#thoses into the void and sprints away

[beyond-the-kitchen]

Lyrics flow from miles’ fingers like they always do. Hes never had a problem with writing, words come easy, muisc even easier. He is an emotional person and his outlet just so happens to be something that helps pay the bills, quite well if he does say so himself.

There is a downside to this emotional truthfullness, a side that makes the writing painful. Sometimes he thinks hes too poignant for his own good. The lyrics are sometimes not thinly veiled metaphors, hints at half-truths, somtimes they are a genuine retelling of his life. places and people, the memories and perceptions that certain events and periods hold. He himself is a holder, every person he has met he cradles close to his heart, those he goes on to befriend, or on the rare chance romance, he locks inside and keeps warm. Helps them weather every storm they encounter, every curveball or extreme high he helps them manage. He has his favourites of course, everyone does - his mum, his friends from home, Alex.

Alex is of course the crux of his current emotional turmoil. As he so often is, Miles is not oblivious, not blindsided by his affection for the man. He knows Alex is difficult to pin down, hard to get a read on and often wears a different face every day of the week to protect himself from his harsh realities. Miles is accutely aware of all these qualities, and yet Alex is still the sweetest man he knows, still the most endearing. The source of his current heartbreak, yes, but undoubtedly the love of his life. And so the lyrics flow, freely and entirely heartfelt. 100% how Miles feels about Alex and his recent absence.

You're walking around, your head in the clouds You're acting as if you're Mr. Johnny know-it-all Mister come and watch me fall

You're feeling alive, a Jekyll and Hyde You're riding the tides and everybody's just doing fine Leading that double life

I'll be right here, I'll see ya when I see ya I'll wait right here, I'll see ya when I see ya

I hope to see you soon I hope to see you soon Ah, come on

You're dancing with death in a bulletproof vest There's no other way to say it, brother Better watch your step Before all goes west

The king and the queen, the milk in your tea The partner in crime you only ever found once in life Don't let it pass you by

I'll be right here, I'll see ya when I see ya I'll be right here, I'll see ya when I see ya I'll see ya when I see ya

I put myself on mute before I spill the beans Oh, not again 'Cause when you're dancing to your own beat You can be anything that you want Yes, I'm an executive that you can trust

I'll wait right here, I'll see ya when I see ya I'll be right here, I'll see ya when I see ya

I'll wait right here, I'll see ya when I see ya I'll be right here, I'll see ya when I see ya I'll see ya when I see ya

I wouldn't wanna be ya I'll see ya when I see ya

[beeapocalypse]

those posts that are like “i love you [thing] i love you [thing] etc etc” and follow a connecting theme w the items are a little cheesy soemtimes but that is the best way to express mine emotuon right now. i love you collector i love you shambler i love you thing from the stars i love you fanatic i love you crocodilian

^ look at these animals. absolutely incredible design

[shidouryusm]

Im not coming home

Gojo Satoru x reader

Content- angsty angst, just a lot of pain, reference to recent manga,

A.N -> i wrote this in a bus all teary faced with a concerned old uncle looking at me. I need my blue eyed boyfriend so bad. This is me mourning I haven’t been able to do it properly all day. Im sorry pls dont kill me. Not proofread this is a heat of the moment writing literally 😭

“See you guys tomorrow”, you say softly before sprinting out of the building. As if your body clock instantly knows when to chime in and draw you back to your nest.

You briskly get out of the room, offering a small wave to Shoko who just entered. Her concerned eyes following your trail.

The sun was floating in the horizon, the ground painted asphalt from the dying colours of the twilight and the air filled with intangible thickness of cold. In the midst of it, you walked. You walk with a rising tornado of emotions bubbling inside you, contrast to the drying winter.

You walked through the bustle of Roppongi. The town was back from the shambles it was two months prior. Always finding a way to bounce back into its original upheaval.

Amongst the skyscrapers decorating Roppongi, you eyes wander to the little sweet shop- selling the ever famous kikufuku — sweet cream filled mochi with Zunda paste. Satoru’s ever favourite.

“baby, this isn’t just a sweet.” Satoru gasps indignantly upon hearing your allegations of getting a cavity from it — “It’s a delicacy. Zunda and sweet cream— a work of culinary that you need to appreciate by savouring it as much as you can”, you roll your eyes as you watch your boyfriend plops another mochi in one bite. “Well that doesn’t mean you can double it up as lunch , Toru. you need to eat some actual meal”

“In that case, I can eat yo— I’m sorry” gojo quickly moves away as you swivel the huge cushion towards him, sweet chuckles erupting from his chest as you look at him poutedly.

The little playback of the memory cracked a little smile on your face — the shop ever so reminiscent of your little late night trips with Satoru whenever you both feel insomniac.

You walk over to the shop, feet reflexively carrying you towards the whirlwind of memories you have with him.

The sun had already settled beneath the darkness when you arrived home. The huge compound of area void of any presence. You enter the room, turning the lights on as you settle on the table. The small bag of kikufuku carefully placed on it.

“I’m home” you say without any conscious thought behind.

How can you? When these words never failed to emerge a 6’3 white-haired nuisance, his large hands encircling your waist, his nose breathing in your scent as you get slightly levitated into the air from the insane height difference. The small whispers of “I love you”s and “I miss you”s exchanged in the small gap between your faces — as if it were eternities since you both met each other. Those cerulean eyes of his mirroring your pools with affection and love that ran miles after miles.

Followed by little kisses pressed to your cheeks, then to your eyes and lastly placed on your lips. Those soft rhythm of his lips like promises of eternity.

Your chest twists in pain like you hugged a teddy bear fashioned with sharp daggers, slicing through your soul.

A sharp throb of your heart against your ribs as if it’s begging to be freed and chase the one it’s destined to beat for always. Your body turns numb, the tears like rivulets against your cheek— while you let them flow freely after a day long facade. Your shaky hands wander aimlessly into the air, pleading to find the silhouette, the comfort, the warmth of his body.

A part of your soul seemed to die everyday since then and today another sliver of it withered into nothingness.

Your voice broken like the shards of mirror reverberates across the large room that no one but you occupy, “im home, ‘toru. Where are you?”

The bag of kikufuku lays on the table as it is but Satoru hasn’t arrived home.

A.N 2 -> Yall pls dont be mad this is my way to cope. Even though I wrote this Im clutching on to the littol hope that he will return. If not then understand gege snuffed the life out of me as well

[pieroulette]

Did I, A Side Character Became the Male Lead's Wife?! : Part 2

2023 | 13+ | ONESHOT | YANG JUNGWON × READER | -> PART 1

SUMMARY the male lead was suppose to fall in love with the female lead, and yet how did he even gain an interest in you?! clenching your fist as determination blazes your orbs as you're now far beyond determined to make him dislike you for once and for all.

WC -> 22.5K *⁠.⁠✧♡・ PLAYLIST -> 💌

🎵...BLUEBEARD

"a lady like you, i'm afraid to say, intrigues me very much..." jungwon shots a kittenish wink right through your heart. "be my wife, milady. i'll show you how good I can be for you."

"b-be your wife?!" your features contorted horrendously, along with immense cringing.

this prince. this fucking prince.. no way did he just ask me to be his wife?! your orbs ogled out as his words chanted within the void of your mind, mocking your very efforts to sway this prince away to his land of fairytale, and to where he rightfully belongs.

screw you?!

"i don't want to dance with you, nor be your wife, or for you to be good for me! get. fucking. lost!"

it's safe to say, that you punched a fist right to his face after him spewing such shitty nonsense. that alone adding an nth time of gasps from everyone in the ballroom.

right now, unfortunately, you were sprinting to the long ass hallway without ever looking back. okay let's say you did look back and fortunately no one or neither the prince were chasing after you.

seriously, what has gone wrong with the male lead?! how in the actual fuck he had taken an interest in you? it seems as if every action you did to push him away only pulls him closer. might as well reset yourself from this world if you can.

whining immensely as you recalled your female lead's precious grin, "liz! what has come to my story?!"

yet to your utter disappointment and shock even, the news of the prince literally proposing to you minus the one punch incident had somehow quickly reached the entire nation, everyone and anyone you could think of has been informed of the incident between you and the prince. confirming it totally as you walked through the market with the female lead.

you’ve come to a final conclusion that the prince must have sealed everyone’s lips that was present at that ball, probably for your sake.

"his royal highness has truly taken a liking towards you, milady." liz pulled up a proud smile which had you cringing. like please don't do that, please don't. you weren't supposed to be smiling like this.

"oh god, kindly refrain from uttering that prince's in front of my face, liz. he's nothing but a—" you immediately stopped yourself from spewing shit about the prince as you don't want to ruin liz's perception on him, which would possibly furthering the already inflicted damage on your original story.

you sigh dejectedly, as your eyes lazily gaze somewhere instead. wanting to take off the stress from your chest for a while.

throwing yourself on your bed after an entire day out with liz, you refuse to attend any noble event since you discarded all the invitation letters with the contents consisting of them congratulating you for being the prince's fiancée which had you cringing to your core.

your deadpan look as you threw all of the letters had the maids bringing the tray of food—mortified to say the least.

how couldn't you? those nobles sending in a bunch of letters obviously had traces of malice and envy engraved in those over exaggerated fonts, they are akin to a predator waiting in patience for you—a little lamb to reveal itself as a free buffet.

buffet? wife? where did my comfy life go? where?!

you've decided to hide in the comfort of your manor till this so-called news of you being the prince's fiancée died out. but how long would it take then? would it take a week? a month? oh god, you're wishing it won't have to take that far as you also need a bunch of fresh air.

groaning again you did as you couldn't possibly hid forever too, as the author of this novel; you are fully aware of how you crafted the prince's character, that despite all of the charms and dazzling traits you moulded into him, you've added one specific thing that had him stood out the most and that was he's beyond possessive and obsessed with the female lead as it was rooted from one of his traits; competitive, dedicated and most of the time, he doesn't like to lose and that he had to get what he wanted or else..

chaos it is, and such chaos coming from the prince himself are not to be underestimated.

you are having such an enormous urge to bang your head on your bed right now as how couldn't you? who doesn't want a male lead to live and die for their lover? of course you and your damn adorable readers!

well, fiction isn't to be confused with reality after all. but damn your life for this is your reality now—here in your own very novel.

screw your novel, screw your life, screw reality, screw the prince! you might just as well fall into your slumber now as you try to plan another way to avoid that very prince you crafted.

"milady? would you like to try the new gown we had customised for you from the town's boutique?"

"what? new gown? since when did i ask for you to customise me one?"

"just.. the head maid had asked for it as another letter had arrived from the royal palace, more specifically, the prince himself had asked for your presence for the upcoming ballroom this week."

"nah uh?!" you emphasised in slight irritation. "don't make me repeat this again, juliet. i'd rather have the cup of chocolate i asked you for just now than attend such pointless event."

"but milady!"

"oh dear heavens, my silky and puffy blankets are to be treasured upon my hands—" burying your head in your pillow as your maid had a defeated expression, pouting slightly. lifting your head almost immediately when your maid left, you muttered endlessly to your void or more specifically to the prince. “inviting me for another ballroom, do you think that i’m stupid? now feel free to dance all by your own!—”

a pair of birds chirped in a melodious, and harmonious tone on the edge of the window.

the sun rays peering through the swaying curtains glints against your fluttering eyelashes, causing your orbs to hid behind the shield of your splayed fingers. stretching your arms upwards, a sense of satisfaction surged through your veins—fueling the corners of your lips to pull up in the widest grin.

it been approximately six days since then, with no news nor an invitation had arrived from the prince himself.

it can’t be that you've successfully overturned your fate by not attending the prince's second invitation, squinting mischievously—he must have lose interest in you for not visiting your manor, doesn't he? with his character, he couldn't have possibly had gone that long! he sure would've been tremendously patient regarding political affairs but never at the female lead!

in chapter 16 of your novel, "blooming romances" where you've written the development of their romance that had your reader's heart evaporating into nothingness as they weep under the comment section over how a single sentence you wrote had made them feel so damn single and why they haven't found a guy like the prince yet:

-> a paragraph from chapter 16 ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

after gaining the heart of lady liz; prince jungwon was beyond ecstatic to have another day out with his lover, however alike the eclipse's separation—royal and political affairs had ripped him away from the comfort of his lover's arms. thus, he had been occupied with so much papers within the palace's quarters.

yet as soon as the grey cloak crawled back over the blue sky, pulling the moon back with it—so does the prince himself, leaving the stacked up papers on his desk and appearing before the lady's quarters after much effort climbing onto the firm tree.

wasting not a single breathe, as the apples of his cheeks serving as a physical form of his infatuation towards the lady—the tips of his tongue mellowed in instinct for her, along with his hand that were accustomed to his sword's handle to enveloped beneath her fingers—pressing a lover's vow on the top of her hand through his faint red lips.

"milady, i fear i no longer have the strength to contain myself from letting out a single breath without your presence." his lips ghosted against his lover's ear, "it had my patience crumbling into nothing when you, milady had reigned over my heart."

— was what the male lead had voiced out rather solemnly to his lover, as he couldn't bear to be stay one more night without her presence.

yet it doesn't seem to be that case in yours! fucking good news, finally!

ah! what a joyous occasion! you plopped on the bed with your gathered strength as you giggled like a child. bliss consumed your entire soul with your surging scream alerting the entire manor.

swaying your pillow in a circular frantic motion as you sprinted towards your hallway, "juliet! liz! i'm the happiest person ever in the world— oh jesus, someone hosts a damn buffet and tell everyone in the manor to join!"

"milady!" your grin only grew wider as the sight of juliet sprinting towards your way greeted your eyes.

"juliet! oh dear, you should—"

"milady!" she panted right after falling on your arms. "the— the—"

"hm? why are you sweating so much? what happened?"

taking a deep humongous breath she did before uttering one sentence that had your head, mind, and soul blasting into the ghost quiet vacuum of space.

"the prince— his royal highness has arrived!"

"what?!" your jaw dropped on the ground with dozens of imaginary gigantic mirrors crashing behind you in a comical way as your expressions darkened into utter horror.

🎵. . .WAKE UP

a chirping bright blue bird with its harmonious song apparently had been crashed by a swerving black velvet bird from the sky, resulting in both of them colliding and falling on top of another on the lush green blades, just a few distance away from where the table you and the prince were at.

"why. are. you—i mean his royal highness doing here again? i'm sure i've made it clear that i simply wanted nothing to do with you, didn't i? prince jungwon?" crossing your arms, holding a firm resolution in your foot before the prince as you two sat down for a tea, in the refreshing garden behind your manor.

there he was in his casual royal attire of white ruffled shirt, dark blue bowtie with tiny gems engraved on it. his lush hair bouncing slightly on top of his eyelashes as he blinked a couple of times, and tiny sparkles within those orbs which made him look like a puppy at times but those feline eye shape stood out even more.

"i assume that you require time to think about this matter, milady." jungwon answered, "that's why i stayed behind, for a while, that is."

huh.

are you hearing this correctly? him, this very prince you crafted with little to no patience for his lover—telling you that he waited and desires to not pressure you? what in the humongous sorcery is this?!

"if you think that's gonna make me feel something, then.." you leisurely caressed your cheek, gazing at him lazily. "that's quite dense of you, your highness."

little dimples emerged from his cheeks as his feline eyes twinkled at you. "that's not the only thing i could do, if you—milady, grant me the honour, then there's plenty things of things about me that you haven't explored yet."

as if! you scoffed in the back of your mind, eyes deadpanning as this guy had no clue that he is nothing but a character you crafted! how could you know nothing about him?! heck, you are the one who wrote him this way!

"you see, your highness." you sighed with a pout, "i'm a very busy person, i do not have such leisure time to explore something that is not centred around my interest."

"oh, does it mean that i perhaps don't interest you then, milady?"

"isn't it obvious by now, your majesty? plus, inviting yourself to my residence is nothing close to good manners. as a prince, manners should've been your priority."

jungwon stayed awfully silent after that, eyes looking down as if he was in a deep thought. your eyebrows knitted together, curious as to what he's trying to pull off next. like just give up already, goddamnit.

"regarding manners, how about we tie a pact then, milady?"

"a p-pact?" you frowned deeply at him.

"yes, milady. a pact that would honour both of us, and our wishes." jungwon continued after taking a sip from his teacup. "i wouldn't be able to sit still without pouring an effort for something i desire, what my heart desires." his feline eyes slowly raised to look at yours. "yet milady doesn't hold the same desire as i do, which is quite unfortunate, that is."

"i seriously have no idea what you find so interesting in me?" you shook your head along with a slight scoff, apparently breaking another bead of sweat, unsure of where this was going—definitely not in the way you've dying for.

"i have yet to know, milady. that's the very reason i had the courage to ask for such a bold request from you."

"and what makes you assume i would agree to that?" you raised your left eyebrow.

"i have yet to resort to such foul actions, which i'd rather not to milady."

your blood surged cold through your veins, "are you threatening me?"

"certainly i do not intend it to sound that way, i prefer to keep this as civil as possible as you—milady, truly does has gained my interest and it would truly be vain if i.. wasn't given the chance to prove my worth to you. all i am asking from you milady, is to give me a chance to prove myself for you."

prove himself..?

shit. you hated to admit it. but those words, the way he chose to string his words akin to woven embroidery that was meticulously sewed to perfection—pierced right through your heart strings, causing your ears to heat up. partly because of how truly sincere he sounds, and partly was.. how the fuck did he made it sound good?! you've never thought of such romantic words even after a hundred cups of coffee in your desk!

"and how would you guarantee the eligibility of this pact? that you won't force me against my will?"

"you have my word, milady. if by any chance, i failed to gain your love—i will gladly retreat. that's my promise to you." jungwon leaned in closer as he placed his chin on his right palm. "however, i'll certainly do my very best in this thirty coming days."

mischievous yet determination blazes within those feline eyes of his, which had you realising just how serious he was at pursuing you.

"fine, i'll give you a chance but as a pact requires rules, i'll share some of my own."

"sure go ahead, milady."

"one, do not call me your wife or specifically future wife in front of everyone."

"may i do it personally then—" jungwon shrugged playfully when you hissed at him.

raising your index finger upwards, "two, stay one meter apart." he obliged with much hesitation, "and three, uh. i haven't think of it yet but i'll surely add a third rule. now how about you, your majesty?"

"yes, milady?"

"don't you have any rules you want to add?"

jungwon emitted a giggle as soon as he processed your words, "oh, i don't think i need one. after all, whatever you may wish, shall i grant."

"then, stop chasing me—"

"except that one." his lips pulled up in a mischievous smirk, the sun places a tender kids on the strands of his hair—dripping honey hues on his cheeks which reflected against his feline orbs. "then shall we start the countdown, milady?"

thirty days, it is; for him to pour his entire efforts to gain your heart, while you greatly adamant in your mission to make him lose interest in you and make him fall in love with your precious female lead, liz!

sighing for the horrendous nth time as you stood before the blinding lights of the chandelier on top of the patterned ceiling, it had you remembering your old trip to a renowned palace in the real world back then, and that it had mesmerised you so much you wish to stay there a bit more.

it was also one of the main inspirations for your novel, after all.

that you kind of wish to be able to stay in such a glorious place, and wear exquisite dress, to attend a tea party and meet your own prince charming.

"i see, that this is the lady our prince had taken an interest for?" a middle aged man along with a young lady appeared before you, clearly trying to get your attention.

but now that you are here, it kind of sucks to be fair.

all of that was a mere desire, it was just a temporary part of you that desires to be in such life, not that you'd really want to be in it as you'd rather stay in your room—indulging yourself in the world of your favourite manhwas, that it had you working on your own very novel. having no matters to attend to except for working on your novel 24/7 was pure bliss, and that you'd rather spent reading all your adorable reader's comments over talking with people way too much in reality.

it was probably a way of the deities to pull you out from your dusty old corner which you definitely and would never appreciate as you gave a deadpan look towards the night sky above the glass panes of the ceiling.

"uh?"

"she truly lives up to the rumour, father." the lady snickered behind her lacy hand fan, her eyes held traces of mockery in it.

"i dare say that his royal highness had quite a special taste.."

you tilted your head at them, sighing as you very well know where this is going. of course why wouldn't you? this was the dialogue you created during a crying session after your favourite manhwa ends on a horrible note. opting to torture your characters in your dusty side novel by using this dialogue on them, and later had a beaming idea to recycle it for the female lead's fateful encounter with the nobles.

"if you'd like to keep your tongue, then i advise you to stick it inside. marquess?" goosebumps raised over the back of your neck when the prince appeared, his feline eyes held irritation in it as he stood beside you. "you had no right to speak to my future wife, don't you?"

"i- ap-pologize, your highness!"

"apologize? they say actions speak louder than words, then would you, dear marquess, cut your atrocious tongue for me then?"

the marquess held the need to tear up as the humongous dark aura the prince emitted caused his knees to turn noodles, trembling pathetically.

they all know, just like you do, obviously cause you write them that way—that this prince had not the slightest mercy once provoked, therefore he was greatly feared and will never cease to be so the more he grew up to be a fine young man, and onto his adulthood.

sneakily getting out of the ball after a few royal officials appeared and the prince had no choice but to entertain them. you took the chance to sniffed in a humongous fresh of air into your burning lungs after spending a torturous hours inside.

with the moonlight rays being your fellow companion as you wandered about the royal garden you encountered, your heels made an audible crack sound which causes something from the distance to rustle, you snapped your head at the source of the noise.

yet none was to be seen except for your presence.

a white silhouette, rather tiny in form sprinted in your peripheral vision and before you can turn your head towards it, it was unfortunately gone. then suddenly, it reappeared and only then you notice what it was as your heart immediately form shape of neon hearts.

you caught sight of the tiny snow bunny hopping along the bushes, your eyes shimmered as you approached as slowly as you can. a snow bunny. how adorable?! you cooed as low as you can to avoid scaring the bunny, and to your utter satisfaction, it hops onto your lap. with the biggest grin on your lips—you patted the bunny, indulging yourself in this form of cuteness.

"milady, you're here?"

the snow creature on your lap flinches and hop out of your lap which causes you to sigh at the prince before you. giving him a deadpan look you were itching to do all this time, and now that he's finally here..

"i'm quite sure one of the rules i stated was that you would refrain from calling me.. your wife? didn't we, your highness?"

"forgive me, milady." jungwon shrugged. "such atrocious acts had to be cut off before it grows, and aside from that, what kind of husband would i be if i couldn't do the bare minimum of protecting my wife?"

the tip of your nose was immediately dusted off with rosy hues. another shitty dialogue that you don't know where it came from, that shoots another cupid's bow to your serene heart once again—gritting your teeth as you pull the imaginary arrow out of your heart before it can grow to something worse.

you sighed at him as you placed your attention on the lush garden around you, getting on your knees as you brushed your finger across the florals. “your highness seems too confident, i fear you’ll be utterly heartbroken later.”

“to pursue something requires risk, it is a risk i am willing to take, milady.” jungwon said. “plus, it is not determined yet that i can’t win your heart.”

“hm, sure your highness. feel free to think so, we’ll see that later.” you rolled your eyes. “make sure not to come back crying later, your highness.” you notice the way jungwon’s lips pulled up in the faintest smile.

your eyes exponentially softened at that sight of him, of course seeing your male lead with your own eyes was once in a lifetime opportunity, to see one of your characters that you created with your entire heart and soul came into life and to utter words with their lips engulfed you with complete bliss. yet your heart moans in fear that this smile shouldn't be for you, it was only for the female lead.

you cannot let it grow more than this.

my precious female lead.. liz. poor her, she's definitely having her well deserved sleep after going about the town, helping people in need and such, therefore you had to get this mission done as quick as possible!

for her to indulge in the romances of love!

clenching your fist in full blown determination, you stood back on your feet—the breeze flowing against your gown as you gaze up the moonlit sky and you've gotta admit that the scattering rays the moonlight bestows upon the silent blooming florals had the image of tranquillity, instantly bringing your heart at ease.

but you would never be at ease as long as the prince had his eyes on you.

you turned your attention back to the prince who had been gazing upon the moon as well. despite the prince's back facing you, you could tell that he was deep in thought, remaining silent for quite awhile.

"but keep your hopes low, your highness." you exclaimed with a mild scoff.

"i do and will keep that in mind, milady." jungwon's lips pulled up in a slight smirk. "however, please do keep it in mind too that I will never give up yet."

taken aback by his sheer determination, you folded your arms— "well, let's see!"

jungwon slightly giggles at you, "alright, milady."

damn, author versus character? what an odd combination of a match. he won't give up? sure bring it on! i knew you better than you do, yang jungwon! a total stare down occurs between you and the prince, with a definite goal at mind.

"may i ask why.. is lady liz here with us too, milady?" dumbfounded the prince was in the presence of the lady, he surely didn't expect that right?!

hah! jokes on you, yang jungwon! you suppressed the need to smirk as the very fact was you sneakily inviting liz without the prince's knowledge which resulted in all of you three seated down for a tea party in this round table; with you in the middle, as you purposely had the prince facing the female lead in the hopes that they could lock eyes and for it to cause immense spark between them!

ah, what a sight! you couldn't help it but fangirl really hard over them, cause how couldn't you?! it's like a matchmaking session and you, obviously the cupid!

"i assume there's nothing to be curious about, as this was the pact, isn't your highness? i could bring whoever i please."

"yes indeed, but.. the pact.." jungwon pauses, then pulls a tiny smile all reserved for you. "never mind it, i had been granted the honour to be invited to the lady's manor, how ungrateful would i be if i couldn't satisfy your wishes, milady." he continues as he turns his fluttering eyes at liz. "lady liz, it's my pleasure to meet you."

"so am i, your highness."

yes! yes! freaking finally, did he turned his damn head over the female lead! you got this, you were beyond sceptical at agreeing with the pact at first but now that you've seen it before your eyes, you could make the prince fall for the female lead whenever it's your turn to invite the prince!

this is truly a blessing in disguise!

make him fall in love with her, bit by bit, till his interest in you slowly divert into the female lead before his eyes. simple it is! just make sure she's always in his line of vision, so that his heart would truly realise who it was beating for this entire time.

oh dear prince, look ahead and see the perfect lady that was meant for you! for if you still refuse to do so, i'll gladly force your damn eyes to look towards her!mission start!

"so, liz." you grin with your chins on top of your interlaced hands. "i heard you're planning to hold a feast banquet for the people in the town, i forgot but perhaps it would be held a week later?" your eyes darted over the prince to examine his reaction, yet his eyes lingered over anywhere but liz, seemingly not paying attention.

your eyes twitches in disbelief. damnit, give me some reaction, will you? liz, our precious is helping the goddamn country. your goddamn corrupted country!

"what do you say, your highness?" you asked with raised eyebrows.

"that's certainly virtuous of you, lady liz." jungwon smiled as he took a sip from his teacup, his eyebrows furrowing for a moment. "the royal nobles couldn't be compared with you, honestly."

"thank you, your highness. you're flattering me way too much."

"no, i say what needs to be said. unlike you, the nobles are greedy and selfish, often catering to their own personal needs. it tends to irritate me that i couldn't do anything yet with my current status."

"that's certainly unfortunate, however i'm sure your majesty could overturn the tables soon." liz sympathised. "what's important for us to do right now is to help more people in need."

"a nation definitely would need a reigning queen like you, lady liz."

liz covered her mouth with her handkerchief, "once again, you're flattering me, your highness. i do not think i'm capable of such a crown."

"yet your humility and kindness surpassed all, i may say. it is certainly the qualities of a queen."

"it is always my pleasure to help people in need.. but if fate persists, then i would gladly take the chance."

jungwon emitted a slight giggle, a tender smile forming in his lips. "that's fascinating of you, lady liz. is there anything you had an interest for other than helping people?"

"hm, i adore looking after birds, they're my precious friends that tend to help me more than i could count, your highness. and at times, i practise the art of embroidery.."

jungwon's eyes beamed at that particular word and it didn't go unnoticed by your eyes forming countless neon heart shapes as you watched them converse with each other, heart quenching in top fangirling mode as if they were truly a match made for each other!

aaah, my favourite couple!

an enchanting frame of them conversing with each other should be immediately turn into them slipping in wedding rings into each other’s finger! what a lovely sight indeed!

"how about you, lady (name)? is there anything you in particular liked about?"

"uh-?" your fangirling mode switches off when both of their attention are now on you.

"i'm curious about you, milady." jungwon tilted his head at you, curiosity glazed across his feline orbs as he leaned back on the chair in a leisurely manner.

you could freaking imagine the long ass arrow of his concentration fixating on you. freak, i thought you were already falling in love with liz!

you held the need to snort, and you actually missed how liz blushed over the prince's gesture towards you, secretly fangirling inside her rampant heart.

"w-what is there else to know about me?" you held the need to cringe.

"like stuff you're interested in?" jungwon added.

"oh the lady loves to—"

"hush, liz!"

the green blades swayed along the soft breeze as the scorching sun grew a tad bit hotter today yet the over-the-top umbrella you had with you—protected you from the rays at least, but you couldn't care any less as you were beyond giddy, as right now you brought the two with you to the bridge behind the manor.

adding a humongous speed on your feet, leaving the two slightly far behind you for obvious reasons.

now, now.. shall we start the plan?

a mischievous, meticulous plan you've crafted since last night, sacrificing your beauty rest for this long awaited encounter of your precious main couple. moving on to the second step of your plan.

of course, being a writer means you could imagine a dozen more ideas of how to develop romance between two characters—easy peasy. spending an unhealthy amount of time into perfecting your craft, you didn't waste your 20/20 vision to have learnt nothing, obviously.

"ah, isn't the heat a bit irritating today?" wiping off the bead of sweat down your jaw, in a slightly exaggerated manner.

"perhaps, it would be best if we return to the manor, milady." liz spoke, concern engulfed her expression.

"hm, you're probably right." sneakily taking a few glances towards the prince standing behind liz, you fake a few coughs.

forgive me, liz, my precious baby! i had to do this to make that damn prince realise his love for you, plus the lake ain't deep for god's sake..

yes, the goddamn lake. you even had to ask the maids over how deep was this lake just for safety measures, certainly you need your female lead to stay alive for your plan (and novel) to work.

and why the lake, you might wonder? oh jesus, just how many dramas had the damn water scene appearing regardless of any form; lake, river, swimming pool, waterfall, you name it—where the female lead crash into, only for the male lead to come and save her for the day?

the exquisite proximity and skin brushing against skin, those pair of orbs gazing into the universe of each other's soul as they stuttered along the line—traces of infatuation fleeting into the empty air, the heavy scent of romances blooming with prolonged gaze—eventually sealing their amour with a deep, passionate kiss.

ah, chef's kiss! massimo paborito, mwah!

upon your mere hesitation, you sneakily bumped against liz; a surging scream emitted from her lips as she fell into the lake, water splashing against your dress in the process.

"lady liz!" you pushed yourself at the edge of the bridge, feigning shock—to be fair, you would've been annoyed by the soaking spots on your dress but your main priority right now is the prince beside you!

"your highness!" it seems as if he didn't need a word from you to dive in through the lake, but oh well, that had you immensely proud at his quick reflex. now have your skin brush against each other, and look deep into each other's eyes! your eyes widened mischievously as liz's face was buried in the prince's neck.

yes! yes! now gaze deep into his eyes and thank him for saving you! seriously you're currently suppressing your rattling feet from taking small giddy jumps over the sight before you; the prince's arms wrapped around the female lead's waist—while her arms around his shoulder, their nose brushed against each other when she lifted her head.

that alone had you turning your back around, cupping your mouth as you squealed in utter fangirling mode.

shit! holy shit! is this what it feels like to see them right before your eyes?! oh dear, oh dear, just get married will you?! you truly felt like a proud parent right now.

now what is it, let me take one more look! ah!— a fat ass bee buzzes out of nowhere, at your face even. your blood run cold at this stinging monster flying around you. seriously?!

your feet stumbles backwards as you kept smashing your umbrella at this hard-headed bee yet it buzzes even louder, dodging every each of your lame attacks. to your utter shock, your entire world turns downwards as your feet stumbles backwards causing you trip over the bridge.

a humongous splash shoots up the air and against the pair at your pathetic fall.

sunken seaweeds tangled round your wrists as you fell deeper, the water rushing into your lungs and nose had your mouth burbling bubbles before you. your eyebrows furrowed as someone familiar had dove back in, swimming towards you.

why is he even bothering? go back to liz, you idiot!

his fingers found it way around your hips, however you pushed yourself up—swaying your hands upwards, causing the prince to follow suit.

"goddamnit, i can swim." instantly mumbling to yourself as soon as the air greeted your nose, rolling your eyes as you slapped the prince's arms, "i didn't take swimming lessons at the ripe age of seventeen for this shit. by the way, where's liz? why did you leave her!" you mumbled repeatedly as you pushed yourself out of the lake, groaning with your soaking heavy dress.

"milady! you were about to drown!"

"bitch—oh god, your highness be for real." you huffed, "i just said i can swim."

"how was i supposed to know, milady?"

all in all, you all ended up soaking in the scorching lake. what a perfect day for swimming, huh? anyways, why did he even leave the female lead? she can't swim for god's sake!

"lady (name)!" liz had seated herself on the grass, utterly drenched yet still you could differentiate it from the tears streaming down her face as she pushed herself up, sprinting towards you, crying over how worried she was for your life.

rubbing her back you did as you comforted her, telling her that all is fine. except it wasn't fine for you that your fucking plan failed because of your careless damn feet.

you flinched slightly when you caught his eyes never leaving your form and more even at how drenched he was, beads of water dripping down his chin, and his royal attire soaking wet along with his once fluffy lush hair dripping immensely.

the maids had given towels and another pair of dresses for now, but you're actually wondering about the prince as this manor surely didn't had an attire for a male, moreover a prince. since you've written the background history of this manor that the duke who had owned it had passed away before his daughter was born, and so since then, only females had lived in these quarters over the past 40 years.

you heard a few knocks on your door, the maid's head slipping in through the edge. "milady?"

"hm?" you didn't bother to pay a glance as you wiped off the excess soaking of your hair, still in your spiral of dilemma over what happened an hour ago. your stupid mistake of your damn foot conspiring to trip into the damn lake in a rare opportunity!

"his royal highness was asking for your presence, milady."

"and what is his royal highness trying to conspire right here, huh? i am not his personal assistant to dress him up." you snorted, "what is this, barbie and ken? barbie girl in a barbie world?"

it's fantastic? this is nothing close to fantastic at all! you were so damn close to having them crashing their lips against each other!

"goddamnit why is this song kept repeating in my mind!" you whined to yourself.

the maid who had been patiently waiting for you to finish your emo session, spoke once again. "but milady, his royal highness had been having troubles since an hour ago. he had only requested for you and no one else."

"oh god, fine!" you smashed your soaked towel on the table, huffing as you went on your way to the guest room. stomping your feet ever so loudly as you pause before the double door, "your highness, may i ask what in the world are going on for you to request for my presence?"

"come in, please."

you didn't think much as you pushed the door open, yet your lungs bursted into flames when his toned chest and down your eyes went to his bunny pack of buns greeting your lazy orbs which had by far rattled into chaos as of now.

he's freaking half naked?! your mind chanted it like an unlimited internet quota. shirtless he was with that pestering smirk on his face as if he did this on purpose. yeah, this bitch definitely did it on purpose.

"milady?" jungwon smirked, "why don't you welcome yourself in? after all, this is your manor."

"no need." you coughed with your fist.

"just come in, please?"

"stop it! this is basic decency, why would you— ah—!" you held the need to breath as he slammed both his hands on either side of your head.

his breath brushing over your cheeks like feathers, "i don't think such terms like 'decency' are needed between us. after all, milady.. you're my future wife."

"w-what are you doing?! liz is right here—"

jungwon frowned, "why is mentioning her important to us?"

"w-well then!" you horrendously blinked a couple of times as you reasoned with him, "t-the pact! this is a blatant violation!"

"i haven't even done anything yet, milady?" he leaned in closer, seductive tone enveloping his voice. "so worked up for nothing, but that's cute. it satisfies me that only i could have such a great effect for you to have this expression, milady."

you couldn't contain the suppressed hiccup inside your lungs anymore as it eventually emitted right through his face, which had you immediately covering your mouth in utter shock. yet relief consumed you somehow when the smirk on his lips dissipated, however concern adorned his feline orbs.

but just as embarrassment left your soul, another emotion surged through your throat when his hand found its way to your cheek, his thumb stroking your cheek in circular motion as his concerned orbs were wholly fixated on it. "milady, can't you just get rid of the lake behind the manor?"

"w-why do you ask?"

"are you serious, milady? the incident awhile ago would certainly grow worse once left unattended."

"you're overreacting, prince jungwon." finally gathering courage as you pushed him away with your palms against his bare chest, gasping like a dying fish with your hands on your chest when you finally got your needed oxygen.

"i'm certainly not overreacting, i don't know what could've happened if i wasn't around if ever something.. endangered your life, milady."

"your highness, i am not as weak as you think of me."

"perhaps i've look down on you a little, milady. my apologies." your breath hitched down your throat when he immediately took your hands to pressed a tender kiss on top of it. "forgive me, milady."

your ears heated up when your eyes fell on his bare torso, realising that he still doesn't have anything on. dripping hair, beads of water down his chest causes your head to combust. pulling your hands away you did as you exclaimed.

"there's no need to apologise!" stomping out of the room, "seriously wear something!"

🎵…DESTINY IS NOTHING

today was the third time you were in the palace, and the prince's second turn in this pact where he had been guiding you around, everywhere but his room since you blatantly ignored his request with a firm resolution after that embarrassing incident you put yourself in a week ago.

jungwon spoke about his interests and stuff which you obviously knew very well, not really bothering to say anything in order to let him know that you weren't interested at all. opting to let him down as many times as it needed for him to fall out of love with you.

yet he just won't fucking give up.

cuisine, art, languages, swordsmanship, you name it; you've made this prince to be almost perfect at all aspects that was needed for him to inherit the throne. not that you've never written about his brothers, or any other princes in the kingdom, but a prominent part of his history throughout his childhood was that he was an illegitimate child of the king, yet he was immensely capable in adapting quick and efficient.

he pushed all through the trials and obstacles with his wits and immense manipulation tactics, overthrowing his opponents and those who dare to target his head were immediately thrown towards the sharp edge of the guillotine as soon as he spotted them within his line of sight.

jungwon was deadly and far more cunning than you could ever think. mercy was never part of his dictionary as a large part of his childhood grew under a knight whose heart was ice cold like freezing winter, therefore he inherited such traits and honed it to his advantage.

yet that ice cold heart instantly melted when his eyes fell on the female lead, his one and only lover. the rest was merely a history, sweet sugary romance that had been utterly messed up due to your existence in this novel.

you truly did never expect such a nonsensical turn of events to happen.

this prince could try anything he can to win your heart with his tactics, but jokes on him—it was you who crafted this very characteristic of him. therefore you, the writer of this very novel—has the upper hand and advantage more than he does.

but this freaking prince just had to fall asleep in the comfort of his arms before you as you two were seated down at the table for another cup of tea, that is. his lush bangs hanging just above his eyelashes, the tip of his nose dusted with cherry hues as he had been rubbing it off awhile ago when you were both in the palace's garden, his lips pouting made him appear to be an innocent child.

scoffing as you rolled your eyes, is he seriously that comfortable with you? this guy with horrendous trust issues even with his own personal knights? frowning, you leaned in a bit closer, inspecting his features.

i get it that you're cute, i mean all props and kudos to me for creating this goddamn hot face of yours but seriously i had matters to settle, and that is resting in my own quarters with my legs sprawled! not in this damn puffy dress that had me sweating for the past few hours!

—and definitely not all while riding a damn horse!

yes fucking indeed, prince freaking jungwon had arranged a horse riding session in the evening after taking a freaking nap, how utterly horrendous this situation is as you found yourself before a pair of horses emitting their very friendly nose according to the prince which doesn't sound the very least friendly to you.

and you might wonder why this situation was nothing but a pure form of nightmare to you? you unfortunately didn't have any experience in horse riding, and that’s no problem at all, actually! considering your well known reputation as a manhwa avid reader on her own flower bed.

the thing is, your dumbass had written this character you were currently in to be a complete master in horse riding and had actually won multiple national championships since she was at the early age of 10 years old!

oh god, dear god, could you just let me flee into dust at this moment? why the heck didn’t you add fantasy powers in your novel? could’ve actually brought you an advantage by smacking the prince to the female lead’s arms instead of this nonsense.

this was a pure nightmare in the physical frame of the prince having a lovey dovey moment with his horse, you cringe at the thought of him offering you for a ride and your back pressed against his chest all while passing through the field—as if this was a sort of la la land of fairytale.

screw this. you definitely don’t wanna have a lovey dovey moment with him. if you could, you would’ve invited liz! there would be no damn problem! but the thing is, he had the upper hand this week!

this bitch is really using every single damn hour without a waste, huh? what should you do?! tell him you are sick or that you kind of have a weak body now? hell nah, you had just stupidly challenged him that day by punching him right in the face, showcasing your not so sick body, unfortunately.

and most important of all, why the heck did he choose horse riding as part of the weekly pact? how did he even think of this? to bond using the method of interests? bullshit. you voiced such a question to him with your eyebrows raising minus the cussing part, as you can't help your expression.

"milady appears to have a taste for adventure and a hint of rebellious judging how you ended up punching me that day.." jungwon tilted his head playfully. "so it naturally came to me to do horse riding, and it just so happens that i heard that you, milady, had an exquisite talent for it. it must be destiny, isn't?"

screw your so-called destiny!

"that doesn't appear to be a compliment, at all. your highness." you emphasised the addressment. “and for your information, i am currently not in the mood to ride a horse. so, your highness. could we just do something else?.”

"hm, but today i wish to show the meadow which was deep in the woods, milady." jungwon sighed as he pouted, “it wouldn’t be fair for the agreement we had, aren’t we? and if you wish not to ride, then you could always ride with me, you know?” a smirk formed within the corners of his lips as he turned his attention towards his horse.

huh.

i fucking knew it! this bitch of a prince is pulling a hidden agenda of initiating close contact with you through this, that thought alone had you fuming in utter rage, clenching your fist as you can’t refuse such an offer.

everywhere you look, there seems to be no escape from this bloody hell of a lovesick prince! inhaling a very deep breath into your nose as you lifted your eyes at the prince who was currently giving a nice goodie boy pat to his jet black horse, giving him a total deadpan look.

“your highness, i really am not in the mood especially when it’s not my own horse-” you gestured towards the other white horse in which it emitted a total annoyance of ‘neigh’ in response, “and i definitely do not want to risk my life again the way i and lady liz did back in the manor.”

“that’s why i was asking for you to get rid of the lake, milady.” jungwon said. “and i could request for your personal horse-”

“don’t you ever touch my lake!” you huffed in which he raises his hands up immediately, sighing in defeat. “and no, quit it. let my horse rest!”

“well then, milady. your wish is my command..” jungwon emitted a tsk all while pushing himself up on top of the horse with so much ease by placing his foot on the saddle, wrapping both his hands at the handle as he ushered the horse to move closer to you. he lets out a breath of satisfaction as he lowered his right hips and extended his right arm for you much to your deadpan look. “however today is my turn, come and have a ride with me, milady.”

right, you really had no choice!

biting your lip as there was no other way to escape this situation despite your best efforts, you’ll just slam the reality to his face then. “fine, don’t you dare regret it.”

“hm~” he hummed in utter delightment as he pulled you up easily, since you wore this annoying puffy dress; you didn’t face the front, rather your shoulders were pressed against the prince’s chest which apparently worsened the situation as you could see his dangerously close face in this way.

god forbid you punch this prince to death.

"riding a horse is utterly boring now, i might say." you mumbled.

if you actually had applied for horse riding lessons along with swimming lessons, you could’ve and definitely ride a horse all by your own, and even imagining to an extent of ushering all the way out from the palace.

yet all you did in your life was curl yourself in your comfy heavenly gaming chair—that you had to withstand this dangerously close proximity with his breath causing tingles behind your neck. you could sense his chest, his heart beating too loud for your sake, and his lush hair brushing against your ear.

"may i ask why so, milady?"

"it's the very fact that i couldn't ride a horse on my own after some little accident i had back then. you see, your highness."

"ah, so it was that?" his voice made you nervous for no reason, you flinched slightly when he leaned closer, whispering in an almost feathery atmospheric tone. "then it would be my pleasure to give you some personal riding lessons to polish your skills again, milady."

your cheeks heated up at the supposedly double meaning, yet is that even possible?! gulping down your throat, and coughing in attempts to calm yourself down. "never mind it, honestly."

"as you wish, milady." you swore you could sense his mischievous grin behind, you broke a cold sweat at the growing and brave advances this prince is making.

is there really no way to get rid of his so-called interest in you?

“oh, i see your highness and lady (name) are having a pretty little date?” your eyes ogled out at the familiar luminous puppy vibes approaching from the distance, blonde fluffy hair bouncing every couple of seconds as a ‘neigh’ emitted from the horses. “this sight appears to be lovely, i have to say.”

it's definitely not lovely at all, the fuck are you saying?!

you suppressed the greatest desire to roll your eyes at the blonde-haired prince along with the two knights accompanying him.

“prince jake, i wonder what could be the reason to the knights behind you?”

“ouch.” feigning shock by clutching his chest, jake pouted in return. “no hey, how are you’s, or at least how's life? brother?”

right, the history between these two brothers is not the brightest as it seems, as they were birthed from two different mothers; one being the queen, and the latter of nothing more than a worthless prostitute. that rooted history alone had the gap between them growing farther and larger, adding the fact that jungwon managed to soar to the pinnacle in such a short time had not only jake’s position in the kingdom in a thin ice, but also other princes.

the rest was history though, as right now jungwon obviously had the power over each and one of them. the highest in status amongst his half brothers and sisters—the crown prince.

so these seemingly playful words emitting from the other prince don't have the slightest traces of sincerity, rather that of mockery.

“lady (name)?”

you replied almost immediately, “yes, your highness?”

“do look after my precious younger brother, will you? i certainly couldn’t bear once he—”

blah, blah, blah—worthless lies one after another, only nodding your head with the sweetest smile you could afford on your lips in order to appease the prince. right, what’s the point of having such golden vibes if he had such a despicable tongue? it’s such a waste of good looks, to be honest.

well, it was you who wrote him that way though.

conversing with the golden prince lasted for quite awhile much to your inner groaning, and incredibly elated you were when he finally left with his knights—excusing himself for some military affairs, that is. but jokes on him, you knew what was he in for, yet that couldn’t be any of your priority as this prince who had his feline features contorted into bitterness will handle him later according to the original route of the story.

but of course, the original route is pretty nonexistent if he never falls in love with the female lead! ugh! and what’s up with this ugly bitter look on his face? i didn’t spend all of the hours that was meant for my sleep to craft your pretty damn face!

“milady, i’ll only repeat this once.” his feline eyes darkened as it looked into your soul, “do not ever stay even one inch closer to prince jake, he’s not what you think he is.”

gulping down your throat as you broke a cold sweat, this look he was giving you was the very expression you described on him when he felt that he was being challenged or worse, getting on his nerves.

“plus, i do not like it a single bit of how you, milady gave him a smile.”

well yeah, screw it. you gave him another deadpan look, punching his chest with your clenched fist, causing him to yelp in pain.

tap, tap, tap.

you were sure you look like a freaking duck right now as you squinted so hard at the shop before you as it was your turn in this week once again, you had been researching about this particular shop where you could try on dresses and go about the town without paying first. therefore proceeding with your plans as always, you had invited liz again much to jungwon's hidden inner groaning.

silently weeping to himself as to how he could get on with plans in winning your heart, too, if a third party is always presented and a girl, even. if it was a man, not even an ounce of hesitation will he claim you before their eyes. yet he had just to eat his own words by going along with your wishes as now he had a kitty ears on with a cape that was a tad bit colourful for him, only lowering his head down in attempts to conceal his face from the crowd as it was freaking broad daylight.

that’s right, you had chose to cosplay with the two in hopes for them to find each other adorable, at least. yet much to their deep knitted eyebrows over what that word means, you had to think of a petty lie to utter before them.

and that was brushing it off as a rare word you encountered in a goodie oldie book that they could never lay their hands on, (obviously your novel) proceeding to drag them around the town with so much ease without them protesting to match the kitty ears on you as well. you gestured all around like a child with your eyes twinkling immensely at every single object, and rushing into the crowd despite their protests.

and behold, this was your very plan! sneakily getting rid of yourself and leaving them two alone together in the crowd, dumbfounded over your existence, shape, or form-nowhere to be found, this was one in a millionth chance to have them together all by themselves!

rushing out of the crowd from the back, your eyes sparkles in luminous brightness as you observed their frantic form everywhere looking for you. with the widest grin ever on your face and a humongous sparkle on your eyes, you exclaimed within your mind:

enjoy your date, my precious!

watching them from the distance as you took a sip from your orange juice, you squealed so hard as they began to converse with each other and the sight of liz giggling as she covered her mouth, the prince must have been saying something towards her right?!

"w-what? w-what did you say?!"

"yes, milady.."

coughing immensely as you choked on your chocolate drink after your maid, juliet — broke out the news with a pout in her face and her back drooping that the prince wouldn't be able to come today as he had important matters to attend to, however she added that she overheard from the maids that the prince had visited lady liz's manor, and everyone was cooing and swooning over the perfect sugary image of them giggling together.

really? really?! did your plan work out? unbelievably joyous your soul was as it soar into peak euphoria, thanking the deities as you didn't have to go that far anymore! truly, the female lead's charms are irresistible even to the prince, himself! unbeatable indeed, that he could no longer ignore the one and truly one for him.

juliet added that another type of rumours had been escalating over the entire royal court, and it was crystal clear to you how it was causing everyone from peasants to nobles to bet on who was going to hit the jackpot; the status of the crown princess.

"was it any of the three ladies closest to the prince's circle?" was the question lingering like a super duper glue from everyone's tongue.

some wondered that it could be princess violet who had just arrived from the neighbouring kingdom. she had been prince jungwon's supposedly fiancée ever since he was crowned as the prince, the keyword here is 'supposedly' since she was initially thought to be engaged with the prince, yet till now it was never officialised nor an official banquet had been held along those years. however, her arrival after so many years causes rumours to arise that a royal marriage was probably around the corner soon.

while others say that it might not be princess violet, and it was actually noble lady liz from the house of felix; walls are akin to eyes, ears and mouth—and so it soon reaches everyone's peace of mind that she could be a rival to the princess.

yet others also had their mind fixated on another noble lady, you. some of them however, had no guts to say out loud to vote for you—since one, your brazen attitude in the ballroom that day causes a hazardous chaos to everyone's mind, and two—rumours say that even when the prince had initially visited your manor for a couple of weeks, his interest soon dissipates upon lady liz's arrival.

kicking your feet in the air as you stretched your arms with utter satisfaction, you were surely placing your entire bet not on the former, but on the latter. you had never heard of princess violet, sure you had written a princess in your novel but that character was only a minor role. so it kind of bugged you over who is this princess violet?

well yeah, screw it. what is there to worry about when the prince had been pouring his utmost attention to his one and only female lead?

supporting your head with your arms as you gaze upon the silent sunset above the horizon—somehow, someway, it kind of gives you a solemn mood? shouldn't you be happy right now?

weird.

the glowing blush of the moonlight had the clouds dissipating in a rush, showcasing it's rays towards the glasshouse from where you are right now, the scent of fresh lush garden and the sweetened blossoming flora had your mind in a total serenity, yet it doesn't last any longer as a particular someone had made his appearance today.

"hm? what are you hiding behind you?"

you raised your eyebrow as you tried to take a sneaky peek on his left, yet he dodges it efficiently. it has nearly been a week since the prince had last visited you, yet he just had to break the streak by appearing before you today. at night even! you were appalled at first, frightened even that he might do something yet an afterthought struck you that he must definitely end the pact today!

giddy you are, as you spun around with your arms interlaced behind your back. a paper it must be? a paper with an official agreement to end his pact with you!

his feline eyes looking down the ground as his cheeks profusely steamed in rosy hues, obvious to you that this prince surely is being shy for reasons you couldn't think of.

huh.

"if your highnesss think i would keep forcing you then scrap the idea." you hummed as you turned around. seriously the prince surely doesn't think that you would insist right? you've watched too many dramas for this shit, the result of it obviously falling on each other's arms.

"milady?"

with a low sigh, you turn your head towards his way. wondering what could he be saying again, yet something naturally pulls your disinterested orbs onto it.

in his hand, in the grip of his long fingers; a book appeared.

but not just any normal or average book—by the looks of it, even when your eyes fell on it for the first time—you immediately noticed that the book on his hands was a handmade one with a vintage hardcover. your lips hang slightly apart and for some reason, your heart actually mellowed before your brain could process the fact. "i made this for you."

this is dumb, seriously it can't be? this prince is certified dumb but you were even dumber as you took it in your hands, inspecting every corner of it with your tender orbs.

"y-you made this?.. for me?"

"yes, i know it's rather simple—"

"n-no," shaking your head slightly as you unconsciously let out a breathless awkward giggle. "but when did you make this?"

"the first time i was invited to your manor, milady. i didn't mean to peek into your room—"

"what?"

"b-but i swear! i didn't read the papers scattered on the floor of your room, i held myself."

relief engulfed your soul, yet why are you even relying on his words? he could be lying, that it's right? he could be lying. but why can't you rip your orbs away from this simple object?

"yet seeing how your interest was centred along papers, and the ink plate on the farthest side... i thought that you must've liked to write, milady. so, i thought that i could make a handmade book for you."

a couple beats of silence.

"don't you like it?.."

"you didn't have to go that far, seriously—" you reasoned with him, yet your eyes never leave the object on your palms. unable to process this very fact, you don't wanna admit that it does something to your heart.

"no, but i have to." he interrupted, "and this is simply what a lover would—" pausing he did after he recalled your initial distaste over that particular word, letting out the last words from his lips rather low in volume as if he was shy to let you hear it clearly. "what a man would do for the woman he loves."

your stomach grew butterflies at his words.

"you could write anything you wanted in it, pour out everything you felt, your troubles, anything.."

and if i'm lucky enough to be a part of the pages.. i surely would treasure it, milady. those words rang akin to windchimes in jungwon's head as he observed you with utmost intent.

your fingers traced over the engraved leafy patterns on the cover, you suppressed a giggle at the obvious amateur brown threads that woven the entire pages together—sure it appears to be messy at hell, yet you seem to adore this proof of wholly effort. no you absolutely adore it.

it reminded you of that time when you had poured out your inner feelings in a journal for the first time, because you weren't able to let yourself out completely for everyone. it was before you ever had the hobby of reading manhwas, and or even being a writer.

it was the only way you ever had that time.

raising your glued eyes on the book at the prince, "thank you," his shy feline eyes bubbled into bubbly bobas at your gesture, "your highness."

jungwon looks away, avoiding those eyes that he had grown smitten for. brushing his fingers on his lips in the process as he gulped down his throat. "ah, right. i still have another present for you."

"god, it ain't my birthday today though? what's with all this presents—"

jungwon smiled as he turned his head towards the entrance, "bring it in."

the knights stepped in through the entrance, yet the sight of the white tiny creature on their arms caught your interest, and the fact that this frame of the knight's buff form and the creature in his arms seems to be a rather comical, eccentric but comforting sight.

your mouth hangs apart slightly when you finally notice the familiarity of the white creature—it was the snow bunny from the royal ball that night.

jungwon took the bunny in his arms as he approached you, "i have to say it's quite an effort to catch this little bunny, yet milady is—" he pauses with a slight grin, opting not to finish his sentence. "here, from today onwards, this bunny is yours, milady."

"how did you.."

"i have quite a keen observation, milady."

"stalker." you playfully spat out despite knowing this ability of his, in which the prince giggled in return.

your orbs endlessly waver at the lively snow creature on your arms, it's round form making itself comfy and nice which had you giggling at how utterly adorable it was.

🎵...AQUARIUS

suddenly the bunny wiggles in your arms and decides to hop on your face which had your butt hitting the grass in a loud thud, you yelp in pain much to the prince's displeasure. but you brush it off with a smile on your face, opting to lay your head on the grass bed instead as you picked up the snow bunny, lifting it up with your pair of arms.

the dim blue-ish setting of this place blending with doses of lavender hues and the fleeting fragrance of the flowers enveloped your form as the night breeze grew its volume in serenity.

like an image of a violet evergarden.

the prince had seated himself on the bed of the grass as well, not too close to make you feel uncomfortable yet not too far to be able to observe the way your features contorted into silent euphoria, just at an appropriate distance.

jungwon places his chin on his palms, tilting his head sideways with his orbs fixated on yours, watching you in silence as you play with the bunny in your arms, and at the handmade book laid beside you.

you didn't notice this awhile ago but now you did, realising the prince who had seated himself on the bed of grass. "y-you're still here.. i didn't notice."

"of course, but isn't that nice?" a tiny crease emerged from the corners of his cheeks, showcasing his dimples, "that means milady is happy."

your cheeks along with your heart grew warm at his words, placing a chaste kiss on the bunny's forehead as a way to hide away your stuttering. "r-right, thank you for all of this."

a low tone giggle from him sent tingles towards your ears, threatening to push in the cupid's bow a few more centimetres deep into your heart.

in this heaven-like, dimly lit glass greenhouse with the glitters star glazed monochrome sky behind the glass panes on the ceiling serving as your cinematic view, with your silk hair spreading beneath the lush grass bed and your bare skin feeling the sensation of the tender blades, the blossoming violets surrounding you and the prince sitting at the distance had every cells inside you to mellow in comfort.

the moonlight rays shimmering against the glass panes formed a twinkling light, and an imaginary silk fabric of soft beige and black velvet flowed in utter grace above the round patterned ceiling.

you held your breath.

this utterly whimsical and fairytale mood like what you often imagined in your novels, you had never imagine to be able to experience such vivid details with the tips of your fingers, reminding you of that time when you thumbed through the dictionary, studying each root and meaning of a specific word, with a blazing desire to be able to convey your story in utmost descriptive senses to your readers.

ah, this is beyond what you can imagine.

it sort of felt like the lush muted grass bed beneath your bare skin had pulled its borders open, transporting you into another dimension, into another world where it defies gravity and the laws of physics as your soul wasn't held by anything concrete nor anything spiritual.

the snow bunny before you had fallen to its slumber as you laid it on your tummy, purring in a tender melody.

floating and floating amidst the pit patter of the star it was as the weight of the crashing reality from where you used to be, every thought dissipates as your desire to merge yourself within this enchanting dimension grew

you'd imagine the fleeting dust orbs floating above your line of vision were the embodiment of glowing fairies dusting their magical powders on you, that could be the reason for this enchanting serenity.

yet your eyes unconsciously took a glance towards the prince sitting from the distance, you were relieved when he had his eyes shut tight for a moment as if to feel the soft breeze against his face.

a thump. it was supposed to be brief yet with the way his lush hair resembles the swaying motion of the violets had your orbs lingering for a bit more. the hems of his long black coat spreaded out behind him, and his crimson shirt paired with the regency bowtie around his neck which was adorned with ruby rhinestones.

it was as if he was the garden itself.

a shooting star emerges upon the glazed starry night sky, falling across the reflection of your orbs, having you engulfed in amazement at the sight. "a shooting star."

"oh, a shooting star, the old saying goes was to make a wish before it and your wish shall be granted.." with his chin still on his palms, he tapped his cheeks playfully. "i wonder what would be milady's wish then?"

a wish?

no doubt, your wish was for the male lead to return to his original character and story, to the female lead—his lover. so that you won't have to be troubled with all this nonsense, and another wish you had is to definitely return to the real world. there's no doubt as well that you were beyond happy to be able to immerse yourself in the world you created, yet you wish to return home; home where your comfy bed was, kitchen that you often were excited for once you're done with work, your desk with countless papers of poetries you wrote and your glowing laptop with thousands of either unfinished works or complete ones residing in that one folder.

the joy of reading the long ass paragraphs your readers wrote for you once you posted the next chapter, some of them having you teared up due to how expressive and hilarious they were, all of it brought little yet significant bliss into your seemingly normal days.

but.. you had another tiny wish emerging from within, forming a rather solemn sound of windchimes to your heart.

"my wish?" raising your splayed fingers over your eyes, inspecting each unique star twinkling above the splattered paint of glitters. "i would like to be real to myself."

yes, to be real to yourself and to say nothing but truth to the tip of your tongue before everyone. to be a writer, they say, is to be a very sad child, that you have to pour all your sadness to your characters, crafting obstacles for them to fight against, and let them withstand it bit by bit till they grow to be a stronger person than they used to be.

yet to be a writer in your words would also mean to be both a liar and a truthful person, for all the words you convey to your readers were lies crafted in utter perfection and a thousand hours worth of learning—and were also truth stemming from inside you, your very own obstacles where you feel nothing but being fake.

doubting yourself of whatever you say was a daily chore to you in your original life, yet you couldn't stop it no matter how you wanted to. you felt enormous guilt before the people you called your friends, despite putting your best efforts in caring for them, you still felt like you were being fake.

yet in this novel, you poured everything with truth upon a thousand perfected lies. you cared for your characters, to think of them as humans rather than mere descriptions or profile, crafted dialogues you knew would be from them, and such.

therefore, it was in this world where you knew you weren't being fake. it was the world that was a part of you, a world you felt the most realest without punching your hands against your chest.

maybe that's why you also wished to stay a bit more in this fairytale-like world.

"what's yours, your highness?"

the dim lit glass panes glinted against jungwon's orbs as he raised his head to look upon the night sky, "my wish.. is to be a bit more sincere in the things i do."

a few beats of silence.

"—being a crown prince has its fair share of troubles too, lifting a veil of deception before everyone is utterly exhausting. to do everything for the sake of earning something is exhausting."

being manipulative is exhausting, jungwon thought to himself. he'd rather not add that one particular word for your ears to hear, as he definitely wishes not to ruin the mood.

"but aren't you doing all of these to earn my love?"

"that might be the case, milady." jungwon pauses yet again, "but what i'm doing right now is showing my love for you, to let you know that you had made me do something without asking anything in return. i do not yet know if i am completely being sincere right now, since.. the sight in front of me is pretty nice.. that i desire for it to be a little longer, you know?"

you knew what he meant by his wishes, and that was the very reason why he should have fallen in love with the female lead. they were the remedy to each other’s pain, they were the answer to each other’s prayers, they were made for each other just like you intended it to be. it should have been her at this moment, with him.

yet why is it that you can’t help the way your heart grows exponentially warm at his words? avoiding his steady eye contact and his tiny dimples by covering your eyes with your once splayed fingers. "hm.."

it's safe to say that your maids and the prince's knights standing outside the glasshouse immediately cupped their mouths really hard after overhearing the prince's words, some of them squealing and the other smacking each other in attempts to stay as silent as possible.

it had grown silent after that, yet it for sure left a lingering rosy hues on your face and his.

jungwon felt like everything in this space was oddly moving in a slow cinematic motion, with the sight of you laying there with the sleeping bunny on your tummy, your sparkling eyes against the night sky, your hair and your white dress sprawled over the grass bed like dripping honey petals.

his icy cold heart; he felt as if it skipped a thump with every single breath you took, every time your eyelashes fluttered with every blink, the way your toes wiggled as you counted every single star above the universe.

this magical border where it only had you and him, was akin to the drawn images of the fairytale book he read as a child. this scene, this image, this scenery; you stood out the most.

it was as if you were the flower in this garden.

little did you know, that the so called dates he had with liz was after all his request for personal embroidery lessons. liz, herself had been awfully fangirling over you two for the past few days, giving amateur yet adorable advice that he should be away for a couple of days, to give you an air of mysteriousness and wonder over his whereabouts.

"i had to express my thanks to you, lady liz — for helping me."

liz giggled, "all are well, your highness. it appears to me that your highness' present to the lady had been a success, i assume?"

jungwon blushes at the thought of your tomato face.

"lady (name), she's a bit odd sometimes, however she's a kind person! therefore, your highness shall treat her well."

"of course, lady liz." replied jungwon as he remembered the days when he squinted hard, poking the needle towards the handkerchief. yet he eventually gives up on it, opting for another present as he couldn't possibly give you such a horrendous looking present. cussing at himself that even by being the so-called perfect prince, he is unable to be good at some things.

cringing to himself, he pondered immensely. ah, he recalled that you had a particular interest over something his eyes had fallen upon a while ago.

papers, books, inks, poetry.

he deduced that you had the probably an interest on such a particular thing, proceeding with his secret plans in acquiring new books that you perhaps would have an interest in. yet he pauses with a distant thought that you might have read a thousand books more than he did (which you actually did), and discards the idea immediately, wondering how and what kind of present he should get in order to align with your particular interest.

it should be made with pure effort, yet it should also be deemed useful for it to be on your palms everyday it could. jungwon wishes to avoid extravagant presents such as jewellery or dresses as you had expressed dislike over them by the reason "it was too hot and itchy" — plus, you as a noble lady would surely have a wardrobe filled with dozens of such stuff.

therefore, after much thought, he settled with one thing; a handmade book.

jungwon couldn't suppressed his grin as he went back to the palace, or all over the way to his quarters without being seen by the maids doing their respective chores, nobles leisurely wandering about or conversing with their peers, and royal officials that had just passed by from their usual royal meeting.

they wondered what could be the reason for the prince's sweet grin? they would never know as they have never seen beneath the prince’s crafted facade. they would never know how that facade of his crumbled the day his feline orbs softened at your curled form in the midst of the hallway.

jungwon’s intention in approaching you that day was nothing more but to bring a couple more scent of fragrance to his name, as part of his meticulously crafted plans. even when you came to accidentally compliment him that day, it was only a slight waver to his ice cold heart. yet he finds you fascinating in how you carried yourself around him.

at second meeting, he knew you were hiding something to the point you were getting rid of him— yet didn’t bother to dig in as his instincts rendered you to be harmless, and that the thing you could be hiding would be to your own best personal interest. he ain’t no fool, growing up all by his own while encountering all sorts of people had sharpened his mind and polished his skills to the finest. yet he found it interesting to bubble up those panic expressions on your face.

during those days where he chose to wait for you to appear again had him quite of missing those expressions on your features that he decided to enter your residence which marks the third time you met each other. that day, when you made it clear that you do not have any interest in him, it's not that he felt like he was being challenged like he used to—it's just that there was something he couldn't fathom.

that's the very reason he made the thirty day pact, to see how far it will go till he loses this mere interest in you.

yet seeing you was yet another wish that kept burbling up in his heart one after another despite thinking to himself that this will be the last time, and at last he finally found himself wishing to see you one more time, every time he could, as long as he can.

you were definitely not the first lady that had shown lack of interest in him, neither you were the first one he had ever first fallen in love with, nor the first one to had him crumble into this way.

but you are definitely the last one he’ll ever pursue.

your eyes flutter open with the blossom of the sun kissing your hair strands and reflecting it's honey hues within your orbs. a wholly sensation of peace engulfed your heart as you seated yourself up, your eyes falling on the curled form of the white bunny, and at the handmade book beneath it.

"why didn't you woke me up?"

"his highness had spent the entire night watching over you, milady. he left by sunrise."

"oh.. he didn't say anything after that?"

"unfortunately no, milady."

you shrugged, scratching the back of your neck as you stood on your feet. pouting slightly as to how the prince didn't left any message for you before leaving, you sighed a bit.

but hold up? why are you sighing?

your previous thoughts dawned on you a couple of seconds later as you cupped your mouth with your hands, and your ogled eyes threatened to pop out. what is this nonsense?!

🎵…THEIR OWN WORLD

so much about the grinning stuff, here your face and lips were horrendously affected by this grin that never ceases to exist since that day.

seriously? it's just a simple book with empty pages and an obvious amateur embroidery that had threads sticking out front and back, yet as much as simple as you claimed it to be, your actions says otherwise as you had placed it amongst your personal bookshelf where your favourite books were, or the fact that your feet couldn't stop bringing yourself to where it was and for your hand to pull it out for the nth time.

to carefully inspect every little detail of this hand made carved cover, recalling the prince's words that he had poured his utmost effort in creating such a simple yet.. heartwarming gift. it kind of bugged you that accepting this gift probably meant accepting his advances towards you?

no way, that can't be it.

but the fact that you recalled how your heart mellowed in a swift speed when he placed the handmade book on your palms, and how you were sure that your smile that time was pure sincerity could have meant that.. you were falling for him?

nah uh! impossible as fuck! just give this back to him, yes indeed, that's the only plausible way to get rid of these ominous thoughts in your head. you can't be falling for the male lead, the very fictional character you created for your precious female lead.

yet your feet pause on its tracks almost as immediately it started, gripping the book in your fingers—-having a second thought of it.

tick tock, tick tock.

pure irritation engulfed your lungs in a pang as your eyes had been lingering on the entrance for a long, long time. to your utter surprise, the prince had not visited for a week, not even a single day as whole seven days without any sign of his presence. he had missed your turn in the pact, you had initially thought to spend this time with him without liz.

with the lingering desire to ask him something, but when you confront yourself before the mirror's reflection of yourself. what is there even to ask about?! to discuss the book with him? that could be it, right? not that you wanted him all to yourself, right?

right..?

was he busy? was he occupied with the royal affairs? or perhaps someone had caught his eyes now that he's spending his time with them? you are dead serious about giving this book back to him, so your heart would already be at ease, yet why?

you hated to admit it but, you were longing for his presence as you flipped through the empty pages of the book he made, for you. you haven't written anything on the first page as you desire for the words to be something of importance rather than mere doodles.

"—for you."

for you, huh? this prince is horribly romantic for his own good, isn't he?

"bunny." you poke the little creature's nose that had been scratching it's head on the table before you, "your prince, do you know where is he?"

of course, the bunny could only stare at you with it's boba eyes, obviously not capable of understanding your words. yet this bunny got to be the biggest culprit of them all as those boba eyes just had to remind you of him.

resting your chin on your palms as you let out a sigh for the nth time, having the attention of the maids doing their respective chores on you—pouting slightly as they, too—were waiting for the prince's presence.

"milady?"

"hm?"

"do you perhaps.. miss his highness?"

your chin slipped over your palms as it burst into beads of sweat real quick, eyes ogling at the girl before you. "juliet?! seriously? go make me a cup of chocolate!"

"y-yes milady!" the girl disappeared into atoms as soon as she could. you facepalmed yourself as why did you even name her 'juliet' if you couldn't add her romeo at the beginning of the character's introduction, oh god. now she's pestering you with words you'd rather not hear, this girl had been spilling a dozen more words that had stuck to your mind like a super glue.

"i wonder how the prince is doing, though—" smacking your mouth immediately as it sank in your mind over what you just asked, groaning as you went back to your quarter.

you'd rather die than to visit the palace, seeing all the double faced people residing there would only cost your peace of mind and you'd rather not punch another skeleton to ashes again. you'd rather indulge yourself in the comfort of your fluffy heavenly bed than trouble yourself over the prince, right?

right..?

"well screw myself!" standing before the entrance of the palace had you thinking just what is wrong with you, have you gone insane?

probably.

"lady (name)?" a familiar voice had you turning towards that someone, the widest big grin adorned the corner of your lips as you approached her and giddily interlaced your hands with hers.

"liz!"

great! now you will totally have a plausible excuse when you meet the prince, you’d rather die than have him knowing that you came all the way here from your manor just to see his damn freaking face, or that you actually kind of miss him.

"oh, i didn't expect to meet the lady (name) on such a day?" a seductive and mature voice causes your neck to tingle, and definitely not in a good way. "i wonder what could be the lady (name)'s purpose to visit the palace?"

no shit, the princess who you've been quite curious about has finally appeared before your eyes and somehow after looking at her up and down, it irks you that she gives another villain vibes to your keen eyes and you're definitely not in the mood for it. the fact that she knew your existence, your name, and the way she laid out the question had you confirming that she had heard the rumours, and that she didn't receive it very well, didn't she?

you curtsy before her, bowing your head slightly before fixing your posture again. "greetings, princess violet, i was just intending to bring my fellow companion to visit around the royal palace."

"greetings, princess violet." liz curtsied gracefully, that alone had you grinning immensely proud over how her sparkling charms had more of an effect than the not-so-good vibes this princess was emitting before you.

"very well then, i had brought my fellow companions as well, noble ladies that is." stroking her silk lacy gloves she did as she gestured over the ladies behind her, "we're having a tea party in the evening, perhaps would you like to come?"

sounds like an invitation, to be fair, but those who had sharp eyes could see through her malicious plans—rejecting the princess' invitation regardless of what, is deemed as tasteless and atrocious to the palace despite not intending to do so.

there was rumours flying around that one word slipping from her tongue is capable of snapping people's heads into separate dripping flesh, and that could be the reason to her infamous reputation.

huh, that's definitely the reason why the royal family wasn't giddy enough to arrange an official engagement despite all those years, only holding onto the rope as long as they can if by any chance they had no one to depend on.

royal affairs is just that complicated, huh? but oh well, a cup of tea might do wonders to your dampen mood—might as well indulge yourself in such an exquisite tea party all while seeing just how this noble princess would go far.

"it would be my honour, princess."

the tea party is to say the least quite civil for you despite your initial expectations that the princess could turn out to be a total bully, the ladies and liz converse together with numerous topics just like the nobles would, one of the topics being of the princes of this kingdom. one of them squealed over the red-haired prince with the name sunoo that had caught dozens of heart as he waved his hand against the ladies, or the other one that truly live up to his status; icy piercing eyes and a beauty mark on his nose, a total prince charming vibes with the name sunghoon.

"lady (name), so it was you..?"

you paused your inner monologues, "what.. do you actually mean, princess violet?"

"nothing, i had the desire to see what type of a lady the prince had taken an interest in."

or maybe not, you were truly right after all—now would you look at that? this rookie princess is finally getting on with her plans and apparently proceeding with one of the oldest techniques called "putting you down on your place" which had been scattered all over the dramas regardless of era, often effective as it struck hard right to a character's dignity.

"you see, that his highness might have just gone bored, that he had to find a new toy for a short period, that is."

you let the bitch ramble on and on, letting her satisfy her high ego and pride cause you've seen enough, watched enough, heard enough, even had written enough for you to be affected with such basic insults.

but oh dear god, you desired to smash her face on the table yet resisted as your precious female lead is here, you couldn't possibly let her witness such a horrible sight, right?

yet for some reason you can't help the way your eye twitches and the slight pang in your heart at her words despite knowing that she's just another minor character in this very world you created.

"his highness, i fear, would lose his mere affection for you in no time."

"princess violet! i dare say that is not very wise of you to say." liz frowned deeply, shaking her head as she did so.

"it's fine, liz." you rubbed her hands in which her features softened immediately. ah, your precious sweetheart. isn't she just that kind hearted?

you took a couple of sips from your teacup, indulging yourself in the delightment of it. you wondered who could be the talented one that had created such exquisite taste?

"lady (name)!"

"oh?"

"are you listening or what?" visible veins popping on the side of her neck, obviously irritated by your leisure manner.

your lips hang apart, giggling in a low tone as your eyes crinkled in mischievous crescents. "oh princess, i wasn't aware. perhaps you could repeat it again?"

yes bitch, exhaust your despicable tongue.

"oh dear heavens, i was kind enough to invited you to my tea party, and you have not at least basic manners before me?"

basic manners? oh look who's talking! you held the need to spew insults at the bitch for you seriously had more important matters to settle, "then would it be to your own likening if i excuse myself out, princess?"

she scoffed at you, rolling her eyes as she uttered another thing. "oh please, don't tell me you're wishing to meet the prince? do you think i'm an idiot for not realising your plans?"

"what would make you assume that, princess?"

"just saying, even if his highness truly likes you. sorry to say, you would be nothing but a mere mistress. and i—"

your ears literally shuts its ability to hear anything from her any further, sighing dejectedly before your disinterested lazy eyes caught sight of someone behind the entrance. your eyebrows raised along with your lips, a sense of slight bliss surged through your soul as you recognised who it was.

"y-your highness..?" you mentally wanna slap yourself for sounding too excited, "why don't you welcome yourself over here?"

"oh, my apologies." the sight of jungwon in his glowing princely attire approached from the distance had your heart skipping not one beat but two, which had you looking away instantly, your eyes fell on the ladies behind you had their jaws dropping behind the hand fans in their tight grasp.

"oh my, your highness!" they exclaimed, obviously elated by his sudden and unexpected arrival. your eyebrow twitched at their cringy and over the top whiny voice in attempts to get the prince’s heart.

pausing on his tracks, a few metres away from the table and you. he pulled the familiar smile that held innocence in it, quite double-faced if you ask me. these ladies had no idea just how the prince really is beneath that facade. you thought as you side eyed lady violet.

yeah..

recalling those sets of memories puffed with soft pink mist of his fluttering eyelashes looking down as he stretched out his palms with the book on top of it---the way his boba eyes of innocence blended with utter sincerity, and the way he was obviously nervous by how he lapped his tongue on his lower lip.

how you utterly miss those expression, for a reason you couldn't comprehend. it's not like you had grown closer with him, so why there's a sense of warmth enveloping the silent heart behind the cage of your ribs? and with it, a sense of irritation arose within.

it won't hurt.. to teach her a bit, right?

"princess violet." you called out.

"y-yes?" she raised her eyebrow suspiciously at you.

"you were wondering why i don't have basic manners, but have you ever asked yourself if you ever had one?" you took a few steps closer to the prince before you.

"lady (name), what are you trying to imply?"

"hm," you hummed playfully, raising your fingers up to the prince before wrapping your hand around his neck. "what i was trying to imply is, spewing such nonsense before a lady about her man is certainly lacking manners."

"huh?!"

"might as well show you since you couldn't understand." you turned your attention back to jungwon, whose feline eyes were also laced with utter confusion which quickly turned into a full bloom boba when you pulled his long bowtie closer to you—crashing your lips against his.

—inaudible words along with sudden gasps arose and the eyes of the noble ladies, the princess, including the female lead ogling out tremendously hard.

"l-lady (name)?!"

"a-ah~" you lapped your lips on your plump lips before the full blown orbs of the ladies, "now, now.. this prince right here you've been addressing as 'your highness'.. is my man. kindly practise a couple of basic manners, would you, ladies? unless you would be content being his majesty's side mistress?"

jungwon's cheeks flushed into a hot mess, akin to a profusely steaming bun. his boba eyes relentlessly blinked as he tried to process what had happened just now, feeling the previous sensation on his lips before looking back at you again.

"oh my, your highness?" feigning a playful shock, "perhaps you would like to have princess violet as your wife instead?" placing your index finger on your lower lip as you pouted before the prince.

jungwon's feline orbs twinkled, regaining his well composed manner as his fingers tapped your hips—pulling you closer to his chest much to another series of squealing from the female lead, and screw loosening in the princess' jaw.

"i wouldn't dare, milady. didn't i say i would be good for you?" the sun rays kissing his soft lush hair as his eyelashes fluttered, pressing a soft kiss on top of your hand. "if milady desires, i shall announce to the people that you're my woman just as i am your man."

now it was surely your turn to blushed profusely, looking away from his lovesick gaze. what's up with him with these romantic words?!

the female lead, had by far, turned into a full blown embarrassment as well. actually turning into a diehard fangirl at this point, "m-milady?"

oh shit— what the fuck?! what in the actual shit is this?!

how could you even forget that your precious baby is right here the entire time?! kissing the male lead in front of the female lead? you've truly gone insane!

"i-i! i'm going ahead, your highness. if you'd like to follow then please do so." your feet scattered through the paths as you motioned liz to follow suit.

jungwon nodded with visible rosy hues on his cheeks, but immediately paused on his tracks, turning his head over his shoulder. "ah, princess violet?"

"y-yes your highness?" the princess immediately stood up on her feet, gulping down her throat.

"you see.. if you weren't a lady, i wouldn't have let you earn the consequences of spewing nonsense to my wife."

the princess' orbs widened in utter horror, stuttering pathetically. "n-no! y-your highness! this isn't how it looks like p-please listen—"

"next time, if you dare as much as to provoke her one more time, i assure you being a lady or a princess would no longer be enough to keep your tongue intact." with icy eyes seething with blood, the prince then went on—leaving the princess to fall on her knees, eyes darting immensely.

"lady liz, could you let me have the lady to myself for a moment?"

his voice had you immediately pausing on your tracks with your mind still clouded over your actions awhile ago, heart beating rampantly as you turned to face the prince but you keep your head down as you didn't have the courage to look at him.

liz who was still greatly affected with the obvious tomato hues on her cheeks, looks towards you with eyes asking if it's okay, in which you nodded.

the girl hastily excused herself as she cupped her cheeks, and her feet threatened to stumble at the edge of the entrance much to your deadpanning look and sighing over how clumsy she was.

you finally gathered the courage to look into his eyes yet his face alone had you constantly recalling what you did with him. the heavy crushing weight of kissing him before the ladies, and calling him your man. how cute, huh?

an excruciating silence formed between you and him, your eyes darting all around the space but him, while your hands formed beads of sweat as you waited for him to speak first.

"so.. milady? how have you been?" jungwon locks eyes with yours, the way he looks to your soul felt as if he wanted to caress you with his arms at any moment, what is this? “and i have to say i’m surprised that you’ve came all the way to visit me, was.. it for me though, milady..?”

"oh, i’ve been doing absolutely well! h-how have you been too, your highness?" stuttering pathetically, you wish the gods would launch their gigantic mega hand against your face. and it struck you utterly late when you realised his question at the end. “and.. bold of you to assume that way, your highness.”

"right..” he hangs his head low. “however i’m very pleased to hear that you’re doing well, milady. but i'm not.. okay." he raises his feline eyes that was now engulfed with traces of sadness. "i have to apologize for messing up our pact."

"there's no need, your highness. the royal affairs are your duties as the crown prince. what am i, a simple lady has the right to earn any apology from his highness who simply did what he had to do?"

"what you said was true, but certainly do not call yourself as 'simple'. you're just any other lady, you're my future wife." jungwon took a few step closer, "(name)."

silence lingers in the long empty hallway with no one but you and him.

"i have to own it up to you, milady. it is my fault for missing one week of our pact." he looks down, clearly disappointed. “will you give me the chance, lady (name)?”

your lips hang apart, thinking twice as your eyes darted into any other direction other than the prince before you. “how is your highness going to own it up to me, though?”

jungwon’s features lit up like a glowing sunrise, “tomorrow, a fireworks festival will be held at the town. i’ve been planning to bring you—milady for a day out as a way to redeem myself.”

a day out, fireworks festival at the town. you can’t help but be excited for such simple words yet alike magic—it brought the scent of liveliness all the way to you—hugging your form in an oddly comforting way.

"and milady, can we not bring lady liz with us this time?"

"oh, your highness. i have neither agreed nor said anything yet?"

jungwon blushes awkwardly, uneasiness consumed his rampant heart as he didn’t want to screw this over and definitely didn’t want to risk you getting upset or anything, "lady (name), i truly desire to be alone with you for atleast a day."

that surely had you taken aback, clenching your fist in attempts to soothe your heart skipping a thousand beats. you look down, avoiding his ever so passionate gaze. "i- u-uhm, sure? i guess?"

giddily putting on a casual attire, apparently not the first time nor the first hour with the evidence of the scattered dresses on your bed serving as pure mockery to your face at how you’ve been putting too much effort for a simple fireworks festival.

a simple festival, that is.

yet your feet spinning around for you to sway your supposedly casual dark brown dress with a corset hugging your torso seems to not likely be the case.

leaves rustling from behind the window a tad bit loud for you, causes you to flinched as you snap your head with ogled eyes to the source of the noise. unsure if it was a paranormal phenomenon or whether it was the damn wind trying to shake you off.

being the scaredy cat you are, you just couldn't afford to add a horror element in your novel so what the fuck is this ominous bell playing in the background?!

you almost let out a scream after seeing a black silhouette landing right before your rattling orbs, your brain instantly activating fight and flight mode—opting to take your mountain of a dress and throw it at the intruder.

yet your rattled orbs dissipates as it fell on the familiar lush hair and his feline orbs. instantly fell on his attire—which greatly differs from his usual royal attires. you remembered that you drew this particular fit of him when he brought the female lead to the town for a picnic.

"why are you here?!"

"i thought we're going out for the festival, milady?"

"no— what i mean is why did your highness climb through the tree and not visit the manor in a normal, civil way through the entrance?!" you patted your chest in attempts to soothe your cold heart.

jungwon scratches the back of his neck as he avoided your blazing orbs, "since it would be our first time to go out together, i would like it to be only us. no one but us—"

your orbs softened immediately.

"yet the knights would then accompany us as for protection, which would be irritating so i left the palace secretly. and here i am, milady." jungwon said. "i apologise for scaring you, it wasn't my intention."

"u-uh," you horrendously couldn't think of a proper answer, "it's okay, your highness. i just didn't expect it."

jungwon finally pulled up his usual smile, his feline orbs then looks all the way down from your hair till your feet which had you engulfed in embarrassment. "you look gorgeous, milady. i assume you dress up for me?"

"bold of you to assume it." you scoffed in return in which he smirked, knowing very well it meant the opposite.

"then milady," he lifted himself up on the edge of the balcony, extending his arms and laying out his palms for you. you held your breath with the breathtaking sight of him; his fluffy hair flowing along the night sky breeze, twinkling kitten orbs with his lips forming a slight smirk. "let's go?"

you gaze at his extended palms before you, slipping your hands on it as he takes you closer to his chest, wrapping his strong arm around your waist for stronger protection—his touch alone had you looking down abashedly—guiding the both of you down the ground from the rustling tree. landing ever so effortlessly just like the so-called cat he was, you flinched instantly when his lips ghosted against your ears. goosebumps rising on the back of your neck when that happens.

"are you okay, milady?" his other hand is still wrapped around your hips, tight as it can and yet as gentle as it can be.

"uh- i, i'm okay." you pushed yourself away from him, standing a metre apart. "remember one metre apart."

"right."

"lead the way, then! the festival—"

the blasting noise of the town enveloped your ears the more you drew closer, and you looked down after taking a swift glance at the prince lit up smile, what’s up with him falling so much for you? was it really love at first sight? you’d rather that to not be the case, to be honest, you’ve always loathe that trope which serves as a proof in your entire writing career with you avoiding it through and through.

love at first sight; such sight only lasts for a while, its only purpose is to please our eyes and such. nothing more and nothing less. that's all beautiful things are for, isn’t? it gives you false hope, false dreams, false imagination of what things could have been like.

love at first sight; just like its name, alike the blooming florals in the night sky, falling in love can be deceptive, luring you in for such a short-lasting moment that will eventually leave you in this hollow void of velvet night sky for a long long time, with the consequences of it punching a humongous void in your soul, reaching your hand out for that bursting light one more time.

"your highness, could you stop calling me, milady, milady, for now, will you? just call me by my name." you sighed enormously after having your ears blasted with his never ending ‘milady’, it sort of felt to you that he was somehow enamoured in addressing you that way.

jungwon’s boba eyes wavers, dimples emerging from his puffy cheek. "as you wish, milady. however i wish for you to stop addressing me as ‘your highness’ then."

“a—alright, what would you like for me to call you then...?” you exclaimed a tad bit joyful than usual which had jungwon smiling ever so happily.

"jungwon." he shots a playful wink, causing your already hazardous heart to weaken even further. "(name), is it? pretty name for a pretty lady."

you looked away, "we're in public."

"wow, i didn't expect that you would be embarrassed after the spectacular scene you did during the ball back then, (name)?" purposely emphasising your last name, you glared at him.

"well, that was your fault! when a lady asks for you to let go, then you shall do it."

"but then, us right now—wouldn't happen at all, right?"

you didn't expect you would agree with him, but you obviously weren't going to show it. simply shrugging at his playfulness like a child.

"also that kiss was nice."

taken aback, "you—"

"young sir, would you like to buy a single violet for your lover?" your eyes fell upon an old lady in a weary persimmon cardigan and a beige dress reaching down below her knee, and at the baskets filled camellias dangling on her right arm.

taken aback by that chosen word, your cheeks flushed as you stuttered, unbelievably horrid after realising your own reaction. "h-he is not my—"

the old lady's eyes widened, "oh, my apologies!"

"of course," jungwon pulls not one but the entire camellias into one bouquet, smiling as took a few sniff. "i wonder how much a bouquet would be for my wife?"

"your wife?!” you exclaimed with your features contorted into disbelief after he had paid for the whole damn bouquet, “as far as i assume, the pact is still active?”

“hm,” the prince pulled a sly smirk as he caressed the camellias against his rosy cheeks, “you were the one who wished for me to stop calling you ‘milady’, what would be a better way then to call you my wife? (name)?”

"s-seriously? just where did you come up with all these words!" you cupped your cheeks as you turned your back against him. “this is ridiculous.”

jungwon's orbs widened, looking away immediately as he raised his slightly curled fingers up to his cheeks, hiding away his rosy blush. "have you forgotten the kiss? it might have activated this odd magic of well chosen words, my wife.”

“one more time and i’ll leave!”

“alright, alright! here,” jungwon sneakily sways before you, “a bouquet for a pretty lady.”

“you just had to buy the whole thing, seriously.”

“the old lady would surely go about the town, looking for people to sell her flowers. don’t you think it’s a good idea that we could help her quickly?”

upon his words, you shrugged despite wholeheartedly agreeing with him, sniffing the fragrance of the camellias instantly soothes your soul, yet you couldn’t suppress your grin when you recalled his words and his considerate thoughts for the old lady—opting to hide this blooming grin behind the bouquet while you two walked about the town, exploring every bit and bit.

"if i could be bold once more, could i ask you for something again?"

"hm?"

"i had something i wish to give you."

oh please god, no way, if it's the heirloom you've written on page 76 in your novel, you'd rather not as that object is hella important and the particular scene that includes the heirloom was when the prince gave it as a present to the female lead, his lover—on their wedding day.

and you definitely don't wanna be a queen, screw the crown—you'd rather sleep on your fluffy pillows and blankets.

"whatever you're thinking, do scrap the idea." you nonchalantly said, yet the way his eyes looked down in disappointment had you hissing in response all while rolling your eyes. you kind of loathe to see that expression on his face somehow.. "i'm already satisfied with the book you gave me, there's nothing more i wanted than that, do you understand?”

his feline eyes lighted up so quickly as the corners of his faint red lips pulling up in a satisfied smile. “i understand.”

“good.”

🎵... IMMORTAL BIRD

blasting drums and a roaring crowd suddenly engulfed the entire town, causing your voice along with jungwon's to drown alongside it. you caught sight of everyone in a pair regardless of gender or age hopping into a circular pattern in the centre of the street, holding hands together as they spun around, getting closer and then far. their faces adorned with the brightest smiles.

you caught sight of a mother dancing along happily with her two younger sons, a son pulling his father’s hands as they slowly dance in their own world, a pair of best friends from afar as they giddily created their own silly dance, and a sight of two ladies with their hands interlaced as they look into each other’s eyes with traces of tenderness and warmth, and many more you aren't able to mention.

it was a canvas that held love dripping in thousands of hues, and yet it was still in the form of love.

"it's a yearly ritual, milady. to dance together under the night sky as it blooms into fireworks."

"that's wonderful.." you were astounded, yet you somehow don't remember that you wrote this particular ritual. yes, you did wrote about the fireworks festival and that the main couple had their first kiss in that scene. but the dance ritual?.. was there any important memories that you haven’t somehow recalled yet?

"may i then, milady?"

"w-what?" astounded you were at the sight of him standing in front of you with his arms extended, and palms spread before you with sincerity brushing over his faint red lips.

"may i have the honour to have a dance with you, milady?" jungwon asked with hope evident in his eyes, "last time, it didn't end that well for us."

a couple moments of silence grew between you and him despite the gradually increasing volume of the luminous town behind; the dancing pairs, chatters of the elders, murmurs and gasps from the ladies as they go about their day, footsteps of children stomping all across the pathway as they play hide and seek, while some had kites and balloons tied around their wrist—giggling endlessly.

the low volume of musicians playing their respective instruments of accordion, harmonica, and guitar blended accordingly so that it flowed pleasingly to your ears.

a sentient mood of belonging, comfort, and home.

this sight, this atmosphere, the mood this town emitted, this young man before you turning into an innocent young boy whose feline eyes twinkled and blinked slowly for you.

a frame of everly purring garden.

"so.." jungwon raised his palms once again, "may i, milady?"

truly a breathtaking canvas of a man who falls in love.

tugging both sides of your skirts as you lower yourself slightly, curtsying before him. "of course, my prince." you slipped your hands onto his palms, it didn't go past your sight how his feline orbs widened and twinkled a couple of seconds later as the corners of his lips pulled up in a slight grin.

skin brushing against skin and the comforting heat from his chest as he pulled you closer to him, leaning closer he did with his lips brushing against your ear and his warmth voice sending chills down your skin.

"follow my lead, milady."

interlacing his warm fingers with yours, he guided you around the bursting fountain—swaying around in a circular motion just like every other pair did.

the accordion switches to a lively bursting melody, opting to move everyone's feet in a tapping frantic active mode, a goofy grin and giggles emerge from everyone's face as they spin around on and on.

dancing with him feels oddly calming despite everyone’s sudden burst of energy— the lights turning round and round in a circular motion as you danced with the prince had you feeling slight bliss, that is. you shouldn't be enjoying this too much, right?

this town spilling in golden hues like an overflowing sink, yet this prince drips even more in over-saturation with his own colour, splattering its shades across your bare skin.

it feels as if, as if in this very moment that you were the main character with him. as if you were one with him.

his hands lifted your arm as he let you spin around freely for the first time, both your hands and his immediately reattached and he guided your hands onto his shoulder.

two pairs of feet swaying and spinning beneath the ground with golden orbs particles following along as if it had life in it.

and as you spun a couple of times more when he let go of your hand, it didn't go past your vision on how his fingers twirled your hair locks in tender and utmost affection, and the sweetened sugar smile on his faint red lips never ceasing to exist.

as soon as you got back into his arms, jungwon caressed your cheeks in the process—lifting your arm as he turned you around, pulling your back against his chest as you faced the luminous golden town and everything before you. gasping for the nth time when his right arm wrapped around your clothed tummy, and his left hand; two fingers tapping across your bare arms till it reaches your left hand, interlacing your fingers with his as he lifted it up.

hushing in a lullaby-like motion.

shutting his eyes tight as he buried his chin in the side of your neck—he began to guide you to dance in this very intimate position, he whispered, "milady."

goosebumps arise on every cell in your body, as you two indulged in this dance.

the lively instrument along with overlapping voices gradually merging into one, sort of like as if they were a voluminous orchestra, soaring higher and higher with their vocal chords spiralling into utter euphoria with the blasting footsteps on the ground.

yet the man holding you close in his tender pacifying embrace, had you engulfed in solace; the spirited bustling soul of this town and the stark contrast of the serene soul enveloping yours blended in a perfect balance of home.

purring so lovable.

it had you speechless as his strong pair of arms held you up, bringing your feet up and beneath the ground in this hypnotising dance for a couple of times, spinning you gracefully one more time with the frame of your skirt swaying like a blooming flower in its glory— rendering your mind into utter malfunction.

floating and soaring up the air.

he then spun you around to face him, lifting you up with ease like a fairy floating up in the air, "y-your highness—jungwon!" your vision of the crowd all over the space grew hazy and dazed, with only you and him remaining crystal clear in the glowing frame. supporting yourself with your arms on his shoulder, you were about to protest and yet his eyes had such a breathtaking universe within it that it had you sealing your lips.

breathtaking indeed.

like a stone hopping on the ocean causing a butterfly effect of limitless blossoming ripples, it formed a hypnotising image that lured your soul closer to it’s deepest void, rendering you helpless in getting yourself out and yet you wish not to go, but to stay longer, to stay a bit more to see of what would come out of it. floating like a fairy amidst the dreamy ripple within his orbs, you stuttered from this prolonged magnetism gaze.

pit patter of the flowing fountain afar merged with a sudden burst of crackles.

flashes of voluminous sparks exploded within his orbs, your lips hung apart in awe as the dreamy ripples within it bursted into an ocean of light—that instead of a stone, it was like a single marble smashing into it’s void—forming thousands of scattered and shining golden beads of lights within those infatuated orbs, illuminating those engraved words of romances within it.

all solely for you.

you flinched at the exploding thunder-like shooting above the night sky that surpasses what your mind and ears could take, clenching your hand on his shoulder tighter in hopes to find solace, yet you caught sight of his lips mouthing two words that you took a while to process amidst the sound.

“beautiful indeed.. my firework.”

soaring and colourful, the whole city is immersed in the sound of this sea of bursting lights. crowd's roaring in awe surged through your ears, your cheeks met jungwon's chest as he lowered you down, protesting you did yet he hushed you to gaze upon the limitless neon flora blossoming on the starry glazed night sky; the blinding colourful lights illuminated the smile on everyone's face including yours and the prince.

shimmering gemstones rained upon the black velvet sky, forming a waterfall of lights in all sorts of colours and images; crimson petals of roses, aquamarine waves ushering to the seashore, white blanket of scattered snow powders, yellow fleeting dandelions, green blades of the field swaying with the breeze reluctantly slipping down the town, reflecting on the vast water lake.

it was as if the luminous sun had risen upon the town, and another one shooted above on your right side; blossoming its veil-like umbrella that had millions of garden petals on top of it to rain upon everyone. each and one of them had differing images of it representing itself, yet each and one of them was splendid, breathtaking and awe-inspiring.

it showers down the town like fleeting fairy dust.

"it's breathtaking, isn't it? it’s like a shooting star.."

"truly it is—” you flinched at his feline orbs gazing at you in awe, admiring you utterly as if you were the scenery of fireworks itself. you found yourself getting lost in those blossoming sparkles reflecting within his eyes once again.

"stop it."

"why would i?"

"just look at the damn fireworks, will you?" slightly biting your lips as you look away, breaking the prolonged eye contact.

"alright, milady." he shrugged in amusement. it remained in silence for a couple of minutes before he spoke again. "they say, couples who watched the fireworks together had their first kiss under it."

"u-uh?!"

"but milady, you had stolen a kiss from me." he leaned in playfully, flashes of colours illuminating his kittenish orbs and grin. "would you mind if i steal one, too?"

“i-i said stop teasing me!”

jungwon lets out a couple of lighthearted giggles at you attempting to punch him, sprinting and dodging you playfully, and as the both of you were immersed in your little game, the firework festival had wrapped up in one final splendid sight of bursting petals of garden.

glowing golden lanterns illuminating the sidewalk along the way, pit patters of pouring rain dropped on top of your extended palms out the window of the carriage, tender breeze of the night sky blows through your fallen hair locks as your eyes remained glued on the bouquet on your lap, along with his melody chords flowing through your ears like a lullaby.

it has reached past midnight when you two came back from the town, but on the way back home, jungwon had suggested for you to take a look at his quarters first, which you had initially denied due to obvious worrying reasons. yet today, as you delighted yourself in the bouquet of violets, and the sets of memories from the festival, you agreed with little to no hesitation. however along the hallway as you follow behind the prince, despite ignoring these blurbing thoughts—it dawns on you every passing second of what could happen once you step inside his room.

the sight of jungwon’s back facing you had your cheeks flushing immensely as you recalled his bare chest that day in your manor, mentally cussing yourself for even thinking of it. your brain had just got to be your greatest enemy in this moment after your heart, huh?

“y-you see.”

jungwon spun around to face you, yet still walking backwards with his hands interlaced behind his back. you stuttered at the euphoria evident on his cheeks and crinkled eyes, the moonlight from the vast window illuminated on the edges of his divinely sculptured face, and a faint shadow laying beneath his dimples.

“yes, milady?” this guy just really had to play it cool and nice as he sang the addressment in a playful manner.

“remember the pact, okay? i agreed to visit your quarters in order to just take a look, nothing more than that.” your eyes were on the long red carpet as you said that, yet you raise your head finally in order to see his reaction after an excruciating silence that occurs.

"i'd certainly would not dare, milady.. but if you insist." he shots a mischievous wink at your way, causing your already rampant heart to burst in a thousand volts.

shit.

seriously, you couldn't be bothered by this, aren't you? god knows how much filth you've written in the past few years of your life, you could even describe all of it without releasing a few screams or there, which shows how much of a pro you are.

after what seems like an eternity in the hallway, much to your groaning over your aching legs, you and the prince halted before the huge double door with engraved golden swirling patterns all over it.

you were beyond distraught when he pushed the door open to his room, revealing the entire outlook of the furniture, painting, couches, table, and lastly.. the king-sized bed.

bitch, get a hold on yourself. this isn't your first time.

your lips hang slightly apart to feign surprise as if this was your first time to be in his room, cause heck it wasn't obviously not the first time you've seen this place. you were the one who designed his room! this isn't your first time so why were you this nervous?!

“ugh—” you yelp in pain.

“does your feet hurt, milady?”

“no, no, it’s just aching, that is.” mentally cussing once again at how freaking long the hall in this palace was, you could’ve sworn it felt like you were going for the thousand stairs up to heaven. your head grew dazed when your vision slightly floated upwards from the floor, eyebrows deeply knitted together as to how are you up so high? your haze vision caught sight of your legs dangling up the air and slowly at the pair of strong arms carrying your legs, it finally dawned on you as you let out a yelp with the close proximity of the prince’s face against yours.

“wait- put me down! put me down!”

“hush, milady. you got to take some rest.”

“then in the couch! on the couch, right now!” you pleaded within the depths of your mind, oh my god. oh my god please god help me!

“the couch is not ideal for this situation.” he reasoned with you, not even budging nor pausing in his way to the king-sized bed.

🎵...STUCK IN LOVE

“what is not ideal?!” you whimpered as he placed you on the edge of the bed, taken aback at how he simply gets on the floor with one knee, rubbing your feet after pulling out your shoes. the prince poured his utmost concentration in massaging your aching feet, with his long fingers rubbing and stroking your sole in circular motion. to your surprise, he had been doing this for a whole good ten minutes without saying anything.

you didn’t expect this at all, were you that dirty-minded?! groaning within, you weep to the deities to cleanse your mind at least.

“milady is so worked up for nothing, i wonder what could she be thinking about?” you gave him a deadpan look at how he obviously was teasing you to death.

“stop teasing me.”

“hm? why not? teasing you has been my greatest hobby for awhile now, milady.”

“i said stop it, i dare you or else—”

“or else.. what?” your head blasted in utter chaos when he lets your feet down, leaning closer and closer.

“s-stop!”

“or else.. what, milady?” jungwon cooed, tucking your hair locks behind your ear. “i’m awfully curious.." he pushed you on top of the bed, hovering over you as he caged you within his arms on both sides of your head.

"milady."

your breath caught up on the back of your throat with the sight of him on top of you, akin to a predator about to feast on its prey, due to his feline orbs switching to an expression you very well knew what it means.

"that's certainly brave of you, don't you think? milady?" he keeps emphasising the last word as if he adores to call you that very much, adding such a seductive tone had your heart skipping a beat. "kissing me in front of other ladies, that's quite a fascinating trait."

a thousand hazardous beats, actually. you really can't do this. "i mean, i don't know.."

"milady." he whispered. "are you really shy?" giggles emerged causing tingles on your neck. "after kissing me?"

"c-can you just stop messing with me?!"

"as you wish, milady." he pressed a passionate kiss on your forehead, chanting the word a dozen more times as he continued on making you feel so loved.

his affectionate gestures were driving your bones into weakness and your knees to marshmallows as you indulge yourself in his love—the love he bestows only for you.

"milady, come." his lips brushed against your hair, and to your surprise, he grabbed your hand and pulled you on your feet. surprise and speechless you was as nothing had gone past the limits you placed for him, and the fact that he did nothing but simply tease you does wonders to your heart.

your mind floated into confusion as he urged you to take a seat in front of the big round mirror with a golden frame, letting you view yourself and the prince in the glassy reflection.

you sat there in silence; curious, confused, and a bit intrigued blended with tiny traces of fear of what he intended to do. your heart skips a beat when you observe him taking your hair locks on his palms as he feels it against his cheek, it was an eccentric lovesick sight of him. his long fingers wrapped around the handle of the hair brush on the side of the table, he brushes the piece of your hair locks in his palms gently with it.

"i adore it when you call me 'your prince'."

you felt uneasy, a whole new different meaning of uneasiness as his small gesture of brushing your hair had your heart burbling into forms you couldn't understand. what is this feeling? why was he so gentle and loving with you? for what?

after what felt like eternity, he lets your hair down. his fingers brushes against your bare shoulder which had you flinching slightly. he notices this, the corners of his lips pulling up as he caresses your bare skin with the back of his hand, excruciatingly slow and tiny, tremendously affectionate and enamoured.

he knelt down before you, taking both of your hands in his, engaging it—bringing it on his cheeks which causes you to feel the sensation of his skin. then his lips ghosted across your fingers as he pressed a long deep kiss on top of your hand.

the sensation of his lips has your face flushing in utter mess, you wanted to stay calm and yet these tiny gestures he claimed as a lover's vow, had you crumbling into his hands.

his other hand plucks out a single violet from the bouquet, tucking your hair behind your ear as he pushes the flora in. caressing your hair after in such an affectionate manner.

"milady," his feline eyes raised to gaze deep into your crumbling soul, "i wonder if i am worthy enough to be your lover?"

speechless as your tongue tied on its own, gulping immensely. "my lover?.. just why are you so damn infatuated with me? i don't understand, this must be a joke, isn't?"

"i am not joking, milady. just as you called me your man that day," jungwon spoke, as sincerity engulfed his voice, "i myself also desire to call you my woman.. and not just my woman.."

his hand reaches down to hold your hands in his again, grasping it with burning passion.

"..my lover, my wife, the queen of this nation, and if you would like to someday.. the mother of my future child."

after a couple seconds of silence of you being utterly speechless at his words, he then spoke again with his wavering boba orbs, tongue lapping his lower lip in obvious uneasiness. “all i need is your permission, and one word from you, milady.”

those strings of words holding traces, no, a heavy scent and weight of undying love—he basically just professed his love for you, and proposed to you this time in a more appropriate, intimate, and affectionate way.

to you, he was the garden that slowly held you in his lush bed of comfort. to him, you were the flower that made this garden blooming so evergreen. the violet to his eyes.

the choice is all yours, what is your answer, milady?

「 © talesofyuan on tumblr 2023 」 all rights reserved. do not copy or post without permission.

💌 TAGLIST: @rinirou @moonchus @seonushine @nourhan-8 @heeseungsim @positivelyinlovewithjungwon @ineedsomezzz @chaechae-23 @axartia @altgojo

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Winter's King 12

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon/dubcon, cheating, violence, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You are a maid to the Duke of Debray, a lord of the Summer Kingdom. That is, until the king of Winter appears with his particular air of coldness. (Medieval AU)

Characters: Geralt of Rivia

Note: have a good weekend.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

You stand, still uncertain. You look at the king as he tilts his face up to the moonlight. The silver sheen washes over him with an unearthly glow. He looks lupine, much like your dream.  

“Your highness?” You echo again, hands curling around the sides of your skirt. 

“Will you continue to disregard my order?” He challenges as his gold eyes meet yours. You wince at the way they shine. 

“No, your highness, I am only...” you hush yourself and clamp your lips tight. You turn and search around, numbly walking along the curve of the pond.  

He growls as you reach the line of hedges into the next walkway. 

“You will want to go much faster than that,” he warns as you hear him stand. “I will allow you some advance...” He exhales as you glance back at him, “ten...” he stares at you, his figure shrouded in shadow from far away, “nine...” 

You blanch and tumble backward through the gap. You spin and stagger on your soles, throwing your arms out as your heart pulses madly. Something about his timbre, about his words, has you alight. There is something amiss about him. 

You push your legs against your skirts and hurry blindly into the nocturnal void. The moonlight seeps in around the silhouette of leaves as you keep your hands ahead of you to prevent a collision. You try to see through the dark, like silk across your eyes, making out little more than hazy orbs. 

You crash into a thicket of thorns and pull away from the rosy bunch. Their scent clings onto you as you turn to the left and dive down the next path. You don’t know these gardens, not like Debray. For all you know, you’re going even deeper.  

You hear a step behind you and swirl to face it. You squint, trying to see who is there. Is it the king? Do you want it to be? What does he mean to do when he catches you? What is the meaning of this game? 

You plunge back into a sprint, puffing as you pump your arms. You whimper and whine as you slow, legs heavy and feet dull. Where are you going? You don’t like this. You remember a night like this before, how the cold dew of the forest crept up your legs, feet hitting the earth in quick succession, the holler of men and snort of horses behind you. 

You stagger and spin back. No, you can’t run anymore. You don’t like this. You don’t like those thoughts. That last night before you were taken to Debray, before you dawned the cap of your bearing. That orphan girl running from servitude. 

You walk forward, shaking as you peer back and forth. You wade through the thick grey air. You hear a twig snap and a bush rustle, each noise from a different direction. Perhaps it is a rabbit or a chipmunk. You sniffle and wring your hands. 

You must find the king. You will surrender this game and ask that he takes you back to the castle. You trudge over the beaten path and hear the soft trickle ahead. It must be the pond. The silver light blooms brighter as you come upon a space in the hedges. 

Suddenly, there is only air beneath your feet. You kick out as something rigid wraps around your waist and lifts you. You wriggle desperately and cry out, your eyes tinging but not overflowing. Your fear has you clawing at the hold around your middle. 

“Please, please, don’t hurt me!” You plead as you flail, “please, sir, I’ll go back to the castle--” you choke as the grasp on you slackens but your feet still do not meet the ground. You quiet as you recall your present, that you are not in that forest, that you are far from Debray. 

You are sat upon the bench, the silver moon gleaming down on you as it outlines the broad shadow before you. King Geralt faces you, kneeling as you tremble and hug yourself. You put your head down in shame. 

“Apologies, your highness, I was lost,” you reach to rub your cheek, flicking back your tears with your lashes, “I got confused.” 

“No, it is I who should apologise, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he takes your hand between his big ones, “I only meant to make some fun.” He brushes his touch up your arms and squeezes as you drop your hand to your lap, “little maid, did I hurt you?” 

You shake your head, “I was only... delirious. It is too dark out here. I cannot see,” you bite down and look away, “apologies, I did act out.” 

“Little maid,” he tickles along your cheek, sending a shiver down your spine, “I would not let you get lost or hurt.” He tilts his hand to cradle your face, his thumb stroking your cheekbone, “what was it you were running from in your head? Who?” 

“No one,” you lie. “Just a memory.” 

“Memories are not just that,” he insists, “but I understand how they can hurt. Forgive me, treasure, I wasn’t--” 

“Your highness,” the sullen voice has the king recoiling. He quickly plants his foot and stands. You rise as well, toying with that word he called you. Treasure. “The queen sends for you.” 

Bryce steps out into the moonlight. You look at him then the ground. How long had he been there? How much had he heard? 

“The queen,” King Geralt grumbles, “what is it she wants? It is late--” 

“She would not say and I would not guess,” Bryce says, “but she screams for it. Like a yowling cat.” 

The king sighs and lowers his head. He squares his shoulders and resets his posture. He steps away from you and gestures to his soldier. The king twists around and marches away. Bryce falls into pace with you as you follow. He is silent, you all are. 

You approach the castle, guards lurking in the shadows, and are let past the front doors by a sombre pair. Inside, you follow the king through the great hall and up the stairs. You peek over at Bryce as you proceed down the corridor. He gently squeezes your wrist, just briefly, and carries on. 

“Your highness,” Bryce speaks as you hear a racket ahead of you; screeching and crashing. “Should I escort the maid back to her chambers?” 

“Cursed woman,” King Geralt mutters as he slows, Queen Jazlene’s door just ahead. He pauses and looks over his shoulder, “the cost of a kingdom...” 

“Your highness?” Bryce prompts once again. 

You echo him and step forward, “I could calm her. Bring some wine--” 

“No, she will have no more of that,” the king declares sharply. “I wed her, I put my name next to hers, so it is I shall attend to her. Sir,” he looks at Bryce, “do as you suggest, put the maid in her chambers and I will put the queen in her place.” 

“Aye, your highness,” Bryce bows his head and points you back, “come, maid, the night wears on.” 

You glance up at the king. His golden eyes are wrought as his gaze holds yours for only an instant. You see the hesitation bob in his throat before he turns away. You mirror him and follow Bryce back along the corridor. 

As you climb to the next floor and continue down another corridor, Bryce slows. He stops as he gets to the door and faces you. He takes a breath as he looks you up and down. 

“It’s treacherous here in the summer kingdom,” he says, “but that will not change on the road. Mouse, you keep yourself well.” 

“Thank you, sir, I am fine.” 

“Aye, you do not take my meaning but you do not take the king’s either,” he puts his hand on his belt, “his favour might do you fine in this moment, but it is dangerous. Let not others notice so they may not envy it.” 

You grimace and shake your head, “what do you mean?” 

“Your little games do not need an audience. It is no tournament.” 

Your chest sinks and your skin speckles. Is he accusing you of something? 

“I... I haven’t done anything untoward. I would not, sir--” 

“You may not,” he intones, “but we are all ruled by the will of the king.” 

“Sir, the king is married to Lady Jazlene--” 

“And we both see how they fare,” he states bluntly. “Carry my words with you, do with them as you may, but I could not leave them unsaid.” 

Your eyes gloss and your nose tingles once more. He’s mad. Truly, he can’t think you and King Geralt. A maid and her master. 

“I would not,” you repeat. 

He huffs and nods curtly. He turns to the door and unlatches it, “go, rest your head while you can.” 

“Sir Bryce--” 

“I am bid protect you by the king,” he pushes the door inward and rests his hand on the frame, “not from him.” He looks past you, as if through, “little mouse, I do hope I am wrong as well but I know better than to depend on that.” 

You shudder and tug at the end of your sleeve. You slump and drag your feet through the doorway. You stop, just inside, “good night, sir.” 

He grunts and pulls the door shut. Your lip trembles as your heart races, just as it did in the garden. He is wrong. He must be. You saw yourself how the king is trying, he even said it was the queen he meant to game with earlier. It was only that she was too unwell. He said it! 

And he goes to the queen’s chamber that night. He is not there. He has not been disloyal. The matter is not your concern. You serve wine, you lace gowns, you braid hair. You are only the maid. 

⚔️

You return to the queen’s service the next morning. The world is a bit more familiar as you help her into her gown and twine her hair into an elaborate coif. Servants pass in and out of her chambers as they prepare for the royal party’s imminent departure. 

“Why can we not keep this capital?” Queen Jazlene whines, “but my husband does insist on return to his frigid homelands.” 

You say nothing as you sift through the old monarch’s jewelry chest. You present to her successor each gem, brooch, and chain. She has yet to turn any away though you wonder if there would be room in her already bustling luggage. Perhaps the cart will be a touch more crowded on your ride north. 

“And yet my husband did come to me,” she boasts, “I think... hmm, well, perhaps this marriage won’t be so turbulent.” 

You show her a cuff and she snatches it. She puts it on her wrist, turning her arm this way and that, as she oohs and aahs. She wiggles excitedly. 

“I recall this piece. One year, when I came with father to court, the queen wore this cuff. You see the emeralds. I remember she was so proud of it even though all the court knew it was only gifted to her by her husband to distract from his mistress,” she trills, “oh, how foolish. But the old queen was so boring. It is a wonder the king didn’t dispose of her, who can blame him for taking an amour?” 

She sighs and looks at the mirror, “and she wasn’t half so pretty as me.” 

You remain silent, continuing to sort with her endless approval. You don’t think there is a single trinket she could ever turn away. You don’t see the need for so many of the same thing. Some stones are brighter than others but why not keep the brightest and do away with the rest. 

“As I was saying,” she goes on, “last night when the king came to me, he was... almost meek. That man. Can you imagine? I admit I was distraught after the day I suffered but he listened and we spoke.” She strokes her fingers as she admires her oval nails. “There are some southern lords who will come north as well, some northern to stay behind. He says it will help us acquaint the two kingdoms into one.” 

She drops her hands and pushes her shoulders straight, “he is wise. I suppose I should heed him if I am to be a good queen.” 

You are want to agree but to do so aloud may be taken as insult. She might have done it sooner and saved herself some trouble. Yet it isn’t your place and you haven’t the wisdom of a queen. You’re merely a servant. 

“Once I give him an heir, he will have to listen to me too. Yes, I will do what mother could never. Give my husband a son,” she drags her hand to her midsection, “I think last night...” she flutters her lashes dreamily. Her suggestion makes you squirm. Her and the king’s relations are hardly your concern. “It was better,” her voice is brittle, “even if...” she peers around and clamps her lips. She narrows her dark eyes, “close the door.” 

You obey. You come back to her and return to your previous task. She reaches in to pluck out a string of pearls. 

“He puts me on my stomach,” she whispers, almost as if she thinks you won’t hear, but she is speaking to you. There is no one else in the room. Perhaps she is only embarrassed that she has only to the courage to tell a maid. “And he behind me so I can’t see him and... he can’t see me but... but if he could...” she toys with the pearls, “if he’d just look at me, he might like it better.” 

You lift a pair of medallions earrings and she ignores them. She tosses the pearls back in the chest and stands. You back away. 

“He won’t let me touch him otherwise,” she mulls as she paces. “But he is warming. It is early, isn’t it? And compared to the first night... I don’t know. It will get better. It must.” 

She quiets and stands by the window. Her anxiety is palpable. It’s uncharacteristic. You’ve never seen her uncertain of anything yet you can understand it. She is soon to set off to a new life and to brave a long road. When she reaches her destination, she will be a true queen. When you get there, you’ll still be a maid. 

“I’ll go to him tonight,” she says and raises her head, “yes, yes, I will go to him and try again.” She spins and smirks at her grand idea, “maid, I must find something to wear for him. Well, nothing very much,” she remarks coyly, “but I will need a robe. Yes, I saw a satin one in the queen’s closet.” She swallows and stands as straight as she can, “my closet.” 

You diligently cross the chamber and search the wardrobe. You find a white satin robe stitched with gold and silver. You turn to show the queen. She giggles and claps her hands. 

“Wine,” she says, “I must find some courage too.” 

[lazydoodlesandfanfic]

Despite Everything (Loki X Twin!Brother!Reader) *PLATONIC

Characters: Loki X Twin!Brother!Reader

Universe: Marvel, Avengers

Warnings: Spoilers to Thor & beginning of Avengers, mention of death, and mourning.

Request:💚💚Hey! I dont ask for requests very often so Im sorry if this is bad. But I was wondering if you could do a Loki request? Like where the reader is Loki's twin brother and him and Loki are super close (reader and Thor are close too but not like reader and Loki close), but when Loki fell into the void (in the first Thor movie) reader got real depressed and went out to find him only for Thor to find reader to tell him Loki is planning on attacking New York.Reader goes with Thor to stop Loki and meets all the Avengers. And instead of Loki him destroying New York he snaps out of Thanos's mind control and feels super remorseful. Maybe even incoorperate that they're Frost Giants somehow, too?

Your earliest memory was that of being with your twin brother. You were extremely young at the time, and being mischievous, had snuck away from your mother to explore, and gotten lost. Loki was more confident than you, or at least pretended to be, so he had took up holding your hand and pulling you through the vast hallways for a sign of anyone, while you got yourself worked up and cried quietly, though the entire time, he kept reassuring you. “Don’t worry Y/N! There’s people everywhere, we’ll find someone soon, or they’ll find us!” He was right in the end, hearing Odin’s booming voice calling for you, and you followed it till you were saw him, sprinting and running to him and hugging his legs, even as he scorned you for scaring your mother senseless. Thor teased you both relentlessly about the incident for over 100 years. 

That dynamic has really not changed, even hundreds of years later. Loki came up with something mischievous, and with very little convincing you would join him on these shenanigans, things happened, and you would talk about it years later, sometime Thor laughing at it, sometimes you and Loki were the ones laughing.

It had been a while since that. A long while. 

Everything fell apart when Thor, Loki, and some of your friends went off to Jotunheim without you, since you had been helping your mother with something, starting a second war with the Frost Giants and your elder brother banished to Earth. Due to all that, it took you a while to notice that Loki’s behaviour was odd, even with all the tension, and he didn’t tell you what was wrong when you asked the first time, and before you could ask again, your father had fell into Odin sleep, and after a short conversation with you and Loki and your adamance since he was the more confident out of your two, he became Acting King, with you and your mother helping him at the side. 

It wasn’t long after that, that Loki came to you late one night before bed, and admitted what happened at Jotunheim. About his skin turning blue, about confronting your father before his sleep, where he admitted that you and him weren’t his actual children- you were frost giants, abandoned by your own kind, on the dirty, freezing floor, left to die, seperated by a few feet just so you two couldn’t warm each other or find any comfort in each other. Odin had found you both, finding Loki first, before he heard your cries as well, that being how he decided which of you was older. He took you back to Asguard, and raised you with your mother.

It was an incredibly hard pill to swallow, and while you were still coming to terms with it all, the implications, how it affects the rest of your life, Loki was already feeling betrayal, abandoned and backstabbed by those around him and you, the fact that no one had told you two, and there was no plan to do so, and Loki had enough rage for you both. 

Unfortunately for you, by the time you understood how far Loki was planning and willing to go, it was already too late. Thor was able to get back to Asgard, a battle broke out, the Bifrost destroyed, and Loki… Loki fell. 

The days afterwards were hectic. You felt the eyes on you, expecting you to follow in your brother’s steps, to lash out, to cause havoc. Expecting you to be a monster. Your felt their looks burning into your back, but you never turned to look them in the eye, or address it. You were too devastated to care. 

Thor addressed it though. 

The first time he confronted a group glaring and whispering as you simply tried to monuever from your room to see your mother was a shock for everyone, including you. Thor shamed them for it, pointing out you were in mourning, and so was he, over your brother, even if he did make mistakes. Thor’s voice easily carries in the hallways, so everyone in the radius heard, and the word spread quickly that he wasn’t standing for you to be disrespected. After the dressing down he gave, he took your shoulder and led you to where you needed to go. 

A few days later, no one dared stare, or whisper, especially with Thor always nearby like a guard dog. After weeks, Thor’s presence wasn’t needed to ensure you were left be, but he still remained close, assuring you that despite everything, you are still his brother. Loki is still his brother, and you both are family to him. He got you to open up to him about what Loki shared with you, what you had felt after he had told you, and how you think Loki was feeling, helping you both grapple with why what happened. Thor had a period of blaming himself- that if he hadn’t had been so reckless and pushed Loki to come with him to Jotunheim, or even go at all, none of this would have happened. You tried to convince him that he couldn’t have known, and that he had grown as a person himself since then, thanks to his previous actions. He told you after a few days he had forgiven himself… but you knew Thor. You knew that was a lie, and that Thor was too stubborn to try and let you convince him otherwise on the subject. It was probably why he was really upping the protective older brother act. Guilt. 

After months, you found a new norm. You were still a member of the family, assured by your brother, mother and father. Your brother had shown his love and loyalty to you with his actions since the early days. Your mother showed it through her being there for you, reminding you she loved you and calling you her son, and your father showed it by never saying a word about Thor’s adamance and scoldings of people in the kingdom, and even ignoring and interrupting people who tried to bring it up to him, making it clear in his own way that he agreed in Thor’s actions. Fandall, Volstagg, Sif and Hogun, quickly warmed back up to you, practically forcing you to partake in the group’s antics. You still deeply missed Loki, wishing he was here, that things were different, feeling like a part of you was missing, but your friends and family made sure you barely had a moment to be caught up in those feelings. You were finally starting to heal, and learning to cope. 

That was, until Thor came to see you one day. The Bifrost had been rebuilt, and he had been sent by Odin to check on things. You had expected him to be gone for a few days, so seeing him back so early was alarming. His face was solemn as well, and he quickly asked for you two to speak alone, which you agreed. As soon as you were, he didn’t hesitate to tell you what was wrong. 

“Loki’s alive.” The words were a slap in the face for you. You remained staring at your older brother in disbelief, waiting for him to tell you this was a sick joke, but then you remembered who you were speaking to. Thor wouldn’t do that. 

“That’s… not possible. Loki can’t be alive-how? You saw him die-” 

“I saw him fall.” He corrected you. “I presumed that meant death for him- we all did. But I was wrong. He’s found his way to Midgard, and he’s got his hand on the Tesseract and he’s causing havoc there. He’s killed over a hundred people so far, and I’m now working with a group to try and stop him, and hopefully bring him home alive.” He explained to you. 

“Then why are you here?” You asked him with urgency. “What do you need from here? I’ll get it for you- even if father will be angry about it.” 

“I need you.” Thor told you, making you stop. “I can’t get through to him. He’s still angry about what happened… but he opened up to you. He’ll listen to you. You’re his twin, his brother by blood.” Thor explained to you. “I need you to come with me to Midgard, and try and talk him down.” He begged. For you, there was no question. No other option. 

As soon as you arrived on Midgard, there was a group waiting for you, all of them eyeing you in a way that felt eerily familiar. They were looking at you like how your people used to look at you after… “This is my brother, and Loki’s twin, Y/N. He came to help, so I expect you to be nothing but kind to him, understood?” Thor ordered, making it clear he also noted their looks.

“Sorry if we’re all a bit tense around his family, especially his actual biological family.” One of them commented- a man with a goatee. 

“Do you know where he is?” You asked, choosing to ignore the comment. 

“Yeah, we managed to lock him in a cell for now.” Another man spoke up, that one in a purple shirt, seeming a little more shy. 

“Okay. Take me to him.” You requested.

The way to the Helicarrier had been mostly awkward silence, sometimes interupted by some of the group trying to learn more about you- if you and Loki were actual twins are were just born around the same time and passed off as twins, if you were a Frost Giant as well, where you had been when Loki ‘turned evil’, why you hadn’t turned out the same, though by that point, Thor had finished that conversation immediately with a simple “Enough”, repeating it when someone tried to continue it. When you did arrive on board, you were introduced to another small group of people, Fury, Coulson, Hill- seemingly the ones running everything and who brought this team and Thor together. They asked their own questions- though in a more respectful and reserved tone, their glances to your brother over your shoulder telling you they were being careful not to set him off. After explaining what they hoped for from you- calm him down, get him to back down from his plan, and then have him go with you and Thor back to Asgard with no further incidents where he’d serve a small sentence, but after that, free to live his life- under continual supervision by your family to ensure something like this never happened again. If you couldn’t do that, then it was still up for debate on how he’d be handled. As you saw it, Fury was clearly offering you a way to get your brother back with minimal issues, and you weren’t going to risk it. 

“One of us at least is going in there with you- as a neutral party.” Stark spoke up. 

“I’ll do it.” Thor immediately spoke up. 

“Shouldn’t it be a neutral party? Not a family reunion?” Barton commented. 

“Neither’s a good idea.” You spoke up. 

“You’re not going in there alone with him, we don’t know you well enough.” Steve told you.

“But I know him. I’ll watch over it all.” Thor argued. 

“No! Listen to me!” You snapped. “I know Loki, better than anyone. He keeps his walls entirely up around people. He only told me about our true heritage when he knew for sure we were alone. If anyone else is in that room, he won’t say anything. He won’t cooperate. If anything, it’ll work him up. He’ll probably presume you’ve brought me here against my will and are using me as a pawn to get him to cooperate, which will make him angier. If Thor’s in there, he’ll presume I’m taking sides and betraying him. Let me go in alone, and just… talk to him.” You begged. 

“Alright. Fair enough. But we’ll be monitoring from another room nearby, just in case anything happens.” Fury decided, seeming to take almost everyone by surprise, some opening their mouths to protest, before he shot them a look. “Hill, escort him down to the cell.” 

Stepping into the room alone was anxiety inducing. As soon as you stepped in, it felt like the room was colder, the hairs on your arms standing up, and your heart began tor race. You glanced back as the door shut behind you, before you turned to look at the large spherical room you stood in, the cell made of glass on all sides in the middle, and inside, your twin brother, staring back at you in shock. “Loki!” You couldn’t help the sigh of relief as you rushed closer to the glass, while he remained still in the centre, staring at you.

“Y/N? How are you- what are you doing here?” He questioned in alarm.

“I came here for you.” You told him. “Thor told me you were alive, and I came immediately. Loki I’ve missed you so much- Thor and Mother as well.” He scoffed at that. 

“He missed me? Thor is currently siding with the ones who locked me in here!” He responded, pointing to the door aggressively. 

“He’s also advocating for you. He’s also advocated for me.” You told him with urgence. 

“Advocating? How has he stood for us?” He questioned. 

“He stood up for me after you left!” You snapped, making his expression soften. “Everyone looked at me different after you left. They spoke about me with me right in front of them. The looks they gave me made me want to curl up and die… But Thor didn’t turn his back on me. He confronted those who did, he was right by my side, and he let me grieve in peace… Loki, he stepped up for me, because he’s our brother, and he’s advocating for you now, because he’s our brother. For him, nothing has changed. We’re family, no matter who’s blood we come from.” You explained. 

“Is that the whole truth?” He questioned you, his voice a lot calmer, though also sadder, and you nodded. 

“Despite everything, you will always have me and Thor, and mother and father. Despite everything, we still have a family, and we still have a home. Please, Loki… come home with me.” 

Loki frowned, looking down in shame. “It’s not that easy… The tesseract… It was given to me on an exception, an exception to follow his plan, and if I don’t follow it… he’ll reign hell on me, you, Thor… and everyone else. He has an army, we don’t stand a chance.” He expressed to you. 

“Okay… okay. Well, tell me everything you can about this being, and we’ll figure it out, okay? We’ll tell father, and he’ll help, and I’m sure if we give them time to heal and show you’re a changed man and regretful about what happened, so will the Avengers, especially if this being intends to harm their home.” You pointed out, speaking loudly to ensure they heard you, remembering what Fury had stated.

“Y/N… Why are you willing to take on my burden? I put myself in this situation.” Loki questioned. 

“If I recall currently, it’s always been your mischievous ideas getting both you in trouble, with me directly by your side. Why would this be any different? And If I remember correctly, Thor was always the one to see the fun in it all, make father be softer on us, and even take the fall for it. When this is all done, we’ll look back and laugh, but for now, let us help you with this nonsense.” You begged. Loki stared at you, pure surprise in his eyes. He wasn’t expecting to see his twin brother here today, he wasn’t expecting to hear that Thor had remained loyal to you back home and caring for you despite his actions, and he wasn’t expecting you to literally beg him to come home- a home you claimed was waiting for him. But the most shocking, was his own change. He never expected himself to change his mind, and switch sides so suddenly. 

“Alright… I’ll tell you everything. He’s called Thanos…”

Hope you like it! If you have any questions, please send them in!

*Not my GIF

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[fantasylandbitch]

Summary: With visiting hours over, Kirby stays behind to watch over you, keeping Sam and Tara updated as time goes on but while at the hospital a strange dream wakes you up in the middle of the night, something you can’t quite explain. The dream sticks with you and as the day turns into the night you start to become hyperaware of those around you.

Warning: Long Chapter, Metamorphosis, Child Death, Cussing, Protective Sam, Voices, Manipulation 

Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 2.5  Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 4.5 Chapter 5 Chapter 5.5 Chapter 6 Chapter 6.5 Chapter 7 Chapter 7.5 Chapter 8 Chapter 8.5 (Chapter 9 Coming Soon)

-Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter-

The sound of bare feet can be heard in your room but at first, you think nothing of it, it is almost like white noise to your ears even though you can sleep better when you're in complete silence in a dark room.

-Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter-

But much to your disappointment the sound persists while you lay in bed so when you finally sit up, the moon illuminates the room and you realize you are in the hospital alone, and for the life of you, you couldn’t figure out why you were there. “Hello?” you say aloud before you turn your head to the left to find a chair near your bed and Kirby’s badge slung across it “Kirby? Kirby you out there!?” You yell into the room before you, hoping that it might reach someone beyond the doorway but no one comes or responds back to you so you carefully get off the bed and you freely walk to the doorway of your assigned room. 

-pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter-

You hear the same sound of bare feet hitting the floor as you enter the hallway but this time you don’t say anything and you don’t move. You try to listen to the sounds around you but it is eerily quiet and something about that is very unsettling to you while you take a quiet deep breath in before you start walking again. While you take careful steps forward you come to a stop when you hear a child giggling somewhere in front of you and then behind you “STOP! THIS ISN’T FUNNY.” You yell into the void as the child in the dark pulls at your clothes before running down the hallway in front of you when a voice echoes through the hallway.

“Is that any way to talk to a child?” Ghost Face’s disembodied voice echoed.

His voice makes you look around the dark hallway as your heart starts to race in your chest. Then you hear a scraping sound against the wall behind you causing you to turn your back on the hallway that the child ran down before walking backward, scanning for any threats as you go.

Ghost Face laughs “You are such an easy target, you know that?” he pauses “You protect your friends by warning them, will even get stabbed for them, and what do you get in return?” he questions.

“Credit for being the friend who's their ride or die” You talk into the void as you continue to walk backwards but as you do lightning strikes outside the series of windows around you. The lightning illuminates the hallway you are in and for a second you see Ghost Face’s shadow covering your own on the floor so you turn around quickly, tripping yourself in the process.

“Wrong” his voice booms. “They abandon you and leave you to die,” he says, bringing his knife up to stab you.

But he is instantly gone when the light emitting from the lightning disappears in the hallway making you breathe heavily as you hit the floor while your eyes dart around in the dark before getting up, you hear him laugh. “No they fucking didn’t! I’m still here!” you yell out “I’m still alive!”

“That’s what you think” his voice gets dark.“Maybe we should ask the kid” he spoke again but this time Ghost Face sounds like he’s far away.

“No! Leave that kid out of this!” You yell out as you hear heavy footsteps running down the hallway and a door opening at the other end of it so you sprint after him and when you open the door you find yourself in a room that looks vaguely similar to your apartment. Then you hear another door opening and then slam at the end of the room where your bedroom would be so you run over to it and when you go to open the door, it doesn’t budge. Then you hear the child screaming on the other side “I SAID LEAVE THAT KID ALONE!” you screamed at the door. Then you take a step back getting ready to kick the door down “One, two, three” you whisper to yourself using your foot to knock the door open before feeling a gust of wind hit you. After busting down the door you run out of the building to find Ghost Face with the child you yelled at earlier and yourself on the hospital roof top but you hear rushing water instead of faraway sounds of cars and sirens.

“Took you long enough,” Ghost Face says to you as he tilts his head pulling a knife from his pocket.“You would think she would have a sense of urgency” he spoke to the child he was holding with his other hand.

“I’m the one you want. Let the kid go” you say to Ghost Face, walking closer to him while you put your hands up like you were trying to calm the killer down before you look at the child. But as you continue to walk closer to them you start to feel pain in your back making you internally groan as you keep a brave face before your breath hitches and a bigger wave of pain runs through you as you come to a stop. You can slowly feel your energy start to seep out of you like water seeping out of the side of a mountain as your brows furrowed in confusion before looking down at the side of your stomach only for you to see blood pool onto your shirt. That was the moment your body started to give up while your body faced another wave of pain as you fell to your knees on the concrete rooftop “Let the child go!” you forced out, finding it hard to breathe.

Ghost Face started to laugh again as he forced the child to walk in front of him until they were right in front of you. “That’s not how this works Y/n” Ghost Face says to you, as he kicks the kid behind their knees forcing them to kneel before moving his knife against their throat. 

“Don’t do this please” you say looking up at Ghost Face with tears in your eyes before focusing on the child in front of you as you examine them. Then the child moves their head up to look back at you and that is when you start to notice who the kid is in front of you.

“You can’t bargain with a serial killer!” he yells at you as he takes the knife away from the kid's throat getting his hand ready for what's next.

Your eyes widened “PLEASE DON’T DO THIS! TAKE ME!” you pleaded as you desperately tried to get Ghost Face to stab you and not the little kid in front of you because you know who that kid is. You noticed their (eye color), the shape of their nose, the shape of their lips, (length of hair and hair color). You recognize who it is because the child in front of you is YOU.

“You fucked up our plan, Y/N!” Ghost Face yells at you as he walks back over to the little version of you, putting the knife to your throat “It’s only fair we fuck with you too” he says before dragging the knife across your throat.

A blood-curdling scream ripped from your throat in the hospital room, your nightmare that felt almost too real for you rendered you momentarily useless for you were unable to control your hands as you fought the air almost hitting your sister-in-law in the face. “Wake up Y/n! Y/n!” Kirby yells your name while you scream before touching your arm as you jolt awake under her touch. “You’re safe Y/n” she continued trying to comfort you while running her fingers through your hair as she got up from her chair before pulling away from you “I’m going to get you a nurse okay. I’ll be right back Y/n,” she says before walking into the hallway turning right so she can find someone to look you over now that you're awake.

While Kirby is getting a nurse for you, you're panting on the hospital bed unsure of what to say or do as your eyes dart around the room looking at your surroundings, you try to stop crying but you are unable to because the nightmare was still fresh in your head, you're too alert. You attempt to take a deep breath in but your breath hitches noticing a slight wave of pain run up your side so you carefully move your left hand to touch your side as you quickly look down at the bandage you slowly realize that the wounds from your dream are actually real. “Hey Kirby!?” you yell from the bed as you hear footsteps come down the hallway while your mind is bracing you for who it might be, only to sigh in relief.

“I have a nurse on their way for you, she shouldn’t be long now,” Kirby says to you as she walks over to the chair to push it forward so it’s next to your bed. Then she sits down and reaches for your hand to caress trying to further comfort you but instead, she lowers the bed rails to sit next to you on the bed. “What do you need Y/N?” she asks, examining your features while she tries to calm herself down from the scare you gave her a few seconds ago.

“How did I get here?” you ask trying to make sense of your situation.

At first, Kirby gives you a concerned look before answering you “Your friends called for an ambulance to come and aid you. You-” she says stopping her thought before looking at her phone wondering if she should text Sam and Tara to update them before continuing “You arrived at the hospital with Ethan a few hours ago.” Her answer causes you to nod in acknowledgment before you gently lay back down wiping your eyes while Kirby watches you as her federal instincts start to kick in, thinking to unfortunately integrate you. “Y/n….” she started before she got quiet like she was afraid to know the details of what happened to you earlier “Can you recall what happened to you?” Kirby finally asked you.

Her question makes you look up at her with furrowed brows. Then you look down at your hands trying to recall what happened but your brain instead pulls you back to your dream where you were on the hospital’s rooftop, you recall hearing rushing water and not cars. Your silence makes Kirby take a deep breath before adjusting herself on the bed causing you to answer her “I-I’m trying to remember what happened to me but I have nothing to offer you..” you start before looking up at her “The last thing I remember is having dinner with Sam in my apartment..” you paused as you recall Sam kissing your cheek “and someone knocking on the front door before she ended the night with kissing my cheek” you finished trying to hide a smile at the memory.

As Kirby listens to you all she can do is nod making mental notes of what the Core 4 and Ethan had told her thus far and how some of their stories line up with yours but what got her taking another deep breath in your presence was when you mentioned Sam kissing your cheek. Kirby had no idea that being a big sister related to you or not could make her heart ache a lot more than what Charlie and Jill did to her but it also made Kirby a bit mad at the new information about Sam giving you affection, a small detail that Sam left out of her story. “That’s okay Y/n. I don’t expect you to remember the details after a traumatic event-” she starts when a nurse comes in to check on you to make sure you're up to code in health.

“You seem to have made a speedy recovery which is great, you must have great genes. I would like to say that at the moment we don’t have a doctor staffed yet to further asses you but I’ll put in a request. I personally think you should be able to leave by later tonight,” the nurse says to you and Kirby before walking out of the room to put your information into the computer and get you a doctor to set you up to leave later that day. 

“Well if I were you Y/n-” Kirby starts, reaching for your hand as you welcome her into your own as she gives your hand a squeeze “I would maybe try to get some sleep and while you're doing that I will update the Carpenters,” she says to you before going into her jacket pocket to retrieve her phone again but you interject.

“Wait,” you say to Kirby, squeezing her hand and pulling her a little closer to you just by an inch. “I-I don’t think that is a good idea,” you say next and Kirby gives you a questioning look before opening her mouth but you stop her “It’s not that I don’t trust Sam and Tara, in fact, I-I think I would trust them with my life but right now I don’t think it's a good idea to disclose anything not when I don’t know what happened to me.”

“What are you trying to say Y/n?” Kirby says locking eyes with you “Because it does sound like you really don’t trust Sam and Tara with or without your memory” she says with amusement to which you lightly kick her in the back with your leg “Okay that was rude.”

“I’m not sorry about that,” you say in response with a smile to which Kirby smiles back with a light laugh knowing you didn’t lose the funny side of your personality. As Observant as you are, you notice something flash across those green eyes of hers that Kirby thought she could hide from you. You can’t place what exact emotion lit up in front of you but you know it was based in sadness but you don’t know why “I think we should play it safe that’s all. After all, we don't know who’s wearing the mask."

Kirby nods in response to your request even though unknowingly to you she can sense that something about you has changed but she’s not sure if it was for the better or the absolute worst. “Okay, alright, fine mini Gale. Later I will have one of the girls pick you up” she says and you nod while smiling at the jab before giving her a questionable look.

“Where are you planning to go later?” you asked wanting to know where Kirby was going just in case something happened to her.

“Y/n you said you wanted us to play it safe so that is what we’ll do. Later I’m going to head over to your apartment to pick up some clothes for you but I’m also going to look over the evidence before Detective Bailey arrives at the scene. If I find anything I’ll text your phone…I’m pretty sure Tara has it now.” Kirby says thinking about who might have your phone to charge and protect your privacy. 

“Sounds good just please be careful okay?” you respond to her plan.

Your concern makes Kirby smile and look at you with soft eyes before leaning forward to give your forehead a quick peck “I will, now get some sleep” she says as your eyelids begin to get heavy, and your worries disappear from talking to your sister-in-law.

Later that morning Kirby places a note on your movable table to let you know where she had gone before she followed through with her plan as she walked out of the hospital. Kirby entered her car turning the key as her car came on before checking the time which said 9:00 am as she put her seat belt on, sighing to herself before backing up in the parking lot and then driving over to your apartment. When she arrived at your apartment she parked her car and then proceeded to walk to the front entrance of the apartment building upon opening the door she could feel that it was sort of cold in the lobby as she put her black gloves on so she didn’t contaminate any of the evidence if she chose to inspect them. Kirby could almost feel death in the air as her nose picked up a metallic scent as she walked further into the lobby before stopping mid-way. She notices the dried blood on the ground before turning her head to the basement door, which makes her shiver thinking about what you had gone through the other day as your bloody handprint is on display before walking up the stairs to your apartment. When Kirby reached the top floor she stopped to take a breath as she turned her head to your apartment door wondering if the scene that Sam had described for her was actually true it honestly made her a little nervous to find out before remembering that you live across from your landlord so she turns around to knock on the door.

But before she could, Kirby heard a door slam below and someone trying to get her attention “Excuse me Detective?” someone called making Kirby look down the stairs to the second floor. “If you're looking for the landlord, I’m afraid you missed her, Diana left to go on vacation last night.”

“I see and what is your name?” Kirby asks, trying to get more information before walking down the stairs to the second level she reaches into her pockets to find her cards.

“I’m Kristen. I live in room 104 with my wife and kids,” she says before smiling at Kirby when she finds her cards.

“Thanks for letting me know Kristen. If your landlord happens to arrive home early. Could you ask her to call this number?” Kirby asks with a light smile.

Kristen nods as she takes her card “Yes of course. Oh um, I apologize for the incorrect title. I will make sure she gets the message Agent Reed” Kristen says as she is about to leave for work at the same time that Kirby is walking up the stairs “Agent Reed?”

Kirby stops midway on the stairs before turning around to face your neighbor.

Kristen then said “I hope the neighbor Y/n who lives upstairs is doing okay and I hope you get the bastard who hurt her” surprising Kirby before continuing down the stairs to work while Kirby walked up the stairs to your front door.

When Kirby finally got to your front door she had to take a deep breath before opening it and as she pushed the door open her eyes widened at the scene as she entered your apartment because she saw how much of your blood painted the floor, the counter, near your dining room, in your living room, and your bedroom door. Kirby had to take a moment to close her eyes to relax and stay focused before searching around your apartment for your duffle bag “Come on Kirby where would your sister-in-law keep her duffle bag?” she asked herself.

Then Kirby turned her head to your bedroom door when she couldn't find your duffle bag near your TV. Hence, she gets up and walks over to your bedroom door before turning the handle and taking another deep breath in as she scans your room she notices that the sun has cast a shadow under your bed so she walks over to your bed to drag your duffle bag out from under the bed. “She must have packed after Sam asked her so why would Ethan not mention the bag?” she questioned to no one in particular before getting up to walk out of your apartment closing your bedroom door before your front door as she walked back to her car.

When Kirby got near her car she opened her trunk. She moved some of her blankets aside so she could fit your duffle bag until she heard something heavy scrape against another object in your bag. At first, she wouldn’t go snooping in your bag just in case there was an object you didn’t want her to know about. Still, curiosity got the best of her and she opened the bag. While Kirby unzips your duffle bag she smirks thinking it's an object to help you relieve some stress that you might have but when she looks inside the bag her smirk is immediately replaced by horror before she shakes her head and zips it back up.

“Everything alright Agent Reed?” a man says aloud making Kirby slam her trunk to lock it before quickly turning around to face the person who said her name.

“Detective Bailey good morning. I’m glad your here I was just getting prepped to go inside” She lies successfully before she notices another cup of coffee in Detective Bailey’s hand.

“Oh yes, here you go,” Detective Bailey says before handing Kirby a cup of coffee “I’ve been eyeing that coffee shop since my daughter….had found it closer to home. I thought I would have us try it before the uh rest of the team gets here.” He says nodding his head with a smile before taking a sip of his coffee while Kirby joins him and takes a sip of her own.

“Oh, that definitely hits the spot,” Kirby says before humming at the slightly strong hazelnut coffee taste. “Thanks for the coffee, Bailey. I really needed the pick me up” Kirby says with a light smile before turning her head to see the police department arrive.

“Looks like the rest of the team is here,” Detective Bailey says as he turns around in his spot.

“Yes. They. Are” she says with a sigh of relief at the same time she’s taking in the fresh cold air through her lungs as she secretly looks over at Detective Bailey before taking another sip of her coffee. “Let’s get suited up Detective” Kirby says aloud with a smirk making Detective Bailey look over at her with a smirk of his own.

“Nothing more like the present Agent Reed. Let’s look sharp” he nods following her lead.

Later in the evening at Danny’s apartment, your friends are still lying about the apartment waiting for an update from Kirby. That means Chad and Ethan brought their blankets over to the living room as they lay on the floor watching one of your favorite movies with Mindy and Tara who are sitting on the couch while Sam is in the kitchen with Danny watching the same movie every now and again while also helping make dinner. 

“Any updates on your friend?” Danny asks as he looks over at Sam noticing that she wasn’t cutting the potatoes. “Sam,” he said her name a bit louder near her making her turn her head to look at him.

“Uh no not yet,” Sam says shaking her head tiredly at his question as she continues to cut the potatoes in front of her as she thinks about you silently. She tries to remain hopeful about your recovery as she looks over at her little sister “Hey Tara?” 

“Yeah?” Tara responds to her sister, her eyes not leaving the TV screen.

“Has Kirby updated you about Y/n at all?” Sam asks, trying to sound calm and not worried even though Tara can tell that she is before she pulls her eyes away from the TV to look at her older sister.

Then Tara gets up from the couch to join her sister in the kitchen with Danny “Nope” she says sitting on a kitchen stool in front of the island. “That doesn’t mean she’s not okay though. If we know Y/n like we should then maybe she told Kirby not to say anything.”

“Tara, ¿por qué haría eso?” Sam asks engaging her little sister in a private conversation.

(Tara, why would she do that?) 

Tara gives Sam a questioning look before responding to her “¿Alguna vez pensaste que tal vez ella no confiaba en nadie del grupo?” She says before taking a deep breath as Danny looks between the two sisters. 

(Have you ever thought that maybe she didn't trust anyone in the group?)

Sam gives Tara a pointed look making her little sister gesture with her eyes to behind her and Sam immediately looks at Ethan and not the entire group before looking over at Danny briefly when Kirby shoots them a text. 

Tara and Sam look at each other before reaching for their phones to look at the message they’ve been waiting for, Tara responds with a smile “Es hora de recoger a nuestra chica.”

(Time to pick up our girl)

Sam gives her sister a light smile “Mindy can you help Danny cut the vegetables for me please?” she asks Mindy.

Mindy nodded at the request as she got up smiling a little at Tara and Sam’s pep in their step “Get going you two” she gestured with her hands as the Carpenters left to go to the hospital.

“Where are they going?” Chad asks his sister as she walks around the island to help skin some carrots while Danny is cutting up meat into little pieces.

Mindy gives her brother a serious look. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” She says cutting the carrots roughly “You’ll find out when they get back” Mindy ends the conversation making Chad nod before standing up with his blanket to sit on the couch while Ethan looks at them like a deer in headlights.

“Hey Mindy?” Danny calls her name as she looks over at her neighbor “Do you happen to know what the girls were saying in Spanish?” he asks with innocent eyes.

Danny’s question and face made her laugh as she pushed him away “I have no clue. Boy next door and even if I did I wouldn’t say shit” she says as she went back to skinning and cutting more carrots for dinner.

When the Carpenter sisters arrived at the hospital they initially thought they had to sign paperwork to let you out but much to their surprise they didn’t have to as they got to the counter. “We’re here to pick up Y/n,” Sam says to the customer service agent making the woman nod before responding.

“She should be down in a bit, just take a seat in the waiting area for her, okay?” She asks Sam and the girls nod before heading over to the waiting area to take a seat as they wait for you.

As Tara plays a game on her phone she can feel the vibrations of her sister’s leg bouncing next to her making her sigh as she puts down her phone “¿Estás bien Sam?” she asks her sister, turning her head to look at her.

(Are you okay Sam?)

Sam nods as she looks down at her hands before hiding them and responding to her little sister “Solo estoy nerviosa de verla eso es todo.” 

(I'm just nervous to see her that's all)

Tara nods in response to her older sister’s answer before watching her stand up as she looks ahead and Tara soon follows, turning her head, she sees you. When she saw you walking into the lobby Tara couldn’t hold in her excitement as you got closer to the waiting area, Tara grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her to you “Y/N!” she yelled before letting go of her sister’s hand to go hug you.

When you caught sight of Tara running at you out of excitement you knew to brace for impact because as Tara got closer she had her arms open wide for you, which you happily embraced her for. But to your surprise, she embraces you softly and as you look down with a smile you notice that she is crying and your eyes start to tear up as you hug her back “Tara I’m so sorry for being a bad friend” You cry into her hair.

“You weren’t! I was! I’m sorry Y/n!” she yelled into you as her crying slowly started to stop. “When we were on our way back to your apartment I was going to give you your favorite snack and drink to apologize for the way I was acting but I was too late,” Tara says nodding before wiping her eyes. 

You tap and rub Tara’s back as you look down at her “I’m still here” you say to her before you look up to see Sam but you only catch a glimpse of her from the back as she walks out of the hospital. “Tara, is your sister okay?” You asked looking down at her as Tara turned around to see that her sister wasn’t in the building.

“I know she was nervous to see you but I didn’t think she would let it get to her” she responds to you before taking your hand in hers. “Let’s go back home, come on,” Tara says as she slowly drags you with her out of the hospital and to the car.

On the drive back to Danny’s house you are seated behind Sam on the passenger side of the car and while you relax in the back you can feel your eyelids getting heavy from the movement of the car but also from using your energy to walk around.

While you're half asleep Tara says something to her sister in Spanish “¿Por qué regresaste al auto sin decirle nada a Y/n?” she asked while behind the wheel, looking over at Sam, and Sam responded back.

(Why did you walk back to the car without saying anything thing to Y/n?)

“No estaba lista para verla, Tara,” Sam says to her little sister before she yells “Tara stop the car!” the car comes to a complete stop almost crashing into a car in front of them, and the sudden halt forces you to wake up in a fright. 

(I wasn't ready to see her, Tara)

“Everyone okay?” you ask in your half-sleep drunken stupor before you rub and slap your face so you can be more awake but the girls don’t respond to you. “GUYS are two okay?” you ask a bit annoyed this time causing Sam and Tara to jump in their seats.

“Yes we are” they both answered shaking their head at the same time before looking at each other.

You take a deep breath before talking again “Good, just be careful on the road Tara. New York City drivers can be wild sometimes, you have to keep your eyes peeled.” You say to Tara before adding “You too Sam don’t get distracted” catching the Carpenter sisters shaking their heads as they hide their smiles from you not realizing how happy they both are that you're back in their presence again.

Soon after you and the Carpenter sisters arrive at their apartment building in Bowery. Tara parks the car across the street and the girls get ready to get out of your car while you try to figure out how you should get out of the passenger side by yourself when Sam opens your door making you look up at her. You both end up staring at each other for a few minutes before Sam extends her hand out for you to grab helping you out of the car. After you close your car door behind you a passerby you didn’t see walking your way scares you into falling back into your car as you lost your footing on the sidewalk. But you didn’t feel the impact because Sam catches you by wrapping you up in her arms one hand holding your lower back and the other carefully holding your upper back without reinjuring you in the process. But just as you are about to move away from Sam, she tightens her arms around you not wanting to let you go just yet. It occurs to you at that moment that Sam might have been feeling responsible for whatever happened to you the other day and is asking for your forgiveness in the form of a hug so you let her have this. You melt into her embrace in a silent forgiveness causing her to groan into your shoulder as she buries her face into it at the same time your hands press into her ribs as you feel every muscle in her body twitch and relax under your touch, your hands eventually reaching up her back pulling her flushed against your body.

Tara smiles from the sidewalk across the street as she pulls her phone out to take a picture of the two of you for two reasons. One she can cherish this memory of the two of you hugging and Two to use it as blackmail to get something she wants from her sister later down the road before she decides to enter the building to walk over to Danny’s apartment.

For the few minutes that you and Sam are together hugging each other in silence near your car you start to feel your shirt become wet and Sam shaking as she starts to cry into your shoulder a sight you didn’t expect to experience again. Her cries keep you quiet as you take in a deep breath while listening to some of what your feelings are telling you, your emotions are telling you to cry because seeing Sam in pain hurts you so deeply. But you hold them back even though you can feel your own tears coming to the surface, you know it wasn’t the right time and that Sam needed you right now so you lean your head against hers feeling her soft skin against your own as you tuck her hair behind her ear. Because you know that sometimes skin contact is what soothes her even when it’s just your hands entangling into one another secretly like underneath the blankets during a movie night or your legs touching each other as you two sit across each other at a table and to this day it makes you wonder why she would feel so safe with you. It should be obvious to you but it’s not.

“Shh” you cooed softly next to Sam’s ear while rubbing her back and kissing her cheek "Shh" you cooed again. Sam finds your thoughtful gestures at making her calm down so endearing that it almost makes her feel a little weak in the knees as she holds you this close to her body. She finds it difficult to imagine what her world would look like if Ghost Face had succeeded in taking you away from her and the very thought has her putting her chin on your shoulder as the cold breeze dances across her tear-stained cheeks. She’s lost in thought for a moment as she continues to hold you while she looks across the street at her apartment building remembering how her family and you were attacked at her apartment. She remembers how you were willing to stay behind so that her family was safe in Danny’s apartment when the day before you covered Tara’s back while they were running out of the bodega to safety without you. Sam could feel something starting to click in her head when her train of thought was cut off by something wet hitting the side of her face so she blinked before pulling back to look up at the sky.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to start crying” Sam heard you say as you tried to hide your face from her feeling embarrassed as she looked down at you with soft eyes. “Maybe we should head inside” you spoke up “I’m sure Danny and your family are starting to get worried,” you said last before you started to feel one of Sam’s hands caress your face guiding you to look up at her while her other hand remains on your lower back. Sam stares into your eyes with a soft longing look as she rubs the side of your face with her thumb. Her eyes move between your eyes and your lips while you can’t help but watch her contemplate if she should kiss you softly or consume you whole. The very thought of her kissing you has you nervous because you’ve never kissed anyone before but the way Sam looks at your lips. You're thinking ‘I want this’ as Sam leans her head down to kiss you while you close your eyes. When Sam’s lips finally meet yours she moves her lips against yours in a way that allows you to practice kissing her before you start to get the hang of her movements as she feels your hands slowly move from her body to her face and into her hair. Your actions cause Sam to gently push you into your car eliciting a light moan from you and that sweet sound from your throat lets Sam know that you’ve been meaning to kiss her for a while like she’s been meaning to kiss you. Sam proceeds to lick the bottom of your lip as gently as possible because she doesn’t want to pressure you into anything before she feels your tongue lick the bottom of hers as you both smile into each other getting into a gentle but heated kiss.

“Hey, Ethan! Dinner’s ready!” Mindy yells pulling Ethan’s eyes away from his phone.

“Okay, I’ll be right there!” Ethan yells back as he receives a text message from someone and it reads.

Ethan hums at this because he’s itching to cut something open as he hears the front door open as you and Sam walk into the apartment.

“Sam it’s about time you-” Chad spoke up before becoming quiet making Mindy, Danny, and Tara look up from their food. Tara smiles while eating her bowl of stew that Danny made as Ethan gets up from the ground.

Danny is the first person to get up from his spot at the island to come and greet you “Hey you” he says before gently hugging you while Sam instinctively gets closer to you as she watches Mindy and Chad come over to hug you.

“I’m glad you're back Y/n,” Chad says as he hugs you and you give him a gentle hug back.

“I’m glad to be back, Chad,” you say softly before messing with his hair as he takes a step back so you can hug Mindy but you notice she’s a bit teary-eyed.

When Mindy hugs you she hugs you a little tight making you groan so she loosens her hug “Sorry Y/n I didn’t mean to” she says as she looks over at Sam seeing her lightly smile while you hide apart of your face in her shoulder as you look over at Ethan.

“You're fine Mindy,” you say to her reassuring her that she did nothing wrong before you furrow your brows a little as you stare at Ethan. A sudden voice passes through your head ‘Your friends are lost…..which means I can easily kill them with their guard down’ the voice says but it’s faint and you can’t quite place whose voice it belongs to. The voice makes you a little on edge as your body stiffens a little as you let go of Mindy and Sam can see this as Ethan walks over to the kitchen “Hi Ethan” you wave at him but it feels weird.

“Welcome back Y/n,” Ethan says nervously with a smile around you as he grabs himself a bowl to put food into before going into the living room while Sam takes off her bomber jacket to put on the coat rack on the wall.

“Make sure you two grab some food there’s plenty there,” Danny says before going back to eating his food and talking to Chad in between.

You and Sam nod with a hum before you walk over to the kitchen as you sniff the air as a smile graces your face smelling the ingredients from the stew instead of the cleaning products from the hospital as you walk into the kitchen. While you are in the kitchen you look around the kitchen counter for a bowl when you look up to find two bowls in the cabinet above you so you go to open the cabinet. 

Ethan discreetly watches you from the coffee table in the living room before realizing that he didn’t have a fork with him so he decided to get up from his spot at the coffee table to get one. While he walks over to the kitchen he thinks of ways to fuck with your head feeling a little bolder with each step he takes than usual even with Sam around making him put on a gentle smile even though on the inside he’s grinning wildly.

But Sam kept vigilant, she takes every mental note of Ethan’s behavior while you're around so she walks over to you while Ethan makes his way to the kitchen after she locks the front door. “Let me get the bowls for you Y/n,” she says putting her left hand on your hip while reaching up to get the bowls with her other hand.

“Y-Yeah sure,” you say shyly to Sam with a smile even though you both made out at your car before staring at her toned arm while also taking note of where her other hand is placed as you smile at her. “Thanks, Sam,” you say softly to her as Sam smiles to herself before looking down at your eyes and nodding at you.

“Not a problem,” Sam says to you as she backs away so you can get some food first before she hears Ethan clear his throat as she looks over at him with a serious look. “Need something Ethan?” she says leaning back on the island while you scoop some stew from the pot as she crosses her arms.

“Y-Yeah I just forgot to get a fork,” He says with a nervous smile looking at Sam before looking over at you briefly “I can’t eat without one,” he says shrugging his shoulders making Sam nod before he walks over to where you are by the counter while your friends at the island watch you three like they’re watching a soap opera.

At the last second, you catch a glimpse of Ethan as you turn to walk to your left of the island when Ethan stops you by putting his hand on the handle of the drawer, almost making you spill the stew on yourself as he pulls on the handle near you pulling it open as he looks over at you, trapping you between himself and the counter.

“You should have stayed at the hospital,” Ethan says under his breath but loud enough so that you can only hear him while watching you with wild eyes before he looks down to retrieve a fork and backs away from you but not before lightly pressing the back of the fork against your wounded side while he has you distracted.  

“What?” you say to Ethan before your breath hitches lightly as Sam pushes past him so she can purposely pick up her bowl while at the same time trapping you between herself and the counter, her body creating a temporary barrier for you.

“Did you get what you needed?” Sam asks in a serious tone as she feels your body relax against hers as Ethan nods with a light smile closing the drawer. Then she watched him walk around the island and to the living room where he was sitting last before turning to look back at you “Are you okay?” she gently whispered into your ear.

“Yeah I’m fine” you whispered back with a nod before walking past Sam and over to the island to sit next to Tara before realizing you forgot to get a fork yourself “Sh-”. Just when you were going to get up Sam sits down next to you before placing a fork in your stew while Tara pours you a cup of water and places it some inches away from your bowl and you just look at them both with a questioning look. 

“Okay Sam, I see you,” Mindy says aloud catching Sam’s attention as you briefly look up at Mindy and then at Sam before going back to eating your bowl of stew on the island.

Sam takes a deep breath before looking over at Mindy “See what?” she asks before eating as Sam begins to tap her leg against the seat while Tara looks at Mindy with a smile.

“You know what? Nothing” Mindy says smiling to herself knowingly thinking about how Sam was protecting you in the kitchen just now before looking over at you. “How are you doing Y/n since you were released from being detained at the hospital?” Mindy asked jokingly causing you to almost snort with food in your mouth.

You cough a little “Good it’s been really good so far…I don’t have to worry about missing you guys anymore” you say smiling because even though you're alive and well there is this deep sense of sadness that passes through you it’s like something is missing but you don’t know what it is. 

Sam subtly looks over at you wondering what you might be feeling then looks at her bowl and then at yours seeing how they’re both empty before watching Chad get up to get more stew while she bumps her elbow against yours to get your attention. 

“What’s up Sam?” you ask turning your head to look at her, giving Sam a gentle smile as you bump the side of your shoulder into hers in response.

“Do you want me to get you more food?” Sam asks, scanning your face and then your lips before watching you shake your head.

“I think I’m uh done for the night,” you say, looking down at her lips before looking away “I can clean my own bowl.” You say next bringing your bowl closer to your body when Tara got up from her seat and snatched your bowl up “Hey I said I was going to clean my own bowl!”

Tara heard you say “Didn’t ask Y/n” she yells back before putting your bowl in the sink with hers making you look at Sam who looked at you awkwardly before sighing and getting up to wash the dishes with her sister.

While Sam and Tara are occupied at the counter Danny retrieves Mindy and Chad’s bowls bringing them over to the counter to place them in the sink before walking up to the island “So Y/n…what happened yesterday?” he asks you causing Sam to stop washing the dishes for a moment as she turned her head slightly.

“Uh umm I-I don’t. I don’t remember what happened yesterday except for having dinner with Sam and someone knocking on my apartment door” you say nervously catching Sam looking over her shoulder at you before going back to cleaning the dishes when Chad started getting slightly pushy.

“So you wouldn’t know what happened to Ethan then?” Chad questions making Mindy look over at him with a questioning look while Ethan is in the living room smiling to himself now realizing that he has Chad wrapped around his finger and that he would go out of his way to defend him and his false confession. 

“I uh no I wouldn’t but could you fill me in?” you question as you reach for your cup of water that Tara poured for you earlier while you racked your brain for answers. 

“Ethan told us that you guys went down to the basement to turn on the breaker in your apartment building before you dipped on him to supposedly go back to the entrance only to hit him over the head with a bat,” Chad says a little seriously making Mindy defend you.

“Excuse me Chad then explain how Y/n would have those wounds?” Mindy asks him as the Carpenter sisters get done with what they were doing to fully listen in on Chad and Mindy’s conversation with you before Danny adds his two cents.

“I’ve uh never seen the Stab films but uh based off of the other movies that I’ve watched. What if that’s what this Ghost Fucker wants you guys to do? You know be at each other's throats?” Danny voiced considering how you’re unable to remember most of your night yesterday and he’s sure it’s frustrating for you not to be able to recall anything as he watched you get up.

“I’ll be right back,” you say aloud before looking over at Danny “Could you show me where the bathroom is?” you asked and Danny nodded walking around the island to help you while Sam could tell that you needed some space.

“Here we are,” Danny says, guiding you to the bathroom as he gives you a little tour of his apartment on the way over.

“Thanks, Danny,” you say giving him a tired smile and he gently patted your shoulder as a ‘you’re welcome’ before he walked away so that you could head into the bathroom by yourself. When you enter the bathroom you immediately close the door locking it behind you while leaning on it. While you lean against the door you contemplate what actually happened the night before “What happened to you yesterday?” you ask yourself quietly closing your eyes when you hear a voice pass through your head 'You protect your friends by warning them, will even get stabbed for them and what do you get in return?’ you hear before shaking your head to use the toilet. 

“You know Y/n has been in the bathroom for a while,” Ethan says as he looks over at Chad and the rest of his friends before getting up to clean his bowl.

“You think she might be stalling?” Chad says to the group as he tries to figure out which side of the room he’s on yours or Ethan's.

“You think she might be stalling?” Mindy mocks her brother out of love for you considering that you helped save her and her girlfriend’s life. “What would she be stalling for you dingbat? ” she says next before looking over at Sam with a tight-lipped smile “Want me to go check on her?” she asks.

Sam’s brows go up at her as she cleans a fancy glass with a clean rag before placing it on the drying rack “No you don’t have to Mindy I got it.” she says drying her hands quickly before she gets caught in the crossfire between Mindy and her brother “You guys just set up for bed while I go check on Y/n” making everyone nod. While Sam is walking down the hallway to the bathroom to check on you she hears the facet running from the sink so she waits outside the bathroom for you because she also wanted to know where you wanted to sleep tonight. 

While washing your hands your mind brings you back to the dream you had earlier that morning you try to figure out why the hospital hallway was so dark. You felt that there was possibly more to that nightmare before you thought more about what Chad said to you ‘You guys went down to the basement to turn on the breaker in your apartment building before you dipped on him.’ Your gut told you that a scenario like that wasn’t possible for you because as much as you wanted to leave a friend behind, you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself while you look in the mirror. Then you bent down to splash some water and massage your face as you closed your eyes turning off the facet and when you went to open your eyes it was to the sound of the shower curtains moving out of the way as you looked up at the mirror and the sight made your eyes widen and a chill run down your spine.

Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 2.5  Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 4.5 Chapter 5 Chapter 5.5 Chapter 6 Chapter 6.5 Chapter 7 Chapter 7.5 Chapter 8 Chapter 8.5 (Chapter 9 Coming Soon)

Stay in my mentions crew: @daddy-carpenter @lummaland @screechcat @grandpatrolnut @octaviasnextmeatcube @fanboy7794 @werewolfbansheelove @kyleeservopoulos

Scream 6 : A Love so Understanding Playlist

[lovelymlem]

How did Stanley and The Narrator introduce the whole vore thing to eachother? As in who came up with it first that is. I would bet whoever was being told the idea was very surprised like: “I’m sorry what?! Why?! That doesn’t seem safe at all!!??” 😂

(Also I’ve decided to put a little emoji to mark my asks from now on :p )

-🎉

Well, it was mostly narrators idea-

STORY TIME :D

The narrator was watching stanley in the void, watching as he went to the right door. "This was not the correct way to the meeting room, and Stanley knew it perfectly well." The narrator said in exasperation, his thumb and index finger resting on the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Stanley ignored his words and strolled past the employee lounge before the narrator could even talk. "Ah, yes. Truly a room wo- HEY!" The narrator snapped at stanley. He sneered in irritation, watching Stanley walk past the lounge. He cleared his throat and sighed. "But eager to get back to business, Stanley took the first open door to his left.". Stanley looked up at the narrator, purple circles under his eyes as he frowned at him.

Stanley looked at the door and walked past it. He went over and sat in a small corner, curling up. "Stanley? Is something the matter?" the narrator asked, his voice becoming calmer. Stanley simply just sits there, not bothering to even look up or sign a response. "Hm. Well, it's clear something is bothering you.." Narrator mumbled. "Alright. That's it. I'm pausing the story. At least until you're in a much better mental state."

Stanley slowly looked up at the ceiling, a little bit of happiness twinkling in his eyes. "Ohh, don't give me that look. I'm only doing this for me, as a way to um.. well.. that's not important.." the narrator scoffed. The narrator walked around the void, looking for a room to put Stanley in. "The broom closet isn't very comfy, and those couches have broken springs." He muttered as he looked. Stanley felt his eyes droop as he listened to the narrators voice.

The narrator looked for a few more minutes before letting out a defeated sigh. He heard his stomach rumble. Great. Just what he needed. He groans before an idea pops into his head. "No! It'd be too risky." Narrator said, shaking his head in disbelief at the thought. "Though.. it wouldn't hurt to try." He said, raising an eyebrow. He pressed his hand to his middle and glanced at Stanley, hesitation making him frozen for a long minute.

Stanley, at this point, was already halfway asleep until suddenly a large "THUD" awoke him. He looked around in a panic and saw a large hand reaching for him. Adrenaline set in and he rose to his feet, sprinting towards the hallway door to make a way to the cargo lift, but it was locked. Fear inside Stanleys body set in, his heart racing fast, as he saw the shadow closing in around him. He whimpered, yanking the doorknob until he felt the hands fingers wrap around his upper half and legs, as he's lifted up. He closed his eyes as he felt his body being elevated. When he opened them again, he saw he was infront of the narrator. "Now now, no need for the shakes, Stanley, your quite alright." The narrator said. "I couldn't find a proper room to put you in.." he said, sounding somewhat apologetic. "You'll just have to trust me."

Stanley furrowed his eyebrows, confused on Narrators statement, until he saw the Narrators maw open. The adrenaline was back, and he struggled, trying to get away, as his body was carried closer to the giants mouth. The narrator gently placed stanley inside, feeling the little mans weight setting on his tongue. Saliva was coating poor Stanleys hands and clothes as he looked around, confused. He whined as the tongue turned and tossed, moving his body as if he was a piece of candy, as Stanley tried to pushing it back and even lifting it.

The narrator desperately tried to get stanley back on his tongue so he could swallow him, but he was having problems each time Stanley fought his tongue. He sighed and tilted his head back, feeling Stanley finally slid backwards. He tasted something else besides Stanley.. tears. Guilt wrenched into the giants heart. He frowned as he tasted them, he really didn't mean stanley any harm. "Stanley.. You're gonna be fine. I promise." The narrator said, trying to calm him down. "I won't hurt you."

Stanley looked around, still frightened, tears pouring down his eyes. "Just trust me." The narrator said. "Whenever you're ready, I'll swallow."

Stanley looked down, seeing the muscles of Narrators tight throat. He contemplated it, though still frightened by the idea, maybe the narrator won't hurt him? Stanley laid down on the tongue, signaling Narrator that he was ready. "Good." Narrator smiled a bit, before gulping Stanley down.

Stanley closed his eyes as he was moved downwards, the muscles of Narrators throat squeezing him as he traveled down. Not even a moment later, he entered his stomach. It was a golden yellow colour, and there was a puddle of saliva at the bottom. He heard the Narrator let out a content sigh as he sat up. He felt the walls, the texture squishy and wet. It was pretty warm inside, and he could hear Narrators heartbeat. "Are you alright in there, Stanley?" The narrator asked, putting a hand on his middle again. He felt Stanley move a bit, giving him a sign that he was alright. "Alright. Now, you get some rest, and once you've awoken, we'll continue the story." The Narrator said, sitting down onto the void floor. Stanley nodded, the same droopy eyelids returning as he relaxed, the heartbeat of the narrator lulling him to sleep.

And that's how Stanley and Narrator got into the vore thing :D

[becca4leafclover]

Thinking about the ending of Purgatory again, how the two people with wings saving people were Philza and Fit.

Phil, everyone knows had the wings. HAS the wings, now, in this miracle of this place, where nothing good grows and yet it's given Phil the chance to regain his lost limbs. Even after they were pushed to their fragile limits and broken again to save Tubbo, Phil's wings still exist on his back after they'd been gone for far too long.

But what about the other person who miraculously had wings? Who never had any sort of phantom pains of lost limbs in all of his life, who touched the sky only through mechanical marvels and the husks of void insects and never craved the feeling of flight as a wingfolk does.

Unlike Phil, who returned from the End challenge nearly sobbing for his children and the healing of his wings, Fit had no such thing when he went through those portals. He went through and grinned at the sight of a pair of elytra, a trusty tool back on 2b2t. He raced through the course and jumped through the other side and physically looked no different.

But who knows how long it's been since the last time Fit touched the void? Since he went to go solve the mystery of his airship's ghost voyage? That was years ago. It was nice to feel- free. Of Purgatory, of Quesadilla, of his mission and all the complications of the past few months. It was just him and the empty infinity below him for a few minutes.

When Fit left the End, he didn't miss the elytra. No, he was no Philza. But his body felt abuzz in a way he couldn't explain. It came and went, a slight background noise or strangely absent. Fit didn't pay much attention to it- his focus was on surviving. Grinding. Winning, for Ramon. But he found himself idly noticing it when he was helping Tubbo, or wandering with Pac, or defending Tina.

Days past, and the end of the world seemed to come from one of their own. Fit saw the writing on the wall of the fate of their kids and knew that he didn't have time to look for a lost cause. He pushed his limits to get to the escape boat. It was intense, but he didn't think for a moment that he wouldn't make it. He knew that not all of his friends would be so lucky. But it was survival of the fittest, and Fit knew it better than almost anyone else.

When Phil and Tubbo made it to the boat on Phil's broken wings, something stirred inside Fit. It was the two leaders of the surviving teams, the two that had just dueled to the death, holding each other like lifelines. These weren't more survivors in a wasteland, they were his FRIENDS. Could Fit really stand here on this boat, knowing if he didn't do something he'd never see them again?

"Give me the lasso, I can save people," Fit offered once Phil collapsed when trying to get up.

The old crow and his young adversary looked at him with wonder. That buzzing feeling was back, stronger than it'd been before. Fit held out his hand for the fraying rope. Fit backed up on the boat's deck and sprinted, planning on jumping over the edge and diving into the water-

But he never fell once he went up.

Fit used all of his willpower to keep going. Find someone- ANYONE, to save one more life so it wasn't just him, the unconscious people he'd managed to get to the boat, and those other two going home. Anyone else.

One minute. Bagi.

Fit screamed her name through the air. She shouted in surprise when she spotted him.

"Fit! You have wings?"

Fit took the second to glance over his shoulder. Wings, on his back, glowing against the hazy red light that covered the island.

"I'm getting you out of here," was all Fit said as he tied the rope around Bagi. He hefted her up, and then took off again.

They made it to the boat with twenty seconds left on the timer. Tubbo had gotten the engine revving and he heard Charlie screaming somewhere inside. He pulled Bagi out of the water, and then everyone's MDA's went off violently with notifications. Their time was up.

The buzzing in Fit's body faded as the boat sped away from the island- and their remaining friends, and the little buddies, and the corpses of their children, and the black dot rising in the sky that spelled total destruction. And the next time Fit noticed, the magic wings that had allowed him to be the hero of the hour were gone too.

It wasn't until they were back on Quesadilla Island that anyone mentioned the miracle Fit had pulled. Phil showed Fit so much trust, in revealing to him his mangled wings that he was able to keep coming back home. And he gently asked- what happened to Fit's? Why did Fit never tell that he had lost his wings too?

"I'm not like you, Phil. I've never had wings to lose."

"...But we all saw them, mate. Were you at least born with them?"

Fit shook his head. "Not that I ever knew. But I don't remember much about where I came from before 2b anyway."

Phil had frowned at that, but left it.

The next person to bring it up was Tubbo, along with Bagi and Pac while they were waiting for their somehow-alive kids to wake up from their comas.

"Hey Fit, what happened to your wings?"

"Oh yeahh! You were my hero, Fit! I don't think I'll ever be able to make it up to you," Bagi said. Fit waved them off.

"Don't worry about it, Bagi, we're all good."

"You have wings?" Pac questioned, his voice filled with such pure wonder. Fit shook his head.

"I... I really don't know what that was. I just knew I had the chance to save one more person, so I did. I wouldn't be surprised if that fucking Eye did something just to try to get under my skin! Good thing I'm tougher than that," Fit said with a smile. For the first time since the boat, that strange feeling prickled along his back.

Bagi frowned, while Pac looked at his whole being with his observant eyes, and Tubbo tilted his head.

"I would have loved to see you with wings... How cool you would look!" Pac breathed. Fit chuckled at that, but couldn't find the words to quite reply.

"What if you did have wings before?" Tubbo said, "Like how Phil had his healed back there?"

"I already talked to him about it. I've never had wings in my whole life. Or if I did, I lost them before I ended up in 2b2t, but that was when I was still a kid. If I ever came from anywhere before 2b anyway."

"They weren't really like Philza's either, when I saw them. They seemed- magical? They weren't really- I don't know the word- they weren't really real. They were all glowy," Bagi added.

Pac hummed thoughtfully. "You sound like a guardian angel that only got his wings in a time of need..."

That struck a chord with Fit. The feeling in him settled pleasantly, like he'd gotten an answer he didn't know the question to. "Maybe, maybe. Maybe you're closer than you think, I don't know. guess we'll never really know unless we end up in hell fighting each other again and have to escape another nuke!"

"Do NOT even joke about that!!"

"I don't know, I kind of want to see my guardian angel fly me to safety..." Pac said, a tease in his voice and cheeks flushed pink. Fit, admittedly, balked at this, and couldn't come up with a response. Tubbo, meanwhile, gagged.

The last clue Fit had to the strange event in Purgatory, was when he was stretching in the new yoga room of Fit's Fitness.

He was alone in the calming space, the tinkling of the water feature an easy background noise. He was doing some final stretches after a workout, to relax his muscles before he called it a day. His sweaty shirt was in the corner by the shoe rack- he really needed to change out of his Purgatory clothes, now that the islanders were slowly starting to be able to put that behind him.

In the mirror as he was just doing a shoulder stretch with his mechanical arm, for the first time Fit noticed a pair of scars on his back.

Now, Fit was familiar with his plethora of scars that covered his whole body. He knew the major ones- the ones that were closer calls with permanent death than he'd like to admit. His scar tissue had layers, with the way that explosions left their marks on the same spots over and over again. But despite the size of these scars, Fit couldn't remember where he got them from off the top of his head. Two long slashes- fairly clean. One was partially covered by the metallic plating that was embedded into his shoulder- maybe that was why he'd forgotten about them before?

It was still weird though. Nothing on 2b2t left such clean slashes. Especially not so symmetrical, or in what really was a vital place... strange indeed...

Fit looked back at himself in the mirror, examining the scars with mild curiosity.

For a moment, pale glowing wings were aligned with those slits. Fit blinked, and they were gone. That fuzzy feeling returned, and lingered as Fit's mind raced.

He had a feeling there was something he didn't know about himself.

[factorialsotherfandoms]

(TW: temporary character death, spoilers for Purgatory Day 1)

Philza Minecraft runs and he runs and he runs. The apples are in his pocket and the sword is in his hand and Charlie Slimesicle is at his side. There are people here - green - and he quickly counts three, four, five - Charlie moves to intercept, and Philza swings by the merchant.

He hears the scream and shrieks and bitter words as his friend his killed behind him, but is too busy, too busy, got to trade, got to trade-

He gets the apples in, and he turns, and there is Bagi, right next to him.

It's not a fight worth fighting; he turns and he flees. Out through the doors, over the stones. Bagi is screaming for backup behind him and he does not think as he tries to escape. It's hard, it's so hard to run, without the backpack to help him balance, without a cane to smooth his path, without the crutches he should probably be using but this is a /death game/ and such an obvious weakness will kill not only him.

But he's unbalanced in a fight, too, and five is not a number he can take, so he ducks and he runs and he prays and he prays.

He leans to far forward.

Stumbles.

Twists.

Binds the fall in an attempt to look intentional; it's not that Philza Minecraft tripped, it was a dramatic turn to face his opponent.

He lands a few hits, moving quickly in what looks like fancy footwork but is in truth an elaborate dance of trying to regain his footing in the sand. As he does he spots Etoiles and Fit approaching - a little too early he turns again, and he flees, Bagi just clipping his arm as he does.

Maybe, maybe, he can make it; there's three enemies at his back and a desert before him and his wings flutter in an attempt to stabalise his footing as he runs. It's normal, he reminds himself, for those with wings to be unable to fly. Normal, normal, normal-

He over balances again, throws a few blind swings and wishes a cane were not a liability if he cannot have his backpack back.

Etoiles is close now - he hits him with his blade, a slash across his spine, across his wings. It stings and it hurts and panic builds in his throat. His wings, his wings, already damaged and now a blade at them again sends his mind spirally and spiraling and all Philza can do is run.

He knows Fit is lost to the bloodshed like so often before, so he tries for Etoiles. Turns, looks him in the eye, tries to say something but he can't catch his breath and has to just keep on keep on rjnnjng. The panic builds and builds in his throat as Etoiles either does not notice or does not care about the look that he sends.

He's going to die. He's going to die, out here in the desert, by a hand he trusted - one who promised to come if he was in danger, to have his back in any fight, just hours ago - and he's going to do it alone. Charlie is dead, his team are so far, and they might respawn but Philza knows that death is death is death is death is-

Is the end.

So he's running again, using cobble to try delay, making mistake after mistake after mistake but all he can think of is the cold embrace of the void and of leaving Chayanne and Missa and Tallulah without him and of the agony it will bring and he /has to run/.

He sprints and he flees and he is hunted across the sand, too panicked to find his footing, too desperate to slow down. Arrows whizz past and he cannot take Etoiles alone in an even fight what is this with the three against one! He thought they were friends, he thought they were friends, he thought they would at least let him escape now he's fled so far across the sand.

He stumbles

His ankle twists

A sword cuts through his back and he crumples to the sand. Desperately desperately he continues to try and scramble up, away, or even to fight back.

Again the blade comes and he drops his sword to shield his face as he feels himself start to fade.

"Gg," he hears from Etoiles, just like this was a stick fight, just like Philza - if he could have could his breath - would not have been screaming or begging for his life.

For the life he has no more.

Void takes him, and Philza remembers not even how to scream.

---

The void is gracious, the void is sweet, the void is agony but where the void and his beloved meet. She kisses his forehead and takes his hand, but rest is denied as he returns him to the fight.

---

Philza respawns screaming, sobbing in fear. Wild eyed he twists, arms raised to defend himself and there -

There is Cellbit, arms raised and expression confused.

"How," Philza's breath is heavy. "How long?"

"Seconds," Cellbit replies.

His back still smarting, Philza nods, and leans back. There's no injury there, but he can feel the blade on his back, between his wings - slashing and scarring and fucking them up even more. His wings, his wings, already fragile and hurt and broken and now he feels the knife cut in them.

He grabs one, pulls it around himself.

Nearby, he can hear the sound of Charlie typing something. Philza ignores Cellbit's concerned looks, breathing heavily and taking out his communicator.

An argument brews in general - he sends a reply before he can even think.

He doesn't want to think, he can't think, he has to - he has to -

Get the team back together, find potatoes, get the quests, save the children, save the eggs and save his teammates.

One breath, two breaths, he can feel the blood already dried streaming down his back.

Three breaths, four breaths, remember this world has respawns, dumbass, you were always going to be fine - one death isn't the end here.

Five breaths.

Straighten up, crack your spine, raise yourself back to height.

"Okay," he swallows back his panic, leaves it in uneven breaths and sparking eyes. "Okay. Got it in at least; I'll go looking for ships."

"Alright," Cellbit replies. "Stay safe?"

"Always do. Keep an eye for me here?"

He turns, he does not listen for a reply, and he keeps. On. Running.

[kassandras-one-braincell]

Kassandra blowing a kiss at a saloon girl as she makes off with a sack of money. The burlap bag jingling strapped to her saddle as she kicks her horse into a dead sprint

Eivor’s biceps flexing with each bang of her hammer to fire-red metal, sparks flying. She wipes sweat off her forehead with the back of her wrist and smears it with soot

Soma trying to get in the zone and focus up, getting in position for her jousting match, but then she catches sight of your token again and a little smile curves her lips

I…. I just can’t write now, I really can’t

Bandit!Kass... She makes a stop by your seedy town a few times a month. The lawmakers are sleazes under the cracked guise of honour and justice - she can bribe them out of any trouble, and steal it back the moment they're pissed-up and passed out. A nasty little place, but the perfect cover after a risky heist.

The saloon, well, that's the easiest place to throw the sheriff's lot off her tail. She just has to stroll up to the counter and sweet-talk the barmaid into a generous overpour for the good men who keep this town oh so safe. How can you say no to that smile? Or those sugar-sweet words in the rich accent you can't quite place? A handsome tip seals the deal.

Your conversations end with you in dire need of cool air, and with her telling you which room in the inn she's staying in for the night. You'll sprint home after your shift to freshen up with a dab of fragrance behind your ears and on your ankles. But the night always ends the same way: a hoard of serious officers striding into the town, your dear bandit speeding away on horseback into the arid void, and her kiss meant for your lips pressed into the desert air.

[writingpencil]

The Drop Outs

The original concept was that a boarding school was kidnapping selectively bred kids with powers, train them into being super soldiers, and abuse them into an unstoppable army

But many of the kids escape one night and learn to live together on an island

Bang! Bang! Bang! 

“Vade! Vade!”

The guns fired off into the inky dark night, bullets ricocheting against the trees. Others sunk deep into the bloody flesh of humans, who fell to the ground all void of hope of ever escaping. Duck, they said, for the guards aim for the head. Dodge, they said, the thick forest is your friend. Dive, they said, play dead and you may just live. The younger children listened as best they could: ducking, and dodging, and diving, so that they may survive the night.

“Vade! Vade!” A blonde girl, just reaching seventeen, was shrieking as loud as she could. She sprinted, bare-foot, through the forest as her wild curls flew behind her. The guards gladly chased her, shooting but finding that the blonde was faster. Every part of the forest looked familiar, adrenaline was her only guide. She continued to scream - Vade! Vade! - and everyone’s blood went cold when her screaming was cut off.

Several of the mice managed to find a large pond, seeming to surround the thick forest. A few of the older children started swimming with the younger ones on their backs. The youngers who could swim were afraid to do so, unsure if stepping into the abyss of the pond would be safer then simply hiding. There was no time to argue. A redhead teenager sent the others off, taking the terrified children away. The redhead found a small part of the forest that was overhanging the pond. He went down first, finding the section not too deep for most of the children, there were even large stones above the water. All the more cautious, the redhead held the two kids whose heads were over the water, covering the mouth of the one who cried.

The redhead near gripped the child’s mouth, firmly keeping them quiet as a gun went off above them. The small group jumped, latching onto each other, when the body of a little boy plunged into the water. The redhead bit his lip, praying to every merciful star in the sky to not be found. 

“Aye, boss, do we grab the body?” 

A familiar voice responded, one deep and sadistic: “What is a corpse going to do? Any power that kid might’ve had is gone now. Let’s leave the other bodies for the vultures. That’s the only good any of those kids bring is feeding the damn animals.”

“Say, boss, do you think Dr. Boham is going to be upset-” Voices began getting distant, much to the relief of the redhead. However, he refused to leave the overhedge. The redhead set the two children he held on some of the rocks. The crying little girl only sniffled now, a few bruises forming on her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry,” The redhead whispered, sitting down among the children. “Shh… shh… it’s okay… they’ll heal up, promise…” 

The little girl clung to the redhead, crying into his shirt. He comforted her as best as he could, but it was in vain - the girl cried herself to sleep. The redhead looked among the other children, seeing the adrenaline fade from their eyes in exchange for exhaustion. Sleep, he told them, tomorrow is another day.

~

Blood was still soaking into the ground, crimson feeding the earth. The gentle dawn was met with bodies, haphazardly killed in no particular pattern. None were moved, yet all were cold. Down in the little overhedge, the redhead, still awake, stared out at the light blue water and fog. He was exhausted, but the idea that the children could fall in the water kept him up. So, he merely waited. 

The redhead slowly blinked, the feeling of being detached from himself loomed. He was so close to graduating, and no part of him felt completely whole. He could barely grasp anything. The redhead glanced around all the children, never moving from his spot. His mossy green eyes looked down at the child he still held. Her bruises had darkened, becoming black and blue. Guilt swelled in him. It was the right thing to do, he knew that, they all would’ve been killed if he hadn’t - the redhead knew this. Yet that overwhelming feeling of guilt still presented itself. Was it truly the situation that made the girl cry? Or was it him?

[papermatisse]

Beckoning || H.JS

† genre: horror

† word count: 1.6k

† warnings: scary cave, scary ocean, scary Joshua, scary death, scary scary

† synopsis: what a lovely song emanating from this dark and foreboding cave.

† (a/n): okay so I'm scared of the ocean, but I am absolutely MORTIFIED by caves. I hate caves, caves are the scariest thing, they're the worst. so why not combine both of those fears into one :))!!!

† taglist: @scuzmunkie @hipsdofangirl @hydroyaksha

anthology | masterlist

It was a tranquil day at the beach. The sun shone overhead, basking the group below in its sweltering heat, yet the vast ocean beyond greeted them with cool breezes of salty air. It was a perfect balance of hot and cold, excitement and relaxation, fun in the sun and breaks under umbrellas. The perfect dynamics for a perfect beach day.

(y/n) had been none the wiser when she chose to separate from the group, wandering off onto the opposing side of the beach for some exploring. She didn't know for how long she walked, but by the time her mind seemed to come back to reality, the throngs of people that had once populated the beach had faded away, their chatter still a distant echo somewhere behind her. The tides licked at her ankles as the sands shifted with her every footstep to accommodate the newfound pressure upon the grains.

Yet beyond the sound of the crashing waves, there was an indistinct tone. A melody that accompanied the ocean's song. Soft and alluring, yet so far away.

(y/n) paused in her ventures, closing her eyes to scrutinize where the sound derived from, earnestly listening beyond the people and the ocean, seeking that song that called to her soul.

Her feet took off further down the beach before she could even ascertain that it came from that direction. Yet when the sound seemed to grow the faintest bit stronger, she fully propelled into the motion, dashing through the sandy shore to where the source seemed to drive from.

(y/n) didn't know what came over her. She couldn't discern for even a moment why she felt so viscerally compelled to seek out whatever this noise was. It felt beyond mere curiosity. Though she hadn't the mental capacity to even begin dissecting whatever seemed to be transpiring within her. It was like the morbid fascination of this anomaly seemed to completely and utterly occupy every single crevice of her brain until it was the only thing she could seem to think of. And it felt like she wouldn't be sated until she found the root of this newfound obsession of hers.

By the time she stopped running, her body felt devastatingly sore. Her legs ached from the sprint she just finished, feet raw from the course sand that beat against her every step. And instead of taking advantage of this momentary lapse in her consciousness to take a breather and maybe relax for just a moment, she found her focus instead gravitating to where she had run to.

Before her lay the gaping maw of a cavern, towering over all with its imposing dark stature. Peering into its mouth was as intimidating as ever, as it not only seemed to be swallowing the ocean as it streamed in, but also any and all light that dared to wander into its gorge.

At this point, the sound had ceased, and she stood there mildly disoriented from the lack of stimulant with only the sloshing of the ocean to keep her afloat. She stood upon the rocks leading into the cave, staring ahead blankly into the ominously dark void set before her. Ambivalently, she peered into the cavern, squinting as if that would somehow enhance her vision to take a gander into what lay before her. Though unsurprisingly, her efforts were fruitless.

Her hands patted along the pockets of her shorts, and to her astonishment, (y/n) unveiled her phone. It was a near miracle it hadn't fallen out in her haste to run here. Ignoring whatever notifications seemed to flood her phone, she switched on the torch and turned her phone into the cave.

A harsh gasp was ripped from her throat as the beam of light immediately landed upon the figure of a man only a mere few meters into the cave. Far enough to have been completely shrouded by the guise of darkness, yet still close enough to have her heart plummet with shock at his proximity. Close enough to have been watching her this entire time.

Before she could make note of his presence, to call out and question him about the noise, he suddenly turned away, treading deeper into the cave. As quickly as she had seen him, staring at her blankly with eyes reflecting the light of her phone, he had all but disappeared.

A moment later, the sound had returned. This time, it was much clearer than it had been previously. Clear enough for her to discern that what she had been hearing was singing. A melodic and smooth tone. A harmony interwoven with yearning and heartache, compelling enough to have even tugged upon her own heartstrings. Each note seemed to echo endlessly in the stone tunnels it emanated from, and (y/n) felt ever so drawn by the allure of the haunting chorus.

She could somewhat recall her initial goal being to simply identify what the source must have been. Theoretically, she had her answer. Yet for some reason, her mind felt utterly muddled. Thoughts were hazy and reason seemed distant. Her one clear conviction, however, that overrode the dull and bleary state of her head, was instead to find the singer of this song. Find him at all costs.

And so (y/n) stepped precariously into the cavern, narrowly stepping onto the stone walkways, evading the menacing depths of ocean beneath her, and navigating through the chasm of obscurity she had soon become entrenched within.

Her journey was harrowing, the structure of the cave winding into various tunnels that seemed to sink deeper and deeper into the earth. Water surrounded (y/n), its sloshing and trickling serving as accompaniment to the tune that continued to lure her deeper into the labyrinth.

Her mind swirled with images of the man as his bewitching voice reverberated all around her. The sight of his jet-black hair pushed back with the moisture of the ocean rooted into his rich locks. His lips which had formed a stern scowl at first meeting, yet now she could only envision them smiling her way, taking her breath away with his enchanting aura. The thoughts of this handsome man, enticing her in every way possible, seemed to serve as motivation to only venture further and further, disregarding the state of her body growing more and more sore by the second, as well as the state of her phone.

It was around the time she had gone down yet another steep rocky slope, the trickling water making her descent as precarious as possible. Though like the other obstacles of her journey, she managed to make it through, getting even the slightest bit closer to the man who serenaded her with his endless song. (y/n) found herself in a small crevice of the cave, with the only two ways being forward into the unknown once more or back up the slippery slope. Beneath her lay another stream of water, a liquid mirror of inky blackness reflecting back to her. Carefully, she shimmied across the rocky ledge, not knowing how deep this water reached, and not wanting to find out any time soon.

Before she could make it very far, a vibration on her phone jolted (y/n) where she stood, and not even a second later, she was plunged in complete and utter darkness. She pressed the power button on and off, but to no avail. The device had finally given up on her. Dead.

As soon as the light had gone out, so had the singing, and she was left completely alone. She stood there in this unimaginable darkness. Within a ceaseless void that consumed all light only for it to never be seen again. Her thoughts soon spiraled after, presuming her fate to be much the same. In a darkness where her senses seemed to slowly betray her. Shadows blacker than the abyss she resided in swirled about her, dancing along the edges of her vision, taunting her as she slowly sunk into paranoia. Everything felt foreign to her, alien in a way she never could have reckoned. The trickling water began to grate upon her ears, practically booming in her head until she silently pleaded for a reprieve. The air had grown heavy with the palpable weight of fear now radiating from her body, and the realization of how truly stuck she was began to settle into her mind.

Though just as she was about to spiral into a paranoid frenzy of madness, something suddenly shot forth from the water, breaking the surface with a deafening splash. Before she could react, it latched onto her ankle. Wet and slimy fingers gripped her leg with an unforeseen force that could have potentially shattered her bone immediately had it grabbed her any harder. With a harsh and violent yank, she was suddenly dragged into the waters. Her back and her head collided with the rock just before she was fully submerged, searing pain splintering through her sore and exhausted body. The fingers that had grabbed her now traveled further up, grasping at whatever part of her body it could, pulling her closer to it. It was so dark. Her body had become paralyzed through the sheer shock of it all. Her mind screamed for action, begged for her to thrash about and resurface, though she couldn't do anything.

Not when that enchanting, irresistible voice seemed to be lulling her to sleep, returning to her like a sweet, sweet dream. Finally, she had found her songbird. His song surrounded her every which way, penetrating her thoughts and infusing itself deep into her soul. As the air in her lungs dissipated, a tranquility seemed to settle over her. At some point, it had become difficult to keep her eyes open, lids feeling as heavy as lead, though it made no difference in the end. Not when all that seemed to matter was the song, slowly reaching its end in a soft and gentle decrescendo as her world faded alongside with it.

† (a/n): reflective eyes, or tapetum lucidum, is not seen in humans :)

[donutsupremacy]

Faceless

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Summary:

"Finding yourself back in your hometown, you not only find out that everyone had disappeared without a trace, but another surprise as you stared up at the Anemo Archon's statue."

Warning

Angst to fluff

Yes there's comfort.

Horribly written description of a jumpscare

Nightmares

Stalking? Kinda? With eyes only I think?

Established relationship

Reader is not traveller

Reader does not have a vision

GN!Reader

Reader is a shrine maiden but thas not important lol

A/N: I can't think of anymore warnings— Faceless Ayato still haunts me. Don't randomly download Genshin off random websites kids. Lord knows what happens when you see faceless Timmie. Also this is a bit shorter than usual.

(Somewhat of a spoiler section here)

For a bit of context, idk the whole thing but from what I read; It's a creepy pasta (It's still real I think, ah but it's a download something glitchy from a website thing y'know) where a player downloaded Genshin from a random website because they couldn't download it on their device properly. While playing with Diona, the player noticed someone standing on Venti's statue. It was Ayato, but his entire face was black, void, empty but his eyes. Hence, faceless Ayato. Addition; Faceless Ayato killing Diona in the end— Genshin you now have creepypastas, congrats.

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Your terror begins here

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"...Mondstat?..."

It has been a while since you last remembered being in the city of freedom. Nostalgia took over your senses, barely anything changed after you moved to Inazuma. You were sure everything looked the same, even the air reeks of the old days.

It was the place you were born and raised in before moving to the land of eternity, where you became the very first shrine maiden from Mondstat and formed a special relationship that would never sever.

However, something felt off.

Usually, the city had citizens roaming around, idle chatter and joyous laughter hanging in the air while the bells from the church ringing all across the city. It's the city of freedom, a homey and lively region that easily helps anyone get settled in comfortably.

This isn't Mondstat.

This is a complete ghost town.

You glanced everywhere as you walked around, too afraid to call out for any of your familiar's names. Not a single living being in sight, save for yourself. While you haven't returned to Mondstat for a very long time, you occasionally got some news about any events happening there, in a form of a letter written to you from your friends and family.

Did something disastrous happen? Or was it coincidentally the day where everyone has clocked in for the day? No, that wouldn't make any sense... there would always be a few guards patrolling at night, bless those tired souls.

Even the cold breeze brushing against your exposed delicate skin made you anxious, it felt as if someone was watching your every move.

You walked around, wondering where everyone was. Actually, you don't even remember how you got here? Was this a dream? Actually, no, being in Mondstat with no people wouldn't be a dream.

Despite the place being deserted, you could feel eyes staring at you from afar. Yet, no matter where you looked, you were the only one in the area. Was it paranoia stemming from the lack of people? Possibly.

Fear began bubbling in your chest, the air in your lungs slowly depleting when you slowly picked up your pace. You wanted to run, run away from wherever you are. This isn't the Mondstat you knew and grew up in. Where in the world were you?

That's when you felt something cold brush against the skin of your neck.

Biting your tongue to prevent yourself from screaming, you began running. Your mind was as hazy as your sight, sprinting away in your shoes to who knows where. You weren't sure where you are, you don't remember Mondstat being a full-on maze of houses. Where was Good Hunter? Or Angel Shares? You don't even see Katheryne's Adventurers Guild stand anywhere.

But all you could think of was running. Run. Keep running until you find a way out of this place. The houses pass by you like a blur, no one seemed to be inside any of them, confirming your thoughts that the city was completely deserted. Your legs were starting to burn, your heart pounding against your chest, begging you to stop and take a rest.

You kept on running regardless, gut instinct or not, you knew you were in danger. You didn't even know where you wanted to go, just running away from whatever was following you. No matter how many times you checked behind you, there was no one there.

Still, that lingering stare remained on the back of your head.

Were you going in a loop? It feels like you've seen the same building over and over again, or were you going insane? Perhaps, you were.

Adrenaline coursed through your blood, taking a left turn, then a right, going in random directions in hopes of finding the gate that would lead you out of here. However, instead of finding the large gates, you found yourself running up a flight if stairs.

Those stairs had lead you straight to the plaza by the church, and you were now standing in front of the Anemo Archon's statue. At the very least, you were somewhat free from the maze of houses now.

You glanced around, it was still empty and quiet. You could even hear your heart beating rapidly loud and clear. Out of breath, you had your hands on your knees, panting heavily and drinking in as much oxygen as you could.

"Hah... So... tired..." You whimpered, wiping the sweat off your forehead. You were close to collapsing, you've never ran this fast nor this long in your entire life, you envy those travellers who have high stamina to run for a long period of time.

Your eyes scan the area once more, thinking of entering the church in hopes to end whatever nightmare you're going through. However, as you gazed at the statue that stood tall and proud, your eyes slowly moving upwards. Your heart had dropped as soon as you saw the familiar figure standing on the palm of the statue.

"...Ayato?..."

Frozen in place, you stared at the man whom you had fell in love with on the first day you arrived in Inazuma. Your relationship was like a fairytale, fictional and sweet, yet, it came true in the end. But this was not the same Ayato you knew and love.

He was faceless.

His whole face was black, like a void. Save for the pair of calm purple eyes that were staring right back at you. Those eyes didn't hold any love for you, they seem to have... a malicious glint in them.

Your heart began picking up in speed when you continued to stare at him, your hands trembling while the both of you stared at eachother for who knows how long. Was he the one chasing you before?

You took a step back, blinking while you do so— and he appears right in front of you.

A scream erupted from your throat, stumbling backwards only to realize he was holding your hand with an iron grip. You tried to slip out of his grasp, but your attempts were futile, his arm holding your hand wasn't even budging the slightest when you tried to pull back with all your might.

With every pull, you grow desperate to escape from the imposter. But his grip slowly grew stronger, drawing a pained cry out of you as you could feel your bones start to break underneath his hand. "A-AYATO! PLEASE!"

Your plea fell into deaf ears, glacing up with teary eyes at the faceless man who stared back at you with no emotion. "PLEASE! LET ME GO!" You sobbed, your knees bucking when you could feel his fingernails digging into your skin, dangerously close to grazing your veins.

"P-Please..." Tears formed in your eyes, your vision blurry as you stared at Ayat— no, he wasn't Ayato. He would never hurt you like this. This... faceless 'Ayato' was not planning to let you free anytime soon.

Then, he lunges at you.

"NO!"

You sat up quick as lightning, your heartbeat pounding loudly in your ears as cold sweat formed on your head. Your loud breathing filled the room, before the sound of fabric shuffling could be heard right beside you. "[Name]? Love, what's wrong?" You almost slapped away the hand that gently held onto your shoulder, your wide frantic eyes gazing to the side to see your beloved partner who has now regained his beautiful features.

He was no longer faceless.

"A-Ayato..." You sobbed, your hand reaching out to cup his cheek, his eyes filled with worry and confusion. "Y-You're..." You couldn't finish your sentence, relief washing over you to see that you had escaped your nightmare. Sensing your distress, his slim yet muscular arms held your waist, gently tugging you towards him. His hold on you was careful and gentle, holding you as though he was afraid of breaking you if he had used any strength.

"Shh... You must've had a nightmare. You're safe now, love. I'm here... I won't let anything hurt you." Ayato's calm voice filled your ears, his tender touches aiding you in slowing down your heartbeat.

You melted in his arms, matching your breathing pattern to the sound of his soothing heartbeat. "...I-I'm sorry for waking you up..." You whispered in a hoarse voice, gazing up into his purple eyes that were full of emotion. Guilt repleaced the relieving feeling you felt before, realizing that you might've made some trouble for him by waking him up in the middle of the night.

"Worry not about me, love. Your safety and comfort will always my number one priority." He chuckled, planting a kiss on your forehead after wiping away your tears.

"I'll stay awake with you as long as you'd like."

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A/N: I rushed the ending cause I got scared, cause like I was typing this while entering the room and the lights coincidentally starting flashing for a few seconds ;—;

[staycalmandhugaclone]

ok so i had a thought after seeing this:

so wrecker’s eye was fixed after the explosion that took it, and they’ve never addressed any hearing loss, but what if he had some? i mean, he deals with weapons and explosions all the time, and while a helmet helps with that, you can’t have your helmet on 100% of the time. idk, i was just thinking about doc helping him with that and wanted to put the thought out into the universe. love ya!

Le gasp! An Ask?! Master has given staycalm a distraction!! Staycalm is frrreee!!!!

Oh, I have actually gone extensively into this with literally anyone who’ll listen!! Because-because asdflasdfj!!!! The heights and the talking too loud and the vertigo annnnddddd!!!!

If you're new, this all starts with Touch Starved - Echo! Additional references to Difficulty Breathing and Fever.

Wrecker Special Request

More then Skin Deep – Wrecker - Doc notices something about Wrecker while training and offers her help.

Also: got a new Poll up for your thoughts! Should Doc Have Her Own Blog?

Warnings: Light sexual tension, reference to past injury, disabilities and light prejudice from appearance - It's mostly just some softness fluff.

WC: 2,262

So much had happened since the cave. Between the fallout from my rash discussion with Commander Cody and the nightmare of Tech’s exposure to that wretched fungus, there’d been little time to just breathe. Now, however, we had at least another week of med leave while the still shaken pilot continued regaining his strength, and there was little else to do except think.

Panting, I leaned wearily against the wall, absently watching the others continue their training routines. Hunter was running Tech through hand-to-hand drills, padded gloves darting around the taller man almost too quickly for me to keep up with, but Tech rapidly struck each one in a blinding rhythm as they danced around the sparring ring, training blacks long-since soaked through with sweat. Crosshair and Echo were ‘not’ racing each other as they ran sprints, and Wrecker was just finishing with the free-weights.

Nothing was quite so humbling as being in the same room as five elite commandos while training… nor was there anything quite so distracting. The skintight fabric emphasized each divot between hard-earned muscle now void of even the memory of emaciation. Even Echo was beginning to regain mass in earnest – enough for Hunter to requisition a larger set of armor for him.

I’d finished my intended workout over an hour ago, but the others showed no signs of slowing. Finally yielding beneath even the hope of keeping up with them, I allowed myself a moment to catch my breath, jaw hanging open as my torso rocked beneath the desperate flutter of my diaphragm, trying not to let my eyes wander.

Even from across the room, I caught the quick words of encouragement as Hunter pushed Tech to move faster, strike harder, and I could hear the proud smile in his smoky voice, could see the gleam of pride burning through Tech’s determined glare as the powerful muscles of his lean form rippled throughout the entirety of his body to drive each punch barreling toward his brother, and the way Hunter’s broad shoulders rolled to absorb those punches, the way his abs tensed to steady his balance… Both were a marvel that I had to tear my eyes away from, but the rare grin on Crosshair’s lips, that tiny hint of glee in those sharp eyes as his long strides overtook Echo’s blistering pace was no less mesmerizing.

The fraction of a second those nearly golden eyes flashed to mine, the sudden realization that I’d been staring – that he caught me staring, sent my heart racing anew, cheeks burning beneath a violent rush of heat.

“Done already, Doc?” I turned to find Wrecker treading almost lazily toward me, massive hand dragging a rag over his forehead to mop up the sweat beading atop caramel skin flushed from exertion, and I welcomed the excuse not to see Crosshair’s reaction to my misplaced attention.

“Already?” I scoffed. “I was done ages ago… You guys are making me look bad.” The gentle chuckle that shook through his towering form was the perfect balm for my still racing heart.

“Maybe I could help yuh next time. Havin’ someone with you makes it more fun!” The brilliant grin that pulled at my lips in the wake of his innate joy was so automatic, I barely noticed it anymore.

“Wrecker, if I try to work out with you, you are not allowed to laugh at me.” A brief flash of surprise followed instantly by a burst of excitement bloomed across his face.

“Don’t worry, Doc! I’ll go easy on yuh!” Before I could comment on his ‘going easy’ still being far beyond what I considered naturally possible, something about his stride caught my attention. It was such a little thing – the faintest misstep, shoulder just tilting to the side for barely a moment before correcting himself, but it was a motion I’d been trained for years to notice. He continued on as though nothing had happened, but I couldn’t unsee the subtle falter.

“Tomorrow, we can”

“Wrecker,” I didn’t mean to interrupt him, but my mind was already obsessing over that split second and everything it could mean. He instantly paused, smile falling as he waited tensely for some explanation behind the sudden change in my demeaner, “do you still have problems with your balance?” His eyes widened for just a moment before turning quickly away from mine, the faintest hint of a blush creeping over his cheeks.

“Oh, uh… you saw that, huh?” The embarrassment robbing his voice of that brilliant exuberance broke my heart, and I quickly pushed myself away from the wall to cross the scarce few meters lingering between us. “Don’t happen much, and Tech did some stuff to my helmet so it almost never happens on missions… ‘less we’re, yuh know, somewhere high…” His gaze returned almost hesitantly to me as I approached him, but there was still a whisper of shame in those final words that I vowed to do anything I could to forever rid from him.

“Did that started after,” I motioned toward the pale branches of scar tissue stretching out from his left ear, and his lips bunched slightly as he nodded. “Hmm…” The curious lilt in my hum caught his attention, brow quirking slightly. Mouth pursing into a small grin, I reached my hands out toward him, an eagerness driving my motions that distracted him effortlessly from his embarrassment.

“I want to try something. Would you hold my hands for a minute?”

“Uh… sure.” He mumbled slightly and, despite his confusion, let his fingers slip around mine, almost comical in the dramatic difference in size. Still, my grip tightened as I looked up at him.

“I’d like you to close your eyes, Wrecker,” I instructed, voice muted with a gentle warmth that he followed without hesitation, “Alright, I’m going to count to ten, and I want you to twist your head from right to left as far as you can with each count. Ready?” He started to question me but stopped himself and merely nodded. I didn’t wait, falling into the quick count before he could overthink it. Halfway through, I felt his balance begin tilting to the right, felt his hold automatically tighten around mine, but he was able to finish without stumbling.

“That was perfect.” I praised quietly, which seemed to surprise him even more. “I know the helmet helps when you’re wearing it, but I think I can help a bit with when you’re not wearing it.” The shock that stole over him brought an almost giddy chuckle bubbling up my throat. “You can help me with my strength training, and I help you with your balance… Deal?” A hesitant doubt shown for only a moment in those mismatched eyes before his expression blossomed back into that eager grin that left me beaming.

“You got it, Doc!” My thumbs trailed happily over the broad expanse of his knuckles as he seemed to come back to life before me. “Can we start now? I mean – I know you’re tired an’ all, but”

“Yes, Wrecker.” I chirped between giggles, delighting in his endless boughs of energy. “Come on.” The scarce few minutes it took to lead him through the seated balance retraining exercises left him disappointed only that there wasn’t more to do. We sat atop his bunk, still awaiting the return of the others as I finished recording notes for that first session.

“We’ll see if you still feel that way when I make you do them while walking with your eyes closed.” I teased at the sight of his reluctance to stop, instantly bringing a fresh spark of challenge to those eyes. “Wrecker.” He, at least, granted me a glance of abashed resignation at the quiet threat in my voice, and I couldn’t still the quiet laughter from escaping me.

“Does it still bother you?” I hadn’t expected the softly spoken question to breech the fleeting moment of quiet between us, but I was relieved to find Wrecker seemingly undisturbed from it.

“I mean… not really?” He answered with a small shrug. “Guess I don’t really like how folks look at me sometimes, but I know it makes me look even more scary, so...” In an instant I reached forward, hands gently cupping his jaws, thumbs shifting lightly against his cheeks to shamelessly trail the yawning lines of those scars toward his ear, and he froze beneath my touch.

“I’ve never been afraid of you, Wrecker.” There was no hesitation in my words, no whisper of doubt. “And this,” I added quietly, fingers sweeping up to brush over the deep valleys of taut, pale skin, head shaking slightly with a warm smile, “I always thought it looked pretty cool.” There was a long moment in which he seemed too stunned to react, lips parted in a tiny gasp, his wide eyes locked on mine. With a quiet sigh, I released him as sat back onto my heels.

“That’s not quite what I meant, though.” I explained, smile twisting into a smirk. “Issues with balance and vertigo, we might be able to improve with those exercises, but that was a serious injury. Does it still cause you any other problems?” The faintest blush darkened his cheeks as his gaze briefly dropped to where his hands rested atop his thighs.

“Well, it – not bein’ able to hear out’a that ear can be tricky… so can the eye.” He admitted almost distractedly.

“It’s amazing,” I chuckled slightly, “You know: I constantly forget about that… You just don’t let it slow you down at all.” His shoulders rolled beneath another bashful shrug.

“Happened a while back, so I guess I’ve gotten pretty used to it by now.” He said dismissively, but I could see the pleased smile just playing at the edges of his lips. I thought about the ways such disabilities impacted everyday life – the loss of depth perception and sound localization, the internalized frustration from suddenly becoming ‘clumsy’ and ‘loud’.

“Is there was reason you never got cybernetic replacements?” I shifted to tuck my knees thoughtlessly to my chest, back reclining comfortably against the wall at the foot of his bed.

“Too much nerve damage.” He answered, gaze roaming blindly over the wrinkled blanket bunched up beneath us. “Would’a needed to replace too much for ‘em to approve it.” My jaw ground, brows pulling together in a frown I was pleased he hadn’t seen before managing to school my expression once more. Credits. Of course, it came down to credits. He was barely past cadet training with it happened – unproven and thus undeserving of special treatment…

“Is that something you’d want?” I asked quietly. His eyes rose hesitantly, and I could see how carefully he considered the question.

“I… I dunno.” The whispered reply held none of his usual nonchalance, thinking over each word before giving them voice. “Doin’ it now would mean bein’ out’a commission for a while…” I could see how he recoiled from the mere thought of being unable to be with his brothers, even for the few weeks it would take to recover, being unable to fight beside them – to keep them safe, and I wanted to sob from the way my heart broke for him. “’Sides, like I said – Tech a’ready fixed up my helmet so I barely notice it anymore.” I had to let out a slow, deep breath before trusting myself to speak.

“Well, if you ever change your mind,” I murmured, begging him to hear the love sown into each word, “I’d be more than happy to make it happen.” He was still for a moment as my offer lingered in that breadth of quiet between us. With a near silent chuff of laughter, he nodded, granting me a small, grateful smile.

Returning the gesture, I finally pushed off of his bed and got to my feet, granting myself a leisure stretch before starting toward the temporary cot that I’d long since accepted as my permanent bed.

“Think I’ll sneak off to the showers before dinner.” I said wearily, already rummaging into my footlocker for a clean set of blacks before glancing back at him. “And I want to go through those exercises again with you tonight.” His grin instantly grew with that familiar exuberance I so treasured.

-

I’d long since become accustomed to the occasional second glance from confused regs as I walked the halls of Kamino absent the veil of armor, and tread past clones of varying ages and expressions thoughtlessly en route to the farthest edge of the platform in hopes of some semblance of privacy. As I approached the door, however, it slid open seconds before it should have, and I paused as those sharp eyes met mine. Crosshair went still as well, hand frozen with those long fingers tangled in his short, silver curls.

“Didn’t get your fill in the training room?” He scoffed, lips curling into something between a sneer and a smirk. I let my expression fall pointedly blank, brow just hitching in exasperation.

“What can I say? You have a cute smile, Crosshair.” I dismissed with careful disinterest, shoulders raising in an almost bored shrug as I continued forward, but then felt a smirk of my own touch my lips as I glanced up at him at a very simple realization: he’d been looking at me, too. “What’s your excuse?” His jaw clicked together, but before he could offer a retort, I pushed past him into the refresher, shouldering him unapologetically out of the way, and let out a quiet chuckle after the door closed pointedly behind me.

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I know I owe @snow-dragon-rider a dedicated chapter… but I think I needed this little mini fic. I think I was struggling more than I realized with getting back into writing Doc after doing those other two stand alone fics. I’ve got over 1k words into the next Fever bit, but it has been a challenge. This was just the right little chunk to help brush off the dust, I think, and I’m so thankful to @actuallybarb for suggesting it (sorry it took a bit of a very different turn from your initial ask, lol, but I went down a rabbit hole with long-term TBI and inner ear issues, and this kinda jumped out at me).

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[lamemaster]

Made of Dreams (Gwindor x Gn Reader)

Pairing: Gwindor x Gn Maia Reader

Summary: Gwindor almost wanted to question the foolishness of the gesture as he emptily gazed at his own hand held by an unknown but imposing hand. But he kept quiet, following the command of the voice he did not know.

(AN: I believe Gwindor deserves his healing and all the love. Here is my healing after finals. Hope you like it!)

"Shhh," Gwindor barely resisted the urge to flinch and run away as he felt the warmth of contact behind him. Only the absence of his hroa had prevented him from sprinting to the other end of the room.

A lithe hand with slender fingers held Gwindor's hand, or whatever semblance of a hand his fea had managed to construct. "Relax," a husky voice sounded next to his ear. A voice that rang with the sonority of ancient times. The hand that dwarfed his own guided his hand up to face him. Gwindor's world narrowed to the warmth of touch he felt after ages. It burned greater than any fire yet soothed better than any salve.

Gwindor almost wanted to question the foolishness of the gesture as he emptily gazed at his own hand held by an unknown but imposing hand. But he kept quiet, following the command of the voice he did not know.

He had not expected to encounter anyone in the unfrequented path he had found in the gardens of the halls of Mandos. It was not the most spectacular existence in the halls. It did not hold soothing fountains or graceful willows that swept in a mellow breeze, but it was a path that Gwindor kept to himself.

He felt the warmth of a steady breath next to the column of his neck. So alarmingly close. But the existence next to him did not alarm him like most had for the longest time after his death. No... this person held the stillness of mountains and the depth of oceans.

"Look," Gwindor snapped out of his stupor as the voice whispered so gently that for a moment Gwindor doubted if it was ever said out loud. A flutter tickled his hand.

Gwindor found a glowing butterfly perched on his hand. The undaunted creature on his hand fluttered, and its luminous silver wings kissed Gwindor's hands.

For a moment, Gwindor felt grateful for the hand that supported his hand. He was thankful for the hand that held his trembling one as the most delicate of creatures rested in his palm.

Gwindor sucked in a sharp breath as another butterfly landed on his hand. "They traveled a long way from Lorien to get here," the quiet voice added, and Gwindor remained still, afraid of scaring the butterflies that lingered on his hand.

He wanted to turn around and take a look at the owner of the hand under his own hand. He dared not speak anything as he observed the papery wings and intricate pattern of veins that lay between them.

In those moments of his transfixion, Gwindor did not fret about the scars that lined his features or the stretch marks spread across his arms and neck.

With all his courage gathered, Gwindor turned to look back at the hand still holding his. His eyes found yours. Deep voids of black stared back at him. You did not move away from him.

Not even the marks left behind by Morgoth scared you. Not many had the courage to look at the face that the fallen Vala had taken his time to twist into one of his cruelties. A marred Quendi who went against everything that the firstborn were. Maybe if Morgoth had broken his mind and made him into a complete creature of darkness. Perhaps if he died an orc rather than a detested and scorned elf. It could have been better.

Gwindor did not protest when you freed your hand from his. Surprisingly, the butterflies still stayed huddled on his palm. "They truly wanted to be seen. It was getting really noisy with all of them whining about it in my ears," another butterfly flies in and settles on top of your head. Gwindor continues to watch as another decides to rest on the bridge of your nose.

"Forgive me for scaring you," you bow, and by some miracle, the butterflies on top of you remain seated in their position. "I am Y/N, a Maiar of Irmo. I am not familiar with the rules of Mandos' halls." You speak without an inkling of doubt.

The more Gwindor looks at you, the more he finds himself entrapped by your looks. The Maiar of the deepest of sleep, sleep that heals the mind and body.

Gwindor wonders if the usually solemn path he frequents glimmers so much with the twinkling butterflies or the light that seems to originate from your every pore. With every passing second, more and more butterflies gather around.

"What are these?" Gwindor asks, intrigued by the fluttering creatures surrounding him. "These are charms made by the Maiar of my Vala Irmo," you reply and watch as Gwindor plucks one from your hand and places it in his hands. "They help ward off stray nightmares or traumatizing memories. My Vala wanted it delivered in the halls of Mandos." You add, and Gwindor feels acutely aware of the butterfly that rests in his hands.

It is only fair to let it go, he reasons with himself. It belongs to another aggrieved soul, he thinks, but the butterfly in his hand feels like his companion after so long. A companion who would not mind his scarred face.

"It really likes you. You should keep it around," you speak as if you hadn't just heard his internal dilemma.

"Do you understand it?" Gwindor asks, and you smile, a subtle yet mesmerizing smile, free of any blemish or marring, so different from his own horrid face.

"I do understand them. I have looked after them since their birth, so their words come easily to me. Would you like to learn it as well?" You offer with ease, someone unbothered by the world. You do not detest Gwindor like most do. You don't seem bothered by the mockery of Morgoth that his face is.

That day Gwindor finds not one but two companions. Maybe this was his path to healing.

That is how you first meet Gwindor, the ellon who loves selflessly, the one who has been denied his right to heal due to the scorn of the society that breeds vanity.

You meet him and find yourself frequenting the halls you seldom visited in the past, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Quendi who walks on unfrequented paths and carries with him a silver butterfly.

Maybe someday, you will be allowed to love him under the Sun and the Moon, but until then, you visit the hall of Mandos, hoping to talk to him.

You find yourself talking to him for hours on end. You talk more than you ever have, more than you talked in your Vala's halls. You fill the silent garden of Mandos with your words. And as the days pass, you listen to Gwindor.

He speaks of Middle Earth, of his brother, of Turin, and his curse. On some days, he speaks of Morgoth, and on those days, you end up staying back to guard against the nightmares that plague him.

As days turn into chilly nights, you sometimes catch his gaze lingering on you. There are days when your hand finds his, and you find it hard to let go. There are also days when your elf refuses to see you or look in your eyes. Those are days when his hair remains let down, covering most of his face. When that happens, you find your thumb rubbing patterns in the center of his palm as silence fills the air

So, you sit there and wait. 

One day you would teach him to love selfishly.