quick, wings only barely straining to keep him from slamming into the trunk of a massive tree that’d been in his way. He twisted in the air, eyes seeking the glow and spotting it as the reflection of a strange light glittering off of the surface of a massive frozen lake.

He moved towards it, allowing his curiosity to guide him on. Stopping short at the edge of the lake he hovered, shielding him from view of the woman dancing on the glowing ice.

It was the strangest thing he’d seen, the way the light shone on her twirling frame as she danced through the snow. It was almost as if the entirety of existence had paused for this one moment. Icicles on the tree branches around him chimed their tune, a melody gifted to his ears from the whispering wind to lend a soft winter’s melody to the racing of his aching heart. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, the whirling ice Princess giggling in the snow.

His wings fluttered, prisms of warm light glancing off her form and highlighting the broken and burned stubs of her wings. He knew the look of those wounds and it hurt to think that at some point the war that had torn their nations apart could have taken the joy of flight from such a beautiful fairy. Without thinking he allowed himself to be lifted through the air, his body reacting first to the pull of the sight of her and second to the musicality of her voice as she sang to the winter’s breeze.

The effort of drifting against the freezing weather proved to be too much for the flame that flickered in his core though. His wings faltered, frost having formed along their tips and weighing them down. The ice of the frozen lake rushed towards him and he couldn’t help the cry of fear that broke free of his chest as he crashed through the thick ice. The last he saw of the enchanting maiden was her panicked gaze, eyes wide at the intrusion and lips parted in a frantic yell as his head sunk beneath the surface.

***

A warmth brushed against his skin and he shivered, subconsciously shimmying his body closer to it. His eyelids felt weighed down by the cold, unable to open as he groaned in protest of the aching cold that stiffened his joints and limbs.

“Hush now, the fire will warm you. Just rest and let the heat do its job.”

The soft melody of the femanine voice eased his mind and he buried himself deeper beneath the heavy furs that surrounded his body.

The woman meanwhile continued to stoke the fire, having long since dried herself after diving in to save the hulking form of the foolish fire fairy that’d allowed himself to be pulled into the lake.

She turned her head, shyly eyeing his form as he breathed softly beneath the furs. She couldn’t help but allow herself to admire his soft sleeping face. Watched as his long eyelashes brushed his cheeks and admired the chiseled shape of his jaw.

She was sure that if he were awake his smile would be soft but wide, imagining teeth nibbling at his lower lip as he chuckled at some joke while doe like eyes glittered with his mirth.

Shaking her head she slapped her cheeks. What was wrong with her!? No matter how handsome he might seem this man was an enemy to her people! She scoffed at her own foolishness, though the sound was caught short as she began to question herself.

If he was an enemy why had she risked her life to save him? She’d known instantly from the way the frost had clung to his wings from the brief glimpse she’d caught of him before he’d been pulled beneath the surface of the waves exactly what he was. And yet when she’d seen those soft...brown...panicked eyes sink within the icy grip of the lake something had screamed from within her to save him. It had been pure instinct at the time.

And now as she sat by the fire, admiring the flames as they danced across their wooden fuel she allowed herself to turn her attention back to the strange ache that twisted at her shoulder blades. It’d crept up her spine as she’d been dancing earlier. As the moon’s rays had shone upon her and just before she’d spotted the crashing flame fairy.

She stretched her arms above her head, willing the dull pain to go away. And though her muscles relaxed and her mind stilled the ache remained, just at the base of her wings and tingling up nerves that she’d assumed long dead and gone. It had to have been the heat of the fire.

And so, after tossing a few more logs upon the flame and checking that her rescue was well and truly asleep and tucked in she walked back out into the cold. Her hopes were that the freezing snow would numb the nerves that seemed to want to awaken. As much as she missed flying through blizzards and dancing through the air with the winter cardinals she didn’t much mind having lost them. It was preferred honestly, as those things she missed always reminded her of the one who’d taught her those joys and she just couldn’t bear the thought of being reminded of her beloved and dearly departed mother.

After an hour or so of allowing herself to wander the secluded forest she made her way back to her cave, wings sufficiently numbed and mind at ease. Though the peaceful mindset was instantly chased away when she came back to see the young man she’d rescued moaning and tossing beneath the furs.

Dashing over she dropped to her knees, fingers frantic as she chased his forehead and placed her icy palm against his burning cheeks. Hissing she jerked her hand back. It was known the flame lords ran much hotter than those of her kind, but this amount of heat was worrying. Rising quickly she raced to her pack, pulling out herbs and medicines, sorting through them and selecting a few she knew to be safe for him.

Back to the fire she went, grabbing her tea kettle and filling it with snow from the entrance to melt above the flames. As the kettle began to boil she tossed in the herbs, eyes anxiously darting back and forth to the trembling form that groaned feverishly for his father .

“Hush now dear, I’ll help I promise.” She mumbled, more to comfort herself as she waited for the medicine to brew.

Once it was ready she ladled it into a cup, blowing desperately on it to cool it as she knelt once more by his side. Pushing away a portion of the skins she lifted his head into her lap, brushing at the black hairs that clung to his forehead from the sweat as she cooed softly to him.

“Here now dear one, open your eyes, I need you to take this.” 

He was much too weak to reply to her, muttering in his feverish sleep about poisons and dungeons.

“It’s not poison. It’s holy basil and chamomile. Now drink. It’ll take the fever away.” Her whispered words seemed to calm him. Bringing the cup to his lips she smiled softly as he drank eagerly from the medicine. Eventually he turned his head away, breathing heavily and moaning to himself. The deep husk of his voice twisted her insides, causing a blush to rush to her cheeks as the silken strands of his hair brushed down over his eyes.

She hadn’t noticed that the sides of his head were shaved, something those in the military and the aristocrats of the fire nation tended to do when important events came up.

He must have been intending on going to that fool prince’s ball. She hummed to herself, finding it hard to allow the bitterness that would normally form at the sight of him to rise up within her. He just seemed far too innocent while he slept in her lap. 

Shaking away the butterflies that tried to rise in her stomach she laid him back down on the makeshift pillow she’d made of a rolled up deerskin and tucked the pile of heavier skins back around him. It would take a dose or two more of the medicine to break the fever but she was determined now. He just had to live or the emotions that rose within her would never let her live her own life in peace again.

*** It was unfathomable how two days of caring for someone in such a state could raise such an attachment in her. She’d wiped his brow so many times she’d become familiar with every scar and divot on his face, making up stories for each as to how he could have gotten them.

On the third day he finally awoke, still groggy from the medicated tea but coherent enough to begin eating the gruel she’d made for him.

“Eat slowly now. There’s no point in rushing if you’re just going to throw it all up later.” She whispered to him, knowing that if she spoke any louder the echoes of the cave would only give him a headache.

“Why are you caring for me like this?” he asked, glancing up at her through his eyelashes as he spooned another bite into his mouth.

“I...well.” She paused for a moment, fingers picking at the frayed wood of the stick she’d been using to stoke the fire.

“My mother always taught me that kindness is more important than any grudge we could hold.” Looking up she gave him a soft smile, though a bit of her pain showed through at the mention of the dearly departed Queen.

“She must have been a great lady.” Placing the bowl and spoon at his side he leaned back against the roughened cave walls, finally allowing his gaze to take in the woman that had saved his life.

She was just as beautiful as his glimpsed image of her had led him to believe, though his heart sank one more when he spotted the burnt nubs that were her wings. He thought for a moment to question her on it, but common sense stopped him halfway to opening his mouth. There was no way that wasn’t a touchy subject, so he left well enough alone.

Instead he allowed his gaze to wander the cave, taking in the rough hewn walls and the way she’d seemed to have made the place her own. Herbs hung from the walls on pegs, bundles of various types each used to treat various injuries and ailments. Though by the way they were hung he suspected they’d been put there more as decoration than anything else.  The fire lit the area up nicely, allowing him to see much further into the cave than he’d expected.

Looking closely he noticed that a lot of the formations he thought to be ice drippings were actually some type of crystal. Though he didn’t recognize them he realized pretty quickly that they were absorbing the light from the fire and projecting that light almost like a torch.

“So...is this your home or…”

“Oh goodness no. I reside in town, I’m just here to get away.” She shook her head, giving off a soft giggle that had his heart soaring.

“I can understand that sentiment. Things were rapidly becoming stifling out there. One could hardly blame a lovely young fae such as yourself for wanting to get away.” He chuckled, his grin widening as she blushed at his compliment.

“Is...is that why you were out in the storm? To get away?”

He nodded as he tucked his hands beneath the fur skins. “Duty to your people can only push you so far before it starts to take over who you are. I wasn’t about to let my father dictate who I was going to become any longer. He’s made enough rash decisions to ruin an entire kingdom, I won’t have myself become a part of that any longer.”

The young man’s words rolled over in her mind, bouncing off the image before her along with the events that had brought her to this very cave.

It wasn’t too hard to put together that he was the young prince and a moment of anger had her clutching the stick in her hand and very seriously considering killing him right then and there.

His father was the reason her parents were dead and her kingdom had burned after all. There was no one here to witness it if she did. And yet a small voice in the recesses of her mind held her back and stayed her hand.

She thought over his words once more, realizing he’d wanted the war no more than she had. What his father had chosen and done should not have been laid on his shoulder.

Placing the stick beside her she began speaking to him. Asking him questions about his childhood and giving her own answers when he asked in turn. They spent the night like this, conversing on any subject that came to mind while avoiding their own identities as much as possible.

The sun outside began to rise and still they spoke, bonding over shared misfortunes and shared goals and dreams when it came to their respective kingdoms.

Unbeknownst to them their mutual feelings for each other began to grow. When she led him out into the light on unsteady feet and he slipped but a little, only for her to catch him, an exchange of touches, barely brief though it may have been, ignited a flame within them both.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and breathing in the frozen scent of her, a crisp smell like the first cold snap of winter. 

“You are...ethereal...did you know that?” He whispered, his lips a hair’s breadth away from her own.

She hummed, mind a haze as her eyelashes fluttered close.”You smell of ash and coal...like roasting over an open fire on a warm summer’s day.”

“Oh?” He chuckled, the sound sending a thrill of excitement through her. “And is that so bad little snowflake?”

“No...I don’t think it is…”

***

The day finally came when the young Prince found himself strong enough to walk on his own. His fever had long since gone and the color was finally beginning to come back to his cheeks.

“You know...we could always just stay here.”

She glanced up at his words, pausing in stirring the stew she’d been cooking over the fire. “What do you mean?”

“Neither of us wants to go back. And well...I rather prefer things out here compared to the hustle and bustle of my normal life.” He picked at a loose bit of string on his clothes, refusing to meet her gaze as he let her mull over his proposal.

“I...hmm.” Sitting back on her heels she stared into the fire. It was tempting, the idea of leaving the stress of her life behind. Having to pretend she wasn’t who her people needed her to be.

“They’ve been too long without a leader.” She whispered.

“I’m sorry?”

Their gazes met, each burning with their own inner fire.

“My people. I may be broken, but they need me. Just as yours need you. One day we’ll have to lead and running away isn’t going to make any of what happened okay.”

Simple words though they may have been they struck a cord in him. More so than anything the multitude of scholars and aids and so called guides could have done. He nodded, determination filling him.

“I may not be able to change much, but one day I will lead, and things will have to change. My father is getting old, as are his war mongering generals…” His words stuttered to a stop, a blush coloring his features as he realized his misstep. “I uh...I mean…”

She couldn’t help but to chuckle. “Don’t worry little Prince. I am well aware of who you are.”

“But..how..”

“Your words may seem subtle or simple but your demeanor can’t be hidden.” She rose, abandoning the spoon she’d been using in the pot.

“And now, I am Y/n the last of the winter fairy monarchs, Princess of Winter and future Queen of my people. It’s an honor to meet you Sire.” With that she bowed, a hint of a smirk tugging at her lips.

“Wait you’re what?? Who?? But how, we were told you and your family…”

“Burned?” Straightening she turned slightly, her wings on display. “My father died fighting yours. And my mother died protecting me. No I did not come out of that battle unscarred.”

“But...why…”

“Why am I telling you?” She tilted her head at him as she returned to stirring the meal.

“I saved your life and nursed you back to health, your people call this a life debt, no?”

He nodded, suddenly realizing just how much he owed her.

“Well, consider this calling in that life debt. A pact between friends you could say. Keep my identity a secret, and on the day you ascend the crown you will find yourself an ally in me.” She smiled, passing him a bowl of the stew.

“That…that’s putting a lot in a man you’ve barely known a fortnight.” He accepted the bowl graciously, barely suppressing a moan at the flavors that danced across his tongue.

“That may be. But life debts are held over everything in your culture. I can trust that above anything else you could give me.”

He huffed, running his fingers through his hair and scratching the back of his head. She’d noticed it was something he did when he was thinking hard on something and had come to find it endearing.

“I mean, I’d have kept your secret even without the pact but...if you insist on calling that as your favor I supposed I truly have no choice.”

The giggle that spilled forth from her made his heart clench and he couldn’t help but grin at her in return, his cheek dimpling and his nose crinkling like a snow bunny.

“It’s settled then.” She announced, standing and taking his now empty food bowl to be washed out.

“Oh? What’s settled?” He stood as well, pulling the empty stew pot from the fire to cool.

“I’ll be taking you back to town come morning and...oh…” She stumbled, her legs suddenly buckling beneath her.

If it hadn’t been for the flame fairy’s quick reflexes she’d have surely injured herself. But his strong arms wrapped around her,pulling her close and checking her over to make sure she was okay.

“By the flame, you’re going to get yourself hurt doing all that!” He frowned, fingertips running along the ridges of her shoulder blades as he watched her blink blurrily up at him.

“What’s wrong?” He asked his frown deepening as she leaned into his touch, lashes brushing her cheeks as her eyes fluttered shut.

“Y/n?” Panic surged through him as he lifted her limp form into his arms.

Where normally her skin was as cold as a winter’s stream it now burned almost as hot as he was and that set him on edge more so than anything ever had in his life. His heart raced as he trudged through the cave and out into the cold morning snow of the forest.

He thanked his flame for the sense of direction Taehyung had instilled in him so many times over the years as his body instinctively turned in the direction of the winter city they’d come from. His wings gave an experimental flutter, barely lifting him off the ground and for the first time since his fall he actually cursed at himself for his midwinter plunge into the icy lake. Walking was his only option.

He continued on through the forest,  moving here and there through the trees in as direct a path as he could manage, all the while whispering soft sweet words of comfort to her when she would toss about in her feverish state.

The only time she paused and relaxed was when the sun would shine through the tree, though Jungkook paid no mind to this, only grateful that she allowed him the reprieve to march on with little struggle.

“N...Namjoon.” She whispered, and for a moment his heart sank. Who was this Namjoon she spoke of? Some lover she never mentioned in all the time they’d spent together.

“Scholar...physician…”

A spark of understanding coursed through him and his steps quickened with a renewed vigor as he came to the edge of the city. A few curt words and ignored glances and he’d arrived at the physician’s clinic, panting from the exertion and praying to every deity he could name that the one she’d spoken of was home.

“Sir! Good Physician! I have need of your aid!” Jungkook announced, using his elbow to force the large wooden door open.

The sound of crashing and halfhearted curses came from some dark corner of the clinic and a tall winter fairy emerged, glasses barely hanging off the tip of his nose as he squinted across the room at the Prince.

“What can I do for you today?” He asked, voice gruff from sleep as he moved closer to Jungkook.

“W...y/n?? Wait, how did she?”

“You know her then? We were out by the lake when she suddenly took ill. I don’t know..what or how but she’d burning up!” 

“Bring her to the table!” The physician rushed off, motioning to a large wooden table towards the center of the room. 

Jungkook complied, ever so delicately placing her down and stepping back to allow the man to work.

As he began examining her he threw a slew of endless questions at the shaken prince who himself was near to collapsing from exhaustion.

“I...I don’t know. She was eating just fine, talking and laughing and it seemed like she was okay. But suddenly...she just collapsed. I just…” His fingers nervously tapped a rhythm on his thighs as his eyes darted around the clinic, searching or hoping for something to look at to ground his mind in the moment.

“Mmm..I’m sure it’s just a cold, or some sort of illness. Though...she’s never been sick a day in her life..” The bespectacled man mumbled to himself as he pressed his fingers against her wrist, checking her pulse and sighing to himself as he stepped away.

“There are a few things I can try just to ease the fever and whatever pain she may be feeling but this is going to take some time…”

“I...I’ll stay with her! I can’t just leave her like this!”

“Your highness...You really should be getting back to the palace.”

“How…” Jungkook’s jaw dropped, eyes bugging out as he stared in fear at the man before him.

“You carry yourself too well to just be some fire nation soldier off the street. And besides, I was there during your coronation. You held yourself well considering the obvious hangover you were sporting.” 

A brilliant blush rose on the Prince’s cheeks as he attempted to sputter out a response. The physician chuckled, patting him amiably on the shoulder.

“Worry not, I’ll do everything I can to ease her pain. I’ll send word to the palace once I know anything. Be off M’lord, you’ve duties to attend to.”

Jungkook couldn’t help the lingering longing look he gave her, a sigh escaping his lips as he resigned himself to the waiting game.

Namjoon frowned as the prince finally left. It’d taken a considerable amount of bribing and fussing to get him to finally walk away but the fact that the young man lingered so long worried him.

“What did you get yourself into this time…” 

***

Panic filled the small room of the physician’s clinic.

He’d spent the last few hours trying every remedy and potion he could find and still her condition deteriorated.

A scream of frustration built in his chest, only barely suppressed by the need to care for her. He sat at his desk, pouring over tomes of old and tossing each aggressively across the room when they proved to be of no use to him.

“Fate’s sake!” He growled, standing from his desk and shoving the chair out behind them.

She’d begun whimpering in her feverish state, every now and again whispering desperate pleas for help and wrenching the knife deeper in his chest. He felt useless, dropping to his knees on the floor beside her and clutching at her hand.

“Tell me, please? How can I help you? What is it that you need?” He whimpered, tears filling his eyes. “How do I save you?”

“M...mommy….tell me a story…”

The words didn’t register at first. Another sentence to him in a long line of whispered desperation.

But a brief flash of recognition hit. “Merialiies…”

He bolted upright, eyes wide and wild with inspiration.

“There’s no way!”

Racing back to his desk he shoved the books and papers out of his way, searching for the small book of tales he’d picked up at the shops a few weeks back.

A shout of triumph burst forth as he held it aloft, eyes glistening with hope as he flipped the pages to one particular story.

“The Heart’s Twin Flames.” He turned to y/n, watching her shift on the table as if trying desperately to escape some pain in her back. “There’s just no way…”

Making his way back he ever so gently turned her to her side, eyes widening at the inflamed skin spreading out across her back from the base of her wings.

“Could it be?” Dropping everything he lifted her into his arms, cringing at the sounds of pain coming from his precious cargo.

“Just hold on, I’ll take you to him. If I’m right...you may just get your wings back.”

He hurried from the clinic, not even paying mind that he’d left the front door open to swing in the wind. 

“Move! Please get out of my way. This is an emergency!” He shouted, shoving his way through the crowd of villagers lining the walkways as he raced towards the castle.

The front gates loomed before him, almost imposing if it weren’t for the sheer amount of panic flowing through him.

“Halt! State your business.” A soldier stepped before him, massive sword held at his throat .

Namjoon showed no fear, spine straight and shoulders squared as he stood his ground against the intimidating soldier.

“I’ve come at the request of his Highness Prince Jungkook of the Fire Fae kingdom. It is of the utmost importance that I speak with him immediately.”

The soldier continued to glare as a second stepped forward and the show of force began to deflate him.

“You don’t understand! I need to see him! It’s his twin flame! He found her and now without him she will die!”

“A likely story! Today is the day of his ball and you expect me to believe that suddenly a woman is his twin flame and without him she will die?” The guards chuckled together, heads thrown back with laughter as they continued to mock him.

“Sir, please! I couldn’t make this up if I wanted to! She’s dying. There must be something we can do?!”

The guard shook his head, a steely gaze pinning the poor man in place. It was obvious he wasn’t moved by their story.

“No matter the reason these gates were ordered to remain closed. Should you have proper documents the case would be different but there is nothing I can do for you. Find her a doctor, or some sort of specialist. But find them somewhere else.”

“Have you no heart man!? We’ve seen the doctor, hell I AM the doctor! There’s nothing more to do for her but get the Prince’s help! Please you must understand?? Surely you’ve heard the legends, are they not told to your children? They are fated to be! The proof is right here!” Namjoon was practically purple in the face by this point, spittle flying as he screamed in the face of the guard who’s grip was forever tightening on his spear. 

Unbeknownst to the arguing pair and barely conscious woman the fae in question had heard everything.

“Sir?” One of the many aids that had been walking with the future ruler gave him a questioning stare, wondering what their next action would be.

“There’s no harm in finding out Jimin. I’m more than suited to handle things should there be any threat.” Prince Jungkook smiled, a rare sight on the man as he handed over the documents they’d been going over as they walked from the main castle to the stables.

“Alright. I’ll take these back to the stable master in your stead. Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”

The prince grinned, bumping his aid in the shoulder with his elbow. “Now when have I ever done anything stupid?”

“Need I remind you of the state you were in last night?”

“Can’t hear you! Walking away now!” Prince Jungkook tossed over his shoulder as he made his way to the woven metal grating that served as the castle’s front gate.

For a moment he hung back in the shadows, eyeing the tall bespectacled man who seemed to have an almost vice like death grip on the tiny quivering bundle of rags in his arms.

The snow that had been falling began to ease up, revealing a small crowd that had gathered behind them all. As the guard and nameless man argued the townsfolk began to chime in, screaming curses at him and bickering with every word he spoke.

The Prince’s temper only flared when the first stone was thrown, something seemingly so small that it would have been noticeable if it weren’t for the fact that it’d hit the bundle’s back, causing a small squeak of pain to echo through the gateway. He knew that squeak.

“What’s going on here?” He puffed his chest out, spine straight and eyes fierce as he allowed the flames of rage to flow through him. Striding forward with all of the ego and confidence that his position afforded he stepped between the man and the crowd. The mere sight of him had those gathered scurrying away, hollered apologies tossed over snow covered shoulders as they dashed off to whatever tasks they’d been attending to before allowing their chicken like rubbernecking to get the better of their attention.

“Y..your Highness. I just...” The man stuttered, shifting the tiny bundle of cloth in his arms as he struggled to push through his own confusion and panic at seeing the regal object of his desperation appearing before him.

“Guard, can you explain to me why it is that you’ve allowed a mob of people to gather at the entrance to my future home?”

“He was...he just wanted…”

“Sire please! It’s y/n, she needs your help!”

“Y/n?” This peaked his interest. “Is she alright? Is...what happened? I only just saw her a few hours ago!”

“Sire, she fell terribly ill and what was left of her wings has begun flaking off. If we don’t act quickly there’s...there’s just no hope of saving her.” 

Prince Jungkook glanced around, indecision causing him to hesitate for a moment as he watched his guards scanning the surrounding area.

“Alright, bring her inside, we’ll take her to my physi…”

“Sire please, she doesn’t have time for that!” Namjoon couldn’t help the tone of his voice as he shouted at the intimidating man. “You have to help her now, she’s dying the longer we talk about this!”

He dropped to his knees, unwrapping the blanket from the woman’s trembling form and carefully laying her body on the glistening snow.

Jungkook’s feet crunched through the snow, eyes squinted as he shielded them from the glare of the sun reflecting sharply off the glow surrounding the dying woman’s form. A strange itch began in the center of his shoulder blades, that spot he could never reach where his wings joined with the muscles of his back.

Shrugging off his cloak he knelt beside her, heart racing as the strange feeling in his wings slowly spread to the rest of him. The sun burst through the clouds, shining brightly and warming his exposed skin as his fingers brushed her cheek.

“My liege, all you have to do is allow the sun to shine through your wings and onto her. That alone is enough.” Namjoon whispered as he stepped back from them and allowed them their space.

Jungkook couldn’t help but to hesitate. There were so many things that could go wrong should he allow himself to listen to this strange man. If it were a track of some sort his kingdom would suffer if anything happened to him. But as he watched her pained face scrunch once more and as the sound of her pitiful whimper reached his ears his resolve steeled.

Leaning forward he spread his wings, allowing the light of the sun to cast a prism of reflected light over her body. The air filled with a magic the kingdom hadn’t seen in a very long time. Golden dust motes filled the air, sparkling like fireflies out in the mid-day glow. It attracted those that’d hurried away, gathering them in the square and on the streets.

The soldiers shouted, weapons raised in alarm as they watched their fearless leader begin to rise into the air alongside the small wingless form that he cradled so closely to his chest. But just as suddenly as their alarm and rage and fear rose it began to vanish, replaced instead with a calm joy that thrilled through their veins quicker than an adrenaline fueled march into the battlefield.

The people began to cheer as the two bodies were engulfed in light that shone so bright it began to rival the sun. And all along the young man couldn’t take his eyes off her form.

The woman that’d given him shelter in that freezing midnight cave. Her once frail body began to fill with life, color returning to her cheeks and her weak fingers gaining strength as they clung to his royal clothes. Her eyes fluttered open, a gasp escaping her lips as where once there was only burned stumps, now beautiful crystalline wings sprouted forth from her body, fluttering on the breeze before quickly gaining the strength to allow her to hover on her own.

And his own wings lost their brilliant red glow, cooling and shimmering as he beat them gently to keep him aloft.

The glow surrounding them faded and a hush fell over the crowd at the sight. A tiny waif of a girl engulfed in the strong arms of the royal flame.

“My love.”

“My twin flame.”

“I never got to thank you for saving my life.” His words caused her to blush as she looked at him through her eyelashes.

“I think you just did…”

Their hushed voices whispered words of comfort as their bodies slowly returned to earth. They’d only had eyes for each other, but as their feet returned to the earth that’d born them they turned to the people, each smiling with a joy that the once warring people felt throughout the lands. Warriors dropped their weapons, embracing the people they’d fought with for so very long.

Jungkook turned to the winter maiden, long,calloused fingers engulfing her own as he leaned forward to touch his forehead to hers.

“My love, how could I not have recognized you for what you were?”

“My sweet future king. Fate has a strange way of finding lovers and putting them together when the world needs their love the most.” She smiled, warm tears filling her eyes as her heart filled with a warmth only he could provide.

As one they turned to their people, joined hands raising into the air as Jungkook announced.

“I have found my Twin Flame. May peace rain on our kingdoms with the union of our joined blood! May you all find the joy my heart has been seeking. For from this moment on there will be no war, there will be no fighting. WE ARE ONE!!”

The people cheered, warriors embraced farmers, aristocrats feasted among peasants. Fire embraced ice. And as their lips met in a dewy kiss filled with all of the passion of new love, peace did reign. For they were now one.

[mingtiddies]

heart on the line

member: seungcheol

genre: mostly angst, not much cheese but the cheesy part is cheesy as hell

word count: 4413

warnings: mentions of sex (very brief)

a/n: what??? a fic??? for real??? wendy omg!! anyways, as promised (more like announced), here’s a nice fic that i don’t hate. i hope you guys will enjoy it and like it as much as i cherish it. it’s a fic i wrote years ago while in a different fandom, and i decided to rewrite it for seungcheol!! I felt like it fitted him best out of all 13 members.. 

You had been dating Seungcheol for a little while now. Since freshman year, the two of you were inseparable. First days made you all kinds of nervous. And so of course, you had been a nervous wreck on the first day of high school and he had been there to help you through it.

The closer you got to Seungcheol, the more your mutual friend Jihoon would subtly imply that the two of you made the perfect pair and looked like a couple. None of you would catch on his remarks, but shortly after that, you did end up dating.

And everything had been good between the two of you. Until he met her.

Last year of high school. A milestone in your relationship with Seungcheol... Two, technically. While you had celebrated your fourth year of having met, your two-year anniversary as a couple was right around the corner. The boy had been your rock since day one; he made you happy and you were still hopelessly in love with Seungcheol.

Halfway through that year, your school buzzed with news of a new student transferring in. Na Yoojin, and she would be in your class, as it turned out. Although at first you couldn’t recall how they had met, it came back to you on a warm afternoon when all of you hung out after school. After Yoojin’s transfer, your best friend’s younger sister quickly befriended her. Haeyoung befriended her after that and so naturally, you became her friend as well.

Seungcheol and Yoojin had met on a regular school day. He would often come by in between classes to catch glimpses of your face and hold your hand away from the prying eyes of your classmates. He would come, even if it meant you could only see each other for a minute or two.

Sometimes it would be the other way around; at the sound of the bell, you’d rush out of your classroom and get to his. But this year, he would make it a point to get to your classroom before you could even get out of yours.

That day, he greeted you outside just as you walked out of the room with Yoojin, getting some fresh hallway air before your next class started. You had noticed Seungcheol right when you stepped out of the room and walked over to him, with Yoojin following you.

You had introduced him as Choi Seungcheol, and feeling like it would come off as defensive for no reason, you with-held the detail that he was your boyfriend. “I see you’ve made friends with my beautiful girlfriend,” he had said, with the cutest smile on his face. He had gone on to say that you and the Shin sisters were the best company she could have hoped for.

Seungcheol falling for a friend of yours seemed so laughable at the time. You knew him inside and out. And you hated yourself for not seeing it sooner. The more you thought about it, the clearer it was to you that there had been a few signs.

Hanging out with you when it was supposed to be just you and the girls. Always suggesting for everyone to hang out together, and insisting on inviting everyone.

By the end of the year, Seungcheol’s behavior had changed in small but many ways. He wasn’t much of the same boy you had started dating, and not just with you, but with the others as well. In the way he would smile, in the way he would laugh. He would never feel comfortable around you. And much less around all of you together.

You had realized by then that he had fallen for Yoojin, he wasn’t just crushing on her. But you knew Seungcheol. And he would never cheat on you. Nor would he break up with you only to get together with your friend. At least not right away...

And you hated it. Every second of it. It felt like you were keeping him from being himself, and you hated that more than anything. And so you did what you thought was best, for both of you.

You were sitting in front of him, cross-legged on the floor of the library, while he sat back against the wall, cross-legged as well, his nose buried in a book. You were both studying for different tests, but as soon as you looked up at him, your mind wandered to that fateful afternoon when Seungcheol and Yoojin had met.

You thought about how he looked at her when she wasn’t looking and how his eyes would light up. You held your breath. “Do you ever think we should stop this?” The words had escaped your lips before you could truly think about it.

You weren’t ready for that conversation. Not here, not now...

He lifted his head to look directly at you, curious, “What do you mean?” As much as you regretted bringing it up, you had an opening. If you backed down now, later you would overthink and chicken out.

You had no idea how to approach the reasons that were forcing you to do this to him, but this was your chance to let him go. “I mean... us.” He was confused. Only at first though. But then you could read a mix of surprise and relief on his face, that he was obviously trying to hide.

“Are you breaking up with me?” You wanted to take it back, so bad. You loved him... so much. But that was exactly why you couldn’t bear to see him so... out of character. “I just- yeah, I am... I’m sorry.”

It felt like you were apologizing for breaking up. But you were apologizing for not letting go of him sooner. And you couldn’t look at him anymore. Tears filled your eyes and you looked away. “I- I should go. My mom won’t be happy if she gets home before I do,” you forced a chuckle out of your throat.

“I’ll uh, pack the things you left in my room so you can pick them up... whenever,” you said, as you gathered your notebooks and threw them in your backpack. “Yeah, okay...”

You stood up, turned away, trying to hold back your tears and walked away without a word. You wanted to run away. Run away and never look back. But you knew it would make Seungcheol suspicious, and the last thing you needed was for him to confront you about breaking up.

Instead of going home, you headed straight towards Haeyoung’s house. You knew she was home; she had kept you updated on her fourth date with Jihoon, and you knew that she had gotten home safely a few hours ago. You knocked on the door, and waited for a response, expecting Haeyoung’s father, but you were met with your best friend’s face.

In a matter of seconds, you noticed her face go through at least three different emotions. First was joy, as she would always be delighted to see you, then her brows furrowed in confusion at your lack of reaction. Why weren’t you as happy to see her as she was to see you?

And last, you watched her confusion turn to worry as you offered her a teary eyed smile. “What happened?” You shrugged, “We broke up.” Her eyes widened in shock, “What?” She grabbed you, pulling you inside her house and dragged you to her room.

“Are you sure? What did he say exactly?” she asked as she sat on her bed, looking up at you in disbelief. “Haeyoung, I broke up with Cheol,” you said when you realized that she thought he had been the one to break your heart. You hadn’t thought it was possible for Haeyoung’s eyes to open even wider than they had before.

“B- But I thought you loved him!” she stuttered. “I do,” you replied, as you felt the tears burning your eyes again. You sniffed, fighting them back, “But he likes someone else, Haeyoung. I didn’t want him to be trapped in our relationship. That’s not who I am.”

She jumped to her feet and rushed to wrap you in her arms as you finally stopped holding back your tears. That night, Haeyoung had asked her father to call your mom to ask if you could stay the night. You were in no mood to face your mother, or your big brother.

Besides, being in your best friend’s arms was the only thing that felt somewhat normal for the time being. You ended up telling her who Seungcheol had fallen for and that you had let him think you were okay with breaking up.

Just as you had told each other goodnight, lying in the dark, you rolled to face your best friend. “Hey?” you whispered. She hummed in response. “Please try and set him up with her,” you requested. That had probably been the dumbest thing she had ever heard you say.

“y/n...” you heard the disapproval in her voice. “Please, Haeyoung,” you pleaded. You heard her sigh very loudly before she finally said, “Fine.”

After graduation, you, Jihoon and Seungcheol had been accepted into the same university, while Haeyoung had been accepted into a university from the next town over. On that very day of graduation, Seungcheol told you that he was going on his first date with Yoojin.

Haeyoung had kept her promise; she had dug around a little, maybe even cornered the poor girl, but in the end, she had found out that Yoojin had been falling for Seungcheol too. And even though the thought of the two of them falling for each other behind your back while you and Seungcheol were together made you feel worse, you let Haeyoung proceed to set them up with each other.

Integration was a fun experience. A chance to get to know other students before classes started. That was where you met Jeonghan and Joshua, and made friends with them. As it turned out, Seungcheol had met them at a summer camp when they were kids.

Your friendship with Seungcheol remained somewhat intact, despite the fact that you still felt the same about him. But your ex-boyfriend still believed you had decided to break up because your puppy love had flamed out.

Seungcheol and Yoojin kept a long-distance relationship all throughout freshman year and sophomore year. You found it impressive.

You sat in front of Jihoon at a coffee shop on campus, Joshua and Seungcheol both sitting on his left, while Haeyoung and Jeonghan sat on your right. You glanced at your best friend and smiled at her, slightly nudging her.

It was one of those rare moments where you could all be together; especially with Seungcheol dating someone off campus and Haeyoung being at a different university. She was staying for the day and would be going back to her dorm first thing in the morning.

You had no doubt that the boys would try to sneak her into Hoon’s dorm. And if that plan fell through, she could always stay with you. Since your roommate had cleared out for the semester and for some reason unknown to you, they wouldn’t assign you a new roommate.

Jeonghan stared at all of you and silently chuckled, which caused Jihoon to frown at his friend. “I just find it funny that most of us are in a relationship.” You mentally scoffed, knowing that you were the only one at this table that was still single and that your last boyfriend was literally sitting a feet away from you.

You decided to wait and see where the conversation was going, as Joshua looked directly at you, “When was your last relationship, y/n?” Your eyes widened at the sudden question. You had expected them to tease you about being single, not to ask you about your most recent relationship.

“Wow, um... The last boyfriend I had was... in high school,” you answered, desperately trying not to look at Seungcheol. You felt Haeyoung squeezing your right hand in an attempt to comfort you, making you realize that your right hand had been on your lap while the other was tightly holding your tea cup.

Haeyoung was still the only one who knew the real reason behind the break-up, what it had done to you and that you were also the reason Haeyoung had set the two of them up with each other. And she also knew that you still had feelings for him.

She finally let go of your hand, when Jihoon loudly snickered, staring at his coffee cup. “Your last boyfriend is definitely not the last person you slept with.” Understanding what he was referring to, you brought your free hand to rub your face and sighed, “Oh my God, Jihoon. Will you drop it?”

His head shot up and he narrowed his eyes at you, “Never!” You rolled your eyes at your friend as the others shared looks and you could’ve sworn you heard your best friend attempting to and failing to contain a chuckle next to you.

Jeonghan looked at you in confusion, “Who did you sleep with that’s so terrible, that even Jihoon of all people won’t let it go?” he asked. He was right. Jihoon usually didn’t care too much about who his friends were sleeping with. So who had you gotten involved with, that would make Jihoon so bitter?

It only took them a few seconds to realize who it could’ve been. You tried to ignore Seungcheol, Jeonghan and Joshua as they looked at you as if you had murdered someone. “Kim Yeongsik?!” Joshua whisper-yelled.

You rolled your eyes once again and sighed, face-palming yet again. “It happened once, guys. Chill.” Jihoon mumbled something, too faint for you to hear.

After a couple dozens of minutes, you decided it was time to go home and walked out of the coffee shop. You hugged Haeyoung goodbye, in case she did stay at Hoon’s dorm, knowing that you wouldn’t be seeing her in the morning, because of an early class you had.

You walked home with Joshua and Jeonghan seeing as they lived closer to your dorm than the others. They were also the only ones to share a dorm together; both Seungcheol and Jihoon had gotten single room dorms, being in a relationship and whatnot.

Less than a week later, you were able to hang out together again at the cafe. Except this time, Haeyoung couldn’t make it, so you went on your own with the guys.

You heard Jihoon muttering just as you all noticed Kim Yeongsik walking in to get a cup of coffee. You honestly couldn’t tell how many times you had rolled your eyes at how dramatic Jihoon was being. The muttering went on for a few minutes after Yeongsik left, but then your conversation finally went back to normal.

It felt different without your best friend, but you had gotten used to the boys being around. Even though you would never be alone with Seungcheol. And it somehow felt like Jeonghan was to thank for that. After all, he was the most observant of your friends, and you had met him at a time when awkwardness was palpable between you and Seungcheol.

If it weren’t for your obligations as students and young adults, you most likely would have stayed at the cafe for a few more hours. As you all stood up to head out and go your separate ways, Jeonghan groaned. “Shit, I forgot we have to go grocery shopping.”

Jihoon chuckled, asking why they had to do it now. “Because Joshua forgot to do it last time, when we still had a bit of food left. And now we have nothing,” he answered.

He turned to you, concerned, “You’ll be okay, walking home alone?” You opened your mouth to reply, but Seungcheol beat you to it, “I can walk you. It’s... actually on the way to my dorm. I usually just drop by Jihoon’s dorm first,” he suggested. “Always stealing my food too,” the latter muttered under his breath.

Joshua patted Jihoon’s shoulder as Jeonghan waited for you to tell him whether or not you were okay with it. Oh, he definitely knew. Of course you didn’t want Seungcheol to walk you to your dorm.

The last time he had walked you back to your place was back when you were still together. The day before you had broken up was the last time, if memory served right. But all of them knew you hated walking home alone, and so if you refused, it would only make you suspicious. “Yeah, okay,” you breathed, nodding.

Perhaps you imagined it, but you could’ve sworn you saw Seungcheol sighing with relief all over his face. You brushed it off and bid goodbye to your friends, before you left the premises with your ex-boyfriend.

After two very long minutes of deafening silence, despite being in broad daylight in a populated area, you realized one thing. As much as you wished you hadn’t, you noticed Seungcheol’s change of attitude. It would always be something you would be able to pick up on, especially when it involved him.

You opened your mouth to ask about Yoojin, but for the second time that day, he cut you off, “Why did you break up with me?” Well shit, you thought. You would much rather be asking about his girlfriend than have him rehash the past like that. You took a deep breath.

“Because of college, at first. Uh, I didn’t think we’d be in each other’s lives and I didn’t think we’d last. And uh, then I realized our relationship was going nowhere,” you lied.

You had to admit, you didn’t think you could lie so blatantly about the breakup. But you couldn’t find it in you to tell him the truth; that you had never wanted to break up with him and that you had done it so he could be happy with Yoojin. Which often sounded childish and stupid, when you would think about it. You just knew that you would do it again, for him, if you had to.

“So you’re happy now?” he asked, which automatically made you frown. “I guess...” you shrugged. “I’m doing alright, classes are okay, I have great friends.” He nodded, listening to you.

You sighed. You couldn’t not mention the fact that there was something off. You took big steps forward, stepping in front of him and turned around so you could make him stop.

“What’s up with you, Choi Seungcheol?” you asked. He was being weird again. “Listen, if it’s about the Yeongsik thing, you have nothing to worry about. I know he’s an asshole and I’m not dating him, nor will I, ever,” you said.

He briefly shook his head, “I know that. I know you.” You raised an eyebrow at the man in front of you. Then what could be the problem? The last time he had been acting so off, it led you to find out he had fallen for someone else. You immediately frowned, “Something happened with Yoojin?”

For a second, he looked at you confused, with a hint of panic, but he tried to compose himself the next second. Too late, you had noticed. He had always done a poor job at concealing his emotions. “Something did, didn’t it?”

He scratched the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact at all costs, “We broke up,” he admitted. They what?? “What?! Wait. What happened?” you asked. Your mind was racing at this point.

You had ended your relationship with Seungcheol, pushing him into someone else’s arms, just so that you could see him be happy. And they had broken up? “It’s fine. It was five months ago.”

You had spent three years heartbroken about this decision that you had made. Every time you started to regret making that decision, you reminded yourself that he was happy with Yoojin. And that was what you had wanted for him.

The past few months had been harder on you, especially since your friendship with Seungcheol had gotten back to normal. Back to how things were before you got together. But, they weren’t together anymore?

“I thought you loved her,” you stated, trying to keep your composure. He sighed, “I did,” then he corrected himself, “I do! But that’s just it... I love her, but I wasn’t- I’m not in love with her.” He added something that you couldn’t quite make out. But it felt like you somehow knew where this was going, especially the second he looked up to stare directly into your eyes.

Unintentionally, you took a step back, shaking your head as your eyes started to water. And this time, Seungcheol didn’t try to hide the panic or the confusion that was written on his face. “Oh God,” you breathed. This was happening.

“You can’t do this. Please, don’t do this,” you pleaded. Suddenly you were eighteen again. “y/n...” You lifted your hand, wordlessly asking him for a minute to think as you noticed how much your hand was shaking. “y/n, talk to me, please,” he asked in the softest tone you had heard him use in a long time.

You clenched your shaking hand into a tight fist and closed your eyes shut, as a scoff escaped your lips. It came out as a strangled laugh, maybe more of a sob, as you were on the verge of crying again. All this heartache... Racing back into your heart. “I was heartbroken,” you muttered, shaking your head.

“y/n.” You looked up at Seungcheol, noticing the worry written all over his face. “I broke up with you because I thought you were in love with her,” you said.

You scoffed, running a hand through your hair as your eyes drifted to the scenery around you, “And I told Haeyoung to set her up with you...” you added, not speaking to anyone in particular. How lucky you were that there wasn’t anyone anywhere near you.

“Why?” he asked, raising his voice so you could hear him. “Because I love you and I wanted you to be happy,” you exclaimed, your head snapping in his direction, vision blurry with tears.

There was silence again. Upon seeing his reaction, you realized you had messed up. And so you did the only thing that crossed your mind, you took off running.

Luckily for you, Seungcheol didn’t seem to be on your trail and after a while you realized you didn’t really know where you were going, so you stopped altogether and pulled out your phone. You scrolled through your most recent contacts, taking a breather and swiped right to call your best friend.

“y/n?” Haeyoung’s voice filled your ears. “He- He’s not in love with her. They broke up. He said- he said they broke up months ago. And then I told him. Haeyoung, I- I told him I still loved him. He knows. I-” your best friend cut you off, “Wait. Wow, slow down, please. Breathe.”

You took a deep breath. “What happened?” she asked. You breathed in again, walking back to your dorm and started over, explaining how you and Seungcheol had ended up having that conversation. “y/n, that’s a good thing! You don’t have to carry that anymore. So why did you call me?”

You cleared your throat and scratched the back of your neck, “I panicked... And I might have- ran away, literally.” She yelled your full name as you reached your building, scolding you about doing things like that, causing you to sigh.

You stopped dead in your tracks as you spotted Seungcheol, sitting on the floor at your door. “Shit,” you muttered. The moment he saw you, he stood up and walked up to you carefully, offering a smile. “I figured I’d catch you here.” Of course. You thought about Haeyoung’s words.

“You’re not gonna run away again, are you?” You softly chuckled and shook your head to reassure your freshly perm-haired friend, “Not making any promises.” Getting Haeyoung back on the line, you told her you would call her back later and hung up.

You sighed, “I’m sorry.” Seungcheol frowned, which somehow made his light brown eyes pop. “You don’t have to apologize,” he said. You shook your head, “But I do. You don’t deserve any of this, Seungcheol. I- I put myself through this, I know that. And because of that, I’m scared. That’s why I reacted that way,” you explained.

“Cheol, I would break up with you again if it meant that you’d be happy. And I’m scared that all of this will happen again.”

He reached for your hand and squeezed it. It had been years since he had held your hand like that. “y/n, I don’t think I’ll ever love someone as much as I love you,” he admitted, as it brought a small smile to your face.

He intertwined your fingers together, looking down at how your hands fit together as you took a glimpse at his face. “I’ve been in love with you for more than five years. You have to believe that’s enough.” You slowly nodded, accepting and knowing that he would never hurt you in any way, not on purpose anyway.

“Yeah?” he asked, bringing your hand up to his face, giving it a soft peck before smiling. You nodded again, having trouble finding words. “So we’re good? You still love me?” You chuckled at the face he made before confirming that you were. “You’re a lot more cheesy, but I’m still in love with you.”

He looked at you for a moment and the look in his eyes turned serious. “Are you gonna be okay?” he asked. “We will be,” you replied, squeezing his hand in reassurance.

“Do you wanna stay? It kinda feels empty without a roommate,” you offered. He gave you a smile that put his dimples on full display and accepted to stay over. You reached for your keys in your pocket and walked to your door.

He took the keys from you, smiling at you when you frowned, and he unlocked and opened the door for you. You let him walk in first, reaching for the light switch to turn it on.

“I can’t believe you slept with Kim Yeongsik, though,” he commented, slumping on what he correctly guessed was your bed. “Oh my God, Cheol,” you groaned as you closed the door behind you.

[the-writing-mobster]

@fransweek The prompt was flirt! Here's an excerpt from my Mafiafell story still in the works.

”The House Painter “excerpt:

Hungover. That was how she felt. She hadn't completely scrubbed away the mascara now staining her face. 

She rubbed her eyes and sighed. She needed a coffee… and there was no way she was going to make it herself. Walking to the little diner at the end of the block would be a nice breath of fresh air. She lived far away from the burlesque theater. No one would recognize her. Hopefully no men would grab her. 

Pulling on a loose, coral, drop waist dress and hiding her dark, unkempt bob with a cap to match, she was out the door. 

She hoped no one would bother her. Not with her stained face and red, puffy cheeks. She couldn't even remember crying herself to sleep, but she was increasingly aware that she must've done just that. It's a fact, Frisky. You're pathetic. 

Frisk left her small, modest apartment. A group of little girls were playing hopscotch on the sidewalk. She smiled, a skip to her step. She remembered hopscotch. The innocent memory lifted her spirits a little. 

The diner bell rang and she hummed along. She felt real in that little diner. No stage makeup. No glittery plastic diamonds covering her exposed body. No rowdy men. No. Here, there was just Annie, Bob, and the old men who liked to tell war stories and proverbs. She liked it at the diner. 

She froze. 

There was a new presence. There was a new person in the diner. No. That wasn't a person. Not in the way she knew it. 

She blinked. Tall, at least six feet and eleven inches. Wide… not fat, but he had a girth to him unseen in human men. Muscular… a black button up rolled up to this man's forearms. Revealing bone. His head was a skull. There was a shadow of something dangerous hanging onto him. 

Frisk shot fervent glances around the diner as she edged herself inside. She couldn't believe it. A monster. An actual monster. 

Now, she had lived in Ebbot for a long time. She may have been an immigrant, but Ebbot had become her city. Her dirty little city filled with all her broken dreams. However, in her long time in Ebbot City, a city known for monsters… she had only ever seen one or two, from far away. Never… never up close and personal.

She was shaking. Was she shaking? Oh God she was shaking. She began to second guess her visit to the diner. Maybe she would go back to her apartment and make herself coffee. Her eyes darted back to the door, then back to the monster. You've come this far… how rude would it be if you just walked in, saw a monster, and walked out? You're better than that.  

Frisk swallowed her resolve and sat far away, in the corner of the bar. She spared a curious look at him from under her thick lashes. She quickly looked away when his red eyelights slid over to meet her gaze. Oh God I hope he didn't see me starin'... 

How long had he been there? 

“Hey! I don't remember lettin' monsters in my diner,” barked the owner, Bob. Frisk startled at the gruff greeting… hardly a greeting. The monster glared across at him. 

“Oh. How silly of me. I didn't see a sign… Thought there were finally some sensible folk… guess I was wrong,” he growled. Frisk glanced at him, then at the window. No sign. No sign barring black people, or monsters. It was a clean window. It was why Frisk liked this diner. 

She glanced back at Bob and she frowned. The man might have been a scary sight but… she began to think of her own experiences. How would she feel if she was treated with disdain because of her work? If people found out… Her soul burst with empathy, a red glow showing through her dress and she shot up. 

“Wait! No, no… no, Bob no. He's right. There wasn't a sign,” she argued. The skeleton shot her a look, his eyes widening a bit. Bob also sent a warning look at her, but it only made her soul glow a bit brighter. 

“We have the right to refuse service to—”

“—I want him here, hm? What about that? I'll never eat here again if you do this, and you know how well I tip,” she threatened. The monster seemed to shrink the more they argued, sending fervent looks at her. Confused looks. Shocked looks… grateful looks. 

The monster watched her. Watched her as she leaned against the counter and spoke sweetly, firmly, eyelashes batting, hips swaying like some kind of siren. He didn't even know if it was intentional… He definitely wasn't complaining. He glanced up at the owner and grinned when he saw the flustered look on his face. 

“Fine Frisk… only for you… Dammit… You better not scare away any of my customers!” spat Bob as he went back to the kitchen. The skeleton narrowed his eye sockets as he watched him leave. Ass. 

Frisk gave a small sigh and sat back down, going back to reading the menu, covering her face and trying not to dart cautious looks at the monster. He was still terrifying… and he was a man… what if he took her act of kindness as a ticket to harass her? That had happened to her plenty of times. 

A silence enveloped the diner. She couldn't help but glance at him and every time she did, she could see him innocently lift his head and eyes. He didn't talk to her. A part of her was silently grateful. 

She had her coffee. He had a slice of pie. She tried not to watch him eat it with fascination. This was by far the most interesting thing to ever happen to her… and that was saying something. 

She wrestled herself away from the counter to use the ladies room, a part of her a little worried he would be gone by the time she came back. She stopped herself. Stupid. Yet, she couldn't stop herself from shooting another hidden look at him before she left. A blush spread across her face when he winked. Fuck!

After washing her hands, she composed herself enough not to race out to make sure he hadn't slipped away. Sure enough, he was still there, tapping his skeletal fingers on the countertop. 

She glanced down as she took her seat to see a folded napkin. That wasn't there before. Frisk tried to be as discreet as possible as she unfolded the napkin. She could almost feel the skeleton's gaze shifting on and off of her. Almost feel that skull grin widen. 

“Pie thank you for doing that. I hope this isn't too corny, but I crust anyone with your kind of integrity to like bad jokes. Anyway, name's Sans, Sans the skeleton.” 

Frisk snorted with laughter and immediately hid her mouth with the palm of her hand. She didn't dare look at him. That's really sweet… 

She tried to hide her smile as she grabbed a pen and slowly began to think up a good response. 

Sans the Skeleton watched her with gentle curiosity as she wrote back to him. This was just too cute. He didn't deserve this at all. Why was she being so nice? Why did he write a note on a napkin for fuck's sake? He felt like an idiot… but that little hidden laugh? He didn't know her name but he was starting to believe in love at first sight. 

She glanced up with a blush and tried to act as aloof as possible as she scooted over one seat closer to him and slid the napkin to him. She quickly recoiled back to her seat as if he'd bite and he didn't blame her one bit. 

His mouth was full of sharp fangs, he was big, monstrous and smelled like smoke. Not cigar smoke either. Fire. He'd sit far away from him too. 

Slowly, he opened the napkin and tried to fight the grin growing on his face. 

“It's slice to meet you, Sans.”  

Sans snickered at her little joke. That was good… it was rare to find such a kindred spirit in the marketplace of humor. He spared another hidden look at her. He was starting to grow fond of the Sunlight district… 

The napkin was running out of room on the side he'd been using. He flipped it over and clicked his pen, tried not to notice the excited shift of her cute, little body as he did so. He also tried to ignore the ugly looks being sent their way, but that was something he was a bit more hyper aware of. It took everything in him not to snarl at them to fuck off into oblivion. 

Frisk was inwardly squealing with delight as he flicked the napkin to her. It took everything in her to keep composed as she coyly sent him a look and then delicately unfolded the napkin. Her eyes wandered the diner as she tried her best not to appear too interested, but she was dying to read what he read. 

“Stop or I might start pie-ning.” 

She blushed, a small giggle escaping her lips. She had never interacted with a man like this. At least not since primary school, and even that wasn't nearly as sweet as this… to think it was a monster who would approach her like this. She bit her lip to hide her smile and glanced back at him. And she had been scared… 

He was battling with himself not to look at her. She was so cute. Her puns, her smile, those eyes that stole coy little looks at him. Her dress was cute, and her hair, messy. There was something wrong about her though. Streaks of mascara… puffy red eyes. Those had started to fade but the smudged makeup remained. Was she ok? 

“Okey dokey, Ms. De Là Noir, ready for your bill?” asked a plump woman with a kind face. Annie. Frisk smiled at her and reached for her pur— Her… Frisk's head jerked about frantically as she searched for her purse. Fuck… Fuck I left my purse! She thought, her face paling with fear. 

“I'll take care of it,” the rumble of the skeleton's deep growl of a voice startled Frisk out of her panic. She looked up at him with surprise as he moved a bit closer to her. Annie sent him a fearful look and gave a curt nod. 

“Oh no, you don't have to—”

“—Nah, I got it, it's ok. Put it on my bill,” he growled with a firm look. 

“Of course,” murmured Annie as she darted to the back. 

The two sat in utter, dumbfounded silence. 

He didn't know what came over him. He had never offered to pay for someone before, but she was honest to God the most charming person he had met in a long time… and she had stood up for him, it was the least he could do. 

Frisk stared at her lone mug of coffee. A new fear began to creep into her mind. He offered to pay for her. She should've fought that harder. The last time a man had paid for her, he harassed her for sexual favors. Only because she had accidentally let slip she was a vaudeville dancer and… the implications of that. Of course when she had refused. She winced as her eye ached with phantom pain. She got off lucky… 

She sent a small, fearful look at Sans. He was bigger than that man. He looked stronger. He was a monster so she knew he had magic. He was a reaper so she knew even for a monster, he was powerful. 

But he just smiled kindly, as kindly as one could with sharp fangs and black eye sockets only lit by pricks of red light. 

“Thank you…” she murmured hesitantly. He shrugged nonchalantly. 

“Just returnin' the favor, kiddo,” he said. Something about the word kiddo put her at ease, but she didn't know why. 

Soon the bill came and he paid for both of them. He stood up and sent her another look. Is he leaving? She couldn't help but feel disappointed. 

He placed his black trilby on his skull and winked at her. 

“I'll miss you a latte,” he quipped one last time and she pursed her lips to hide her smile; she couldn't hide her blush. Before she could say another word, he was out the door. She looked back down at the napkin. 

“Stop or I might start pie-ning.” 

She couldn't help but give a girlish giggle as she neatly folded the napkin and carefully slid it into her dress pocket. 

Yes she definitely liked the diner… it made her feel real again. Real and sweet… real and delighted. Made her feel like she was more than burlesque. 

[ga-yuu]

~Yoshitsune~Main Story Chapter 6~

Chapter 5

*

*

*

--------Part 1---------

As soon as I got back to my room, I was so tired that I fell onto my bed.

(I just met Yoshitsune-sama. It feels like a dream when I think about it now.)

But the words we exchanged, is proof that it was real. It was so vivid that they stayed with me.

------FLASHBACK-----

Yoshino: “Is there no other way but to kill each other?”

Yoshitsune: “This is the fate we chose.”

Yoshino: “But—-”

Yoshitsune: “But what? Why do you care so much? You just got involved in all of this, right? Whether Yoritomo and I hate each other or kill each other….why does it matter to you?”

Yoshino: “Even so—.”

------FLASHBACK ENDS------

(I really want to know more about Yoshitsune-sama.)

(He saved me. He also helped a random lost kid.)

(He's a man of integrity and honesty, and I'm sure he's a kind man at heart.)

(At first, I just thought he was scary, but he's not really.)

I wonder why I'm so interested in an enemy general.

(No. It's because he's an enemy general and that's why I'm interested in him.)

----If he was just a scary opponent, I could fight him without feeling anything, right?

Maybe I should not pry in too much.

(There is still time until the war with the Rebels.)

(I have to sort out my feelings before I stand on the battlefield.)

.............................

A few days after Yoshitsune visited Kamakura-----

He was resting in his room when Benkei suddenly barges in out of nowhere.

Benkei: "Yoshitsune-sama!"

Yoshitsune: "What's up, Benkei?"

Benkei: "Is it true? I heard you went to Kamakura, ALONE!"

Yoshitsune: "......Who told you that?"

Benkei: "Kurama told me."

A deep crease is etched between Benkei's eyes.

Benkei: "I've been away for a couple of days and look what you've been up to....That's the enemy's zone now. What if something happens to Yoshitsune-sama!? I know you have your own interests, and I'm not telling you to never go. But, if you wanted to go, you could have told me. I'd have accompanied----"

Yoshitsune: "If you had accompanied, you'll go berserk."

Benkei: "YOSHITSUNE-SAMA!!"

Yoshitsune: "....just kidding."

???: "Chill out, Benkei!"

A lazy voice breaks their conversation.

Yoichi: "It's not the first time our Lord had wandered off, is it?"

Benkei: "Yoichi.....stop eavesdropping."

Yoichi: "I wasn't. I could hear your screams all over the house. I understand your concern, but just have a little more faith in Yoshitsune-sama. That's all I'm saying."

Benkei: "I trust Yoshitsune-sama, even if you don't tell me. But, what if something bad happens to him?"

Yoichi: "Do you really think our Lord would just sit and wait for something like that? Look, he has come home safe and sound."

--------Part 2------

Yoichi: "Do you really think our Lord would just sit and wait for something like that? Look, he has come home safe and sound."

Benkei: "................"

Benkei silently stared at Yoichi, still feeling unconvinced.

Without a care in the world, Yoichi smiled at Yoshitsune.

Yoichi: "So? Did you stretch your wings, Yoshitsune-sama? Do you have any stories to tell us?"

Yoshitsune(smiling): "Yes. It was nice to see Kamakura till the end."

Benkei sighs deeply, as Yoshitsune happily squints.

Benkei: "....I won't say anything this time. But please tell in the future before going somewhere like this!"

Yoshitsune: "...........................Okay."

Benkei: "What was that long pause for!?"

Yoshitsune: "It's all in your head."

Benkei: "No, it isn't!"

Yoichi: "I know you really love Yoshitsune-sama, but you're being too overprotective Benkei."

Benkei: "I'm not being overprotective."

As Yoichi shrugs his shoulders at the unconscious remark, Yoshitsune suddenly opens his mouth.

Yoshitsune: "Also, I happen to meet the fox princess."

Benkei and Yoichi: "!!!!"

Benkei: "...You also met her on the battlefield the other day, too."

Yoichi: "Is it a coincidence? I think not. Fox princess.... at first glance, she looks like an ordinary town girl."

Benkei: "Yeah, so ordinary that she helped a demon she never met before the very first day."

Yoichi: "That's not all. She also didn't hesitate to save one of our soldiers."

Benkei: "Yeah. I don't get it. What was she thinking while doing all of that?"

Yoshitsune: "I agree."

Then suddenly Yoshitsune-sama smiles like a flower.

Yoshitsune(smiles): "......She's weirder than I thought."

Benkei: "Yoshitsune-sama...."

Yoichi: "......."

Both Benkei and Yoichi were speechless at Yoshitsune's unexpected reactions.

Yoichi: "......Hmm. How unusual, isn't it? Yoshitsune-sama talking about someone else other than us, like that."

Yoshitsune(expressionless): "I wonder why too."

Yoshitsune opens his mouth after thinking for a moment.

Yoshitsune: "Maybe because she's an enemy who accidentally got caught up in this turmoil."

Benkei: "Maybe."

Yoichi: "....................."

As Benkei was somewhat agreeing to Yoshitsune's reasoning, Yoichi was sitting on the side, with his eyes closed, thinking about something.

...........

A few days later----

I was heading to the dojo to deliver the medicines that they ordered.

(I'm almost out of stock for wound medicines. I should start making more after delivering this!)

Yoshino: "Ohh!!"

While I was distracted by my thoughts, I accidentally bumped into a vassal who was passing by.

Yoshino: "I'm sorry!"

Vassal: "No, no, it was my fault."

I managed to stay on my feet and apologized to the vassal, who was leaving for work.

(He looks busy...)

Not only him, but all the vassals were also running around in the corridor.

(Oh yeah, Kagetoki-san did tell me...)

----I remembered the conversation that one day we had when I was helping him like usual.

------FLASHBACK-----

Yoshino: "Drought?"

Kagetoki: "Yes, you know there's been a lot of sunshine across the country, but...."

------Part 3------

Kagetoki: "Yes, you know there's been a lot of sunshine across the country, but....countries with limited reserves are expected to suffer."

Yoshino: "Hmm.....I see."

Kagetoki: "We have already started receiving a number of requests for help. Although we are about to go to war with the Rebels, we want to concentrate on our internal affairs now before we start gathering food for our troops. It's the same with the army over there."

-------FLASHBACK ENDS------

(It's still the hot season, and it's a difficult situation...)

(I hope it rains soon.)

Yoritomo: "........is Yoshino, they say."

(Hm?)

As I walked past the hallway, I heard my name.

(That voice. Was it Yoritomo-sama? I wonder what he's talking about.)

(It's not good to eavesdrop, but just a little....)

I stopped quietly and listened to the conversation from outside.

Yoshino could listen to Yoritomo and Kagetoki discussing something serious.

Yoritomo: "The letter about postponing the war arrived early this morning from the Rebels. In the meantime, they want to make an agreement not to attack each other."

Kagetoki: "So Yoshino and Benkei are exchanged as hostages between Hiraizumi and Kamakura?"

At the same time, Kagetoki folds his hand and thinks.

Kagetoki: "It's unusual for Yoshitsune-sama to make a request like this."

Yoritomo: "Yeah, he's willing to go with it without a fight. Looks like someone else is making him agree to this."

(Hostages?)

I blinked in surprise at the conversation I just heard.

More than that, Yoshitsune-sama is willing to exchange Benkei-san. his right-hand man, for me.

(Now, what is Yoritomo-sama and Kagetoki-san going to do....?)

I feel bad about eavesdropping, but I was curious because the conversation also has me in it.

The conversation goes on as Yoshino listens from the other side----

Yoritomo: "I'm sure they've got a lot on their plate, at least enough to make such a suggestion."

Kagetoki: "In any case, in this situation, we no longer need to be wary of the enemy outside. The fact that we will be able to focus on domestic affairs is very attractive."

Yoritomo: "If we let the people starve any longer, there will be trouble."

Kagetoki: "So are we going to accept their request?"

Yoritomo: "No."

Yoritomo looked down at Yoshino's name written in the letter.

Yoritomo: "If she's exchanged for Benkei, I am sure she won't be killed. But I feel Yoshino's heart is not ready for this." (Buddy, if you go there, Hiraizumi would be a warzone.)

Kagetoki: "I suppose so. Reluctantly, Yoshino is the key to our victory in the upcoming war. If Yoshino's heart is broken, she won't be able to stand on the battlefield. So exchanging is a bad idea."

(.....I see.)

(I'm glad Yoritomo-sama and Kagetoki-san care about me...)

(But, is it actually alright?)

(If my going as a hostage will help the starving people, then...)

Yoritomo: "Okay then."

Kagetoki: "Let's give our refusal to the Rebels----"

(Enough with the eavesdropping.)

I made up my mind and opened the sliding doors.

(After all, if there is something I can do, I don't want to pretend not to see it...)

Yoshino: "I volunteer!"

Yoritomo: "You what.....?"

------Part 4------

Yoritomo: "You what.....?"

Yoritomo-sama and Kagetoki-san's eyes widened at my sudden appearance.

Yoshino: "I volunteer to go as the hostage from our side."

Kagetoki: "Eavesdropping someone's conversation is a bad hobby."

Yoshino: "For that, I sincerely apologize... "

I bow my head and chose my next words carefully.

(I know they're not willing to sacrifice me at any cost. Also, I'm scared about the idea of being alone in the enemy territory. But....)

Yoshino: "Yoritomo-sama said that he's sure that I won't be killed if I go there, right? If the only reason for refusing their offer is my feelings...I would choose to go to Hiraizumi of my own free will if it meant that you could hold out a little longer and save a lot of people!"

Kagetoki: "You didn't just say that on the spur of the moment, did you?"

Yoshino: "I did."

(It's my way of making sure you guys won't regret it.)

Yoritomo: "......."

The eyes that resemble the night sky look straight at me.

Yoritomo: "You will be surrounded by enemies. There won't be a single friend there. Even if you're a hostage, we can't guarantee your life if things go wrong. After hearing all that----can you still say that you'll be okay?" (Don't worry Yoritomo. She'll survive no matter what. In Kagetoki's route, she pointed a knife at the emperor. In the upcoming route, she will be walking on people's dead bodies.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. I'm worried, but...(+4/+4)

2. That's....

3. Of course!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yoshino: "Of course, I'm worried, but...."

(That Yoshitsune guy won't break his promise once he gave his word.....and I'm sure of that.)

Yoshino: "But if there's something I can do. I wanna do it."

Yoritomo: "I understand that you're ready."

Yoshino: "Then...."

Yoritomo: "I'll write to the Rebels that we're agreeing to this."

(Yayy! He accepted...!!!)

Yoritomo: "What do you think, Kagetoki?"

Kagetoki: "There's no reason to stop someone who wants to go. Although, it's a completely unexpected development."

Yoritomo: "You're right."

Yoshino: "I-I'm sorry?"

Yoritomo: "Why are you apologizing, dummy?"

Yoritomo-sama sighed.

Yoritomo: "You're about to do a humble duty for the Kamakura Shogunate. You should be proud of yourself."

Yoshino: "Hehe, it's nothing compared to what you do."

Kagetoki: "You also have the nerve to interrupt a Shogun's meeting. What do you have to say about that?"

(Errrrrrrrrr.........)

Yoshino: "No comments...."

(Because I thought, if I didn't interrupt them I won't be getting another chance....)

Yoritomo-sama smiles when he sees me struggling with words.

Yoritomo: "You're really weird sometimes. When you come back, I'll welcome you with open arms."(It would have been actually nice if Yoritomo was the love rival in this route.)

(Welcome me with open arms? That's a bit too much for someone like me. But I'm happy.)

Yoshino: "Thank you very much!"

It was encouraging to see Yoritomo-sama's concern in the mean tone of his voice.

................

Soon, that day arrives-----

It is time to say a temporary goodbye to the Shogunate. Everyone also came to see me off.

Tamamo: "I didn't believe at first when I heard you volunteered to be their hostage....As expected of the woman I chose."

Yoshino: "You're exaggerating. Of course, I'm worried."

Tamamo: "That's natural. By the way, there's always the possibility that I could sneak along with you."

(It's amazing how Tamamo can do anything!)

I can't help but laugh at Tamamo's mischievous suggestion.

Yoshino: "Thank you, but don't worry. It would be reassuring to have Tamamo around,...but that wouldn't be fair. I want to be sincere with them."

Tamamo: "Awww..."

A bitter smile dwells on Tamamo's lips.

Tamamo: "I'm not used to being rejected. Fine. I'll go and play in the palace and wait for your return.

Shigehira: "What are you so carefree about, Tamamo?"

Shigehira-san stared at the satisfied Tamamo and then turned his gaze to me.

(What did I do?)

Shigehira: "Since you started helping me out, I think I could say you're not that useless."

------Part 5------

Shigehira: "Since you started helping me out, I think I could say you're not that useless. But just because you've decided to help the Shogunate doesn't mean you have to go that far."

Morinaga: "Shigehira, again, if you're worried about Yoshino, why don't you just say so?"

(Eh?)

Yoshino: "You're worried? Shigehira-san."

(It feels like déjà vu...)

Shigehira: "....Don't just speculate things. Who says I'm worried?"

Yoritomo: "Heh....I can't believe I'm hearing this from the same man who came running to me after he heard the news that Yoshino was going to be taken as a hostage."

Shigehira(blushing): "No I...."

(No wonder....!)

Shigehira-san was at a loss for words, but Kagetoki-san opened his mouth without hesitation.

Kagetoki: "Isn't there any other way!!?' was what he said. You also were protesting the idea furiously. He finally gave up when he found out that Yoshino's intentions were firm, though. I haven't seen such a desperate Shigehira in a long time."

Shigehira(blushing): "..........." (He just never learns.)

(I knew he'll be worried about me....)

I knew this all along, so I'm less surprised when I hear this now. But, I'm still glad...

It's because I know that Shigehira-san is a kind person.

Yoshino: "Thank you very much for worrying about me, Shigehira-san."

Shigehira: ".....Also, stop doing that, will you?"

Yoshino: "What?"

Shigehira: "Stop using honorifics. It's annoying to hear it all the time. Besides, ....I'll at least grant you that privilege since you are now brave enough to enter the enemy's territory."

Yoshino(blushing): "Shigehira-san...."

Shigehira: "Don't keep adding 'san' after my name. You can call me whatever you want."

Yoshino(blushing): "I will....I mean, yes!!"

(Aww! I'm so happy! I can finally talk to him informally.)

Shigehira: "Come on, what are you waiting for?"

Yoshino(blushing): "Yes! umm....Shigehira-kun!"

Shigehira(blushing): ".....Mm."

Morinaga: "I see. So, Shigehira wanted to be friends with Yoshino for a long time now."

Tamamo: "You've been waiting for the right opportunity, this whole time, isn't it? Shigehira-kun?"

Shigehira-kun shakes off the two teasing grown-up hands on his shoulder.

Shigehira(blushing): "Stop speculating things!"

As we were chatting lively, it quickly became time to leave.

(I gonna miss them....)

Tamamo: "Don't cry because you miss me, okay? I won't be able to wipe your tears away."

Yoshino: "You too...don't be lonely just because I am not here, okay?"

Tamamo: "I can't promise that."

Kagetoki: "Take care of yourself. I mean what I say because there is no substitute for you."

Yoshino: "Of course. Only if you also promise to take care of yourself too."

Morinaga: "Leave that to me. If no one takes care of him, he'll do nothing but work."

Yoshino: "I learned that since I started helping him."

Morinaga-san and I laughed brightly.

(Kagetoki-san not just sounds scary, but he's so dedicated to his work that he sometimes forgets to even eat or drink.)

Kagetoki: "Don't get cocky. When you return, I'll make you do more work, so be prepared."

Yoshino: "I'll keep that in mind!"

Before I knew it, there were smiles on everyone's faces.

Morinaga: "Yoshino, I'll be waiting for your return."

Shigehira: "It's not too far, but still...do your best."

Yoshino: ".....Everyone, thank you for everything!"

Yoritomo-sama saw me saying goodbye with a lonely face and opened his mouth.

Yoritomo: "Be brave, Yoshino. You're a member of the Shogunate. Don't let the Rebels think of you as a crying pathetic little girl."

(I'm a member of the Shogunate.)

(Even though, I've only spent a short time in the Shogunate...)

(Unknowingly enough, I've come to trust these people so much.)

(As long as everyone is waiting for me, I know I'll be okay.)

I stood straight and smiled sincerely once more.

Yoshino: "Then, I'm off to Hiraizumi."

I turned the many words I received into strength and took a step forward.

Chapter 6

[spencervoid]

Envy Pt. 2 | Derek Morgan

*I do not own this GIF nor do I take any credit for it!*

Summary: Alongside a few other agents, you ask a couple of questions around the local area to help with understanding the case when one local makes a comment, jealousy kicking in.

Part 1 | Part 2

A/N: Riiiight, so this is part 2 to Envy, I hope you guys like it and I did try to make this as fluffy as I can but there might be a slight angst undertone to it :)

Warnings: slight tension, hidden feelings, jealous reader, slow build-up, fluff

Walking alongside Reid, you both made your way inside of the police station with the rest of the team following close by. That morning, an anonymous tip came in where someone was claiming they knew who the unsub was and after a little background research, Garcia found ties to him for equipment purchased used to torture the three girls and fortunately the team had gotten to him just in time to make sure it didn’t get to four.

JJ had released a public statement to the press and the locals that the unsub was in custody and the curfew for the families put in place was officially lifted. You were gathering your stuff together for the flight back to Quantico when Benning knocked on the door, leaning on the frame. 

You looked up and mustered a small smile, extending your hand out. “Congratulations, it was lovely working with you and your department.” She took your hand and nodded, a small smile on her lips too. “I feel the same way.” 

Smiling, you thanked her wordlessly and spoke again, “About today, I wanted to apologise if my behaviour seemed out of line. I let my emotions get the better of me.” You spoke sincerely and she shook her head, “No honestly, it’s alright.” 

You nodded softly and replied with a thank you, placing the papers into your bag and pulling it up on to your shoulder. You walked around the desk and nearly out of the door when her voice spoke up again, “Agent,” 

You stopped at the door and turned your head to face her, “He really likes you. Give him a chance to explain.” You peered over to Derek who was stood quietly, waiting for everyone to finish up. A wave of sadness pulled over you, seeing him so reserved and silent which was not like him at all. “Go for it before it’s too late.” 

You scrunched your nose in nervousness, something you did often. Looking back at the superintendent, you smiled tiredly as you shared a final handshake. “See you later.” She nodded towards you and watched you as you walked over to the team, telling them they were ready to go. 

On the plane, everyone took their selected spots but before Derek had the chance to sit down, you took his hand gently, “can we talk?” He stood up straight again and mumbled a small ‘yeah’. Your heart was racing inside your chest as he followed you to the front of the plane where the curtains were drawn together. 

The entire team looked around to each other in uncertainty, worried about the chances of a fight or an argument breaking out, Spencer motioned with his hand to Emily, silently asking if someone should listen in. “They’ll be fine.” Emily spoke softly, a small smile on her face as she looked back down to the case file, already writing the report up in her head. 

There was a safe distance between you and Derek as you sighed, meeting his worn out eyes. The sparkle in them was dimmed out and all you wanted was to see it again, see the light in his eyes that you always find yourself get lost in. 

“I can explain.” He spoke with integrity in his voice, pleading that you’d hear him out entirely. You looked down to the floor, feeling more guilty than looking for an answer because above everything, Derek was your best friend and at the end of the day, you were just being jealous.

So why the hell did it feel like way more than that?

Derek took your silence as a ‘yes’ and swallowed the lump in his throat, there was an emptiness he was feeling inside because you were so far away even when you were stood so close.

“Listen I understand if you don’t want to say anything and just remain as civil adults but baby, you’ve got to tell me what happened. Please. I know that this case was rough, but I know for a fact that it wasn’t the only reason why you were being the way you were today.”

On the surface, you wanted to disagree. You wanted to say that the case was the only reason you were acting up but deep down, it wasn’t. It wasn’t why you were so cold to Derek in particular or why you shut down his every opportunity to talk to you or even how you went to great lengths to avoid him at all costs.

“You were um being really uh,” You stuttered over your words, sighing in defeat when you couldn’t even form a proper sentence out loud yet there were so many things you wanted to tell him that were wandering in your mind.

“For God’s sake.” You mumbled to yourself in frustration, fidgeting with your fingers in order to collect your thoughts running riot. You didn’t notice that Derek had taken a step closer to you, his hands resisting the urge to just take you in his arms and tell you it was alright.

“I’m an idiot and I know that um I can’t, well shouldn’t get so close to people I’m not allowed to have a relationship with um,” You took Derek’s hand into your own, also something that you did often whenever there was a build up of stress or nervousness with you.

Holding Derek’s hand always calmed you down, knowing that he was there and he was going to be there for a long time eased you in a sense that it was never the same with anyone else. He looked down where you held his hand and couldn’t stop the subtle smile forming on his lips, God he loved you.

“Y/N, what are you trying to say?”

“That’s the thing you know? Like I know what I want to say but I don’t know if I can.” Your last couple of words turning to a whisper, hoping that the other agents on the other side of the curtain weren’t listening in.

“It’s alright, I’m the only one here. Whatever you say stays between us okay?” You nodded, tears forming in your eyes as you tried to blink them back, a sniffle coming from your nose. “I like you Derek. Like really like you. Really really really-”

Before you could finish your sentence, Derek pulled you in to him and you sighed exhaustingly, nuzzling into his chest. In his embrace, the world stopped still on it’s axis. There was no time, no wind, no rain. Your mind felt at peace. You felt his body press in, soft and warm. Instantly, you knew that this was the love you’d waited for, prayed for. Inwardly thanking God, Derek hugged you a little tighter, never wanting to let go.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” You mumbled out in quiet cries, repeating the two words over and over. “Look at me sweetheart look at me.” Derek pulled you away from the embrace but still held you close, both of you meeting each other’s eyes. You noticed how the light in his eyes had returned.

“Never be sorry for what you feel towards someone because by the end of it all, all that matters is if that someone reciprocates your feelings or not. Outside opinions don’t matter.” He spoke with a confident tone, knowing full well to him and to you that his words were nothing but honest.

“I may not be as smart as the Boy Wonder out there but one thing for sure, you are the best thing to have ever happened to me. I need you in my life because I love you. And for as long as I live, I will always be here for you.”

(also if you understand that Boy Wonder reference, just know you deserve everything in life.)

You stood on your tippy toes, using his chest to balance yourself and before you knew it, he was kissing you and the world felt like it was falling away. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. His hand rested below your ear, his thumb caressing your cheek as the movement of your lips continued. Running your hand down his chest, you pulled his shirt towards you until there was no space left between you both.

The kiss was Derek’s salvation and his torment. He lived for them and he would die with the memory of them on his lips. He dedicated his life to being with you from the moment he set his eyes on you, for that he knew if he lost you, he would lose himself. You were the half that made him whole.

[gaemkyuu]

Of Kings & Queens (Part One)

Warnings: none!  A/N: Here’s the first part! This is mostly context to the story, with a sneak peak of Prince Charlie! I’ll upload a little more tomorrow! AU!Prince Charlie Gillespie x Fictional Character Disclaimer: This is a FICITONAL writing piece! In no way do I claim characters in this piece act this way in real life.

Masterlist *now taking requests ;)

Part 1/Part 2/Part 3/Part 4/Part 5/Part 6

Four Kingdoms stood strong.  North, East, South and West.  Four Royal Families would unite the land. The Blood of Gillespie would rule the cold North, bountiful with forestry and game. The Blood of Shada would rule the Eastern coast and land, mastering the stormy seas and its’ treasures. The Blood of Joyners would rule the hot Southern lands, gathering the resources for petrol that kept the Kingdoms running. The Blood of Lee would rule the golden coast of the Western lands, providing crops and livestock to feed the people. In each Kingdom, a Ruler to bring prosperity and peace to all its’ people.

Dawn was breaking and people were already moving busily about the Western Kingdom. As more people woke, the excitement in the air increased, for today was a special day. Festivities would start early in the day and go late into the night as the Western Kingdom celebrated the coming of age the Princess. Not only was it the Princess’ birthday, it also signified that the Princess was now officially on the Royal Market, searching for a partner to become King of the Western Kingdom. Tonight’s celebration at the castle would bring people from all over the nation, including the royal families from the Eastern, Southern, and Northern kingdoms. Farmers harvested and packed their crops and livestock, Bakers made fresh delights by the dozens, Florists put out their best and brightest flowers and the Merchants polished their wares. This special occasion would bring people from all over the Four Kingdoms to their stores in celebration and vacation. All the work that was being put into the celebration brought the citizens together and united them on this special day. 

Well... At least the citizens were excited...

The Princess was awoken by her best friend and handmaiden, much to her displeasure. She groaned and pulled the covers over her head as the curtains in her room were parted, trying to ignore the hustle and bustle going around her. She knew what day it was, and this made her want to stay in bed for much longer. She even debated not getting up at all. As her handmaiden made herself busy and gave directions to other servants that had entered her room, the princess pulled a pillow over her head, trying to make it clear that she had no intention of getting up. With a heavy sigh, her confidant gave the other servants orders and ushered them out before shutting the door softly behind them.

“Liv. I love you and you know how I feel about today, but I would really appreciate it if you would cooperate so we don’t have the queen on our butts this early” the princess groaned and her best friend pulled the covers off her body. She flinched at the bright sunlight streaming into her room.

“I’m not getting up today Sav. It’s not happening” Savannah shook her head and rolled her eyes at her friend. She knew that Olivia could be quite the drama queen, but today she needed her to cooperate so that she wouldn’t fall behind schedule. Savannah glanced at the clock, already knowing that the extra 15 minutes she allotted was now gone. 

“Liv, unless you want to bathe in a cold bath, you will get up or so help me I will dump ice water on you myself!” Olivia groaned and finally sat up looking at her best friend with disdain. “Listen, I know you don’t want to do Today. I get it. But you don’t need another reason to get on the nerves of the King and Queen today” Savannah’s voice sounded slightly distressed and Olivia felt a little guilty at her dramatization this morning.

Olivia and Savannah were best friends ever since she could remember. Savannah was the only friend she had growing up in the palace and was the only friend her parents let her have that wasn’t Royalty. Sure, there were the Duchesses and Countesses of the smaller lands in the Western Kingdom, but Olivia always found them snooty or rude. Savannah’s family had been helping the royal family for generations and they were integral parts of the inner workings of the palace. Naturally, when Savannah’s parents were busy at work Savannah would wander the halls until she found Olivia. The two were like sisters and the King and Queen appreciated the hard work her family put in to serving the Royal family. 

And while the Royal family paid them handsomely while providing them lodging, Olivia couldn’t help but feel a little guilty at times when the difference in their status showed. Olivia rarely wore the same dress twice, while Savannah had a very modest and small wardrobe. Olivia had a private instructor, while Savannah went to the school with other children. But Savannah never really cared and that’s what Olivia loved about her. She was a true and honest friend who Olivia felt safe confiding in.

“Sorry Sav. I didn’t mean to make this any harder on you than it already has been” Olivia offered her friend a smile, patting the spot beside her on the bed. “Think you can spend a few minutes off your feet? Debrief me on the day if you will?” Savannah greatly accepted the spot, giving her a knowing look and a big sigh.

“Well Princess-” Olivia glared at Savannah at the title. “You need to get into the baths and get clean so I can do your hair and make up before the lady the Queen hired arrives. There is no way I’m letting you face the neighbouring nations’ heirs with makeup and hair that I don’t approve of.” Olivia laughed at Savannah’s possessiveness.

“Do we know if the royal families are coming or just their heirs?” Olivia gave a stretch, preparing herself to start the day.

“To my knowledge, just the heirs... But I hear that Prince Charles is quite handsome!” Olivia rolled her eyes as Savannah winked at her. “What? I can’t help it! You hear the chitter chatter in the palace halls. They arrived yesterday and some of the other servants have already been gushing about him. He’s apparently really charming and great husband material” Savannah saw the look of defeat briefly cross her friend’s eyes, before covering it up with an annoyed sigh. “But enough of that. Let’s get you cleaned and dressed and ready to greet our guests.”

***

“Alright Liv, take a deep breath and hold it, I’m pulling up the zipper!” Olivia did as she was told, while Savannah pulled up the zipper to her dress. She was already dreading the fact that she would have to wear the elaborate garb for several hours. Although the light blue gown was absolutely stunning and represented her fashion sense too, she didn’t expect it to come in several pieces. After putting on two layers of skirt, she had a separate top that needed to be zipped up and a cape draped over her shoulders. She could already feel the weight of the material weighing her down a bit and she sighed at the fact that they hadn’t put on her jewelry yet. Savannah and her helpers busied themselves about putting on a bracelet here and a necklace there. Another girl was putting on her earrings while the other made small hems to her dress. Olivia felt like the dolls that her and Savannah played with as little girls.

“Voila! I’ve outdone myself!” Savannah exclaimed, admiring her bestfriend’s transformation, stepping away from her so that she could see herself in the mirror. As much as Olivia didn’t want to like this moment, she couldn’t stop the smile that graced her face. Her best friend had listened to her every request about her dress. Her mother insisted that her first dress be floor length, modest and a Queen Ann neckline. She requested that the dress be midnight blue with the lace accents to be gold. Her mother criticized her colour choice, saying that dark colours were for the evening, not the morning. Olivia argued that if she had no say in the dress at all, she would go naked, a response in which her mother glared angrily at her. However, as she looked at herself in the mirror, she realized that Savannah had taken her mother’s requests and her requests and blended them together. She had a high waisted, A-line skirt that held the princess look her mother wanted, but it wasn’t so big that Olivia felt like a pastry. The Queen Ann neckline was a dark blue mesh with gold lace accents that extended into long sleeves for her arms. Her bodice held very little decoration as the bottom of her dress held all the royal ornate details. The velvet floor length cape was held together by a golden broach.

As per tradition, Olivia wore her family jewels. The gold diamond festoon necklace sat proudly upon her collar and the gold and sapphire earrings were prominent but not over done. A small dainty gold bracelet sat on her wrist and her family ring decorated her right hand. Her hair was neatly pulled back into a loosened braided low bun with the occasional curl framing her face.

“You’ve done a fine job Savannah” the girls jumped at the voice of the Queen. Quickly turning around, Savannah curtsied to her majesty and Olivia followed with a smaller curtsy. “Savannah, could you please grab the tiara out of the case?”

“Yes, your majesty” Savannah hurried over to the velvet case on the vanity and presented it to the Queen. The small but simple gold tiara sparkled in the light of the room. As the Queen gently picked the tiara up, Olivia bowed, lowering her head, a gesture she was all too familiar with. Her mother placed her tiara upon her head and held her face in her hands. She kissed her daughter on the head, careful not to get any lipstick on her.

“The gods have been great to bless me with a daughter as beautiful as you.” Olivia smiled at her mom, not expecting the sudden emotional tenderness she displayed. “Happy Birthday my dearest. Promise me you’ll try to behave yourself today?” Olivia scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“I’ll try” her mother chuckled softly.

“Just like your father... All I ask is that you give today a chance to be great. You might be surprised at the unexpected events that may present themselves to you” Olivia could never see herself being as polished as her mother. She knew her mother had her best interest at heart, but Olivia couldn’t help but feel like her mother was forcing her to fit into traditional roles of the Kingdom. “If you’ll excuse me, I must be on my way to the throne room. I shall see you shortly Olivia. Savannah, please ensure that the Princess does not stall. I would hate to have her tardy for her grand entrance.”

“Yes your highness!” Savannah curtsied as her mother and the remaining servants exited, leaving the two of them in the room. “Ready to go my lady?”

“Savannah, you know you can drop the formalities around me.” Olivia stepped off the round fitting platform, Savannah catching her arm as Olivia stumbled for a moment, not used to wearing heels. “It makes me feel weird!”

“I know, but we are going to be around tons of people today and most of them would probably have my head if I called you by name in front of them. I’ll be at your side the entire time, but when others are around, you have to remember I’m your attendant” Olivia sighed in slight disappointment, but she knew her friend was right.

“How is it that you’re not the Princess and I am? You’d be way better at this than I am” Savannah giggled at her remarks and dusted her dress off before they opened the door. They knew that her royal guards were right behind it and that as soon as they exited the room, their dynamic had to change.

“Please, I can’t hide my feelings as easily as you. When I think someone is an idiot, it’s clear all over my face and I don’t even notice it!” they shared a laugh as they opened the door and officially started the day. 

But they didn’t expect to see a brown haired man zoom by them in hysterical laughter as a taller blonde man chased after him. 

“Charlie! Get back here with my crown!” and the two disappeared around the corner. Olivia blinked in shocked, trying to process whether the scene in front of her happened or not. As her and Savannah shared a look and shrugged their shoulders, they realized that today was going to indeed be very eventful.

tag list:  @ifilwtmfc

[heyitsdoe]

What Could Never Be | Trafalgar Law x OC Oneshot | (One-Sided Love)

Mira knew Law was no longer the nihilistic little boy who'd strapped himself with grenades the first time they'd met, but she was still the same weak, dependent, and obedient subordinate to the very man they both hated. It was all she knew. But she'd watched him grow up, become strong. And despite everything, she just couldn't believe he would actually kill the Heavenly Demon.

Words: 11.7k

WARNINGS: Character Death, dependence and emotional manipulation, depressive thoughts

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mira had always known there was something…different, to Law. Something more than the Donquixote pirates could ever see or hope to exploit. Something dangerous. Something…instinctual. Doflamingo may have lifted him from the rubbish to join the little group they called a 'family,' but she knew he was destined for other things, someday. Somewhere. Her Ōra Ōra No Mi made sure of that.

His eyes had been…steely. Cold. So very wise and cynical for someone so young. And despite only being 9 years old at the time, she remembered how they had scared her the moment she'd seen their dark gray hue from underneath the fur of his spotted hat. Of course, being tasked with making sure he was healthy and uninjured before he fully joined the crew meant she had to get up close and personal with him on his first day of being recruited. A task she hadn't been eager to fulfill at the time.

He'd remained silent the entire time her hands hovered over his person, his gaze off somewhere else while she used her ability to check his body. Despite some bruising and a few cuts here and there, he had been otherwise fine. Incidentally, despite being terrified of the solemn new boy, she couldn't help but be curious as to where he came from. What he'd been through. So, pushing a little deeper with her ability, hands glowing a faint white as she extended her reach past the physical plane, she'd touched the very edge of his psyche.

Blood. Darkness. Screaming and crying out from the ashes of burnt buildings. Terrified citizens, running in fear. Gunshots and the shouts of foreign men. Tears that fell and disappeared into the dirt beneath his feet as he carried a little girl to safety. His sister. She was sick. So was he. A fire. The air was so hot, too intense. White and black with the distinctly out of place splash of red mixed in. A rosary. And then the putrid smell of the dead.

Mira had recoiled in shock and disgust at the images that had flashed through her mind. She'd never experienced something so…horrific. Law had looked at her strangely afterwards, but of course he had no way of knowing what she'd even been doing in the first place. Her ability left no sensation to the person she used it on.

With a mumbled 'You're healthy' and downcast eyes, she'd run from the Donquixote's infirmary and hid in her room, curling up in bed with her arms wrapped around her knees. The images would linger clearly for days afterwards. Jora had asked after her to see if she would be joining them for dinner, but Mira had refused, not wanted to talk about it at the time. They chalked her sad mood up to Law being callous again, and gave it no further thought.

And yet despite his troubled and dark past, he didn't seem to let it take hold of him. Law had integrated well into the 'family's' dynamic in the days after. Lao G and Diamante took up the responsibility of conducting most of his training. Gladius had offered his services, but after one session he'd been too irritated with Law's snarky personality to bother continuing. Besides, most of the crew agreed that for the time being it would have been best to keep explosives away from the wicked child.

Her curiosity eventually won out over her fear, though. Buffalo and Baby 5 had no problems talking and making fun of Law as soon as he'd joined their 'family,' but Mira had always been shy. Doflamingo had urged her to talk more. To socialize, lest she lose her edge as their perfect infiltrator. But it was never easy and always the thing she disliked most about her duty.

So she'd done what she did best; blend in. Always following Law and the others at the edge of their vision, she watched. Watched and listened to everything they said and did. Baby 5 talked the most, normally about what she thought of places and people that came to her mind. More than once, Mira got to hear the young girl insult her and her 'unhelpful abilities.' In each instance, Buffalo had always agreed, usually following up with a laugh and another jab at her bland personality. It always made her sad, to know that she was so disliked by the children of the 'family.' The adults seemed to think that her devil fruit was a great thing, helpful and useful, but Mira knew in a fight it wasn't much use. Her strength lay in deception and infiltration.

Mira honestly couldn't tell if Law noticed her when she hid in the corners and behind walls to watch them, as he didn't acknowledge her presence at all. In fact, he tried his best to rid himself of Baby 5 and Buffalo as well, but always to no avail. They were attached to his hip, hell-bent on talking his ear off and driving him crazy. Mira supposed Doflamingo had ordered them to make sure he didn't try anything funny. It sounded like something he'd do.

She could tell that Doflamingo took a special interest in Law. At dinners he'd always keep one eye out for the boy, idly nodding in time to whatever conversation Jora and Gladius were having on his left side. No one ever really spoke to Mira. Perhaps they felt she had nothing helpful to add to a conversation. Or perhaps they simply didn't care for her opinion. By now, she was used to it, and almost enjoyed being able to simply remain in the background of the large gathering.

And then Corazon had returned. If there was someone even quieter than Mira, it was him. The mute younger brother of their fearless leader. She'd always liked him more than Doflamingo, a fact she knew never to admit aloud. He seemed…kinder than his older brother, though she'd witnessed several times when he'd tried throwing the other children out the window of their home. She'd nearly been the victim of one such instance, but Doflamingo had distracted him with something else before he could carry out his act of aggression.

Right away, she could see that Law hated the man. For what reason, she wasn't sure. Her timid nature and lack of reason to get in his close proximity made it difficult to use her Ōra Ōra No Mi again to know for sure. All she knew was that Law acted differently when the mute brother was in his vicinity.

And then it had happened. Mira had been wandering her way through the rubble around the base, trying to find treasure in the ruins as a means to pass the time. She supposed it had been an instance of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but she'd witnessed it all. Law took a running go at Corazon from behind, penetrating his dagger straight into the man's back. Mira gasped, her hands flying up to her mouth to present any noise from escaping. At the distance she was to them, it was unclear if either party said anything, but the next thing she knew, Law was sprinting away off in the opposite direction.

Mira had returned to the base, unsure of what to do. Of course, assaulting a member of the executive 'family' was a capital offense, one punishable by death. As a member of the crew, Mira was expected to report what she'd seen, but…was she willing to sentence the young boy to death for his actions? She'd seen inside his mind. He was troubled and angry. Surely this was just a foolish way of him acting out? Before she could even act on whatever her decision would have been, Jora dragged the kicking and squirming Law back into the dining hall to present him to Doflamingo himself.

After his official-yet-unexpected acceptance into the 'family,' Law got a lot more involved with their activities. Doflamingo had decided that it was time to leave their current place of residence and find a new home. Of course, this meant Mira would play a large part in the coming days. She'd be forced to use her innocent appearance and powers to get them inside wherever it was they wanted to be.

A wealthy trade-master's mansion is where they stopped next. He was an honest man, gaining most of his wealth off of the textiles industry, and he paid his employees well. Doflamingo had heard word of a large and apparently very bountiful vault in the bowels of his mansion. The pirate side of him wanted the treasure that could be hiding within. The tyrant side just wanted to see him suffer.

Mira was dressed in rags, her face smeared unpleasantly with dirt and grease, and pushed towards the gates of the mansion without so much as a 'good luck.' Barefoot and crying real tears, small Mira did as was expected of her and met the guardsman at the wrought-iron gate. As had happened every other time she'd participated in this routine, he'd immediately let his guard down and allowed her inside.

She was then wrapped in a soft blanket and given plenty of delicious food to eat, but most often she rarely ever took what was offered. Because she knew what would happen to them later that night, and it sickened her. The people inside were so kind and nice, and when she touched them, their souls reflected the same sentiments. It hurt the worst when she was sent into the homes of good souls, because they were the least deserving of such predetermined fates.

Once settled, she would then tell them that she was lost, and looking for her family. Coincidentally, Doflamingo and his pack would then stroll in town, proclaiming to search for their lost little one. They'd be invited inside of the mansion to collect her once word spread that she was who they were after. And once the 'family' was in the building, there were rarely ever survivors to speak of the tragedies that occurred inside the walls.

Mira tried sanctioning herself away from the others after her task was completed, preferring to suffer in silence and by herself, but this time she was not alone. Law, of all others, had sought her out to ask about her powers. It was the first time he'd truly acknowledged her existence at all.

He'd asked questions. Pushy and tactless questions. Ones she had no desire to answer. But answer she did. Law was always intrigued by her response, and after that day he started to seek out her company more often. Though perhaps, looking back, she'd simply been the better alternative to Baby 5 and Buffalo who were always annoying him.

To say they'd grown to be friends would be lying. Law didn't seem to desire friendship or companionship of any kind. Rather, their relationship was purely business. Mira couldn't have cared less what it really was, she was simply glad for the company and conversation. It was hard to see just how lonely you were until you suddenly weren't.

As they spent more and more days together in the stolen mansion, exploring its halls and secret rooms within, Law too began to answer questions she had not even had to voice. Flevance and the Amber Lead sickness. The reason why his skin was discolored and continued to grow worse as the months went on. His shortened lifespan, and why he held only one desire; to take out as many people as he could in the world. It had horrified her, but she'd understood. After seeing his own past through her eyes, she couldn't blame him.

Several days had passed since then, and the townspeople had begun to grow in numbers in opposition. When word reached Doflamingo of an apparent uprising against him and his crew, he'd ordered Mira to go to the leader and do what she did best. Armed with a cover story and a few bruises to make it believable, courtesy of Trebol's hands, she'd run in the middle of the night to the city's governor. Through genuine tears and with thick emotion she'd proclaimed how she'd escaped and come to warn them of an attack on the town. They'd heralded her a hero as she relayed the meeting time and place to them, given more food and more warm blankets as reward for her bravery and courage to do the right thing. She refused the food.

When most of the uprisers had gone to sleep that night, she'd spirited away from them, returning to the mansion with their numbers and weaknesses as she'd been instructed. Doflamingo had welcomed her back with open arms and the praise that she'd done well. More food was offered. She refused that too.

In the words of Lao G and Trebol, the massacre had been glorious and…amusing. Caught by surprise with no way to defend against Doflamingo's executives, the civilians hadn't stood a chance against the perfect plan the pirate had set in motion. Mira felt sick to know she'd been a primary cause of so many deaths.

For the rest of the day, she'd stayed in her room, even refusing to talk to Law when he'd come to speak with her. She was in no mood to converse with her…friend. She enjoyed his company, but in the face of such a sin on her part, it would have simply made her cry.

Another month. Another location. But this time, she didn't feel as guilty for infiltrating the shipping merchant's lavish home. Her glowing touch had revealed that there were slave children in the basement. Toys and pets for his sick pleasure. A single tear hadn't fallen from her cheeks as his blood painted the foyer. Perhaps the maids and butlers' who accompanied him in death hadn't been justified, but at least she felt somewhat sated that a monster had been taken from the world.

She also had no qualms as to where the slave children would end up after Doflamingo 'rescued' them from below. Sent off on a merchant ship, no doubt to live under a new master. She hated it. Unfortunately, no one could go against Doflamingo's will.

There were boats aplenty to play in at this new place. Baby 5 and Buffalo always liked taking the small dinghy out on the shore. They never invited her. Perhaps Law, but if they did, he'd always refused. Instead, he'd asked if she wanted to go on a boat ride with him. At the time, she'd been slightly afraid of going out on a boat. With her devil fruit, she could not swim. If something were to happen, she doubted Law would be able to help her by himself.

He'd somehow convinced her that nothing would happen, and they'd spent an afternoon floating on the waves. Mira timidly dipped a finger into the water, feeling a slight numbing against her skin, but fascinating by the sensation all the same. While she was distracted, Law yelled and smacked the side of the boat beside her head, and she nearly fell in the water with a scream. He laughed and laughed while she cried from terror of almost having fallen in. Law didn't seem to care and simply rowed them back to shore. She hadn't been too happy about the events of the day, but couldn't find it in herself to stay mad at him.

It hadn't occurred to her that somewhere along the line, she began to see him as…more than a friend. Over the course of another year, they spent most of their free time together, talking or partaking in various activities. Law kept their conversations platonic and impersonal most of the time. Only Mira ever broached the subject of their pasts, and rarely did Law seem to care what she had to say about hers. That was fine. She was used to it. But a small portion of her inner thoughts could dream of what they might become in the future, once they were grown up.

They both grew stronger. Well, physically, Law's body became resilient. The color continued to drain from his body, but his muscles grew. While still thin, his body began to tone, filling out the empty space with strength. Mira, on her part, continued perfecting her devil fruit abilities until she could successfully read a person from a small distance. No longer did she need to have direct physical contact with someone to see their inner thoughts and feelings. Doflamingo had praised her for this feat, as well. It left a bad taste in her mouth.

And then, over time, Law began to weaken. Mira could see that he tried to hide it from the others, but the grimaces of occasional pain while out wandering their new home or the tiny coughs he kept in careful check were things she noticed immediately. The Amber Lead sickness was beginning to take it's toll, slowly eating away at his insides. Mira's ability helped her keep progress with just how bad his internal injuries began to get. Several of his organs were close to failing.

Just as suddenly as she'd noticed the drastic turn in his condition, he was gone. Corazon had apparently taken him in the dead of night without informing the rest of the 'family.' Originally, Doflamingo had been displeased—several crates of weapons and a few sake bottles broken in his rage were evidence of that—but he could see the use in keeping Law alive. He had potential, a phrase she'd heard multiple times in relation to the boy, and Doflamingo loved those with potential.

The days were long, and soon they turned into months. Mira yearned for her friend that was so far away and so out of reach. Her life returned to the very lonely existence it had been before, but it was nearly unbearable now. Baby 5 and Buffalo still thought she was weird and creepy and boring, and refused to associate with her. Jora was too busy attending to the infant Dellinger to care about a teenage Mira. She could deal with her own problems on her own, as she'd blatantly told the young girl.

However, with Law out of reach for him to focus on, Doflamingo seemed to redirect his attention onto the young girl. He'd approached her with questions about her progress on her devil fruit abilities, and how she expected them to continue to grow. Mira was still a little terrified of the man, but felt somewhat pleased to be the object of his attention. Suddenly she was special. Important. He cared enough to acknowledge that she was even a part of the 'family.'

He'd asked her to train, hard and long days, to increase the distance at which she could use her ability. It was a request from Doflamingo, so how could she have refused? It took several months of exhausting days and nights spent trying to extend the reach of her powers, but by the end of it, she could extend her touch to nearly half a kilometer. She'd smiled in pride when Doflamingo had praised her progress.

As she'd suspected, Doflamingo had had a mission in mind for her once she'd reached this benchmark to her devil fruit. With a backpack of food and supplies, she'd been instructed to spend a few days in a merchant and shipping port and learn whatever she could from the ship captains there.

So she travelled to where he'd told her, rented out a room at the tavern, and spent most of her days sitting alone in the corner of the bar to observe and prod those who walked inside. Many were disgusting, greasy older men who she would have rather not intruded into. Their minds were filled with images of naked women and brutal murders, piles of gold and a crowd of equally filthy crewmen singing pirate songs until the break of dawn.

Some were simple traders. She much preferred their minds over the rest, as most focused on their work trading fish and wheat and sugar, or missing their wives and children back home. It could be dangerous work, a merchant's trade line was an open avenue for attack or plunder, so they lived each day as if it were their last. She hoped they would all return home to see their families again, despite knowing the odds.

One man in particular had caught her interest. Not simply because of the valuable treasure he was thinking non-stop about—a peculiar-shaped devil fruit—but because he brought with him a young boy with vibrant red hair, about her age. He looked just as shy as her, and kept quiet as his captain—or father, as she quickly discovered—drank his alcohol at the bar. She wrote down what information she could about what she learned from his thoughts, before drifting off to another pirate or two. Just because one man had interesting things to divulge to her didn't mean there weren't others.

After her mission, she'd returned to Doflamingo with her findings. He'd seemed pleased with her report, and offered her a feast at the end of the night. It had been a long few days, so she accepted the reward happily.

In a gathering over dinner, Doflamingo had proclaimed wonderful news. The treasure that the captain had thought about? It had been the Ope Ope No Mi. One of the world's most powerful devil fruits and supposedly the one and only thing that could cure Law of his sickness. Mira had been thrilled. She'd been dreading the time when Law's lifespan would end, so soon, so young. But this could save her friend. It could bring him new life. Perhaps give him a sense of hope and happiness he'd lacked over the few years of them being in the crew.

The family had gathered up their best equipment and set sail for Minion Island to retrieve the fruit. Doflamingo had presented the pirates holding the fruit with an irrefutable offer, though Mira had a feeling he had no intention of keeping it. Her thoughts had been correct, but the turn of events had still surprised her.

When the shooting began, and the birdcage was put up, she'd been instructed by Gladius to find a place to hide until she was retrieved. Useless in a fight, her best action now would be to simply get out of the way of the rest of the 'family.' She did as instructed, but searched out with her devil fruit to see what was going on.

Betrayal. Pain. Anger. Loathing. And strangely enough…hope. And even stranger…that hope was coming from Law. For the time being, it was easy to ignore the confusion as to how they had gotten to the island in the first place. She could distinctly recognize what his mind felt like in comparison to others, as she'd spent a large amount of time in it during his stay with the 'family.' He was feeling hope, of all things. Now, of all times.

And then so much pain. Physical pain. His body was beaten and bloodied. She could feel the damage even from this distance. Her eyes stung with tears as she sat behind a crate and a stone wall, trying to keep her emotions in check while she continued monitoring what was going on.

Following the physical pain was a heartbreak and sorrow she had trouble comprehending. She pushed further, trying to see what had caused such suffering in her friend. Pure darkness. Snippets of conversation she didn't understand. Then a gunshot. And more gunshots. And when they stopped, the click of an empty gun. Corazon. Corazon. Corazon, over and over in his mind. Law was wailing and crying, somewhere in darkness, but nobody appeared to hear him or care.

She snapped back to her own head and sobbed uncontrollably. His emotions had been so strong, so intense, she had trouble distinguishing them from her own. This night had gone so terribly wrong. This was supposed to be the way to save her friend's life. To stop the sickness in him and to continue living with him and Doflamingo. What had happened for it to end this way?

Eventually, the birdcage had disappeared, and Gladius rounded the corner to retrieve her. She was still sobbing, but he didn't care enough to ask why. Perhaps he simply figured she was terrified of being found. Or that she was simply a weak little girl. And she didn't know whether he was correct or not.

Doflamingo had ordered them all back to their ship with a solemn and dark expression. Corazon and Law were nowhere to be seen, and no one mentioned either of their names as they boarded the ship. Mira was too scared to ask, and she doubted any of them would bother answering. Somewhere, cannon fire could still be heard, and Mira feared that somewhere, Law was still in danger. She tried reaching out with her ability, but could not find him at all.

In the days after Minion Island's disastrous events, Mira had come to learn that Corazon was dead, and Law was lost to the marines. Talk over dinner was that Corazon and Law had both betrayed the 'family,' and that his death was simply a punishment for turning traitor. Plans would change, things would have to be worked around, now that they had one less executive to their name. But life would go on.

For Mira, however, it was not easy. She'd lost a dear friend that day. Her only friend, realistically. The only person who'd acknowledged her existence on a continuous basis. Someone to talk to and to enjoy company with. Gone with the marines to supposedly never return. Several nights afterwards, it was difficult for her to find sleep, preoccupied with wondering what Law was up to and if he was alright. She'd tried in vain to extend her ability's field of effect to try to reach him, but of course he was nowhere nearby and she could not search around the world. It was a futile gesture.

Days turned into months. Her sleepless nights were more infrequent now, but still predictable. Naturally no one seemed to notice her silent suffering. Or if they did, they figured it wasn't their problem. Mira had always been a weakling, they must have thought, some sniveling brat who needed a teddy and a blanket to comfort her. She'd have to deal with her sorrow on her own, and so she did. After all, she'd come to depend on only herself for a long time now.

Months turned into years. The Donquixote 'Family' had increased in number. Vergo had returned to the group briefly to accept the new position of Corazon within the group, before being deployed again as a spy for the marines. Monet had also joined their operation. Mira wasn't sure what to make of Monet, as she seemed far too aloof and smart for her liking. The feeling was mutual, it seemed, as their first time face to face, Monet gave her a brief once-over before turning away without a word. Another person who would not acknowledge her.

No longer the 9 year old girl Law had first met, now 15 and growing into a young woman, Mira had successfully helped to infiltrate the ranks of the Dressrosa royal family. After years of keeping up her job of getting them into their new homes, it had becoming easier to put distance between herself and their targets. However, something about the King and his family made her sad. They were so happy. So joyful and close. It was a shame that Mira would be instrumental in tearing them down to the most basic pieces.

Unusually, Doflamingo himself wanted to carry out the main assault this time. His brief conversation with the King had gone as expected, but no one had lived after telling the fearsome pirate 'no.' That night marked a brutal and bloody day in the history of Dressrosa, but thanks to perfect manipulation and timing by Doflamingo's group, they'd swiftly and easily taken control of the country in a matter of hours. Cold. Professional…Sickeningly simple.

Mira felt another little piece of herself die as they walked into their new home. A large, luxurious castle. The stone walls made her feel so small and meek. Just another stolen home for a group of thieves.

The 'family' settled into their new home quickly and comfortably. This time around, it seemed that Doflamingo planned to make this the final location of their base of operations. Why wouldn't he, given it was the lifestyle of a king? He too made himself comfortable in the palace, something he'd never before done at their previous locations.

Mira was given a small room all her own. Simple and basically furnished. Nothing special. She supposed she was expected to decorate and make it her own, but she could think of nothing to bring in to change how it looked now. And so the walls remained unpainted. The shelves empty of trinkets and shiny things. No banners or pictures hung on the walls. Baby 5 and Buffalo had both mentioned once more how bland she was. Mira supposed they were right.

When Mira had turned the age of 20, Monet left the group to work with a man named Caeser. And once again, Doflamingo had a mission for her as well. However, this time, she was expected to be away a lot longer than the first. Tasked with procuring information and data on the various goings-on in several key locations around the world, Mira would be away from home for long periods of time. Alone and with no one to depend on.

She'd packed a bag and, without so much as a goodbye from any of the 'family,' Mira started towards the nearest dock to find a ship to ferry her to the first island.

It was a strange mix of terrifying and liberating to be on her own, away from the 'family.' Her life was suddenly measured by a weekly report to Doflamingo, or Diamante if their leader was otherwise preoccupied. Goings-on, the movements of important people, current events that happened that could be of some importance. She relayed everything she thought was relevant to them until the time when he requested she move to the next island and start over.

For 3 years, she did as told, ferrying information to the Donquixote pirates from around the world. Her innate ability to blend in gave her a great advantage over other information gatherers, and she was able to get close enough to many influential people in both the marines and the government. Secrets became her currency, and all of it was sent to Doflamingo.

Sabaody Archipelago was her next target, and news had been abuzz about the supernovas currently sailing the seas. Mira was well informed. She knew that Law was indeed one of the up-in-coming rookies gathering a crew of men to find the One Piece. She'd kept up with his progress up to that point, tracking his movements and bounty through the newspapers. He was rising up through the ranks of pirates quickly, and she couldn't help but smile every time she saw his wanted poster plastered across city notice boards and newspapers. She always knew there was more that he could do, given the chance to.

Mira felt…torn. Her assignment was indeed on Sabaody, but she was unsure whether Doflamingo expected Law to be in her report. He hadn't even mentioned his name since the fateful night on Minion Island, and a part of her feared punishment if she brought it up to him. However, if she left him out entirely but he was expecting some sort of mention, perhaps he would think she was trying to hide him from the 'family.' The young woman wasn't sure what to do.

She had almost tried avoiding areas where she expected him to be most, aimlessly wandering the best parts of the city in an effort to steer clear of the lawless zone where most pirates ended up going. She was fearful of seeing him again after so much time had passed. Would he even recognize her, should they meet face to face?

Despite her best effort, if was difficult to keep him out of her thoughts. Half-heartedly wandering the streets of the various Groves on the Archipelago, most people didn't even give her a passing glance. Mira knew she should be focusing. Doflamingo wouldn't be pleased with a spotty report, and if it happened here of all places, perhaps he might get suspicious.

It was in Grove 2 that Mira felt herself stop walking, standing in place. She normally walked with her ability stretched ahead, probing for information in the minds of those who wouldn't even know she was there. It touched a very familiar mind, a familiar feel, and she was brought up short at the sudden realization that he was there. Law was here.

Her eyes drifted up, and he was in sight. A few hundred feet ahead, wearing a bright yellow shirt with his jolly roger on it. The corners of her mouth tugged upwards just a smidge when she saw he still wore his spotted hat. Much taller than she'd expect of him, lean and fit, he wore a relaxed grin as he walked with a small group of people. His crew. She'd seen news reports and photographs of them. The bear had always struck her as odd, but nonetheless cute.

The pirate group walked out of her line of sight. Panicked that she may lose him in the crowd, her feet uprooted themselves from the ground where she stood and hurried after them. Something about seeing him in person made the nerves return tenfold, but there was a deeply buried part of herself that pushed past them enough to keep going forward. Hope. Relief. And the thought that she'd have her friend back in her life again.

This time, she dared moving a bit closer, to get a better look at him. He carried a cursed blade. Now that she saw him closer, her eyes skated along the tattoos adorning his arms and hands. Fascinating. Again, she moved closer, until she was right behind them, following silently. Her head tilted to the side, trying to keep Law within her view, but several of his crew walking behind him blocked her sight.

And for the first time since Minion Island, she reached her ability forward to try digging a bit deeper to see what he'd been through all these years they'd been apart.

Law stopped walking and, in a panic, Mira stepped off to the side behind a group of people talking. Eyes wide, she watched as Law looked around the area searching for…something. This was unexpected. Had he felt her attempt at intrusion? No one had before…Mira wasn't sure what to think about this.

The bear leaned in and spoke to Law, who was peering around him with suspicion. She felt his eyes skate across her without stopping, and she felt a sigh of relief. With a shake of his head and a quick word to his companion, the group began walking again, towards Grove 1.

Mira's heart thundered a fearful beat in her chest, the shot of adrenaline it had caused still coursing through her now. Her breaths came out fast and shallow. She'd been so close to being discovered. There was no doubt in her mind that Doflamingo had not intended for her to ever approach Law, seeing as he was marked a traitor to the 'family.'

She waited several seconds before following after them, her curiosity too strong, and her rising happiness fueling the desire to see what he was like and where he was going. She didn't try digging into his mind again, as she knew he would probably feel it a second time. The first could be brushed off as a fluke. The second would definitely arouse a defensive reaction.

Law lead his crew to Grove 1, and surprisingly, the Human Auction House. Mira felt herself frowning, wondering why he had an interest in going there. Perhaps…he had changed over the years…Even still, she continued to follow. If Law had turned into something she could no longer recognize as the boy from when she was 9 years old, then at least she could confirm it for herself.

Strangely, Law stopped right in front of the auction house steps and directed his crew inside. He himself, however, stayed behind and wandered off in another direction. Odd. Where was he going now? Mira picked herself up from the bench she'd settled on to watch them separate and followed after the direction Law had gone. He'd disappeared behind the wall of a building, and she was intent not to lose track of him.

A small distance away, the pirate rounded another corner and was lost to sight again. She hurried to catch up, jogging a bit in order not to take too long. The moment she was close to the corner he'd turned down, Mira felt strong hands grab her shoulders and drag her down the small alley. She opened her mouth to yell, but one of the hands clamped down on her mouth. With a start, she felt the hard impact of the building's bricks at her back.

Her eyes flashed open and she stared into the dark gray of the person she thought she knew. They searched her face critically, confused. And then the confusion cleared and he released the hand on her mouth. "Mira."

The young woman nodded, at a loss for words, now that she was face to face with the pirate himself. He'd grown so handsome in their time apart. Perhaps that was part of her apprehension. His good looks were intimidating, especially considering that she'd always held him as more than just a simple friend. Her heart pounded steadily against her ribcage, terrified and elated at being so close to him now.

"Why are you here?" He demanded in a smooth voice, tinged with suspicion.

"It's my mission." She said simply, and Law frowned deeper.

"He sent you to follow me?"

Mira's head shook rapidly. "No. I was told to gather information in key places around the world. This was my next location."

Law searched her eyes, not believing her. Mira raised a hand and grabbed onto the hand still holding her against the wall. She stared up at him and transmitted her own thoughts to him, proving that what she said was true. It was still a new ability she'd been working to perfect, but she could see through his eyes that it had worked. And in establishing a connection between them, she also took the opportunity to intrude on his thoughts.

A long journey. Hard times. Unexpected friends and comrades. Pride of forming his own crew, and many late nights enjoying their company. A sense of freedom. The sight of the sun dipping below an expanse of ocean. A yellow vessels all his own. Deep, buried pain still carving away at his heart. Long, sleepless nights. Corazon. Sorrow. Medical reports and studying. Hatred. Doflamingo. Vengeance.

Law narrowed his eyes, then wrenched his arm away from her. "Stop."

She did. Her ability ceased, her hands stopped glowing a faint white, and she looked at him with sadness. He was still hurting from what happened all those years ago, but he was still much of the same person he had been. This vendetta against Doflamingo, however…this plan of his, barely even more than an idea…

"You can't." She whispered, her head slowly shaking. "He's stronger than you."

"I have to. For him." He said without hesitation. Without fear. The young woman knew he meant Corazon. Whatever had happened between them during their time away from the 'family' had certainly strengthened their bond.

Mira looked away, unsure of what to say. She knew nothing she said would convince him otherwise, and he was aware that she was much too weak and dependent on them to betray Doflamingo. She'd never had anywhere else to go. Nowhere where she'd be accepted or taken care of. Obedience to them was ingrained in her very DNA now. However, they'd been close. They'd acknowledged each other as children. Kept each other company. That meant a lot to her. She wasn't sure what it meant to him.

"You should leave them. Run somewhere." He eventually stated, grabbing the sword from where it leaned against the bricks and hoisted it to his shoulder. "Because I plan to crush them into ruin. One day. And if you're still with them the next time we meet…"

Mira watched as he turned his back to her, already walking away. "…I'll be forced to kill you too."

She had said nothing more, watching him leave the alleyway and heading back towards the auction house. Law's plan, his desire to destroy the Donquixote pirates was…a fantasy. A dream. Impossible. No matter how much she'd wished for the very same thing growing up, after the results of her infiltration and the punishment and murders of good people, Mira knew that it was something that would never come to fruition. Doflamingo was too powerful. He was too smart and cunning. And he was expecting Law to do such a thing.

She'd retreated to her room at the inn and shut her mind to everything. He'd been so…resolute and certain that he could pull off his eventual plan, whatever the final product happened to be, that she so desperately wanted to believe him. But she couldn't. She'd seen Doflamingo's strength. Seen his wrath. And she was afraid of being on the receiving end of it.

The disastrous events at the auction house that day, the assault of a Celestial Dragon, the scattering of the Straw Hat Pirates, the escape of the rest of the supernovas, and the panic of the citizens, had all been included in her report to Doflamingo that day. Of course, she'd decided to mention seeing Law, but omitted their conversation in the alley way. He would have no way of finding out, and Mira felt safe enough to keep this one small moment private. It felt more intimate that way.

Doflamingo had determined that there was nothing more to be learned here, now that the marines were trying to make sense of what had happened. Mira was sent to the next island, somewhere in the New World, and start again gathering information. But now, instead of murders and treasures and lost loved ones that occupied her mind during her dreams—leftover images from those she intruded upon during the day—it was Law.

Frail, meek Mira couldn't help but fantasize about him. He was so strong and confident now. The nihilistic child she'd first met was now free to exercise his wishes as he saw fit. And for whatever reason, he'd decided that it was his mission in life to destroy everything Doflamingo had worked to create. She wasn't sure whether he had a death wish or not.

That strength…appealed to her. She was weak. In a fight, she'd be a goner. But Law was…tough. Handsome and a bit mysterious. For someone desperately trying to find something to believe in other than her sadistic 'family,' Law was an easy and familiar choice. He was comforting to her. And in that sense, she began to believe in herself just a bit more too. Enough to rebel in the smallest ways she could.

If Law's plan was to work, he would need information. Accurate information. Something Mira dealt with first-hand. A person's subconscious couldn't lie, and he was in a unique position of being unsupervised while she worked. Doflamingo would still receive his reports, but now, in addition, she'd send a little tidbit out on the grapevine. A touch here, or a prod there, planting the seeds of information to those who would use it best. Spread it secretly, and perhaps it would reach Law in his travels.

It was a long-shot, of course. She highly doubted it would be of any help. Law could be anywhere in the world, and these people she was feeding information through may never cross paths with him. They may never talk about what they suddenly know. But she could at least try. Her small way of rebelling.

Each day, she'd do her job for the 'family.' She'd take down information to pass along to Doflamingo. Each day, she'd plant information about the Donquixote pirates and their activities, sending it along to hopefully help Law with his mission. Each day, she couldn't help but fall even more deeply fascinating with him. As someone who had never experienced love at its best, Mira did not know for sure if that is what she felt for him. There was no reference for her to compare to. Perhaps this was simply an unhealthy obsession for a childhood friend. Or perhaps it was love. She did not know.

More time passed. Doflamingo was always very thankful for her reports, and praised her loyalty and dedication to her work. Mira was torn between feeling pride and feeling shame, and decided that she'd simply push them both down below her subconscious to deal with later. So she nodded and accepted his words without any feeling at all.

Now 25, it was more difficult to blend in with crowds, especially from men. More than once, she was interrupted in her task by a man wanting to talk to her. Lacking social skills of any kind, most often she made her escape with wide eyes and a confused man left behind. Her life was a lonely one, and she was afraid of actually changing that. To her, Law was the only man she could comfortably let into her heart. Whether with love or friendship. She was still unsure as to the definition of love, and if it even applied to him.

Years of leaked information had taken its toll. Doflamingo's 'family' had to field more attacks than ever before, but they were strong enough to not care that this was the case. Their leader, of course, was observant and took note of most things. The rise in assaults against his crew was something he needed to be aware of. When he'd asked Mira if she knew anything about it, she of course denied him. And because of her dedication and loyalty over nearly two decades, he believed her immediately. She felt sick to her stomach when he'd hung up the Den-Den mushi.

Out of the blue, Doflamingo had told her to return to Dressrosa. Her mission was complete, after 5 years of travel, and she was welcome to come back home to see the 'family.' A sense of dread, but familiarity washed over her, thankfully hidden from view on the Den-Den mushi device, when he'd told her this. After 5 years of a sort of freedom, she'd be back in the stone walls of her old home. She didn't know how to feel about that.

With the original backpack she'd been given when she'd first set out on this journey—now worn and frayed after years of use—Mira took the first ship she could find to begin her trip home.

Dressrosa was much the same but very different since the last time she'd set eyes on it. Now living alongside the people of the country were a motley mix of toys. Living, walking, talking toys. She wasn't sure what to make of them, or where they'd come from, but she supposed Doflamingo would explain once she reached the palace.

Violet was the one to let her inside of the palace, a relative of the previous royal family. Mira had never known how to act around the black-haired woman. Unsure if she was hated or embraced as 'family.' Without much of a welcome home, Mira stepped inside and sought out Doflamingo's throne room.

The thrones of Diamond, Spade, and Club were all occupied by their representing executive, with Doflamingo facing the windows overlooking the country below. Mira waited for him to finish whatever it was he was doing, and before long he'd turned to look at her with a wide smile. Again, he thanked her for her duty and attention to detail while she'd been away. Her reward was to remain home and recover from her time away. She'd accepted this with a nod, and retreated back to her own room.

It was dusty and several pieces of furniture were skirted with old cobwebs. It would take time to clean it all out. There was nothing else to do at the time, so she'd set to work immediately. It was exhausting work, and after traveling for several days to arrive here, it was not something she enjoyed having to do. But it prevented her mind from wandering too far, into dangerous territory.

Law. How was he? Where was he? What was he up to? Since that day at Sabaody, he had managed to stay off of even her radar. Even the newspapers and marines were sending less and less reports of his whereabouts. He'd effective gone to ground, though she was certain that he was still out there, gathering strength and information, planning his next move.

Mira found herself with a lot of time to herself. A lot of lonely time. She'd already wandered the country several times, familiarizing herself with the layout once more. A lot could change in 5 years. New buildings built, old buildings demolished and replaced with new things.

The people seemed different. There was still some distrust among some of those who walked the streets back then, but everyone was happy and smiling and completely comfortable. Doflamingo had apparently earned the trust of an entire country, and they were ready and willing to place the decisions in his hands. Strange, if only they knew what he'd done to get there.

This country felt so…off. Like the pieces of the puzzle just wouldn't fit properly together. Despite residing in the castle, she still saw herself as an outsider looking in. People just didn't act like they would under normal circumstances. They were too…happy.

The streets were filled with wonderful song and dance, and toys told jokes to a crowd of giggling children. The sun shone most days, with only lights showers in between to water the vibrantly beautiful flora decorating the streets and gardens. It was a true paradise, in every sense of the word. Mira had never felt more out of place.

Baby 5 and Buffalo, all grown up and still as close together as they had been as children, barely gave her a passing glance in the hallways when they happened to pass by. She didn't blame them. After all this time spent away from the 'family' she was essentially a stranger.

Dellinger was also much older. He had begun really displaying his fighting fisherman heritage, with horns and anatomically longer legs than the average human. They bowed out at the knees, giving him a strange, always-ready-to-attack stance. Mira tried to steer clear of him, but often times he liked to make fun of her and belittle her, knowing full well that she wouldn't do a damn thing to stop it.

The castle was better, she supposed, than Spider Miles had been. They weren't surrounded by mountains of rubble and garbage, and they had a palace all to themselves. A whole country who practically worshipped the ground the 'family' walked on. Of course, no one remembered who Mira was, so she was able to blend in with the crowd as usual, flit between streets without so much as a passing glance from anyone.

Of course, her thoughts were always with Law. After so much time passing, and no sign of the man for some time, she was naturally a little worried about if something was wrong. But, quite unexpectedly, he suddenly came back to the forefront of everyone's mind.

Doflamingo was angrily pacing the throne room, all of the occupied seats of the executives there as well. Mira hid behind the door frame, curious as to what was going on. She knew better than to use her ability on anyone in the 'family.' She'd have to just listen to what she could.

They kept bringing up Law's name. As well as Kaido and Caeser Clown. What had happened? She felt her heart grow light at his mention. He was alive, wherever he was. Though it seemed he hadn't made Doflamingo very happy. Was he finally enacting his plan? If he was…Mira hoped he would survive, whatever the outcome. But if Doflamingo was angry, there was minimal chance of living through a defeat.

After learning all she could, Mira returned to her room and tried her best to sleep. However, thoughts of Law and what he might do next prevented her from resting. She'd seen what he'd hoped to do, a few years ago, but it could be wildly different to what his final process was now. She had no idea what his next step was, or if he'd directly attack Doflamingo.

Mira hoped Law was smart enough to stay out of Dressrosa, that of course the warlord would be leading him directly into a trap. He was smart. Cunning. He'd planned a dozen steps ahead just to get to this point. So it was nearly disappointing to sense his presence when she was taking a walk through the city streets on that tragic day.

As she'd done before, her feet rooted in place, and she closed her eyes, sighing to herself. So. This is how it would come to a head. On a bright, sunny day when the flowers were at their most beautiful. In the very kingdom of the man they both wished dead. This was pure madness…

Surely, he'd notice if she tried delving into his mind again. She could sense what direction he was in, but nothing more than that. If she looked a little deeper, perhaps she could see if he had allies helping him. How many there were…

Or perhaps it would be better not to know. Ignorant bliss. Perhaps she could go through the day without seeing him at all. Perhaps it was better that she never saw him again the tiny, beaten down and broken part of her said. But the part that had maintained that hope since their chance meeting in Sabaody felt like she could be of help.

Help…right. How was she supposed to help? Her abilities may be strong but they were in no way combat effective. In a fight, she was useless. And against Doflamingo of all people…the moment he heard of a betrayal, you were nothing to him. Law was playing with terrible odds, and should he fail…Mira would be next on the chopping block.

No. She was too afraid. She couldn't do it. All of her little breadcrumbs of information over the years had been all she could manage. The rest would have to be up to him. And if he did end up succeeding, then…perhaps she could be free of his wicked influence as well…

Sad, then, how it terrified her to live in a world without the strength of a leader like him. For as much as she hated the man, her weakness and insecurity had forced her to depend on him and his 'family' for everything; food, clothing, shelter and warmth, and above all, the infrequent acknowledgement of her very existence. The smallest glance in her direction over the years, even if it was months in between each one, had been enough to keep her going.

In a world without that to fall back on? Mira didn't know what she'd do. She didn't know how to function in a world without that guaranteed presence. No one besides Doflamingo had ever been there to keep her standing when she was on her knees, and she wasn't certain there would be anyone else like that after him. Had she fallen so far, as to be nothing at all without Doflamingo? And the worst part was she couldn't have recognized the point of no return. The process had been so slow and gradual that…was it as a 9 year old girl with no family to go home to? Or when she'd first doomed a home of rich merchants to death by infiltrating their home? At this point Mira would never know the answer.

Instead of seeking Law out, she turned away and went the opposite direction, hoping to put distance between them. His promise to kill her if she was still aligned with Doflamingo the next time they met was prevalent in her mind. She had no doubt Law would follow through. Perhaps it was a sense of self-preservation that kept her away, but some part of her doubted this.

It was easy for Mira to blend in with the crowds as the colosseum filled and began their gladiator games—another new addition to the city since she'd been away—pretending as if nothing was wrong. And when the rumbling explosions began and meteors were falling from the sky at Green Bit and the Heavenly Demon was enraged at such a betrayal, Mira turned her head and kept walking.

When those around her muttered at seeing Green Bit's forrest sliced and destroyed before their eyes, she kept her eyes away. When people screamed around her as Law was sent rocketing into the ground in front of the colosseum grounds, she ignored the sound. When Doflamingo dragged him back to the palace and chained him to the heart seat in some sick poetic irony, Mira avoided the place at all costs, but it seemed she could only flee from her awful reality for so long. Doflamingo called on the Den-Den mushi, requesting her presence in the throne room for a very important task.

Her feet seemed to drag on the stone floors, one slow step at a time. What would she see reflected back at her when they faced again? Contempt, hatred? Perhaps something worse, if it were possible…Keeping Doflamingo waiting was the last thing she'd ever do, and so she arrived with as much prompt as her dragging feet would allow.

He was beaten and bloodied. A cut on his forehead bled down past his eye. When his gaze swept to her, she nearly shook with shame. Not only was he angry—furious, she should clarify—but disappointed. That much was obvious. Perhaps he had not wanted to have to include her in his plans. Maybe he'd thought she was better than this. Mira wasn't sure. Either way, he was not thrilled to see her.

The young woman had to keep her heart in check. So happy to see him alive. In pain from seeing him like this…She stepped past Doflamingo and looked down at him. Doflamingo laughed, watching their useless little reunion, and remarked that they had been the closest of friends as kids. Law said not a word, as Mira would have expected.

Then, he'd given the order. Search Law's mind for the truth, to see if this was truly the Straw Hats following Law's orders or if they were completely unallied. Doflamingo had been suspicious of the connections between them targeting Sugar and the dwarves' from Green Bit. Mira took another step forward, despite needing to be no closer in order to get what she was looking for from him.

Ignoring the small crowd of people surrounding them both, Mira gently pressed forward against his mind. Normally, her target wouldn't feel a single thing, but somehow Law had come to recognize the sensation of her ability. He narrowed his eyes as she intruded, upset that she was listening to her orders. Obeying the man they both hated. A flood of things came through, flashes and sounds.

Punk Hazard. Giant children. Caeser Clown and Monet. And after that, Vergo. The Straw Hats. An alliance. An unfamiliar ship, with a lion's head crest at the front. Law spent much time on this ship. His plan. Kaido. Dressrosa's shoreline. And now here.

Strangely, however, she also caught a glimpse of herself. Their meeting back on Sabaody. His threat. Her terrified stare. And his…sympathy. He'd been thinking about that moment recently.

Doflamingo prodded her for an answer, as it was taking longer than he'd like. She wasn't sure what to do. What to say. Law's memories and thoughts all pointed to the alliance being over, but she wasn't sure what Law wanted from her. What Doflamingo would rather hear. Neither pirate's silent stare gave any indication as to what was the safest thing to say.

"They are not allied." She eventually said, stepping back from him. She remained within his head, though, just long enough to feel his relief and resignation at whatever happened next. She didn't like that part very much, but there was nothing she could do. They were on opposite sides of the conflict, and she was too weak to join his side. She doubted he would trust her even if she did.

Mira was sent away. They didn't want her in the way of their plans. Their discussions. Only called upon when needed, and ignored when useless. As it had always been. As it would always be. Law had watched her go with a strange expression she couldn't identify. And when she eventually retreated from his head, her heart was washed with a feeling of loss.

When Law was rescued by Straw Hat Luffy and his friends, Mira kept hidden in the castle. This was not her fight to participate in. She had done all she could these past few years. Law and Luffy would have to do the rest.

And when the birdcage went up. When it expanded over the entire country, trapping everyone inside, Mira knew there was no hope left. No one survived the birdcage, and now she too feared that she would become one of the casualties. Her loyalty meant nothing to Doflamingo if she couldn't even stop a rebellion like this.

But Mira was no fighter. She hid on the roof of one of the buildings near the palace, huddled against one of the broken walls beside a fallen Doflamingo grunt. Knees to her chest, she cried. She wailed. She even prayed, something the young woman had never once done. But now, with the fear of Law's defeat so close at hand, and Doflamingo prepared to wipe out the entire country to bring his former subordinate down, the future was uncertain.

Everything was rumbling, shaking and shifting, and the strings of the birdcage were visible no matter where you looked. So to rid it from her mind, she closed them entirely and didn't dare open them once.

People screamed. Children cried. Mira's tears joined the many that fell that day. So many terrible sounds were coming from the palace above. Fighting and clashing and shouting. Everything was awful.

She felt a strangely numbing film pass her by, but even that did not make her open her eyes. If she refused to believe this was all happening, refused to acknowledge the sights before her, perhaps they would simply go away. Hadn't it worked for everyone else, when they didn't care to recognize she was in the room? Why didn't it work for her now?

Mira startled in place when she heard the painful intakes of breath beside her. Her eyes flew open and the man who'd been dead just minutes before was now propping himself up on his—

"Law." Mira breathed, seeing her childhood friend again. Pushing past the fear and terror of the situation they found themselves in, Mira pushed away from the way and sat by his side.

He didn't say anything at first, just struggled to gain his breath back. Whatever was going on up above them, it was taking its toll on him. She placed a hand against his chest and felt the damage to his body. Unfortunately, she could do nothing to help ease the pain or repair the damage. Only monitor it.

One moment she was checking his body for injuries, and the next she was thrown against the damaged stone wall with a knife to her throat. Law's cold and pained eyes stared back at her. Not unlike the first time she'd seen them.

"I told you before…" He whispered, pressing the blade a bit closer to her skin. She felt the trickle of blood down her throat. "You didn't listen."

"I couldn't leave." She admitted in a rushed breath, unable to look away from his face. "You knew that."

He nodded, and they were at a standstill. She swallowed and felt courageous enough to lift a small hand to his wrist. Her fingers slowly wrapped around it, and she smiled.

"But I did what I could." She transferred the memories of laying small tidbits of information through the years, slowly but surely sabotaging his organization from the inside. The years of patience and always keeping one eye open. Her betrayal could have been found out at any time, but Mira had still done it, fully aware of what the consequences would have been.

Law's eyes widened for just a moment, but he eventually shook his head, moving the knife to hover above her heart. "It's not enough. I can't trust you. Not after years of service to him."

Strangely, despite knowing her death was imminent, Mira could only smile. "I know. I'm sorry for being too weak. Just-Ahh!"

The knife burned with an intensity she would have never imagined as it plunged into her chest. Law's mouth was a thin line of discontent as he pushed the blade in deeper. Mira could feel the tips of her fingers and toes going cold. Fascinating, how quickly death could overtake a person. Her mouth was open in a silent moan of pain, the contrast of her hot blood coating her front in comparison to her frozen limbs. When she lost the strength to keep herself standing, only Law's arm around her waist prevented her from outright collapsing. He gently lowered her to the roof of the building.

In that moment, she knew that whatever the outcome of today's battle, this was a mercy. And in that moment, she was certain that what she felt for Law was love. She'd never loved someone as she did Law. And despite knowing that their separate paths meant he could never return the sentiment, she was comforted to know that before she died, just once, she'd experienced such a beautiful thing.

"Pro…promise me…" She whispered, hand clutching his shirt as tightly as her rapidly fading strength would allow. "That…you'll end…this."

The edges of her vision were beginning to fade, and everything was going fuzzy. Before long she could see nothing out of her open eyes and her fingers lost all strength to grip him with. "Please…"

"I promise." Was the last thing she ever heard.

Her lips twitched upwards in the barest hint of a smile. She didn't need to be intruding upon his mind to know that he meant what he said. Because Mira had always known there was something…different, to Law. Something more than the Donquixote pirates could ever see or hope to exploit. Something dangerous. Something…instinctual.

Something worth dying for.

[anotherbeingsworld]

vegas adventures

Pairing: Bryce x F!MC (Casey Valentine) , a pinch of Ash Tanaka x MC (Melanie)

Book: (BP x Open Heart crossover, rewrites of Chp 15 Book 2)

Summary: The rewrite of their trip to Vegas with an extra helping hand.

A/N: this is a belated birthday gift to the one and only @robintora ! We talked about this fic before, and this is my best attempt at bringing it to life. It was a tough one, but I'm satisfied with it! And Tanu, happy (belated) birthday, and I hope you enjoy this! Love you! <3 // I did manage to add some bryce x mc fluff along the way, which I hope again you enjoy!

-

The workload has been released upon her shoulders, as she arrives at Donahue where the others have been seated. She took a seat besides Bryce, as he placed his arms around her in the booth.

“Okay, so what’s going on here…” Her eyes made its way to Jackie’s somehow questioned about the text that was sent earlier.

“It is something important -..”

“But, don’t worry – we got some good loaded fries to entertain us through the briefing right Jackie?” Bryce interrupts as he take a piece of it with a happiness planted on his face.

Aurora breaks the silence, ‘Since we are all here – so spill.”

Jackie took a deep breath explaining the whole situation on Declan trying to leech onto some doctors from Mass Kenmore, followed by the partnership to push Panacea drugs onto MK’s patients as well.

Realization dawn to her face,

“Hence, the perks that made the others join then.”

Jackie nods, with an angry expression on her face.

“That’s why we need to stop them.”

Elijah looked at her with shock, “Wait…I thought you were in with the perks. What changed?”

Casey’s eyes, meet with hers somehow both knowing what happened the other day at the gas station has somehow a connection with her sudden revelation.

Jackie clears her throat suddenly upon the awkward silence that follows, clasping her hands together.

“I guess – it's not worth it anymore if it costs others misery. I don’t think I want to be part of it anymore.”

A surprising look was painted on Casey’s face which disappears in a second as Elijah interrupts with a resolute nod.

“So, how are we gonna bring the monster down? Technically Declan Nash is the kind of person who can get away with anything.”

Jackie looks resolute, as she lays out the plan which involved a company retreat in Vegas which will be happening during the weekend.

“…They have extended the invitation to doctors they’ve worked with…including me.”

Casey nods, “I am officially intrigued, count me in.”

“The situation is gonna be sticky, but a few drinks in and we can stop them. As a fact that he and his scumbag friends will be bragging about the ways they are scamming the system – all we gotta do is a tape and we can catch them.” Her tone is commanding.

The whole table went silent, as Bryce replies.

“And then what…blackmail one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world?”

There was silence, as the others were contemplating the pros and cons of the situation but, in the end, they decided to stick together.

“If something happens to me while I’m gone, I at least wanted you all to know where I am.”

The others looked at her in surprise before Bryce breaks the silence,

“You mean – what happens to us.”

Casey nods,

“You don’t think we will let you go alone right? We are with you all the way Jackie, the group who heist together, stays together as we are should.” Casey said before Jackie can protest. The night ended with possibilities of the implication as Casey gets on the phone with a friend from afar that could help her with the situation.

-

A few days later.

The bright lights of Vegas were the reason for their wide smiles – as they stepped into the suite that was provided by Mass Kenmore. All of their jaws dropped in an instant – as the lights of the strip sparkle outside of the panoramic windows.

“This is the single coolest room I’ve ever been in, like legit.” His eyes wander in awe along with the others.

Jackie snickers, “Just remember that this luxury is from blood money.”

They all nod in agreement as they started to form a plan, as Casey finds herself texting a mysterious friend.

“Let’s get dressed shall we,” Bryce stated as the others get ready to dazzle for their night at Vegas.

As the others get ready, Casey finds a message from Rafael – wishing them good luck. She smiles at the message, as she took the phone call from the familiar number.

-

“Hey! We are in Vegas already – getting ourselves ready for the night.” Her voice is slow, as she stood facing the strip.

“That’s good! My friends and I had arrived yesterday, and we will meet you at the lobby! I brought a very special helper for you.” A knowing smile occurs on the caller’s face through the phone.

“Let me guess – it's your famous magician boyfriend Mel?” Casey raised an eyebrow at the statement – disbelieving but kinda curious as well.

“That’s right! He decided to join us tonight – plus, he is actually a vegas master. All of you will be lost without him.” Melanie replies from the other line.

Casey just shakes her head, but the smile remains.

“I’ll see you soon, say hi to the girls for me!” Casey ends the call, to be met with Bryce looking dashing in his suit.

-

“You look nice Lahela.” Her eyes are equivalent to the heart-eyed emoji as he models in front of her, making her chuckle happily at him.

“I always look nice, Casey! It's my specialty, but – why aren’t you dressed?” He asked as he loops his arm around her, eyes falling upon the Vegas scenery.

“I was making a phone call, but you definitely look stunning. You are gonna beat everyone here Bryce.”

He laughs at the comment, but somewhat smiles – “Thank you, now get yourself ready – we shall be the good-looking couple here shall we?” She looked at him in shock but brushed it away. The word ‘couple’ caught her somewhat off-guard but she somehow adores it.

“I will” She replies placing a kiss on his cheek before moving on to change.

Moments later, she walked out to a room, as all of their eyes fall onto her.

“You look…beautiful.” Bryce walks in front of them, as he pulls her in her arms – as she blushes furiously by the compliment.

“The lovebirds are at it again, let's move on before they hog the spotlight with their PDA,” Jackie said sarcastically as they walked out of the room – meeting with a specific group in the lobby.

-

The lobby was filled with people, yet the familiar pink hair caught her eye.

“Guys, I brought us some help – and, they have an expert for it.” She said as the others follow her, meeting a group of friends.

“Casey!!!! HI!” Melanie a.k.a the woman with the pink hair, pull her into a hug – as they were finally reunited.

“Hii, have you been waiting long?” She asked gesturing to the other familiar faces, Aisha, Courtney, Diana, and a mysterious guy who she assumes as the one and only infamous Ash Tanaka, the guy Melanie won’t stop gushing about to her.

“Casey! We have just arrived earlier – it's good to see you again!” Diana pulls her into a hug, as Courtney and Aisha did the same.

“Also, this is my friends! Bryce, Jackie, Elijah, Sienna and Aurora.” Casey introduces them to the group, as they all exchange introductions.

“Nice to meet you all, this is the men of the hour – Ash Tanaka, he will be a huge help as he knows the deep unknowns of Vegas itself.” Melanie introduces him to the gang, as he and Bryce ended up bro-hugging one another.

The reunion was cut short as they began to devise a plan, which went out smoothly, as Ash leads Declan to a game where he was surrounded by the group. They went in randomly, as it would avoid any alarms from Declan himself, and with the help from Melanie’s buddies – they were undetectable.

The information that was received, was priceless – as they found out upon that Solomon Health is making moves into vertical integration – however, it didn’t help their issue at the moment as they regroup once more to create another plan.

In the end, it went well, as Declan Nash was confronted – and he was captured on tape. The group manages to bring their best together – and the satisfied look on Jackie’s face is a very good sight to see.

“Payback’s a bitch, isn’t it?” it erupts the cheers of victory, as the air from the rooftop makes the winning of the night felt much satisfying. Sienna, Aurora, Elijah, Aisha, Diana, and Courtney were found socializing at the dance floor, as they recapped the whole situation again – somewhat like a televised situation that made Casey smile.

Jackie stood there, letting out a breath – somewhat feeling the calmness in her lungs again.

“How are you feeling Jackie?”

She met her eyes, and somehow – she was met with a hug. Jackie hugged her, and it feels like they did something incredible at the moment.

“Thank you…I feel like, tonight – I think I can sleep really well tonight.” She said happily, as Jackie joined the others.

Casey felt her heart in happiness – somehow, seeing Jackie in peace is such a sight. Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar presence, Melanie who smiled at her.

“You did this tonight – and, I couldn’t even be more proud.”

“Hey, all of your friends and ehem…your boyfriend helped as well.” She gestures at Ash and Bryce who are having a conversation that follows a series of laughter.

“We love to be here – and, it's actually where I met him.”

“I remember the story. It involves mobs, a missing suitcase and a lot of chaotic stuff am I right?” Casey recalls their meeting before, as Melanie laughs in agreement.

“Yeah, that’s about right. It's an adventure, and being here with my girls – meeting Ash; it doesn’t feel real sometimes. But, I’m grateful for it.”

Casey nods, as they took a sip upon the drink they were holding.

“Thank you again for coming – I know it's such short notice.”

Melanie shakes her head, with a wide smile.

“It's okay, you helped us years ago – it's our turn to repay back. A silver lining too, I got to see Ash for the weekend.”

At the mention of his name, Ash appears at the scene.

“I heard a mention of the magician here?”

Both of them let out a hearty laugh, as he placed an arm around Melanie.

“I wanna thank you – it means a lot for your help,” Casey said, as he smiles at her.

“It's no problem at all, and if all of you ever hit vegas again – just give me a call; I can show you some of the best-secret locations here.” He winked as Melanie nods in agreement.

“It's true – he knows this place in its depth and, you will not regret it.”

Casey nods, excitedly as the others join them – somewhat looking panic suddenly.

“We don’t want to end this party yet, but the flight back home is in 4 hours.” A panic Diana stated, as the widening of Melanie’s eyes brought her back to reality.

“Oh crap, we have to get going.” She stated as all of them walked out of the club.

It’s a farewell with the whole gang, as they left for the airport.

“I’ll call you when we land? But, it's definitely a good time seeing you again Cas.” Melanie stated as they hugged once more, along with the group.

“Definitely, I’ll see you guys soon.” It was somehow an emotional farewell in a short amount of time.

The car vanished in a second, as they decided to make their way back to the suite after the success of the day.

-

The suite was quiet – as it was past midnight. However, the bright lights of Vegas are still shining brightly as ever. The room was dimmed, as the others had fallen onto slumber, leaving the pair to be awake.

She was dressed in her pyjamas as she settled down upon the squishy couch from the hotel. With a cup of coffee in her hand, as there was someone who decided to join her. She smiles at his sight, as she filled the gap as Bryce pulled her into his arms, both of their gazes fall upon the neon lights of the city that filled the dimmed room.

“What are you thinking about?”

He smiles softly before answering,

“Jackie. She did an incredible job tonight – but the grudge she held against Declan on what he did. It felt like someone else that we were seeing tonight.” He paused biting his lip, a pinch of anxiousness can be sensed from him.

“I just – I cant help to think about all the anger I am carrying around for my parents. I wonder – what its done for me?” His gaze falls onto her, somewhat pleading for an answer.

It was followed by silence for a few moments – before she spoke again.

“Are you ready to let it go?”

He shrugs, somewhat confused upon his decision too.

“I honestly have no idea, I don’t like to see them in myself – especially the times of arguing with Keiki. It feels like the past has repeated itself.”

“So, are you ready to forgive them?”

His stare falls upon the view in front of them – as he stares wistfully as his mind is filled with thoughts.

“Forgive feels like a huge action – but, maybe for now…I’m ready to let go and, start a new book with those who actually love me.” A smile appeared on his face, as he kissed her on top of the head.

“That sounds very healthy, for you and Keiki.”

He laughs as he nods in agreement, “I hope so too.”

They sat together in silence, as she stayed in his arms closing her eyes against the bright lights of Vegas, a beautiful ending of the day.

“Bryce, I’m proud of you.” She said as they lay upon the bed, her eyes looking at him in wonder.

He looks sleepy, yet the smile didn’t leave his face – today was a good day. A start of new beginnings for all of them – as he replies before both of them fall into another slumber once more.

“I’m proud of you too.”

THE END.

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