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alluringjae · 3 years

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until dawn - ljn

part I | part II

⤑ summary: basic number one rule of the museum is not to touch the art. but no one told jeno that falling for one of them isn’t allowed either.

⤑ pairing: jeno x female reader

⤑ word count: 14k

⤑ genre: fluff, humor, angst | broke architecture major!jeno, historical figure!reader, college!au

⤑ warnings: jaemin mentions onlyfans as a joke, references to actual historical figures (some try to flirt with jeno lol) and literature, explicit language

⤑ author’s note: wow, i’ve had this idea for almost two years! this one was inspired by one of my favorite childhood movies, night at the museum. it definitely required a lot of research and brainstorming, and finally i brought it to life! it was so fun to play around with the characters, and even if majority of them are real people, this is all still fiction.

i also wanna mention one of my moots, marge for enlightening me about her life as an architecture major.

⤑ taglist: @renjunniehome (dm me if you want to be added)

⤑ leave me some feedback, constructive criticism or hellos!

Dormitory rent was another thing to worry about aside from the inflated university tuition per semester. Although he’s lucky to have his parents backing him up already on it, paying the monthly rent for his dorm was the remaining objective on Jeno’s list.

Plus, money for food. The man was a heavy eater, following the whole “gym is life” mantra.

Splitting it already with two of his dorm mates turned best friends, Renjun and Jaemin, his plate felt lighter. But the question still lies: where on earth was he going to get the money?

He’s practically checked out every available part-timing job in university and anywhere near campus. Barista at the same café Jaemin works at, teaching assistant for an art school for kids, convenience store cashier, library assistant, all taken in a heartbeat. The burden of his friends paying his debt these past months took a toll on him, almost to the point he almost considered making an Onlyfans.

“Yah, just find something else! Part-timers are in demand right now!” Renjun intensely closed his laptop before his older friend gets any suggestive thoughts.

“I mean, you didn’t work out your body to look the way it is for nothing.” Jaemin pitched otherwise, lifting the front back up. “When do you want to start filming? Loads of chicks would dig a piece of you!”

The contradicting opinions of his friends were like the devil and angel debating on his shoulders. Useless, he gave this worry a rest and returned to drawing new plates. A common thing when you’re an architecture major. Those deadlines were nearing. Looks like he’ll pull another all-nighter again.

Good thing most of his classes were late in the morning until 6 pm.

As if someone from above heard his petition, Jeno saw a help wanted sign posted on the bulletin board outside of the university museum. He initially went there to document some artwork and architecture models from Greek and Roman times, further analyzing how they’re still apparent in modern buildings.

The sign explained the need for one part-timer from any college to cover the night shift of the museum due to the current night guard’s full semester absence. He only had to come in 3x a week, choosing his days since he was still a student. Even the pay was above average, considering that most part-timers never go beyond midnight. Jeno would, on the other hand, always staying for his projects or gaming with the boys. Drinking sometimes during late-night Fridays with his entire college crew.

The pay would leave him a load of extra cash for himself, thus he sent an application to the museum office right before he left. A week later, while he was out with the boys, he got a text from the office that they wanted to meet him again for a final interview first thing on Monday.

Perhaps it was having architecture as his course and a healthy physique that landed him the part-timer position. Mainly, the latter because guards required strong endurance and fighting skills when worse comes to worst. It would start at 9 pm until 6 am the following day, and there was a designated uniform of it too. Blue blazer with matching trousers, white dress top, and loafers.

Aside from the typical museum etiquette the head director instructed him about, there was an unofficial list of tips written on paper given from the night guard on leave when the director handed you over his box of office-related things.

Only read at the night guard office once you’re the remaining staff left.

He did as he was told like an obedient son, flipping the succeeding page.

To my temporary replacement,

This part-timing job is nothing regular than the other jobs. You’ll witness things as you’ve never imagined them to be, almost like witchcraft. You’ll be lost and maybe frightened, or that’s how I felt the first time because no one led me through it all those years ago. Lucky for you, I made this small guide on how to properly take care of the place that the other staff doesn’t know about.

Before you proceed, I request you take a 5-minute stroll around the lobby first to understand what I’m talking about. After such, go back to the office or somewhere quiet then browse through the guide as quickly as you could.

Art is timeless here, so they need to be taken care of.

Good luck!

Park Sanghoon

Night Guard on Leave

Nothing could’ve prepared Jeno for what’s to come once he unlocked the office door. They say that art brings so much color to our life, allowing us to feel all sorts of emotions in a glimpse. But no one ever interpreted art to be literally alive and walking in the halls.

Behold, random wax figures and marble sculptures that he’s seen in the past roamed the hallways, as well as the paintings were interacting with each other side by side. Even the standee of a puppy from the entrance played fetch with one of those sculptures. He swore he looked like Hermes the messenger god from his arrow headpiece and sandals.

It made more sense why the guard on leave explained his feelings during the first day because it resembled Jeno’s. But unlike that guard, Jeno sucked it up. No one ever does well on the first day, even if others say otherwise. The first day was a learning experience, so he collected his thoughts even though the goosebumps triggered his body during that one rotation.

There was an indoor garden, already locked by the day guard earlier. The only room without any art piece, where students lounge to study the plants or relax in nature.

The sculptures section ahead, showcasing various fictional figures specifically from Greek mythology, chattered away about family drama and beliefs. The sculptures of Hades and Zeus, according to their title plate, argued relentlessly about power while Athena always intervened by shouting or even throwing arrows or daggers to any of the lightbulbs there.

That was one rule in the guide, but Jeno didn’t know yet until he came inside the room and swerved the attention of the arguing duo.

“Well, what do we have here?” Zeus, in the center, straightened his posture on his throne to present himself in a more regal way. “Are you perhaps the temporary replacement of Sir Sanghoon?”

“Sir Sanghoon’s stand-in is rather good looking, don’t you think?” Hera mused, stepping down from her throne beside Zeus to take a closer look at the taller male. Her cold fingers trailed his jaw until his chest, where his heart was beating intensely. She even pinched his toned bicep, mouthing wow.

“Truly handsome you are, my dear. So full of life, please introduce yourself to us.”

While Jeno introduced himself to everyone in that room, he answered any sorts of questions they had for him too. From his age, educational background, hobbies, Aphrodite just had to ask him if he had a girlfriend because he was that handsome.

“Nope, I’m single. With my degree in architecture, the requirements are so heavy I can’t even try dating.”

Mentioning his degree excited the gods, telling him how their people created and designed all these temples to house them and perform rituals. They loved it so much. This was a copy-paste of what Jeno learned from his history classes, and for a first, he’s hearing the perspective of the Greek gods.

Mind-boggling that he hasn’t fully freaked out yet. That’s what Athena anticipated when Sanghoon told her about his short leave, putting her in charge of everyone for the meantime while the replacement settled down.

The college museum was built during the late 70s as a gift from one of the alumni. It was for the purpose to preserve history and educate college students outside the classroom. The Greek mythology exhibit was the oldest one, making Athena have more seniority. Over her stay, she’s seen every new guard lose their senses during the first night. Some not even returning for a second night. She got used to every outcome, and so far, only 8 people lasted after the first night. A couple of students in the 70s and 80s, Sanghoon in the 90s, and now Jeno was one of them.

“Jeno, aren’t you terrified by us? You just got a job in a museum that comes to life every night, and it’s not a normal thing.”

“Well, I’m still shaken up about it. But it’s my first night, and it’s when I learn everything about the place from head to toe. Plus, I really need the money.”

“Money for what? But you’re young, a student even!”

“Yes, I am. However, I do pay for the rent in my dorm. So, this job is like my first big responsibility, and I want to perform well.”

Athena commended his sense of authority, capable of leading himself. She noticed how well-spoken and poised he is, respecting and listening to everything the gods and goddesses said even if they were nonsense. She never liked to compromise with her power, taking a while to like Sanghoon back in the day. Though Jeno looked like a natural leader on his first night. If he could take care of himself well, he’s skilled to take care of the rest in the museum as well.

Plus she had full control on the nights he won’t be there, especially the weekend.

With his potential, Athena mentored him the entire night about the gist of the entire museum. Every upcoming leader needs an intelligent mentor, right? She was naturally gifted with worthy leadership skills, managing Jeno like her own child.

Athena explained how the museum came to life, which was through a royal golden plate from the Oriental room. It was a gift from a popular sorceress in China to an affluent family from the Han dynasty, who wished them a long life after she was saved from invaders due to them. The plate preserved over time, becoming an artifact. Its power remained immortal, mutating to bring life wherever it goes. In this case, the museum since its arrival in the late 70s as well.

“That’s why the Oriental room must be locked always so no one could touch or break the plate.”

After she ordered Jeno to lock the mentioned room, alongside the Foreign Art Exhibit Room which he checked out for his class, she led him to the best view of the entire museum. Center of the second floor, where stairs were on both sides. Jeno marveled at the vivacious atmosphere, witnessing actual art living, breathing, and enjoying themselves.

“Unreal, right?” She leaned in the railing, scanning through the chatty paintings.

Jeno also leaned down, deep in thought and wonder. “Absolutely, Athena. How come no one knows about this? Art coming to life? It’ll invite more students to the museum.”

“That goes against a golden rule as a night guard in this museum.” She replied bluntly. “The life that goes on inside this museum at night must remain a secret to the public.”

Jeno predicted this kind of response, having watched too many films where anything supernatural mustn’t be revealed. Although he liked the advantage of knowing something this powerful, he’d never abuse it.

Athena’s intellect was beyond the world, seamlessly reading Jeno’s expression and what he was thinking. He had good intentions even if he’s a bit mischievous. She needed to keep a keen eye on him, but for now, he needed to explore on his own.

“Anyways, Sanghoon still left out some other details. So if you have any questions, I’ll be at my exhibit trying to shut my father and my uncle up again.”

“Can you not use any weapons to do so?”

“Can’t make any promises, Jeno.” She slyly cracked her knuckles and neck as if she was fighting another battle.

Jeno was silently left with himself, finally browsing through Sanghoon’s guide while seated in one of the museum benches.

It consisted of 25 rules, wherein the first two rules consisted of locking up. One, for the doors and gates of the museum, so no art piece could escape. If they do, they will turn into dust when the sun is out according to Athena. Two, locking the Oriental and Foreign Art Rooms, which was already done.

Rule #5: Let Mochi the puppy from the lobby tag along with you; feed him treats if you have any.

On cue, the little guy barked from the corridor and raced to his side. Jeno carried him, babying him for a little and letting him lick his face a few times before putting him back down. He’s surely going to the pet store first thing in the morning with the museum allowance the director gave him.

Since he was on the second floor, he read and followed the rules that fit in before returning downstairs. On the other side of the floor were the wax figures exhibitions: one for prominent men in history while the other for prominent women. Well, more people to get acquainted with.

It’s the exchange of gasps and profanities he received when he chose the latter room. Seeing their faces, these were women he’s learned in school and online. Now in the (fake) flesh. Except for one girl he’s never heard of, unbothered in her corner sketching her life away in a sketchpad. But before he could check who she was, a suggestive touch on his arm distracted him.

“My, oh my, Hera wasn’t lying when she said that the new night guard was a fine specimen.” By her dark blue eyeshadow and eyeliner with the snake-like crown, Cleopatra studied him like he was one of the most renowned art pieces. Even patting his chest, abdomen, and arms with both her hand, Jeno caught a suggestive glint in her eyes and a smirk across her red lips.

Rule #13: Reject Cleopatra’s seductive advances at all costs.

“Goodness, Cleopatra. It’s only his first night, and you’re scaring him.” With her accent, round eyes, and a chic formal outfit, she carried a posh aura while unhesitatingly scolding the Queen of the Nile.

“Come on now, Diana. He’s stunning, who wouldn’t go after him?” If no one knew her, you’re not reading up on your world history. She’s said to have been a lovely and intelligent woman, gone so soon. Jeno definitely understood why after she detached Cleopatra’s raging hands off him.

Rule #14: Treat Princess Diana and Hera like your own parent.

“Your highness.” Jeno nodded at her out of respect, only making her chuckle uncontrollably.

“No need to address me like that, love. Now, come here.” She widened her arms for Jeno, hugging him amiably. He sensed her motherly warmth, accepting such a gesture. “You remind me so much of my youngest son, Harry. Welcome to the night shift of the museum, love.”

Similar to the Greek mythology exhibit, he introduced himself and responded to any questions that the women wax figures may have. Good for him, they weren’t crossing any borders and kept him at ease.

“A student like you working at night to pay rent?” Katherine Johnson, an African-American NASA mathematician whose calculations led to the success of a lot of famous spaceflights, cannot believe her ears. Students must only focus on school, nothing else. “What about your studies, boy?”

Rule #15: Engage in academic discussions with Katherine Johnson whenever you can.

“Most of my classes are in the afternoon, Miss Katherine. So I’ll sleep in the entire morning later and study during my breaks.”

“Mr. Jeno, what do you like to do outside of work?” Anne Frank, a German-Dutch teenager whose revolutionary diary that documented her life in hiding from the Nazis gained popularity worldwide after publication dreamily asked from her section of the exhibit. Her life was robbed of greatness merely because of her religion and war.

Rule #16: Bring delicious food or gifts to Anne Frank.

“Well, I like to bike with my friends, exercise, and draw whatever comes into mind!”

Everyone he’s met so far acquired pleasure in knowing about who he was and his passion for architecture, ridding the “freaking out” phase Athena assumed he had. Yet not everyone in this exhibit bothered to give him a shot.

Jeno’s attention from Anne talking about her crush towards Peter van Daan, a teenage boy who lived with her, switched to the section beside her, where an unacquainted figure was zealously sketching as if something was due to the following day. It reflected how he’d look when he’s cramming one of his plates due to first thing in the morning. While he properly excused himself, he quietly gazed at the way this woman scrunched her eyebrows when she erased something then drew it again. She was someone he’s never seen or heard before, reading the information plate in front of him about her.

(Y/N) (Y/L/N), Explorer and Author. (1854-1900)

Wealthy women in the Victorian Era only served one purpose in society: marry a man from a prestigious family, have his children and join whatever interests they have. However, for (Y/N), she wasn’t going to conform to those standards.

Born into the affluent house of (Y/L/N), she was the youngest of 8 children. She was said to be the kindest and sweetest sibling out of everyone, not capable of hurting anyone or anything. She said it herself that she can’t throw away a dying flower because it’s too painful. While 5 of her older brothers were sent to school, she stayed at home with her 2 older sisters Cecilia and Amelia where she learned how to play the piano and take voice lessons from impressive teachers. Due to the huge age gaps between them (12 and 8 respectively), she never felt close with them. She was only closest to the 6th and 7th siblings, her twin brothers Benjamin and Liam whom she only had a 2-year gap. She was also best friends with one of the scullery maids her age, Lily, because she found her amusing that than the boring rich girls her mother forced to interact with.

The moment it bothered her that she wanted to live a more meaningful life was when Amelia got married. She was 12 years old at the time, and it left her as the last unwed daughter in the family. Badly did she want to revolt, which she gradually did. Instead of practicing piano, she’d sneak in to read every book in her father’s office. She secretly studied the notes of her older brothers from school and even dressed as a boy numerously thanks to Benjamin and Liam to join their classes or field trips.

This was her routine up until the age of 18 when she stomped her foot down and expressed to her parents that she wasn’t going to let Victorian society dictate her. The night before her parents were bound to send her to her great aunt’s home down South to sort her out, she successfully snuck out her house thanks to Lily, Benjamin, and Liam. It’s another good thing that she saved a lot of money for that moment.

Off she went across Europe first, then sailed to America and even parts of Asia. Initially under the name Lilibe, coined from picking the first two letters of her brothers and best friend, she documented her days and nights through her journals and sketches. Over time, she sent them to her brothers for publication. It started the franchise, “The Adventures of the Young and Free Lilibe”. There are 10 books under it.

She learned French, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean by herself as she made friends from those places. It was rare of someone like her to be fluent in Oriental languages, surprising locals every time she spoke to them. She was the only explorer to vividly describe life in different Asian lands in English, talking about their history and culture. With her accurate drawings of diverse citizens and their daily lives, it educated a lot of those living back home in Europe about them rather than speaking lowly of them.

In Seoul did she stayed the longest until her death from pneumonia at the young age of 46.

In her posthumous work, Finding Me, did she reveal her real identity, dedicating it to her parents whom she apologized and expressed her love for them despite everything that occurred between them. She talked about the last years of her life in Seoul, how locals were so nice and inviting to her, and how she adopted kids instead of having her own through the years.

“It’s not because I never found love in men. It’s more like I found love in doing things I’m passionate about. Traveling, learning new cultures, it outweighed the human need of romance.”

Due to her thrill in taking risks and embarking on wondrous adventures, it brought inspiration to a lot of young girls pressured to marry at that time to pursue what they really want.

A remarkable background you had, Jeno contemplated. How come no one discussed her in his classes?

You kept brushing the bangs of your hair back as it fell repeatedly. But you got irritated instantly because it sabotaged your drive, you brought out a hairpin from her desk and attached it on both sides. But when you shifted your angle of focus, the corner of your eye locked with Jeno’s attentive gaze.

He didn’t flinch, even he should’ve. He wasn’t one to linger his look on anyone’s physical appearances, but your story and the passion on your face as you sketched mesmerized him. He was charmed, to say the least.

“Uhm, hello there?” You broke the silence due to your uneasiness about it. What’s his deal?

Jeno bowed, reintroducing himself to you. As soon as his presence settled in the room when Cleopatra attempted to hit on him, you could’ve cared less. Though this man was a first for you, a first in a long time as all guards would feel intimidated by you during the first night. Even your sharp tongue didn’t faze him. “Staring is rude, sir. Didn’t your mother teach you manners?”

“She did,” He wandered through the exterior of your section, by the fence that separated you and him. Not breaking eye contact, his eyes turned into moon crescents as he smirked with trouble. “Though she also told me to appreciate the art too.”

Snorts noisily exhaled from Cleopatra, who took the center section of the exhibit, succeeded by Princess Diana’s whispered gasps and Katherine’s side-eyeing Anne beside her while she taught her math. That was an odd way a guard conversed with you, but Jeno was merely doing what the rules stated. Partly, he was impressed with his cheesy pick-up line, partly embarrassed because he’s never spoken like this to anyone.

Rule #17: Act playfully around (Y/N) (Y/L/N) to break the tension; she’s a harsh one.

There was irony between the information he read about your life versus the wax model. Even when you faced sexism and ran away according to your history, never were you impolite to anyone in your life. You couldn’t even kill a lurking fly when it roams around your food! It showed Jeno a possibility that as much as you’re just a wax version of someone famous in the past, maybe the external environment around you had a heavy influence too.

“You fool!” His confidence exasperated you, urging you to persistently throw balls of paper with your failed sketches at him. No one dared to talk to you like that, most especially a night guard. “Take that for your comment!”

If you thought he’d scram away and act repentant, you were proven wrong. His reflexes were parallel to a spider, capturing every single paper ball without fail. Up and down his body went, one arm held on to them and no more were left on your part. Never a single defeat during the first meeting in years, but that seemed to alter now.

“Give up already, Ms. (Y/L/N)?” Jeno remarked vibrantly as he discarded your mess in the trash bin behind him. If he managed to get everyone to like him tonight, he wanted to make sure to have you onboard too.

Whatever agenda he had, you weren’t up for it. You’d treat him the same way you usually treated Sanghoon for the past 20 something years: cold and ignorant. From your stool, you left your comfortable position to come face to face with this man. He better be grateful for that barrier in between you, or else you would’ve caused mayhem.

“Never in your wildest dreams, Mr. Lee.” Your mouth gave a half-smile, clenching on the bars to liberate your annoyance. Before you could fend back, that’s when Princess Diana intervened between your heated dialogue.

“Oh heavens, children!” She stood by the barrier, mostly to protect the newbie Jeno with her body. “(Y/N), he just wanted to know you. Must you be so cross?”

This Princess Diana embodied all the traits the real one had: soft-spoken, intelligent, and protective. She’s gotten so used to your gradual temper, staying on standby whenever anyone tried to mess with you. Even if it was harmless, you could get so mean!

“Diana, he was mocking me! Saying such a sleazy phrase as if to amuse me, ha! Not a chance, I hate people like that.”

“Not us women though; you just despise men in general.”

“And you’re absolutely right!” With a smug smile, you greedily rejoiced. “Anyways, escort this disgrace out. I’m not in the mood to get angry when I have a lot of inspiration on mind right now.”

While you resumed your sketching to let go of that extra steam, Jeno was left with Diana who apologized on your behalf. Your pride was too high to do that, and as the motherly figure among them, she always took care of things in your exhibit.

“I’m so sorry for that, Jeno. She’s not really like this, but I know how much you tried your best. It was quite a fresh spectacle honestly.”

Whatever was responsible for your abrasiveness, Jeno yearned to know. He couldn’t understand who you were yet even knowing your life story. All he wanted was to get along with everyone. It was the key to successfully maintain his job for the next 6 months.

“How can I make her come around then?”

A demanding question that no one had a solid answer to. Diana recalled how much Sanghoon didn’t let your dislike for him get to him, maintaining a respectful boundary in between each other after his past attempts. Though with Jeno, observing how he riled you up and your focus entirely on him, she hasn’t seen anything like it since the 80s.

There was something in Jeno that may just get you to warm up and return to your kind nature.

“Aside from acting playful, as Sanghoon recommended, I can think of two ways, love.” By the doors of her exhibit, where Jeno was already waltzing the corridor to visit other rooms, she suggested smartly. “One, argue back to her opinions. She hates whenever anyone tries to get her way, but boy, you’re just as wise as her. No one was brave enough to peeve on her until you came.”

“How about the second way?”

“Do your research, love. Aside from libraries, you have those small technology devices that allow you to search up anything.” She tousled Jeno’s brown locks as if it were her actual son’s. Some habits just don’t die when you do.

“Brush up on your history, Jeno. Not only will it help you with (Y/N), but it’ll serve purposefully with the other art pieces here.”

Boy, he was ready to crash in his bed for a few hours after all those interactions. His introverted nature required to be revitalized.

Towards the last hours of his shift, the art pieces who’ve strolled in the first floor lessened his plate by not leaving any major clutter behind. As if she listened to him, Athena didn’t break any lightbulbs too.

His main highlight would be meeting the men of the historical male section, who flaunted a more humorous ambiance. Freddie Mercury from Queen insisted he drink a glass of his wine and to bring more wine next time, which he denied since it would against Sanghoon’s rules. King Sejong the Great and Martin Luther King Jr. argued back and forth over the most random things (pineapple on pizza specifically), while Steve Jobs mediated whenever one crossed the line. Meanwhile, William Shakespeare was too preoccupied in his writing and speaking to himself about his books, wondering how to improve them.

During one of his breaks today, he multitasked drawing a new plate with his research on every art piece to know them better. He started with the exhibit of sculptures of the Greek gods and goddesses, which were Zeus, Hera, Hades, Athena, Hermes, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Artemis, Dionysus, and Circe. They weren’t the complete roster because the rest were in other museums across the globe, as said by Athena before sunrise. The majority of them he knew what they were in charge of, but the rest were foggy to his knowledge. Typing away and jotting notes down, he started downloading his favorite jazz songs too.

Rule # 4: Play jazz music to the paintings on the first floor so they can relax and dance within their frames.

Circe is a minor goddess, the daughter of the sun god Helios. She’s recognized for her versatility in incantations and herbs, capable of transforming people into animals. From Jeno’s perspective, she’s mostly within her space with her journals and magic wand, trying new spells or combinations of herbs. For the latter, he had to keep a closer eye on.

Rule #9: Don’t let Circe, god of potions, into the Oriental Room to get plants and herbs.

He discovered that Dionysus is the god of wine, happiness, and theatre. That’s why every god in the exhibit had full wine glasses during their gathering. It also added up why Freddie Mercury always comes to him when his bottles run empty, though he mustn’t go overboard.

Rule #18: Make sure Freddie Mercury doesn’t get too drunk from the wine of Dionysus; he might make numerous scenes if he does.

After his lone studying session, he took a short trip to the pet and convenience stores to buy food. He got a dumbfounded look from Jaemin back in the dorm room, who was studying for one of his quizzes in Biology in a couple of hours.

“Woah what’s with this stash? Is it for yourself or something?”

“The museum surprisingly has a lot of tasks needed to be done at night. And no, not from my wallet but the allowance they gave me before you get a heart attack.” Jeno plopped on his solo bed, covering his face with a pillow.

“Thank God.” A relaxed sigh escaped Jaemin’s lips, taking back his balled-up fists meant for his roommate. “I think I would’ve stormed that boring museum if they made your broke ass spend a cent.”

“Boring?” Jeno removed the cushion hastily, eyeing his busy and coffee-high roommate. The scent of black coffee from his mug spread in the room, assuming that this upcoming test was testing his roommate’s patience again.

Not even trying to look at Jeno while reviewing his handwritten notes, Jaemin continued giving his opinion. “Museum culture is dead, Jeno. Not everyone has the time to roam around one, plus people can always look up the artifacts online these days.”

People were entitled to their own opinions on numerous things, though Jeno begged to differ with his roommate’s. Especially after witnessing the magic of the night shift, you shouldn’t merely judge a book by its cover. In this case, you shouldn’t judge an artwork or art piece merely on its history and legacy.

Maybe because his roommate was in the science department, he thought this way. A lot of art students regularly visit the museum both for fun and for their classes, and Jeno was one of them. Though he was too sleepy to explain his side, he let it slide for now and snoozed throughout the late afternoon.

An hour before the start of his shift, Jeno promenaded the emptying museum to inspect anything else he might’ve missed out on from last night. There were two areas according to his rotation, both in the first floor.

One was the Diorama Room. Divided into 4 sections, highlighting some of the well-known ancient civilizations in world history. Ancient Egypt and Ancient China to your left, Ancient Rome and Ancient Maya to your right. They acted as if they were the actual people during those times, giving Jeno a laugh when they cracked jokes in between. Such tiny figures, yet the rule for them said otherwise.

Rule # 7: The small figurines in the Diorama Room are feisty, so make sure they don’t fight with one another again.

The remaining room left was the Theater Room. He’s never been here, though his art friends have for film festivals held by the university.

The interior of it was set to look like an actual cinema place you’d see in a mall. There was a mini lobby with a few posters of iconic films over the years. Singin’ in the Rain, Back to the Future, Titanic, those were some framed and hung on the wall. There were two other doors there: one leading to the chairs and the other where the movie projector was. The latter room was pretty riveting, wherein you can choose to watch old short films through an 88mm film projector or switch to a cd player for the newer releases.

Back to those posters, they weren’t an exception to the magic and a simple rule was left for Jeno to do.

Rule # 10: Chatter with the movie posters in the lobby of the Theater Room; they love meeting new faces.

Since there wasn’t anyone checking out the Art Rooms on the second floor, he closed them. Though as he was about to lock the Oriental Room, the ravishing plants around the royal plant appealed his interest. Said to hold magical properties from his research, Jeno was reminded of another rule to keep in mind for later.

Rule # 3: The fake flowers in the Oriental Room come to life too at night, so when no one is lurking, water it diligently.

Instead of lounging at Sanghoon’s office first, he brought his important items to the front desk of the lobby and continued sketching his plate. He wanted to watch the art come back alive with his two eyes. Usually, he’d have coffee when he does his work, but due to another crucial rule in the guide, he’d rather not take the risk.

Rule # 6: The lobby room can get rowdy, so keep any drinks away from important items.

On the dot, the cries and yawns from the art pieces around him reverberated. Closing his sketchpad, his night guard mode was on. Connecting his laptop on the aux cord of the museum speakers, he tapped play on his playlist of jazz music that’ll last for the entire shift duration. As the first notes flooded the entire vicinity, sounds of joy left the lips of each painting. Some were humming, dancing, and even singing along.

“You can never go wrong with Frank Sinatra!”

“This Jeno lad really did the heavens’ work quick!”

Having the sense of accomplishment on his sleeve, the small barks of his fluffy pal reached closer to him. As he kneeled to find him, he was only taken by surprise as Mochi excitedly jumped on him. Tumbling over, Jeno chuckled innocently as Mochi licked his face numerously. This puppy was friendly, easily liking everyone at first sight. He wasn’t as choosy like Daegal, the puppy of his friend Chenle studying Business Management.

Once he composed himself and cradling the dog like his own, he fed him a dog treat from the desk.

“Good boy, Mochi!” He rubbed his fur while the puppy happily munched on it, ready to fulfill more of his duties.

He skipped the Greek mythology exhibit since Athena was doing a good job not letting anyone go overboard with their powers, though he’ll check in again in a few hours. He met the posters of the theater room, who were celebrities he grew up watching on tv. Sanghoon was right; they were the kinder group in the entire museum because they were more laidback.

On to the second floor, all the female wax figures lounged by the male section due to another lecture from Shakespeare. Although the guide informed him that most of the time it could get boring, this lecture was more stimulating. On his platform, he elaborated with conviction the lines of one of his famous books, Romeo and Juliet. A must-read book back in his high school days, there’s no way Jeno could’ve missed that out.

From the looks of it, Jeno perceived that Shakespeare was performing spoken word poetry due to him reading only Romeo’s lines while Cleopatra read Juliet’s beside him. This kind of show was one of the sources of entertainment to these figures, so Jeno leaned by the side of the door to listen. After all, the famous author of it was a few feet away. Cleopatra channeled such a naïve character to her ability, absentmindedly saying as she clutched her chest.

“O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet.”

“Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?”

“'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name? That which we call a rose-”

The flow of an engaged Cleopatra was abrupted by the loud yell from Shakespeare in front, specifically to an amused Jeno. “Jeno, my boy! Welcome back!”

Such an announcement diverted everyone’s attention to the back, some running to Jeno to give their respective greetings. It’s rare for everyone to feel at ease with a new guard, taking them weeks to approach them due to the intimidation. Though Jeno’s bright presence felt welcoming, so they accepted it. Perhaps it’s because of his youth, it reminded them of theirs too.

Shakespeare highly requested (or forced) Jeno to take his part as Romeo, intrigued to watch someone younger read his lines. Since most of the male wax figures were aged, it never satisfied Shakespeare so he jumped on this opportunity as quickly as he could. With the roaring cheers from the other figures, Jeno might as well give it a try. It wasn’t like his friends were here to clown him like they usually would if he did something humiliating.

Jeno shockingly liked this activity as he wasn’t much of a performer on stage, but someone who does the behind-the-scenes of it. He realized as he read the lines from the book Shakespeare asked him to follow along with why people held university-wide spoken word shows a few times per semester. He was no actor, but it’s delightful to have tried it at least once in his life.

“O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?” As if the edge of the platform was the balcony of Juliet (or Cleopatra rather), he knelt as he ardently spoke his lines. He’s emphasizing this rush of uncontrollable desire for her, rambling whatever he would do to get the girl.

“What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?” Cleopatra questioned from her chair, inching closer to the young boy. Even outside character will she attempt to charm Jeno, but Jeno was quick to catch it and kept his distance.

“The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine.”

“I gave thee mine before thou didst request it, and yet I would it were to give again.”

“Wouldst thou withdraw it? For what purpose, love?”

“But to be frank, and give it thee again. And yet I wish but for the thing I have. My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep. The more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite.”

Everyone was condensed by their top-notch acting, as if this was the actual play unfolding before them. Jeno wasn’t so sure how he got himself in character without preparation, yet he felt what his character felt. He comprehended the material a lot better now than when he was still in high school.

However, there was always that one killjoy to ruin the heartfelt mood.

“How dumb is it to say that you’re in love after the first glance?” You opposed, putting the spotlight on you. This book was said to be a classic in literature, but as you matured physically and mentally, you could no longer agree with it. “Isn’t love the same thing that killed Romeo and Juliet in the end?”

Remembering what Princess Diana told him, he wasn’t going to let this pass. He wanted to give a piece of his mind too, caring less if the show must be paused. “Love is an emotion we don’t ask to feel. It’ll come to us when we least expect it, even when the timing of it can be crucial.”

“Of all the people Juliet could’ve gone for, it just had to be the enemy.” In all the years you’ve been brought to life, no one dared to test your opinions because they were aware of your intelligence, from the streets to the books. When someone bark, you’d bite back. Hard. “With all due respect, I love your works, Shakespeare. Yet the fate you’ve given these two at a young age was grave, could’ve you given them a better outcome or another character to love instead?”

“Giving them extra characters to love won’t address the horrific life fact that love can be dangerous. Regardless of what status you’re in, you can’t stop the attraction towards someone. The heart wants what it wants.” Jeno pressed his hand to his chest, pumping it a bit. Unknown to you and him, the audience found more entertainment in your argument. Anne, who was munching on the popcorn Jeno gave her earlier, passed the snack to Katherine who just couldn’t stop watching.

If this man wanted a challenge, you’re all ears. Who was he to compete with you? Was he not intelligent to know who you are?

“So are you insinuating that we just go with the flow? Be a slave to our emotions too and let them dictate our next motives?”

“Slave is such a strong word to use, (Y/N). But it’s not like we can’t choose who want to love because we actually can. In this case, Romeo chose Juliet and vice versa.”

“But what happens if the person you choose doesn’t choose you in return?”

“At least you tried your best, right? It’ll hurt like hell though, but it won’t last forever.” From his kneeling position, Jeno strutted his way with confidence. Trying not to let it mess with you, your extreme stare at him as if they’ll shoot lasers. Inches away from you, Jeno declared. “Love always has risks, that’s a given. Romeo and Juliet still tried and followed their hearts despite the downfall. But it was a needed downfall to get the message across.”

“No one would be that foolish to risk their lives for love though, right? Life is so precious, why would they do such a thing?”

“Even if they knew what their lives were without each other, they still preferred living a life where they were both in the picture. Therefore, they tried all they could that time because the regret of not doing anything at all carries a heavier burden.”

Whenever anyone argued with you, their debating points they spat back would further piss you off because most of the time, it never made sense. Back when this rude man told you to go home and be a wife in your earlier years of exploring, you civilly told him to fuck off, kicking his balls because he cornered you in an alley. For the first time, a man who tried to challenge you actually made sense. Was it because he lived in a modern time, where minds were more open? Because of the amount of sexism you faced in the past, you’ve turned a blind eye to the current period.

But your high pride maintained, not submitting into anything he said. “I still think it’s stupid to risk your life for love. There’s no such thing as having only one true love anyways, and you have to be alive to see it.”

“Fair point, but again, the feeling of regret and carrying it your entire life doesn’t fade easily. It’ll make you reflect on the what-ifs, and it’s heart-wrenching.” Jeno digressed, walking around you in circles. He’s intentionally trying to drive you mad, but he could care less. He wanted someone to put you in your place and open your mindset. “The question stands: would you rather try and go for it even knowing its risks or regret not even trying for the rest of your existence? Quite ironic for me to ask you that, don’t you think?”

Past the information board, Jeno researched more of your life history online. Your whole life was grounded on risks, from breaking the standards of your society, leaving your family and home country, to fending yourself from disrespectful men. Rather than living the original life expected from you, you chose not to because it didn’t make you happy. Such a risktaker he knew you are, but with the topic of love, he wondered why you were on a fence with it. Though some records stated you’ve had rendezvouses with a few men in your journeys, love was never in the equation. The single life was what you chose and you were more than satisfied, plus your adopted kids filled that supposed void anyways.

This man may have studied your history, but so much he still doesn’t know. Information that never made the books because you chose not to write or tell anyone about it. Aside from the discomfort growing in your chest, everyone else felt the awkward tension when you were lost for words.

Never been defeated in an argument, until tonight. Your mind lost its drive and willpower.

“Touché, Lee Jeno.” Indeed, his name you’re acquainted with. Numerously passed around in your exhibit, mostly from the lips of Cleopatra, who’d fantasize all the graphic things she would do to him. Too much information, least of your interest. “Please excuse me. I’d like to work on my sketches to ease my mind.”

As you quietly exited the room, an all too familiar sculpture leaned against the railings overseeing one side of the museum. Just like you, she hated accepting defeat or compromises. She always rooted for you to win. With a faint chuckle, “Facing a loss for the first time, I see.”

“Don’t even lecture me about it, Athena. I’m still fired up, and I need to relax.”

“Jeno is a different breed, isn’t he?” She stuck to your side, strolling wherever your feet led you.

“Different as in he’s a man? Yes. What else is there to it?”

“Men these days aren’t as trashy as those back in the day though. Shouldn’t you give him a chance?”

“Last time I did, it destroyed my heart. I’m not allowing myself to let men in even as a friend, Athena.”

She knew exactly what you were referring to, not touching on it further. No way will you let heartbreak or disappointment from men bother you. Even Sanghoon’s sweet company took a while to tolerate. You really needed to sketch this out on your pad right now, excusing yourself from Athena’s presence. Isolation wasn’t new to you; it’s what’s protecting your entire being. Immortal as you are, you had to recover from the past pain so the next decades won’t feel as brash.

You hoped to return to your old self when you were a fresh new figure in the 70s. So naïve, only proud of your accomplishments, and purely happy.

While Jeno continued to finish his scene in respect to Shakespeare, he received a standing ovation for his mini-show. Cleopatra didn’t expect such talent from him, growing fonder of the younger male. Whether she seduces him or not, he was never afraid to try new things and she liked that about him.

“Bravo, love!” Princess Diana praised, clapping at him.

Although Jeno appreciated all this positive attention, his thoughts bounced back to your and your stance on love. The debate earlier was just out of being playful, interested to hear your opinions. Though, he’s worried that he might’ve offended you. It may have been time to finally witness something like that, but then again, he was sure he touched something personal to you. No matter how you tried to fight it off, your eyes can’t lie. Staring down at him, there was pain beneath it. Your eyebrows scrunched to the center, thinking deeply yet remained utterly speechless.

A win he didn’t feel good about.

“It’s time she encountered something new in the years she’s been here. Give her some space tonight, then try again to reach out to her. Kindly this time; I’m not in the mood for another brawl that could end up like the Greek gods’ past fights downstairs.”

These clever words shared by Katherine loitered his mind for the rest of the night, eventually going back to finishing his current plate since everyone was behaving well. As great it is to get the approval of the majority, he tried brainstorming ways to make you like him too.

He understood the whole “men are trash” concept in today’s modern society, but if he could prove it wrong to at least one person, it would be you. Whatever is holding you back, he only hoped that you’d let it go. Questionably unsure as to why he was so persevering, he concluded that it was so he could perform his job better as the night guard. Set higher standards than Sanghoon even.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Weeks passed, and his attempts continued to be unsuccessful.

The capability for you to ignore his efforts remained strong, whether he was pestering you over small things or debating with you again about anything. Life, books, morals, the two of you always head butt each other. Anything good he did, you searched for a flaw in it. Whatever acts he’s tried and continued trying, not one flinch from you ever.

Even if that’s his state with you, his job no longer felt stressful nor strenuous. He’d try to sleep more on days he was off-duty. Although the fatigue of staying beyond his usual sleeping time was inevitable, he compromised to take a nap lasting an hour or two when the art pieces weren’t acting frisky.

Plus, there have been multiple times they adapted to any alterations so his physical well-being wouldn’t fall sick. Per order of Princess Diana and Hera, who by instinct became his motherly figures here, only wanting what’s best for the kids.

He became accustomed to everything that went on at night, discovering things on his own without Sanghoon’s guide. Anne talked about how much she missed biking in her neighborhood, so one night, Jeno snuck his bike inside and let her use it around the first floor. With proper monitoring so none of the paintings would be unbothered or pieces wouldn’t tumble.

Hermes the messenger god was fluent in every language possible, so every so often, Jeno would freely speak to him in Korean because sometimes he felt he could explode by the amount of English he used every night. Bilingual things, you know. He knew you were multilingual too, but for obvious reasons, he couldn’t converse with you.

Because Jeno was heavily favored, that should’ve been enough to push through his night shifts before the end of the semester. In addition to that, the hourly rate was above the average of whatever Jaemin or Renjun was earning. For the past 2 months, Jeno paid upfront first, even paying back all his debts. It almost made Renjun want to switch jobs with him.

“Trust me, Renjun. You don’t want it, being the lowkey scaredy cat you are.”

Work no longer felt like work, and that’s what everyone aspired to feel. Nevertheless, he tended to worry over you mid-shift, glancing at you from his side view. Sketching, reading, and writing were your default actions. No matter how many times he said to himself not to let your dislike for him affect him, it’d always backfire.

Why were you so cold?

What made you lose your fire from all the research he did about your lively personality?

When morning arrived and he gathered his stuff, you’d be the last thing he’ll check on. Frozen in your standing pose, smiling as you held a book and a pencil, he detected how fake it was. Bystanders would only assume your happiness was from your achievements, though Jeno’s gut firmly pried that something grand overpowered that happiness. And definitely, not in a good way.

Out of all the art pieces, he investigated on you the most. Skimming through every material in the library, endless searching on the net, even asking professors from the History department thanks to Renjun, he did whatever he could. People may already think he was obsessed with who you are, but only little did they know.

Another plate was done and submitted, and he promised himself to look you up one last time before surrendering. For someone who’s rarely given up on a challenge, this one was really out of his control. Maybe he should follow Sanghoon’s footsteps now.

You lived centuries before him, and there’s limited material of you left. Rather than learning of your adventures again, he dug through what things you liked over your life. Maybe by giving one of them, it’ll lessen the tension from a 100 to 99. Maybe you preferred gifts over words, he’ll never know until he tried.

Boom.

According to one of your journal entries, there’s a fond liking you’ve acquired for lavender roses from Benjamin and Liam when they visited you in Paris in secret because of how much you missed them. It went both ways, praying your family ties could be recovered.

It’s a good thing he needed to refill his stock of items for the art pieces so he could pass by the flower store a few blocks away from his dorm. That night, without further words, he graciously offered you a fresh lavender rose in between your new sketching session.

“I may not know exactly why you’re spiritless around me, but with this rose, I hope we could work something out.”

Your frigid face of disdain, keeping your chin high and squinting your eyes with judgment, began to crumble down. Of all things as a peace offering, he gave you that? Then again, it’s not like he knew that an item you liked so much became something you’ve grown to hate and why so. No history books could teach him that.

Vulnerability was a normal thing, yet feared by many. Once one uncovered your weak spot, they could harm you. You still couldn’t trust Jeno fully, not willing to show your helplessness nor were you ever going to tell him. Hidden from his knowledge, everyone else including Sanghoon were familiarized as to why this kind of flower tormented you.

You sprinted like thunder out the exhibit room to wherever it’s private to control your senses. You may not have a physical heart, but your emotions were just as actual as a human’s. You needed to regulate your panting breath. In the past decades, you’ve not shed a singular tear but the cycle broke when they streamed out your miserable eyes like a flowing river. Quiet sobs, an empty corner near the fire exit was where your wobbly legs faltered, the painful memories of the past replayed in your head. Once beautiful, but now an agonizing reminder of what could’ve been.

Katherine, Cleopatra, and Anne were swift on their feet to hunt you down, anxious of what you may do next. Seeing or the mention of these flowers still affected you despairingly. Sanghoon must’ve forgotten to write them down, or perhaps he didn’t know either about this fact during all the years he’s worked there.

It’s one of the biggest secrets of his museum. By the clueless face Jeno had with his eyebrows raised, mouth, and small eyes slightly open, he repeatedly asked what he did wrong and adding that he never meant to harm you. Indeed, they knew that yet what occurred involved a secret in the list of museum secrets. Confidential only between art pieces according to Athena, none of the male wax figures spoke a word, only pitying the boy.

“I wasn’t here yet that time, but they said that it was once beautiful, but now it’s a rough period.” With hesitation, Princess Diana chose to reveal it to rid Jeno’s misery. She didn’t mind having to argue about it with Athena later on, as this may further affect the two of you later on.

“A long time ago in the early ‘80s, there was a night guard around your age named Junmyeon. Also, a college student, trying to make ends meet. He did it for 3 years until he graduated. Though within his stay, not only was he such a delight to everyone, he broke a golden rule in the guide. I believe you do know the guide much more now, Jeno?”

“Yes, I do, Princess Diana. Memorized it even, but which one specifically?” Jeno’s desperate eyes pleaded, only hoping for the best and to fix what he messed up.

“You can form friendships with the art pieces, but nothing more.” Princess Diana replied bitterly. “Junmyeon was an aspiring painter, a different path from his business-oriented family. He was seen as the black sheep. She resonated with him, sharing the burden and lifting it by doing whatever fun they could in the museum. In time, they both fell in love with each other; they were each other’s first loves.”

“Why must something beautiful like love be broken? It’s not like you can control it. That golden rule makes no sense.”

“It does, unfortunately. Wax figures like me cannot age, while humans like you can. None of them could accept the reality, always pushing it away. Until Junmyeon’s last week in university, he broke it off with her unexpectedly. From there, (Y/N) was heartbroken for decades. With heartbreak, giving the cold shoulder and bitterness followed. Then with the lavender rose you gave that she used to love became a flower that she associated with Junmyeon too because he gave her one almost every night for those past 3 years.”

Things finally added up, and the guilt in Jeno’s gut expanded. His major lightbulb moment was a major failure.

“Has Junmyeon ever returned to try and win her back?”

“Well, there was one time he did come back for an art exhibition for his paintings in the 2000s. I was already here, then he had a woman around his shoulder with an adolescent boy holding his hand. He roamed around our exhibit and kept gawking at (Y/N). We may be asleep, but we remember the conversations exchanged in the room. So, his son then asked him if he knew who she was.”

“What did he respond?” Jeno attentively listened, on the edge of such a hurtful tale.

“He knew her name, praising her for historical achievements. However, nothing as a former friend or lover. From what I predict, he ingested one of Circe’s potions.”

“But I thought Circe isn’t allowed to make potions for actual consumption. She’s not even allowed to enter the Oriental Art Room.” Jeno pointed out, overwhelmed at the puzzling past. Princess Diana was mindful that she had to stop spreading too much information, so she had to end her discussion with the lost boy.

“There are a lot of secrets about this museum, Jeno. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal to you to protect our peace.”

With due respect, Jeno quit his follow-up questions and concerns. The only thing he wished to do was mend his relationship with you. As vague as to where you even stood in the first place, he unintentionally crossed a line due to his selfish intention to befriend you.

“What can I do now, Princess Diana? You know I’d never push her buttons like that, even if I’m a whimsical person.”

“Oh, my boy.” Princess Diana soothed, holding both her hand on his sweaty palm and cupping his cheek. “For the meantime, give her space. No taunting for a while, and just observe her from a distance. Though do not fret the slightest; I’m sure she’ll be okay again.”

During that interval, you were hunched on the wall, bawling and weeping like the wound was brand new again. While Katherine and Anne stood by your side, on the lookout for anyone who’d be spying on you, Cleopatra knelt in front of you as your infinite tears gushed down.

“My dear,” She tried to wipe some of them while holding your hand. “It’s been years, and Jeno didn’t know a single thing. He didn’t mean to do it.”

“I don’t care, Cleopatra! He should’ve stopped trying to socialize with me because I won’t ever live down my experience with Junmyeon.”

“As if crying like this will bring Junmyeon back to your life,” Cleopatra exclaimed, holding in her temper. Acquainted with heartbreak, it’s awful that it changed you entirely, but you should’ve found a way to heal. Throughout your attitude change, it’s mostly you in pain, not those you inflict it to. “My dear, I love you a lot. But this Jeno boy is different, and you know it.”

“He’s still a nightguard, for Christ’s sake, Cleopatra.”

“You shouldn’t generalize that all night guards are bad just because of one encounter that occurred at the wrong time.” Brushing some strands stuck by your wet visage, she professed to you bluntly. “You’re never going to know how good Jeno is unless you slowly open up again, (Y/N). Not forcing you the slightest, but healing started once you’ve acknowledged the past and move on from it.”

“But I’m scared, Cleopatra.” You restlessly admitted, hunching even more against the wall. Your poor, metaphorical heart could only take so much. You barely expressed sorrow towards others as you always held a strong exterior, only letting it out alone. Not holding back anymore, Cleopatra brought you in for a hug. The last time she did that was the first night after Junmyeon left, calming your intensified emotions so you wouldn’t do anything dumb that night. No violence, just pure sorrow.

“My dear, it’s alright.” She whispered while stroking your back upwards. “But you’re a risktaker; that’s how people remember you. Now, you must challenge yourself to move on from things that didn’t work out. Because once you do, it’ll put your heart and mind at ease.”

“Do you think I’ll be okay again?”

“Yes, you will be, my dear. You are not alone, and never will be.”

Acting like the dutiful son he always was, Jeno distanced from you.

He still cracked jokes, chatted with the art pieces, and followed the rules, yet never did he utter anything to you. You’ve proudly anticipated it since day one, not wanting him up in your business or teasing you ever. But this time, it felt odd.

On nights he didn’t report, you’ve unconsciously wondered what he may have been up to. A job like this at his age was just as Sanghoon once said: nothing in the regular.

Was he with his friends?

Was he resting well?

From the moment you chose to let go of your limitations and old thoughts, it included your grudge against past guards. Asking for forgiveness to Sanghoon when he returns was on the top of your list, however, that’ll take a while to happen. In the start, you’re baffled as to why he no longer picked on you like every night he’s been present. Somehow, it became a habit you’ve gotten used to, having so many comebacks planned to fend yourself. But you didn’t want to concede to it, maintaining what was left of your pride since that breakdown.

While on the subject, you suspected if anyone told him anything that night because that also indicated the last time he reached out to you. By anything, it would be your unwritten past with Junmyeon. A part of yourself in the museum that you didn’t want to disperse like rapid-fire again. It would be the last thing you wanted Jeno to know.

To your misfortune, Princess Diana came clean due to your growing concern over it. Although your attitude changed and people got used to it, you could only blame yourself that you were responsible for Jeno’s change.

“All he wanted was to understand and enlighten us with his likable presence. Then with you, you were his challenge because of your high walls. Out of everyone, he tried to learn everything about you. From my observation, whenever he has a goal, he’s determined to achieve it.”

“But I’m trying to be better now, Diana. Why did he stop?”

“He may have determination, but he knows where the boundaries lie.” Princess Diana patted the side of your arm, giving you a half-grin. “It hurt him when he hurt you, even if it was accidental. So he opted to give you space; that way, you could catch a breather and he wouldn’t harm you anymore. It was what you wanted from the start anyways, right?”

A hard pill to swallow, though it was a fact. It’s just that now, you’re slowly willing to release yourself from the dark. It’s been decades, and more to come. Nothing can move on unless you do.

“Where is he, Princess Diana?”

Just as she predicted right on the edge, Diana completed the grin on her face and led you to the entrance of your exhibit. She may be younger than you, but you’re reverted in your twenties while she remained in her mid-thirties. Gaping the wide museum from the railing, starting from the painting exhibit in the lobby to across the other side of the museum, Diana spotted the black hair of the boy in the Foreign Art Room.

“Over there.”

Observing where her eyes focused, you caught a glimpse of a recognizable side profile. The owner’s eyes were completely taken by whatever he was drawing on the fold-up desk he brought out from the storage room. By the tedious action of his right hand going up and down, you’ve gotten so used to his part-time identity as the night guard to entirely dismiss his current status as a university student.

Architecture specifically as he first introduced himself to you. The same path your oldest brother, Christopher, worked in. The look of tenacity Jeno presented as his eyebrows continuously scrunched, his crescent orbs hastily spied his work for any unnecessary details and his veiny hands brushed his already messy hair, you were profoundly reminded of Christopher when he was designing his possible future house. You were 8 years old, and he was 22, who just got married. He explained how many floors it’ll have, what rooms to put and what extra furniture he’ll place to make it feel more at home.

Seeing how exceptional his art skills were, you started to sketch like him. With flowers first, it turned into bedrooms and sceneries of your neighborhood. You felt your shoulders rise in accomplishment when you were able to accurately draw people. As much as you credited Benjamin and Liam the most in your works, it’ll only be within yourself to know that you also held a soft spot for Christopher.

Excusing yourself to Princess Diana, you bravely yet quietly ventured into the Foreign Art Room. Hiding first from one of the cement columns, you resumed watching him sketch. Instead of a pencil, he used a black pen with a tip as thin as a pencil. Your assumptions would be it was for a class, basing it on him informing everybody earlier that he’ll be inactive for the remaining hours of his shift to focus on his midterm requirements. That must be difficult to balance, yet he still does everything expected from him. Maybe the second cup of iced coffee beside him stimulated his bones and mind, letting his imagination free.

Through the limited space, you tiptoed whilst holding the side of the column to make up his work. There were 2 and a half rectangular shapes stacked on top of each other, the third one he was still tracing. A sign encrypted with tiny written words you couldn’t decipher, the beauty and modernity of Jeno’s plate cannot go unappreciated.

“That’s absolutely beautiful.”

Sweet words you didn’t think would bounce back in the room, Jeno’s pace ceased whilst you hid again. Art pieces capable of walking weren’t allowed here, he locked the door even beforehand! Or he thought as he was rushing to get his work done because one of his terror professors moved up the deadline to tomorrow morning. Not even 25% finished, he petitioned for everyone’s cooperation just for tonight.

He used up his 2 days of not having the night shift for other projects, and not wanting to ruin his perfect attendance, he proceeded to show up.

The voices from the foreign paintings around him hushed for him out of respect. So possibly someone snuck in, his head looking around for intruders. But only did he quit it when he saw your blurry reflection leaning against the column. The glass windows slightly mirror back what it sees, without you knowing that.

Not to mention, the small bit of your lilac dress was left out. Of all people, it was you?

“Do my eyes deceive me or is Miss (Y/N) (Y/L/N) inside when she’s not allowed so?”

To break the killing tension, he tested the waves with an innocent taunt. Never did you reach out to him, so least to say he was entertained whilst keeping his distance.

Fixing your proud stance, you responded in a low baritone voice you used to persuade numerous men in her adventures. “Uhm no, I don’t know who she is.”

As intelligent as you were, Jeno was a few steps farther than you this time. Educated about the risky ways you’d get around and one of them was changing the pitch of your voice, he heartily laughed at your unsuccessful attempt.

“Okay don’t lie, (Y/N). I can see a trail of your dress and your cloak. Oh, your reflection too.”

Damn, you peeked a little to realize that he was correct. Hauling your dress back in to readjust your outfit, you pushed your hair back before appearing to him. Though when you did such, you didn’t suppose that he was practically beside you the entire time. Bumping into his towering stance of 5’10 while the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up, your proud posture loosened up. He even discarded his blazer. A few more inches, he could’ve cornered you on the column if you didn’t take another step back.

Has he always been this tall or were you so used to your boots having high heels under? Oh wait, maybe because you wore flats this time because it’s making your toes sore. Your head bowed from struggling to maintain eye contact with him, your palms caressing your cheeks that suddenly heated up. Clearing your throat, you straightened your back again like nothing happened.

Jeno thought otherwise, shrugging his shoulders as he chuckled. He’s never seen you get shy, not that it was a bad thing either. The temptation to play around it more was there, but he was running out of time for his assignment.

“Come in. I’ll let you off the hook this time.” His arms opened up, allowing you access to such a wonderful exhibit. Paintings from different European periods, miniature versions of famous infrastructures inside glass containers, and replicas of Greek columns in the front entrance, no wonder it’s important to protect them all.

“Are you sure?” Watching him return to his spot, which was a bench in the center of the exhibit with a table in front, it didn’t process that you were gawking at his toned back. His broad shoulders and the evident muscles in his arms while he stretched, your eyes were speedy to look away when he tried to take a glance at you.

“I don’t think the paintings here and I mind.” Sitting down again, he tapped the vacant space beside him. “Feel free to watch me draw if you want to.”

Settling by his side, he recommenced where he left off. Now with a closer view of his piece, it did look like a building as you thought. He was sketching the remaining outline of the 3rd floor of this hypothetical place, continuously checking his ruler to monitor if the lines were consistent. Able to pick up on the words of the sign beside the building, you wowed with one hand on your lips.

“You’re redrawing Seoul National University Museum of Art?”

“One of my plate assignments was to visualize a renovation of a certain place, so I chose the museum.”

“Why so?”

“Well,” Jeno shook his pen so the ink could come out. “This entire place comes to life with the royal plate, so I think we should expand the space and bring in more art pieces to life if we add another extra floor. A rooftop area for visitors and events would be fun. And definitely, we should modernize the exterior and interior a bit because it looks outdated personally. That’s also what my friends think too.”

Noticing the minor details of his plate whilst removing any unnecessary pens so it wouldn’t smudge, “Huh, I quite agree with you.”

For the first time since his night shift, you, (Y/N) (Y/L/N), came into an agreement with him. He became so accustomed to clashing opinions that now, you had no contrasting points to make at all. A good change perhaps was what he’s witnessing.

“Woah, who are you agreeing with me and where’s (Y/N)?” He creased his brows whilst locking eye contact with you. This time, you didn’t wince away and just nudged him on his shoulder to get back to work.

“Hush, Jeno. Isn’t that due later? Get to work, I’ll roam around here for the meantime.”

After decades in this museum, you’re enlightened with the foreign paintings in which some you’ve heard of in your younger years and some that were created beyond your time. The Birth of Venus, Liberty Leading the People, Girl with a Pearl Earring, there’s an advantage of learning about their stories that humans couldn’t interpret. Logical that this section must be off-limits because these pieces were extra special, yet there’s so much more than what meets the eye.

There’s peace in silence while you wandered around, though it doesn’t hinder only at the art. Jeno hasn’t uttered a word since he got back to drawing, and once you asked him what’s doing now, still no answer back. Odd, he’s constantly awa-

Oh, my. You must’ve jinxed it.

Your eyes laid on Jeno leaning forward on his desk with his arms serving as his pillow, resting his head sideways. Soft snores and minimal movement in his upper body to shake the growing cold temperature of the room, he was sleeping like a log.

Putting into perspective, he hasn’t acquired enough rest specifically this past 2 weeks. The endless number of plates due making him work extra during his shift rather than sleeping in the slightest, exhaustion must be an understatement. Coffee no longer pushed him to his maximum for this week even.

But this was the path he chose, and it’ll have its challenges. Still, if you could relieve the stress in any way, you would. This would be one of the ways to repay for all the rudeness you’ve passed on him. Scurrying to his side, placing the plate on the side with his other things. You returned the caps of his open pens so they don’t spill. They must be expensive, recalling how Jeno shared the cons of being an architecture major to Princess Diana. One was the pens needed for sketching, and any tiny damages to them meant buying them again.

With his watch on clear display, he only had 2 hours left until his shift was done. Then, 4 hours until his plate assignment was done, and his current plate was far from done.

The blunt impulse to wake him up slithered your mind, though his calm state deflected your duty. As if you were on board a ship again for your explorations, you paid attention to the view with a relaxed mindset.

Lee Jeno specifically was the view.

His coffee-stained lips were parted and his sharp nose breathing in and out at a relaxing pace, he must be dreaming a happy moment the way half his lips curved into a smile. If he’s resting well, then you too would be calm.

Because of your past disinterest in him, only at this moment did you observe how sharp his jawline was and the cuts on his arms he sought refuge in. No matter how many times you tried to deny Hera’s compliments of him on the side, you couldn’t.

Lee Jeno embodied attractive features; both physical and emotional.

Back to his plate, it’ll put him at a disadvantage if he submitted the way it looked before he passed out. But you remembered all those extra details he mentioned and wanted to add to this project. Being an explorer, you documented all your ventures through words or drawings. You’re fast to adjust to anything new too.

For all the good he’s done for everyone, he only deserved some help in return.

Your version of help was sketching the remaining details of this plate, using other pens for more emphasis. It’s a risk also, but no way could you turn a blind eye on Jeno this time.

Around 5:30 am, Jeno’s eyes blinked open due to a brightening light from the outside. Stretching his limbs, he finds a velvet cloak wrapped around him like a blanket. But before he could question it, he pulled his arm in to see the time on his watch.

“Fuck!” He cursed, realizing that his so-called 10-minute snooze break aborted.

“Oh my, you’re awake!” From his frazzled state, there you were. So put together yet active, some strands of your hair falling down your face even with your hair up in a ponytail. “How was your sleep?”

This whole time he could’ve been woken up, yet you chose not to. You’re aware of his deadline, yet you let him rest entirely. He could’ve burst out in stress, yet he didn’t. You and he may have started on the wrong foot, yet it’s impossible of you to do such an evil thing. He’ll just have to tolerate the outcome later today.

“Refreshing. I really needed it.” Packing his things in his bag and closing the table, you trailed along as he exited with you. Locking up, he has 30 minutes left to accomplish the cleaning. A long good morning indeed.

But his worry of that vanished when you admitted that you had it all covered.

“Everyone helped out in cleaning, plus there are no damages made either.” From your hand, you returned one of his keys that was on his guard blazer. “I double-checked the Oriental Room and locked the doors again.”

“Why are you suddenly so nice to me, (Y/N)?” He questioned with confusion, wearing his blazer again and patting away any creases. He placed your cloak over you again like a true gentleman.

Without a word, you simply invited him to walk you back to your exhibit as parts of the sun began to rise. As you returned to your section, your fellow figures readying themselves to pose again,

“It’s my way to apologize for my very rude first impression and the succeeding moments after. I was too cooped up in my past that I was too afraid to let humans in again, night guards in particular.” You admitted, removing your cloak and placing behind your chair like always. “I’m so sorry, Jeno. Everyone was right about you and your kind heart.”

“About time.” Cleopatra’s sultry voice cut in, laying on her day bed.

Before you had the chance to flip off, Jeno mediated swiftly. With a gentle smile, “No worries about it. I’m just happy you’re okay, after all you’ve been through.”

“Can we start over then?”

“Absolutely.” With his free hand, he brought it out. No matter what kind of introductions, shaking one’s hand was the best way to start a friendship. “Good evening. I’m Lee Jeno, the new museum night guard.”

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N), explorer and author.” Sighing at his humor, you still replied by shaking his hand. “And I believe you’re mistaken, Lee Jeno. It’s a good morning.”

Seconds after, you imitated your typical pose and smile. Only now, the latter was more genuine. Finally, a fresh start to end your agony.

Once the sun fully revealed itself, every figure including yourself froze back to sleep. Something Jeno wished to catch up on if it weren’t for his damn plate. He was so screwed, already contemplating his next steps if he does fail this class. The possibility of getting delayed in all aspects, he dreaded it already.

Heading back to his dorm, where both his roommates completely passed out from soju on the couch, he sat by his work desk and turned on his night lamp for more light since the sun wasn’t strong enough yet.

With another cup of coffee, he cracked the joints of his knuckles and laid out his pens. He had 2 hours left to submit this plate, and at most he should accomplish 50% of his initial plan. However, he didn’t anticipate such a gorgeous outcome when he brought out his plate.

Picture perfect of every detail he desired, even adding a rooftop area with that he’d love to have if ever the museum does go under renovation one day. Rather than setting the plate during the day, it was at night as the skies were dark and bright specks of yellow inside the building symbolized light.

So much for wasting coffee, he’ll just give it to Jaemin when he wakes up later. Below the final product, a note written in cursive was stuck on it.

I knew you wanted to get this specific plate done, but you mustn’t compromise your sleep for it. It’s your inhumane professor’s fault!

To make up for my faults, I wanted to help you out. I paid extra attention to the details you spoke highly about, so I only hoped that I interpreted it correctly. It’s risky, but as someone who researched so much about me, would you be surprised that I did such a thing?

PS: Get back to sleep. I’m quite sure your desk is laid out the same way in the Foreign Art Room.

Respectfully,

(Y/N)

Turning off his lamp, Jeno jumped the covers of his bed to continue his lost sleep. Without an ounce of care that he hasn’t changed into cleaner clothes, he’s relieved that he won’t flunk his class.

Most of all, he’s relieved that you’ve melted the ice in you and allowed kindness to come in. Jeno may never understand how hard that must’ve been for you, yet he raved you for it.

“Oh, (Y/N) (Y/L/N). Surprise is an understatement when it comes to you.”

778 notes · View notes

airiustide · 4 years

Text

forever young. forever you.

chapter 2/day 2: counterpart

A/N: sorry for posting on tumblr late, work kept me. but here it is, chapter 2. Thank you all for the lovely comments and @zutara-was-robbed for her amazing idea vomiting that helped make this fic possible and her ability to make me laugh.

Summary: After reunion comes joy- at least Katara had hoped. When she finally has the opportunity to confront the stranger, she learns a devastating secret that weights heavy on her heart and soul.

also posted on: AO3

“Speak what we feel, and not what we ought to say. Well, I’m forever young, and you're forever you.” -We are Life by Emarosa

She wasn’t crazy. She hoped.

Katara wants to confront the man in black out in the open, only that would prove to be futile if it really happened to be who she thought it was. No doubt, he would run upon seeing her again like her first day here. She had no evidence it was Zuko but he looked at her, and when he did it was clear that he recognized her.

It took about a week before he crossed her, unnoticed to him. He was taller, much taller. His clothes did not hide his muscle definition and she can tell he was intensively active. Much different from the seventeen-year-old buy she knew but there was no mistaking those eyes.

Once she picked up on his routine, Katara was quick to follow, utilizing every chance between meeting Lotus members and rest to make it just an inch closer to Zuko. She stopped every so feet each time, afraid he might pick up on her stalking- other than the off chance of her being wrong weighing in her mind. No point in turning back now , Katara thought, I am officially labeled a creeper .

It was the same every night. He came out just as the sky turned night, stealthy moving in the dark, through alleyways and barely traveled streets. She remains anonymous as well, choosing clothes colored in dark blue and tying her hair in a low ponytail. He appears from behind an abandoned building again, silently prowling through the streets. This time, he’s not making his usual destination. Katara curses when he stops abruptly a quarter mile from his usual path and turns his head slowly over his shoulder.

Katara stills, biting her lip to hold back anticipated breathing and willing her pounding heart to cease beating in her ears. He’s hesitant for only a moment, facing forward again and slipping into the alley. Katara, darts after him, stopping at the corner. Shock flushed her face. He’s gone!

Cement trickles from above and she barely misses the figure swinging onto the rooftop. Blue eyes widen, shocked to find the stranger peering down at her. In the dark his golden gaze seemed to mock her. Come get me, if you dare, they read. Katara always enjoyed a good challenge.

*** He’s running ahead of her, hoping from rooftop to rooftop. It felt like they were in sync, the way they ran through the night, his movements as flawless as a languid waterbender. The moon was on her side tonight, providing her the much needed energy to keep up with him. The excitement of it all sang in her blood, heightening her adrenaline.

Katara wanted to laugh with childish delight. Lift a hand out to the sky and feel the wind wisp between her fingers. Never mind that she was chasing after a unknown man but something told her he wasn’t intent on harming her.

She halts gracefully in her tracks when he jumps from one of the rooftops, sliding across a tarp and swinging on the structure holding it up just before he lands on his feet. Katara makes a disappointed groan, knowing this was the end of their game. Instead, she stays on his tracks via rooftop, afraid that if she took the time to crawl down, she might lose him.

She crouches low, cursing herself more than ever. How had she not realized she had wondered into enemy territory. Ozai Society members occupied this area, having scouted here the week before with the White Lotus under guise.

The man made two raps on the door across the street from where Katara hid, a sharp one thrice, then another two. The door cracks open and Katara can’t make out their voices. The man in black removes his glove and lifts the sleeve of his right arm to reveal a symbol tattooed right below his palm.

She wanted to kick herself. This wasn’t Zuko after all, and she had exposed herself to the enemy. Regardless, she was already here and decided to scope out what was taking place, at least, settling on leaving before the stranger or anyone else decided to come out of the house.

An hour went by, and no one’s left or entered. She’ll have to return home and let the White Lotus know her findings, on top of admitting that she followed an enemy without their knowledge. La, she was in for a scolding. Katara kicks the dust under her feet, preparing for a running start.

“Leaving so soon.” A raspy voice brought her to an abrupt stop.

Katara narrows her eyes, examining the figure carefully approaching her in the dark, contemplating whether to take off or use the opportunity to question the man; though it might turn into a physical confrontation, she was ready for both. “Are you going to make it worth my while if I decided to stay?” She inquires, crossing her arms over her chest.

Amusement flickered in those gold eyes, but he doesn’t reply to her question. “Not very smart coming here.” He tells her.

Katara smiles behind the cloth covering her nose and mouth. That voice, so distinct and so much like him. “ Yet, here you are.” She retorts.

“This isn’t a joke.” He dismisses her playful attitude. “You need to return home.”

“I’m not going back to the inn.” Katara argued, hurt that he was pushing her away without an explanation off the bat. “At least...at least tell me you’re doing okay.”

He shakes his head. “Not the inn. Go home, Katara.”

“No!” She yells, closing the fists at her side. Zuko was stubborn but Katara was even more so. She had him here, she couldn’t stand the idea of him disappearing again.,Her voice carried in the dark, and both of them heard chatter below. A group flooded the street, muttering suspicions. Humiliation and worry colored Katara’s face.

“Damn.” Zuko groaned, snatching Katara by the elbow. “We gotta leave.”

***

So this is where he’s been hiding? The apartment wasn’t exactly rundown but it certainly wasn’t spacious either. It was decent as decent could get. A single bed, a small table and a washroom fit for one. A bed was posted at the far side of the wall, opposite the door, right next to a large window. You could see the town far out in the woods beyond it.

Katara wasn’t ready to remove her disguise, watching Zuko intently as he quietly closed the door behind them and had yet to reveal himself. The air between them thickeded, from the tiny room or their awkwardness, Katara couldn’t tell which. Four years had gone by since the last time they’d seen each other.

Zuko only stares. From behind his shaggy hair, he looks mysterious, ominous, dangerous. For all she knew, he could have very well become those things, four years can change a person.

“You working for the White Lotus?”

He blinks, taking what feels like forever to reply. He shakes his head.

“You’re doing this alone.” Katara guessed, more of a statement than a question, rather.

“Yes.” He tells her.

Katara licks her lips, nervous now that she truly knew it was her missing friend. “Are you the one who’s been anonymously sending tips to the White Lotus.”

“Yes.”

“And you’ve spent all four years infiltrating the Ozai Society? Because you knew your Uncle and Koji were their new target?”

“Yes.”

“...Your Uncle misses you.”

“Don’t.” He says sternly, eyes darting sharply at Katara. “I should’ve taken you to the inn.”

Katara doesn’t know why but that hurt more than she thought. Zuko was known to push people away but he was flat out trying to get rid of her. If she hadn’t lured those members out, he might have left her without a second thought.

Changing the subject, Zuko announces he’ll make them tea, finally removing the mask from his face and revealing paler than normal skin. Being away from the Fire Nation must have made it so.

Feeling more relaxed in his presence, Katara takes a seat on the bed, studying the place, though there wasn’t much. Zuko kept it simple, probably in case there was risk of his true identity being revealed. Or he cared little for anything other than necessities.

She was anxious to know the reason behind him leaving, a million questions hanging on the tip of her tongue. Katara knows if she blurted out a single inquiry, he’ll shut her out immediately. Zuko comes back with their tea in two wooden cups, sitting beside her and taking a quiet sip of his cup.

Katara does the same before proclaiming. “I’ve missed you too.” Hoping it wouldn’t make him retreat.

A furious blush colors Zuko cheeks, his hard features softening. He looks away, clearing his throat and Katara notices his Adam's apple bob. She blushes too, aware just how much he had grown.

“I-I missed you. All of you; Aang, Sokka, Toph. It’s been hard…” He admits.

Progress? She only hoped. “Really?” Katara soothes, hesitantly reaching out to enclose his hand with hers. Zuko doesn’t shake her away.

“Come back.” Katara whispers softly. “After this, come back with me. If not to the Fire Nation, there’s always a place for you in Republic City. Aang can-”

He slips from her grasp, standing on his feet and trudging across the room. Zuko slumps against the wall, crossing his arms and shaking his head. “There’s no place for me. Go, Katara. Back to Republic City, back to Aang.”

“And what will happen if I leave, after you and the White Lotus take down the Ozai Society?” She wasn’t going to leave, of course.

Zuki shrugs. “Why do you care?”

“Because you have family who are worried about you. Iroh is going out of his mind, concerned about what happened to you, he’s not the same.” And because I want you back , she wanted to say, burrowing down her confession.

“I’m doing this for my Uncle.” Zuko clarified.

“No, you're being selfish and doing things on your own again. Keeping everyone who loves you at arm's length, telling yourself you’re protecting them, when in fact you’re only hurting them-

“Stop!”

“You stop!” She promised herself she’d keep her cool, she promised herself she would give Zuko the much needed time to come around. That flew out the window real fast. “When will you grow the hell up! I swear, I thought you matured after joining Aang but silly me for thinking that you’ve evolved from the childish, egocentric, spoiled prince-” She was on her feet, flying at him. Katara couldn’t contain the outrage, the audacity at how he lacked any consideration.

“I said, stop .” Zuko seethed, cuffing her wrists and pressing them to her chest.

“Not until you fix this! Not until you make things right by everyone who has been worried sick about you!”

“It’s none of your damn business!” He shouted, releasing her wrists and reeling back.

Katara’s left speechless. It doesn’t hit her that a single tear escapes down her cheek until her vision is blurred and a ball forms in her throat. She swallows, the ache failing to subside, and she turns away from Zuko in a daze.

Inhaling sharply, Katara regains her composure, wiping the stray tear with the palm of her hand. “I’m worried about you.”

There’s a moment of dead silence, beating darkly in the room. The weight came down heavy on Katara’s limbs like chains. She can hear Zuko’s feet shuffle on the wooden floor, a slow creak like that of a desperate cry. Then he sighs, footsteps retreating to the front door.

“Don’t be.”

***

She didn’t know when he returned. Dreary, swollen eyes fluttered open to the aura of his presence right next to the bed she borrowed. The inn was across town and the thought of leaving didn’t sit right with her, aside from the exhaustion of their discourse last night.

She sits up quietly, looking over his slumped figure; a mere shadow in a darkened room. Zuko’s hands were clasped together, elbows to knees and his forehead pressed to his fists. He seems to be asleep, until...

“I thought I had a purpose.” Zuko broke the silence. “I had so much to offer at the time, now that I had found my way. You, uncle, aang, everyone...you all gave me a reason to push forward. And though it took me so long to change, to finally realize the man I needed- no, wanted to be, in the end the universe decided I still wasn’t worthy enough.” He paused, Zuko’s breath shook with every attempt to gather himself. “I was so happy. I didn’t deserve it but I was so happy to have met you all. My only regret was that I didn’t make you part of my life sooner, that I didn’t make things right with my Uncle sooner, that I didn’t take the opportunity to truly examine my bad behavior early on in life and make better decisions- because then I’d have more of those precious moments to hold onto.”

Katara doesn’t like this. He’s pouring his heart out but she doesn’t like where this is going. A black hole formed in the pit of her stomach, noting the way Zuko clung roughly to the front of his tunic, at the very center where the evidence of his sacrifice lied. She doesn’t want to meet his eyes when he finally turns his gaze to her. She doesn’t want the memory of those amber eyes glossed with fear and sadness staring back at her with utter defeat.

Please, Yue . Katara prays.

“Katara,” He says softly. Any other time she would have loved to hear him call her name so softly- like a flutter kissing her cheek- but not like this, never like this. “I’m dying.”

#zutara #day 2 #counterpart #zutara week #zutara week 2020 #fanfiction #zutara fanfiction

104 notes · View notes

kpophours · 5 years

Text

Private Lessons (M)

➵ SF9: Youngbin x fem. reader / one shot, tutor AU / fluff, smut

➵ warnings: explicit mentions of sex (handcuffing, oral: receiving/giving, toys, a bit of dirty language, slight breath play), slight cursing

➵ word count: 5.1k

You are nervous.

Clutching your way too heavy bag between your hands, you look around the little café. You’re a tad too early, but you had hoped your new tutor might already be waiting for you. You only know him from a picture so far, the one your mutual friend had shown you a few days ago. All you remember is a handsome face, soft brown eyes and dark, fluffy hair - but that’s about it. You have never been good with faces, much more so with names.

You take another step into the café, trying to find the face you’re looking for - but suddenly, someone calls your name: “Y/N?”

You turn towards the voice and see him: a smile graces his handsome face, dark eyes forming little crescents when he walks towards you, one hand extending towards you for you to shake. You release a shaky breath and return his smile, relief spreading through your whole body. “Youngbin?”, you ask while you shake his warm hand and he nods.

“You found the place alright?”, he inquires, leading you to his table in the back of the café, a bit more quiet and away from all the noise of the other people. “Yes, I’ve actually been here before.”, you explain, taking the seat opposite him and placing your bag on the free chair beside you. “Ah.”, he just makes, shuffling through some papers in front of him, “Okay, so I heard you’d like to receive some additional lessons in Korean?” You nod enthusiastically. “Yes, exactly! I’ve been taking some classes at university already, but there are limits to what you can learn in those. My friend said you’re offering private lessons, so I thought I’d ask you for help.” Your explanation is rushed and you begin to fiddle with your fingers, but you can’t seem to stop the nervous tick - Youngbin is handsome and the way he looks at you makes your heart flutter a bit.

Which is ridiculous because he is your tutor who you’ve only just met.

But still…

“That’s right! The easiest way to learn a new language is to speak to someone who’s fluent. And I’m more than happy to help you with that! So, I’ll have you take a little exam first as I need to know how much you’ve learned so far. Afterwards we’ll talk about what we can and will do to improve your Korean skills and what we should focus on. Is that okay with you?” He has clearly thought about this or done this kind of tutoring more than once already, that much is obvious - he seems very organized and structured. You nod in agreement, and take out your study notes to give to him while you take the little questionnaire he’s prepared for you, slowly beginning to fill it out, thankfully not having too many difficulties with it.

He flips through your notes while you work on the exam, humming from time to time in approval, before he looks up and smiles at you. Your stomach flutters, but you try to ignore your body’s reaction to him. He waits for you to finish the questionnaire and checks your answers afterwards, finally nodding to himself. “Well, I see you’re already pretty advanced. You probably won’t have any problems talking in Korean to me, I think. I know talking in a different language can be scary and more difficult than reading or writing in it. So, I want to put you out there and have you talk to people! Not only to me though - we will visit a Korean BBQ restaurant and I want you to order something for us. We’re also going to watch some kdramas or Korean movies and I want you to explain the plot to me afterwards, talk about your favorite characters and scenes and so on. How does that sound to you?”, he finally proposes, propping his chin up on his hand and gazing intently at you.

You tilt your head to the side and think about his idea for a few seconds. Then, you finally nod: “I think that sounds like a reasonable plan. My friend didn’t say anything about payment yet, so I think we should talk about that, too.” Youngbin shrugs. “We can settle that some other time. I want you to have a few lessons with me first, to see if you feel comfortable with me - and with my teaching methods. If you want to continue after about… two weeks, we can talk about the payment.”

You lift both eyebrows at that. “You’ll work for free…? For two weeks?”, you inquire, a bit baffled at his generosity and he grins. “I mean, I get to eat delicious food and watch some amazing movies as well as tv shows in the company of a beautiful woman. I think that‘s not too bad.”, he explains, giggling adorably when he sees you’re beginning to blush.

“I guess we have a deal then.”, you finally manage to say and he nods, reaching out his hand for you to shake. When his warm, much longer fingers wrap around yours, your heart begins to pound twice as fast. You quickly snatch your hand back, hoping it won’t seem rude. But Youngbin simply smiles at you and takes a sip of his coffee. “Well, let’s begin with our first conversation in Korean, then.”, he finally says, leaning closer and gazing at you with warm eyes, “You start.”

The first lessons with Youngbin are a bit… awkward, maybe even tense. It truly is something entirely different to talk to a native speaker, you quickly notice and are, at first, a bit hesitant to talk freely to him, afraid you’ll make too many mistakes. But you soon learn not to hold back - Youngbin is not one to judge, he’s always quick to help whenever you try to think of a word or stumble over a pronunciation. He radiates trustworthiness and warmth, quickly making you feel comfortable around him. It doesn’t take long until you begin to meet up outside of your planned tutoring lessons - it starts with Youngbin spontaneously sending you a message asking if you’re free one afternoon. You actually don’t have any plans, so you meet up for some coffee just around the corner of your workplace. This, soon, starts to be a regular place for you both to meet, sometimes before work, sometimes afterwards. You also go to the cinema to see a few non-Korean movies together. One evening, he even cooks for you and it isn’t even... that bad (you still offer to be the one to cook next time).

One day while you’re on your way to work and see a new message from Youngbin (with an attached image of his super adorable dog Jamong), immediately beginning to smile brightly, you’re hit with a realization.

You’re have fallen for him.

You almost choke on your coffee, quickly stuffing your phone back into your pocket and clutching the seat under you with alarming force.

Oh no no no no no.

This is not good. You can’t be in love with him. He is your tutor! Just because you began to hang out outside of lessons doesn’t mean he actually likes you… Right?

Your mind is beginning to spiral and you almost miss your stop, stumbling in your haste to get off the bus. The cold air outside clears your head a bit and you take a few deep breaths.

No need to panic. Feelings come and feelings go. This isn’t the end of the world. You can just… pine from afar. And then you’ll end the tutoring lessons and won’t ever have to think about him again.

Yes.

That’s a good plan.

… Right?

… It’s not a good plan.

The second Youngbin messages you again, you already have your phone in hand and come up with something witty to text back. When he asks you to come over to his place for tonight’s lesson, you immediately agree.

With your new revelation, you’re twice as nervous when you ring the bell to his house. Your heart skips a beat when you hear the door buzzing, and you quickly enter, taking the stairs instead of the elevator to give yourself a bit more time to prepare. Jamong runs towards you as soon as you step into the hallway, the door to Youngbin’s apartment thrown open. You kneel down to greet the little ball of fluff, scratching his ears and murmuring soft compliments while smiling down at him.

“Can I have some of those scratches as well?”, an amused voice from the doorway suddenly asks, and you look up. Youngbin’s almost towering over you, looking down at you with a small smile playing on his lips. You release a shaky breath at your positions, but before your mind can begin to wander, he holds out his hand for you to take and quickly pulls you up and into the apartment, Jamong following you both inside.

“I thought we could order takeout and watch a movie, what do you think?”, Youngbin asks, already halfway into the living room. You kick off your shoes and hang your jacket on the rack, following him quietly. “Sounds good to me.”, you simply answer and sit down on the couch, Jangmon shuffling through your legs and nudging you with his nose to get some more cuddles. You oblige, the little fluff being too cute not to.

“Perfect. You can think of a movie while I order us Chinese. You’ll take the same as always, I guess?”

You smile at him and nod, feeling all mushy and warm inside because he remembers your preferred food like it’s no big deal - but to you, it is.

Half an hour later, an Avengers movie plays on tv, Jamong has disappeared into the kitchen for his own dinner and you sit beside Youngbin, your entire body tense. You see how he glances at you from time to time, a small frown on his face, like he tries to figure out what’s wrong with you.

“Are you okay?”, he finally asks and you jump at the sudden noise. He chuckles at your reaction and places one warm hand on your arm, rubbing it gently to calm you. “Relax.”, he murmurs. You smile shakily at him and nod. “I’m fine. Just…”, your mind is reeling, “A long day. I’m a bit tired and tensed up.” He nods in understanding. “You have a lot to do at the moment. I could massage your shoulders to help you relax...?”

“What?!”, you almost squeak, head whipping around to face him. He raises one eyebrow. “A… massage? To help you relax?”, he repeats, lips twitching. He tilts his head to one side, dark eyes observing you. “I heard I’m quite good at giving massages.”

Your heart skips a beat at that.

… Why did he tell you that?!

“I- I …. No thanks, I’m good?”, you finally answer, voice wobbly.

You quickly turn to face the tv again, missing the smirk blooming on Youngbin’s face.

About 15 minutes later, your food arrives and you’re glad for the distraction. When you open the obligatory fortune cookies, you almost groan out loud: The love of your life is right in front of your eyes.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”, you mumble under your breath and Youngbin peaks up. “Hm?”, he makes, leaning over your shoulder to read your quote. You quickly close your fingers over it, shrugging. “It’s nothing. Let’s continue to watch the movie, okay?” He observes you for a few seconds, before beginning to smile again. “Sure.”

Back on the sofa, he gently places a fluffy throw over you both, shifting closer to you so both your bodies fit comfortably under it. You place both hands in your lap, just so they don’t begin to wander in search of others, but then you think better of it and simply sit on top of them.

Better be safe than sorry.

When Youngbin notices your shifting, he chuckles. “What’s going on? Why are you sitting on your hands like that?”, he asks quietly, leaning closer towards you and observing you with dark eyes. You blink like a deer caught in headlights, mind empty while you stare into his brown orbs. “M-my hands are cold?”, you answer in a small voice and he releases a soft “Ah”.

Then, he holds out both hands, a silent invitation. You curse yourself for your flimsy excuse, grumpily placing your hands in his. His fingers immediately close around yours, so much bigger and longer than your own. Your hands look almost ridiculously small in his. He gently begins to rub your hands in between his, blowing gently on them. “They’re not even that cold.”, he finally says, “So maybe you‘re just feeling cold in general? Not that you’re coming down with something.” His worry touches you and you quickly shake your head. “I- I… guess I already warmed them up a bit while sitting on them.”, you reply and return his relieved smile. “That makes sense. Still, I’m always happy to share my body heat with you.”

And with that, he throws one arm around your shoulders, pulling you close and snuggling you into his side. You can barely suppress your surprised squeak, whole body tensing against his. His fingers draw gentle patterns on your shoulder and soon, you can’t help but relax against him, your heart beating unnaturally fast inside your chest. When you finally dare to place your head on his shoulder, you feel his lips ghost over your temple. He suddenly shifts a bit and you look up at him. His eyes are earnest while he gazes at you.

Time seems to stretch while you lock eyes, but then your gaze drops to his lips. He releases a shaky breath when he sees this and then, suddenly, his mouth is on yours. He pulls you even closer to his body, one hand gently cupping your cheek. His head lowers towards yours, lips gently brushing against yours, tongue silently demanding entrance and slipping inside when you open them, caressing your tongue with his. You quietly moan at the sensation, both hands fisting into his shirt and clawing at the soft cotton to pull him even closer. He gently bites down on your lower lip, breaking the kiss to press his lips on your jaw, slowly making his way down, teeth grazing the soft skin on your neck without breaking it. He sucks, hard, making you mewl at the sensation.

Your whole body is hot and tight and alive, hands trembling slightly and heart pounding twice as fast. He reaches your collarbone, pulling at your shirt to bare your soft skin to him, leaving open mouthed kisses on it. Your hands fist into his hair and you pull at the soft strands, softly and without much force, but it makes him grunt and lean backwards. His pupils are dilated, lips slightly swollen and hair already a mess. He fixes his gaze on you, lips curling into a small smirk when he sees your lust-filled expression. “You tell me if you want to stop.”, he murmurs, pressing a soft kiss against your lips and looking at you for consent.

You nod and a rushed “Please don’t stop.” leaves your lips. He groans at that, pressing his forehead to yours and releasing a shaky breath. “Thank God.”, he murmurs before diving back into kissing you. He shifts you, pulling on your legs so you lie on your back, with him now towering over you, his hands slipping under your shirt and softly caressing your sides, slowly making their way up. He ghosts his hand over your clothed nipples, drawing a moan from your lips. He smiles into the kiss, pulling your lower lip into his mouth to suck on it. Then, he releases it again and looks down at you, gaze hazy with lust. He grinds his hips into yours and you feel his bulge pressing into your core, a shaky groan passing your lips.

“Y-Youngbin.”, you plead and he raises one eyebrow. “Yes, darling?”, he answers, the grinding of his hips not stopping. “Please touch me.”, you whine, shifting your hips to meet his halfway and he groans at the movement. “Mhm, I can’t resist if you ask so nicely.”, he replies, quickly pulling your shirt over your head and discarding it on the floor. He quickly unclasps your bra as well and when you’re bared in front of him, he groans at the sight. “God you’re so fucking beautiful, darling. Such soft, pretty skin. I’m going to make you all mine tonight.”, he whispers against your skin, leaving gentle bites on your neck and collarbones, before taking one nipple into his mouth, beginning to suck harshly on it.

Your back bends upwards and you grind your hips against his bulge. He gently kneads your breasts, before making his way further down, kissing your stomach and hip bone, finally halting at the waistband of your jeans. He looks up at you, toying with your belt. “You’re okay with this?”, he asks gently and you nod heavily, making him grin. “Good.” With that, he hooks both your legs around his hips and stands up. You yelp, quickly wrapping your arms around his neck and holding onto him like your life depends on it. He chuckles, hot breath tickling your neck and presses his lips just under your ear. “Let’s take this to the bedroom.”, he explains, hands kneading your ass while he walks you towards the door, which he closes behind him.

Soft city lights illuminate the otherwise dark room, painting everything in soft greys. Your eyes quickly get used to the darkness and when Youngbin lays you gently on top of his sheets, you see the way his eyes take on an almost predatory expression. You instantly clench around nothing, more wetness pooling between your legs while your stomach jolts. Slowly, he begins to pull down your jeans, helping you wiggle free of them. He makes a strangled noise at the back of his throat when he sees the white lace barely covering you, already sticking to your wet core. He stands up again, still completely dressed, and looks down at you, lower lip pulled back between his teeth.

He seems to mull something over, before finally coming to a conclusion. He walks around the bed and opens the second drawer of his nightstand, pulling out two silk ropes. When he sees your questioning expression, he grins almost wolfishly. Then, he reaches for one of your wrists, gently wrapping the soft rope around it, before pulling your arm up and wrapping the other end around his bedpost. Your breathing is already getting erratic and you can’t help but rub your thighs together, hoping to get at least some friction to stop the almost painful need between your legs. When Youngbin sees you shifting, he swats your thigh, the stinging pain making you whimper.

“Don’t.”, he says - softly, but the warning is there. Immediately, your whole body tenses and you stop your movements. Then, he takes your other hand, tying it to the bedpost as well. Your whole body is tight with anticipation and your eyes follow his every move. He takes his time, slowly rolling up the sleeves of his shirt and over his forearms, long fingers working deliberately. You gulp at the sight, eyes wandering towards the front of his jeans, his hard cock forming a deliciously big bulge for you to ogle at. You moan at the sight, shifting on top of the sheets, getting impatient. Youngbin’s dark eyes dart towards you, lips curling. “Patience, darling. It won’t be long now.” He opens the drawer again, clearly looking for something - then, he seems to find it. When you see the pink vibrator and the blindfold in his hands, you almost pass out. He smirks when he sees your surprised yet expectant expression. Gently, he fastens the blindfold around your head, pulling it over your eyes and you release another shaky breath at the sudden darkness. You feel the mattress dip when he finally joins you back on it again, beginning to leave slow kisses on your lower legs, working his way up, leaving gentle love bites on the insides of your thighs.

Your breath comes out in unsteady fits now and you don’t think you’ve ever been so turned on before - and Youngbin hasn’t even really touched you yet.

Just then, he ghosts his lips over your clothed core, drawing a whine from your lips. “Please, Youngbin, please.”, you says in a hushed voice, not caring that you’re literally begging now. You just need him, need some friction or else you’re sure you’ll just combust. He chuckles at your distress and pulls the lace to one side, revealing your slick core to him. He moans at the sight. “I can’t wait to taste you.”, he murmurs, “I can’t wait to finally split you open on my cock.” He grins when you groan at his words, one long finger slipping between your slick folds, teasingly circling your entrance without slipping inside just yet. “I have thought about this moment so many times.”, he murmurs, pressing another kiss on the inside of your thigh, “Thought about having you on the counter top where I always take my coffee. Just bending you over and taking you from behind. Thought about pressing you against the wall when you take a shower.”, you hear the smirk in his voice, “Thought about touching you under the table in our coffee shop.” You whine at his words, hips bucking without being able to stop them. “Tsktsktsk, darling. You know I’m the one in charge here.”, Youngbin’s voice is stern all of the sudden and he swats your thigh again, quickly soothing the reddened skin with one of his large hands, “Just a bit more patience. We’re almost there, I promise.”

With that, he pulls down your panties and you’re finally completely bare underneath him. You hear the slight buzz of the vibrator when he turns it on and not long after, he presses it against your core, teasing your entrance until he draws impatient whines from your lips. Finally, he pushes it inside, you‘re already so slick with want that it easily glides inside. You moan when the vibrations begin to hit you, and can’t help but clench around the toy, making your whole body tremble with lust. All of the sudden, Youngbin’s lips close around your clit and suck, harsh, his tongue flicking over the sensitive bundle of nerves. You gasp out his name, tugging on the ropes around your hands, but they hold firmly.

Youngbin hooks your legs over his shoulders, and dives back into eating you out. It doesn’t take long for you to feel the familiar pressure start building in your body, skin tightening, mind blurring with lust and then, you snap, shattering around the vibrator and on Youngbin’s lips. A small scream tears from your lips and your legs begin to tremble, but Youngbin is insatiable now, lapping up your release and continuing to suck on your clit, the vibrator suddenly buzzing even faster and harder. You squirm under his caresses, everything feeling too much and not enough at the same time, whines and prayers spilling from your lips until your second high is approaching at racial speed.

You tug on the ropes again and this time, they actually give you some kind of support when you shatter for the second time, a hoarse curse tearing from your lips, every thought being ripped away from you. You feel blissed out, whole body trembling, legs and arms prickling softly. Slowly, Youngbin withdraws the vibrator from you, pressing a last soft kiss on your clit, before sitting back on his knees, sliding your legs from his shoulders in the process. He crawls over you, and gently tugs the blindfold away from your eyes.

His smile is soft when looks at you, one eyebrow quirked in a silent question. “That was....”, you trail off, head still spinning from pure bliss, and lean towards him to press your lips to his, tasting yourself on his tongue when it slips into your mouth. When he breaks the kiss again and presses his forehead against yours, you’re still breathing hard, heart pounding inside your chest. “We don’t have to go all the way tonight.”, Youngbin murmurs against your lips and you shake your head. “Oh no, I think we have to. I can’t wait for another night.”, you whine, grinding your hips and making him groan when your slick core presses against his bulge.

“Your wish is my command, darling.”, he says, lips curling into a smile and then, he slips off the bed to undress. Your heartbeat quickens immediately, tongue darting out of your mouth to wet your lips at the sight. He notices your gaze and quirks one eyebrow, pulling his jumper over his head and throwing it into a corner of the room. You bite your lip when you take in his well defined chest, the broad shoulders and muscular arms. Then, he steps out of his pants and reveals his more than pressing bulge, making you groan and tug on the ropes around your wrists again. He grins at your desperation, hovering over you again and pressing open mouthed kisses on your neck, until he whispers into your ear: “Would you like me to release you from those ropes, darling?”

You nod hastily. “Please. I want… I want to taste you too.”, you say, voice and eyes pleading. He groans at this, quickly unwrapping the ropes and soothing the slightly red skin on your wrists by pressing his lips to the marks. “You did so well, my darling. God you’re so pretty when you come, do you know that? A masterpiece and only for me to look at.”, he murmurs against your skin and you whimper at his pleased tone.

“If you want to please me now, you better get on your knees.” His demeanor is completely changed again and you straighten at his tone, immediately crawling from the bed and getting on your knees, looking at him through your lashes, body tight with anticipation. He groans when he sees you gazing at him and slowly, he presses his index finger against your lips. “Open. Relax your jaw.”, he murmurs, tugging his boxer briefs down and freeing his length. You gulp when you see it for the first time, marveling at the beauty and girth of it.

It is perfect and all yours.

You obediently open your mouth and Youngbin pushes inside, moaning when you close your lips around him and suck, tongue running over the length of him. “God, you’re such a good girl for me, Y/N. You’re taking my cock so well.”, he whispers, slowly thrusting his hips forward. You let him take over, slacking your jaw, hands gripping his thighs to steady yourself against his thrusts. He pushes both hands into your hair, gently pulling on it and making you whine around him. You clench around nothing, almost dripping with want and need for him. His cock hits the back of your throat and tears begin to gather in your eyes, but you continue to look at Youngbin, at his hazy, lust-filled eyes, the way his teeth dig into his lower lip and how he gazes down at you, full of adoration and awe. “God, darling, you’re so pretty like this. Letting me use you like this, your mouth was fucking made to suck me off, hm?” His voice is hoarse and his breathing stutters until he suddenly withdraws his cock from your mouth, letting you breathe freely again.

“I can’t wait anymore.”, he says, pulling you up and against his chest, kissing you long and in an almost desperate manner. “God, you’re perfect.”, he murmurs against your lips and walks you back towards the bed, laying you gently on top. You feel your mouth get dry, when you see him roll a condom over his length, positioning himself in front of your entrance. He looks at you, head slightly tilted, and opens his mouth to ask for permission, when you grind your hips and force the tip of his cock inside you. He groans and slowly pushes inside, one hand wrapping around your thigh to open you even further, his other hand gripping your own, interlacing his fingers with yours. You wrap one leg around his hip and use it to push him even deeper inside of you. You both moan when he bottoms out, his body pressing into you at all the right places, feeling like he’s everywhere at once.

“You’re okay?”, he murmurs when he feels you clench around him and you nod. “Y-yes, you can move now.”, you answer a bit breathlessly and he smiles, pulling out of you, only leaving the tip of his cock inside until he slams his hips back into yours. You close your eyes and quickly lose yourself to the steady, almost punishing rhythm he sets inside of you, hips pushing against yours in an almost bruising manner. He lets go of your thigh, long fingers gripping around your throat, using just enough pressure to make you a bit dizzy. You moan, voice hoarse and begin to clench around him. His left hand lets go of yours, slipping between your bodies to circle your clit with his thumb.

Your third high quickly barrels towards you and you finally shatter again, clenching around him and moaning his name, over and over again. He grunts, your hole clenching around his length making him quickly tumble over the edge as well. With a few last thrusts, he finally comes to a halt, breathing heavily and nuzzling his face against your neck.

You bury both hands in his slightly damp hair, ruffling it a bit and making him laugh. He draws back to look at you and begins to smile, before leaning down again, kissing you slowly and deliberately. “How about a bath and some hot chocolate afterwards?”, he murmurs against your lips when he breaks the kiss and you smile, nodding happily. “That sounds amazing. Y- you were amazing...”, you whisper, a blush creeping on your cheeks.

He grins, maybe a bit proud, and gently cups your cheek. “As were you. You definitely don’t need any private lessons in the bedroom.”, he teases and you giggle, kissing the tip of his nose. “But I think we found a new reward system for your rapidly improving Korean skills now.”, he adds and you blink at him, surprise written all over your face.

He laughs and flashes you a wolfish smile, kissing you one last time before pulling out of you and quickly discarding of the condom. Then, he extends one hand towards you.

“Come on, let’s go take a bath now.”

You smile and take his hand.

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annes-andromeda · 4 years

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Ragnarök: Asgard’s Twilight

Chapter 4: Out With The Old

N/: New chapter! This includes some changes to Thor and Loki finding Odin, while also adding in Jane, Darcy, a bit of Valkyrie foreshadowing, and of course family drama.

The streets of London were much different from Manhattan. Sure, they were buzzing with busy civilians, but it seemed much more relaxed compared to the pushy and sometimes rude people of New York. Thor looked around as everyone gave him equally fascinated stares.

Thor had remembered the address of Jane’s home. Due to her scientific discoveries and acknowledgment as an astrophysicist, she had been able to move out of her parents house and afford her own abode. He was happy for her, but deep in the back of his mind, he still felt guilt over leaving her without notice for so long. Thankfully though, just because they weren’t romantically involved didn’t mean they had to stop being friends.

Once coming up a street, then about three more, the brothers walked past houses and playing children, till eventually they found the building that had the number “84”. Walking towards the door, Thor had one hand in his pocket, the other reaching to the doorbell. He took a deep breath before pressing on the button, then waited beside Loki for a reply.

On instinct, he assumed that Jane would be the one opening the door. But instead, another familiar face greeted him.

“Well, if it isn’t Captain sparkly face and Emperor witch pants” Darcy said, her tone humorous

Thor chuckled as he wrapped his large arms around her to give her a hug “Nice to see you too, Darcy”

When they parted, Thor looked over to Loki, who had an eyebrow raised and let out an exasperated breath. The two then heard a voice call out to Darcy, “Hey, Darcy! Is tha-“ The person stopped mid sentence the minute she locked eyes with the blonde haired giant.

Jane’s mouth hung open as she tried to find the words to say. Her hair was tied behind her, unkept and messy. “Thor...” was the only thing she could muster. She walked over to him and hugged him, which he gladly returned. Once they parted, she looked over to Loki and said “Weren’t you-“

“It’s a long story” Loki interrupted “But one that would have to wait, I’m afraid”

“He’s right, Jane” Thor said “You see, things have changed within the Nine Realms, and we were informed that our father was with you”

Jane frowned before nodding “Right this way”

Thor walked through the doorway with Loki behind him. The house was nicely kept, aside from the materials possibly used for experiments, and the bombardments of paperwork. The living room was next to the kitchen, which Darcy went into to get some food “You guys want anything?”

Thor shook his head “No, thank you” When his gaze returned to Jane, she motioned to the couch, where a heavy figure lay motionless. He immediately realized who it was, bending down and leaning in closer “Father...” he whispered. Odin’s face was embedded with sweat, a white cloth wrapping over his right eye. A blanket lay over his resting form.

He turned to Jane “What happened to him?” He asked

“I don’t know” the woman answered “He’s been very delirious lately; sweating profusely, nonsensical words, just overall acting... strange. I tried giving him some medicine to calm him down, but I didn’t know which one would actually do anything, so I just resorted to Tylenol and some Xanax. Seems to have done the trick. But he’s been sleeping in for well over three weeks now”

“Perhaps he went into Odinsleep” Loki commented, leaning over the couch “It’s possible that he could have broken free of my spell and used his own power far too greatly. And there’s never any discernible time as to when he’s in that state”

“No” Thor said “No, this is something different. If father truly was in Odinsleep, then the Odin-force would create a barrier around him as a means to protect him, and even then he’d be vulnerable, but not weak”

His hand ran through his father’s hair, moving the locks away from his sweat drenched forehead. Odin was breathing heavily, as if the air was fighting to escape his lungs. There was struggle within his body, one that told of true pain. And Thor felt helpless to do anything.

Jane then came forward and adjusted the blanket “Let’s leave him alone for now. Maybe he’ll sense that you’re here and wake up”

Struggling to part from his father’s side, Thor eventually got up, letting his father rest a while longer. Perhaps if he just waited a while longer, then perhaps his father would awaken and tell him what he needs to know.

“I see you’ve been researching more of our culture” Thor heard Loki say. It had been almost half an hour since they had arrived, and there still were no signs of stirring with Odin. Thor sat at the dinner table, drinking a latte that Darcy had happily prepared for him. Jane was standing next to Loki, rummaging through all the research papers she had conducted.

“Yeah” Jane responded “Ever since the whole ordeal with the Aether, I started looking up some more info on Norse Mythology, and I guess I just... went from there” She grabbed one of the papers, studying it intently “It’s always been fascinating to me how your appearances on Earth inspired such stories and legends. It even helped created an entire culture”

Loki shrugged “Well, it’s not as if it didn’t happen before. You mortals have always had a sense of ignorance and blind worship within you. Even the more... intellectual ones”

The sound of Jane’s scoff echoed through the kitchen “Really? And who was the one who planted Gravimetric strikes alongside Doctor Selvig to stop the Convergence when Malekith was attacking?”

“And who was the one who saved you from getting sucked into a wormhole?” Loki said snidely “Who were the ones who aided you in getting the Aether out of your body?”

“For your information, I managed to survive that encounter longer that most people could even imagine” Jane added “Shouldn’t that say something about me?”

Loki chuckled “I meant no offense, Foster. Although, you can’t deny that my jests weren’t entirely out of mockery. Just simply take it in stride, is all”

Thor could only watch the ordeal from his seat, with Darcy at his side sporting a shit-eating grin on her face “This is honestly the most entertainment I’ve gotten in the past month” She said looking over to Thor “So how’s your new boyfriend, space retriever?”

That made both Jane and Loki stop talking, the two of them immediately looking to Thor. The man felt cornered as all eyes were on him. Granted, it wasn’t the topic that made him uncomfortable. Oh god no, Thor could talk about Steve all day. Hell, when he returned to Asgard, he spoke of the Captain so often that even Fandral began taking a liking to him. This time, however, Thor felt it would be rather insensitive to talk about his new flame in front of his old flame.

“Heard he’s a real heart throb” Darcy continued “Yeah, golden hair, body like Adonis, and an ass chuck full of meat. Bet you have fun with him a lot, don’t ya? ”

Thor’s face grew red at the image of his love’s splendid behind forming within his mind. An absolutely horrible time, considering that Jane was staring at him and Loki was waiting for whatever dumb response his brother could concoct.

“Yes” He finally answered “Steve and I enjoy each other’s company very much. However, he hasn’t grown comfortable enough to warrant any... physical intimacy, let alone a kiss”

“You haven’t even kissed yet?” Loki said, the comment shocking Thor. Strange coming from someone who never ever cared for his past flings before

Thor only rolled his eyes “As I was saying... Steve prefers it that we take our time in this courtship. But the last time I saw him was but a few months ago”

Jane walked over to Thor, placing a hand atop his giant bicep “Thor,” she began “You don’t have to feel uncomfortable talking about the Captain when you’re around me. Yeah sure, we’re not together anymore, but we agreed to still be friends, remember?”

Yeah, he did. Breaking up with Jane was amongst one of the hardest decisions he’s had to make. That and giving up the throne. When the Bifrost was destroyed, he never expected to see Jane again. Figured she’d be better off without him. Meeting Steve was never his intention, but he was glad he did.

And even when his feelings for Jane diminished, and the ones for Steve grew, Thor reassured Jane that he would continue to be her friend. And it held true to this day. Just because they weren’t together anymore didn’t mean Thor stopped adoring her.

“Anyways” Jane’s voice snapped Thor out of his trance “Now that we got that out of the way, yeah... I’ve been researching more on your culture ever since the encounter with Malekith”

Darcy got up from her seat, grabbing her mug alongside Thor’s cup to wash in the sink “She’s been especially interested in those guys” She motioned to a tapestry on the wall, which depicted armored women riding atop winged horses. There were spears in their hands, their faces fair and beautiful. Strong and fierce, graceful and true.

“Ah yes, the Valkyrie” Thor said rising from his seat to take a closer look at the tapestry “I had wanted to join them when I was young, but my mother told me they were only women”

“I remember that” Loki added “We used to play a game of sorts where you’d parade the halls as a mighty Valkyrie atop your steed, and I’d chase you around until we resulted in the gardens”

“At least you could’ve actually been one of them”

“True. But I believe father wouldn’t have allowed that. Probably would have seen right through my facade”

Thor chuckled. He turned to Jane, who’s hands pushed through papers and made it to a little journal “Out of all the things that I’ve researched, they were the ones who peaked my interest. A group of elite warriors who brought the fallen in battle to Valhalla”

She held a printed painting of a young woman wearing a white dress and, like the other Valkyrie, held a spear in her hand. The maiden sat beside a lake, her feet dipped in the water, and her face solemn.

“Brunnhilde” Thor said, looking at the picture “The Fallen Angel. That’s what she was named. She led the Valkyrior into Niffleheim where they all went extinct. A shame that this resulted in Asgard returning to their more... ‘traditional’ ideals”

“It was also believed that Brunnhilde was the most beautiful warrior on Asgard” Loki claimed “A vision so fair that she could’ve been crafted for Valhalla itself”

“Yeah” Jane said “She’s pretty famous down here too. I tried looking up the cause of her and the Valkyrie’s death, but there wasn’t anything aside from them riding to Niffleheim and never being seen again. Fading into obscurity”

“In case you couldn’t tell, Jane’s got a bit of an obsession with these guys” Darcy remarked “She’s even resorted to writing old runes in her journal, placing stats on these people as if they were Mortal Combat characters, and drawing them for days on end. I haven’t been able to get a days work done without her yapping on about the history of Scandinavian culture”

“Oh shut up, you like my rambles” Jane said jokingly

“They didn’t disappear into thin air” Thor interrupted “They were killed; by one my people wouldn’t dare speak of. The goddess of death, Hela. Stories were told of her to frighten children: how she slaughtered all the Valkyrie and destroyed their legacy-”

A grumble interrupted his explanation, and he immediately turned to the source of the noise. The blanket covered Odin began to stir, his grumbling getting louder. Thor hurried over to see what was all the fuss about, Loki and Jane at his tail while Darcy stayed from a distance. He noticed that his father’s breath had grown rapid, his eyes rolling behind his head.

“Father?” Thor said, as he attempted to wake the All-Father by shaking him. Yet no response came. Again he tried, “Father!” But nothing.

“Is he having a seizure?” Jane asked worryingly

“She’s...coming” Odin could be heard saying “She’s coming! She’s coming!”

And then, his eyes fully opened, scaring the three people looking at him. They waited for him to say something, anything. But he ignored them, getting up on his own. He snatched the blanket away from his body, stretching his limbs

Thor put his hand on his father’s back “Father?” He tried “Father, what is it?”

Odin turned to look at his son, his hand coming to his face “You...you... are Thor... my son”

“Yes” Thor smiled “Yes Father, it’s me. I’m here, and so is Loki”

“Yes...my-my...my other son” Odin slurred. He stumbled on his feet, attempting to shift his gaze towards Loki “The storms within you burn greatly. I suppose the fault is mine...for being so callous. I have failed both of you... my sons... and now, I shall face the consequences”

The last word was drawn out, gurgled and transformed into more grumbling “My time has come. The day of reckoning is upon us”

“Father what are you talking about?” Thor asked, voice painted with worry

“It is upon us: Ragnarök. The end of all of Asgard. The Twilight of the Gods” Odin started bluntly

Thor and Loki looked at each other. No, it couldn’t be true. “But father” Loki stepped in “We’re not gods. You said so yourself, remember?”

Odin chuckled darkly to himself, as if his sons were nothing but voiced in his head “Oh my boys, if you knew what you truly were capable of- what I was capable of, as my father before me- you wouldn’t hesitate to call yourselves Gods” He walked over to the kitchen, shoeing away at Darcy so as to get a drink.

Thor promptly stopped him, forcefully grabbing his father’s wrist before he took a chug of alcohol “No, no! You’re going to explain yourself and tell us what’s happening”

“There’s no time!” Odin exclaimed “She is coming, the inevitable is about to transpire! I tried to hide her away, to protect Asgard from her, but her power is too great to control. Acting the fool, I was! Callous and stupid! Irresponsible!”

The words came out rushed and anxious. In an attempt to calm Odin down, Thor cupped his father’s face “Just... please explain. Slowly”

A sigh escaped Odin’s lips “It is Hela, the goddess of death. I had imprisoned her when she proved to be too extreme. But now the time has come. The time for Asgard to fall. And for my secrets to be unveiled. I have lied to you, my boy” His gaze was focused directly to Thor “You... You... are not my firstborn child”

Thor felt the wind get knocked out of him “W-What...?”

“Before I married your mother, Frigga, I had taken another partner. Her name was Jord: the goddess of the Earth. With her, I wished to conceive a child strong enough to survive on both Midgard and Asgard. When that baby was born, I couldn’t be prouder. But in my heart, I could see that there was danger in their strength. So much so, that I couldn’t even bring myself to claim them as my own”

The look of shock in Thor’s face began to mold into disgust, eyebrows furrowing and mouth agape. This had to be a nightmare. Some terrible dream he was having. The way his mouth felt dry, his skin getting colder. It was too surreal.

“When they came of age, I brought them into my forces. We fought side by side together. But the child grew to detest me, even going as far as to plot and scheme with my enemies. I sent them into exile, feeling it was the best choice for the Nine Realms. And when it was time for me to seek out another Queen, I met Frigga. Which resulted, in your birth”

Thor shook his head continuously “No...no. Don’t say it, don’t you dare say it”

Odin gave a look of shame. The feeling in the room was uncomfortable, with Jane and Darcy completely silent, unable to comprehend what was happening. Loki was in as much shock as anyone, but he felt the need to say something. The news of Hela returning was already enough for him to be in a stressful mode.

“The goddess of death” Odin began “Hela. She is not simply myth. She is very real. She... is your sister”

He looked over to Loki, his face hardening and stern.

“And your mother”

#marvel #my writing #fanon marvel #ragnarok rewrite #not ragnarok friendly #thor odinson #loki friggason #jane foster #darcy lewis #odin borson #anti ragnarok #just in case #gagnarok

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thetakenpokemon · 4 years

Text

Act 2 - Dread Stirs in the Sands

[Location: Venhara - Venhara Palace] [PoV: Neferhotep, Eleventh Queen of Venhara]

The Venharan Lucario before me bows once more.��“Thank you my Queen for taking your precious time to listening to what I have to say, with your word I shall leave presence.”

I nod my head, keeping a small yet gracious smile on my lips. “You have my permission to leave, my subject.” I dismiss. Upon hearing this, he rises to his feet and turns and walks out of the throne room.

As he leaves the entrance, two of my sapphire guards close the giant pair of doors. With no one except them as witnesses, I let myself sigh as a tired frown returns to my face. I slump in my throne, rubbing my forehead.

Although I’ve often been tired of audiences, as of late I’ve actually grown to appreciate them due to the...distraction they provide. I’ve had a pit in my stomach for the past few weeks, a dread that has been eating me ever since that fateful day of what the Sand Striders have found in the Dunefields of Den.

“I wish you were here, mother.” I whisper to myself. “You would handle this situation far better than I.”

The doors before me open suddenly, making my head perk up. Normally there would be an announcement of who it is that’s having an audience with me, so if there is no declaration being made...

I feel a grin form on my face as Tetishuri strides into the throne room, her signature cool smile on her face - and said smile widens somewhat upon seeing me.

“Teti!” I shout happily, standing up from my throne. Throwing courtesy to the wind, I run up to her and pull her into a hug - yet keeping enough distance so that we don’t impale each other with our chest horns.

“I see that you’re feeling better, Nefi.” She chuckles, returning my hug. Her gaze looks at my eyes, her smirk widening. “I see that your servants have done a great job with your makeup, since those bags under your eyes are barely noticeable.” Her eyes twinkle. “Still staying up late playing that handheld~?”

I pout, giving her a playful shove. “It’s not my fault that the games are addicting!” I say indignantly.

That handheld is a small gaming console from overseas, said device having been gifted to Tetishuri by a small Lopuny, in which Tetishuri then gifted to me. I’ve had such fun playing with it ever since I figured how it worked, and it has been the best form of distraction to keep me dwelling on...recent events.

“You still have your royal duties.” She chuckle at me, giving me a playful shove back. “It would be unfortunate if the Queen of Venhara were to oversleep after staying late playing games.”

This is one of the things I love about Tetishuri, for she treats me like a friend instead of a queen when we’re out of the public eye. She has been one of my strongest pillars in keeping me sane.

“But I haven’t come here for pleasantries, sadly.” Tetishuri then says, her smile turning to a frown.

And all pleasant things have to end, it seems. Can’t help but be unsurprised, as much as I hate to say. With a heavy sigh I turn and walk back to the throne, sitting down on the plush silk cushion and resting my hands on the armrests.

“Guards!” I shout to the Sapphire Warriors standing by the throne doors. “I shall be holding no more audiences for the day.” I glance at Tetishuri, and another thought comes to my mind. “You are all dismissed.”

They nod their head, but I could notice some of their expressions of disappointment. It’s very clear that they wanted to listen to whatever it is that Teti has to say, but they obeyed nevertheless. As the throne doors close behind them, my gaze turns back to Tetishuri.

“What is it that you have to tell me, Teti?” I ask, tiredness filling my voice.

“Sand Striders Abasi and Massika have returned.” The leader of the Sapphire Warriors speaks, straight to the point as always. “They have found more tracks, this time severa morel pairs of them.”

The pit in my stomach grows bigger. “M-More?” I stutter, my eyes widening.

She nods her head grimly. “It seems that whatever caused those tracks after that storm, there is more than just one creature.”

I grab my head. “By the Queens...” I whisper.

“The Sand Striders followed the tracks to the end, however the tracks ended just as suddenly as the first.” She finishes.

I’m not sure if I should be feeling this worried or not, but after being informed by the Guardians of Twilight of what they dealt with recently...

...I feel that I really should be worried.

They fought what seems to be a Scizor whose origins are completely unknown, possessing a power whose likes has never been seen before. On the day of its death, a large storm appears in Venhara followed by the tracks of something completely unknown.

Am I...overreacting? Am I getting incredibly stressed for no reason?

It is...a coincidence, for such events to happen within the same day. Perhaps something else caused that storm, such as a rogue Thundurus or Tornadus.

...Yet that doesn’t quite explain the tracks, and the concept of a rogue Legendary isn’t really that much better...

“...Tetishuri?” I eventually ask after a lengthy silence.

During this period the other Lucario waited patiently, and upon me saying her name she nods her head. “Yes, Nefi?” She responds back.

“I’d...like to ask you a question.” I slowly continue, my voice apprehensive.

“Ask anything, I am here.” She responds again, giving me a comforting smile.

I wait for several more minutes, contemplating my choice of words.

“Am I...making the right choice?” I finally ask, my voice hesitant.

Tetishuri walks over to me and pulls me up from the throne and into a warm embrace, allowing me to rest my head on her shoulder. “You are making the best choice from the information that you know.” She answers into my ear. “You are worried for your kingdom.”

I feel myself relaxing. “I’m not overreacting?”

She pulls away, looking me dead in the eyes. “We both heard what the Guardians of Twilight told us. You are no overreacting. You are acting in response to a possible threat to the kingdom, as a Queen of Venhara should.”

Whatever doubt that clouded my mind vanishes completely after hearing those words. “Thanks, Teti.” I say softly to her, a smile of relief forming on my lips.

“Anything for my Queen.” She simply responds back with a mischievous smile.

I give her a playful shove. “Come on, you know I hate it when you call me that.” I whine. “I have to deal with it enough when we’re under the watchful eye of the public!”

Tetishuri merely laughs in response. “But I enjoy the reactions that it brings!”

I stick my tongue at her.

She blinks at me before crossing her arms. “Sometimes you make me wonder how old you truly are, seeing how often you behave like a pup.”

A blow a raspberry for further measure.

She raises an eyebrow in response. “Yes, I often wonder indeed...”

As a formulate a retort, Tetishuri speaks up again - cutting my train of thought from forming a brilliant response. “Before I forget, I do have one more bit of news - positive this time.”

"Well, that’s a welcome change.” I sigh.

Tetishuri nods. “I’ve received word from the Guardians of Twilight. There has been a slight delay, but the Night Watcher that’s coming to investigate will be arriving in two weeks. They’ve assured me that it’s one of their best for this environment.”

Now this caught me curiosity. “Best for this environment?”

She nods again. “Their skills are considered unparalleled in desert climates among the Guardians of Twilight. If there is a threat in our kingdom, this Night Watcher will surely find it.”

More relief fills me. “That’s...very assuring.”

“I agree, however I feel that some of the Sand Striders will probably have a bone to pick with this Night Watcher.” Tetishuri smirks.

I blink. “Bone to pick...?”

Her smirk grows. “An expression I picked up during my most recent visit to the Guardian of Twilight’s Headquarters.” With that she takes a step back, bowing her head. “As much as I’d like to continue this conversation, I have a few duties left for me to attend. I will see you again later today, Nefi.”

Without another word she turns and walks towards the giant doors.

A scowl forms on my lips. “You still didn’t tell me what that expression means!”

No response came from Tetishuri, who is currently opening the giant pair of doors with a push of her hand.

“Teti! What does it meaaaaan?!” I shout before running after her, my behavior surely being something that would bring great shame to the Venharan Queens before me.

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

[Location: Venhara - Dunefields of Den] [PoV: ???¿?¿¿?]

...

<>CONNECTION ESTABLISHED<>

...

<>LOCATION - UNKNOWN|REALM - UNKNOWN|TIMELINE - UNKNOWN<>

<>INFORMATION INCONCLUSIVE<>

<>SCAN KNOWN DATA COLLECTIVES|OBTAIN TRACE INFORMATION<>

<>COLLECTIVE INFLUENCE: 0%<>

<>COLLECTIVE TRACE: 0%<>

<>MATTER CONVERTED: 0%<>

<>CONCLUSION: REALM UNTOUCHED<>

...

<>SETTING OBJECTIVES FOR AESIVE SUBJUGATION COLLECTIVE<>

<>STUDY|LEARN|CONVERT<>

<>SETTING OBJECTIVES TO AXIS MINDS<>

<>OBJECTIVE: MERGE REALITY WITH COLLECTIVE REALITIES|TIMELINES<>

<>OBJECTIVE ASSIGNED TO AXIS MIND: ENKELADOS<>

<>OBJECTIVE: INTEGRATE WORLD INTO COLLECTIVE NETWORK<>

<>OBJECTIVE ASSIGNED TO AXIS MIND: PANAKION<>

<>SUITABLE|PREPARE|RELEASE<>

<>CONVERT MATTER|ESTABLISH FOOTHOLD|CEMENT EXISTENCE<>

...

<>AESIVE SUBJUGATION COLLECTIVE: DEPLOYED<>

#unitylucario #neferhoteplucario #venhara #guardiansoftwilight #plot #???

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coconutknightshade · 5 years

Text

Capri Sun (Ch 1)

Word Count: 1.4K Relationships: Tony Stark/Pepper Potts ; Tony Stark & Peter Parker ; Pepper Potts & Peter Parker

Summary: The one in which Peter is riding the elevator with Tony and Pepper when he notices a fourth heartbeat and honestly he can’t believe Pepper and Tony haven’t told him yet that they’re having a baby. In the end it’s Peter that tells them they’re having a baby.

Read Here on AO3 or Below

“Everyone is so absorbed with their phones these days,” Peter sighs dramatically. “Nobody lives in the moment. Back in my day we didn’t have electricity. We pushed each other in the dirt for entertainment.” Tony snorts but finally looks up from his phone. “You kids these days have it so easy,” he adds. “When I was a kid, I had to walk 47 miles in the snow to get to school.” Pepper laughs. “None of you kids have any work ethic. I used to work four jobs, 30 hours a day. None of you know what hard labor is.” “Pepper, you do actually somehow manage to work 30 hours a day,” Tony deadpans. The redhead doesn’t look up from her StarkPad but she does smirk. “We can’t both be the trophy spouse, Tony.“

Peter whistles low. “I’d say she really got you with that one but-” “Not with that attitude we can’t,” Tony mutters petulantly. Things fall back into a companionable silence as the three of them step into the elevator. Tony pulls his phone back out and Peter drops his head back against the wall of the elevator. His phone is dead, otherwise he too would have it out. Instead he closes his eyes and lets the silence wash over him. Except nothing is ever truly silent around Peter. He can hear the mechanics of the elevator whirring beneath his feet. The sound the panel makes as they pass by each floor. There’s a fly somewhere off in the right corner that fades into something of a white noise. He can hear Pepper’s slow and steady heart rate and it relaxes him just a bit more. Tony’s is there in the background, the beats falling between Pepper’s own. It beats a little faster, however, and Peter frowns. High blood pressure. The additional heartbeat is soft, nearly undetectable and- Peter’s eyes shoot open. The fourth heart beat. The fourth. He tilts his head in confusion. It’s faint but it’s definitely there. “Oh wow,” Peter says in surprise, expression one of thinly veiled shock before he’s downright beaming. “Congratulations on the baby! If I weren’t so excited I would be offended that you haven’t actually told me about it yet!” He’s dancing on the balls of his feet, not really taking in the way Tony and Pepper are looking at him. Pepper looks confused and Tony looks horrified. “Kid,” Tony says slowly, “what the fuck are you talking about?” “The heartbeat- There’s another heartbeat.” His brows are furrowed, face scrunched in confusion as he hesitantly glances between the two, almost doubting himself. “You two are having a baby, right?” Pepper laughs, almost nervous. “That’s cute, Peter. You really had me there for a second.” “But I’m not jok-” “Who put you up to it?” Tony looks amused. “Was is Sam? Wait no, don’t tell me- It was Clint, wasn’t it? Couldn’t catch me off guard in the vents so now he’s trying a new approach. Well joke’s on him if he thinks it’s that easy.” He’s pulling his phone out to text the archer but Peter snatches it from his hand, demanding both their attention. “I’m not joking and I’m not crazy. There’s a fourth heartbeat. I mean I’m not a doctor but I do have enhanced hearing, so.” He drags the word out, eyebrows raised pointedly before shifting into something of pure unadulterated glee. “I hope it’s a boy. I mean, even if it’s a girl that would be amazing obviously! I’m so excited- This is so exciting. Mister Stark we could make a high tech crib! A high tech high chair!” He nearly gasps at his own idea. “Stark Industries could break into high tech baby thingies and make a killing.” “I’m already making a killing, Pete.” His voice is quiet, exasperated and almost fond. But Peter doesn’t hear him. He’s already rambling on and on, effervescent in this new revelation. Tony and Pepper are staring at each other with mirroring expressions of surprise and uncertainty. “Are we really going to take the kids word for it?” He sounds uncertain, but there’s something underneath it. Something Pepper can’t quite make out. She finally shrugs, almost bashful. “It’s news to me, but I can’t say I’d be disappointed.” Tony’s expression softens and he steps into Pepper’s space, wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’m just going to blunt here, Pep. This is kind of terrifying. I’m not sure that I’m prepared for this.” “Tony,” she says with a patient smile. “Preparation wouldn’t make it any less terrifying.” “We are a power couple…” Tony’s muses. “Of course it only makes sense that we would be power parents also.” "Well, you kind of already are a power parent, aren’t you?” They both turn towards the kid. He’s still rambling, listing things off on each finger, gesticulating wildly. Tony snorts. He’s pretty sure Peter hasn’t paused to take a breath since he started. “Thankfully we get to send this one back home to May every day.” Pepper laughs when Peter cuts himself off mid sentence, narrowing his eyes at Tony. He’d only caught the very end of that conversation and quite frankly- “Okay, well that was rude. But I’m really high-key freaking out with excitement over here and you’re about to be a dad and oh man I can’t wait to make dad jokes at you- Anyways, yeah, that was rude but I’m going to let it go this time. You’re welcome.” Tony raises an eyebrow and looks over to Pepper as if to say can you believe this kid. Pepper has to bring a hand up to cover her amusement. “How very kind of you,” he replies dryly. “A merciful King.” Peter lifts his chin theatrically and nods in agreement. “Heavy is the head, and all that jazz.” “You don’t remember the rest of the quote,” Tony deadpans. “Didn’t we just study that Monday night for your quiz?” “No,” Peter scowls. Tony shoots him a knowing smirk, finally gaining the upper hand once more. “As I was saying,” Peter cuts in pointedly, even though neither Pepper or Tony know what the kid had actually been saying. “My middle name is Benjamin and you know, I really think it’s making a come back. Just caught it in Forbes last week. Mhmm. Very socialite these days. I mean think of all the great Benjamin’s out there- Benjamin Franklin…Uhh.” Peter is already at a complete loss. Only for a moment. "Oh! Ben Stiller, Ben Affleck, Benjamin Button. You really can’t go wrong here.” “And if it’s a girl?” Pepper is enjoying this way too much. Peter scoffs as if the answer is obvious. “Penelope. Penny for short. See? That’s one task I’ve already taken care of.” The elevator doors finally open and Peter gently pushes Pepper out. “Go, you need rest. I’m already texting Happy.” “Pete, your phone is dead.” Tony goes to take a step forward but stumbles when Peter fists a hand in the billionaires suit and pulls him back onto the elevator.

“I know what I said! Now go, you need rest, shoo.” He motions with his free hand for her to move along. “Go have an avocado smoothie or something healthy. Whatever pregnant ladies need to do. Yoga or hot baths. I don’t know, I’ll Google it later.” The doors are closing, Pepper is laughing, and Tony is trying to break free of Peter’s grasp. “Kid, what are you doing right now?” “I’m making sure you can’t distract Pepper. You stress her out.” Tony looks offended but when Peter gives him a look he begrudgingly relents. “I’m well behaved,” he pouts. Peter pats his shoulder sympathetically. “Of course you are. Let’s go, I’m going to buy you a congratulatory chocolate shake.” “Peter, I think I can buy my own shake.” “Well, I’d buy you a drink, but we have that ridiculous drinking age… Ridiculous.” Tony wraps an arm around Peter’s shoulder. “It’s okay, kid. It’s the thought that counts. C'mon. I’ll buy you a Capri Sun.” “I’lL bUy YoU a CaPrI sUn,” Peter repeats in a mocking voice, petulant. Tony is nearly grinning as he stares up at the numbers above the door as they descend further and further. He’s waiting for what he knows will come. Then, finally, a quiet, “I want three of them.” And there it is. Tony smirks. He can do this whole parent thing. After all, Pepper is right. He does already have one kid. Tony ruffles Peter’s hair obnoxiously, laughing outright as the kid groans and shoves him away. Yeah, Tony thinks, I’ve totally got this.

#mine #my writing #tony stark #peter parker #pepper potts #pepperony #irondad #spiderson #spicemom #ironfam #iron family #marvel fic #mcu fanfiction #iron man fic #spiderman fic #capri sun

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myriadimagines · 5 years

Text

Common Face

Game of Thrones One Shot

Pairing: Reader x Margaery Tyrell

Other Characters: Olenna Tyrell, Tommen Baratheon, Cersei Lannister

Warnings: –

Request: “One Shot for Margaery x reader. Reader is an assassin sent to Kings Landing by Olenna to spy on Cersei & is Margaery's secret lover, while she is married to Tommen. Cersei gets suspicious. (i requested this b4 but one shots were closed - hope you can do it) Thank you!” – anonymous

Word Count: 1,923

A/N: I ended up writing a lot more than I thought I could given how short this request is rip but anyway I hope it’s okay!!

please reblog/leave comments, they’re very much appreciated!

Your name: submit What is this?

You sign your initial at the bottom of the letter, the ink bleeding through the thin parchment before you place you quill down. You blow a gentle breath over the paper, allowing the ink to dry before you fold it, reaching for the melting gold wax to your left before pouring it over the folds of your letter. Reaching under your coat, you pull out a small seal, securing the letter closed.

You pull the seal away, revealing the Tyrell sigil, the golden rose glistening at you under the dim candlelight. You will hide it in the gardens, as you have done countless times before, where Olenna’s spies will no doubt take the letter and deliver it to her. She expects weekly updates from you, after all — you are only in King’s Landing for one reason, that reason being to spy on Cersei Lannister.

And also, unbeknownst to all, to be closer to the love of your life, Margaery Tyrell.

There’s a knock at your door, and you immediately tense as you bury the letter under a stack of books on your small, creaking table. Reaching for a concealed dagger under your belt, you slowly advance towards the door before a familiar voice hums, “Are you going to keep me waiting, y/n?”

You sigh, relaxing, shaking your head as you tuck your dagger back into its sheath. You tug open the heavy door, revealing Margaery standing in the doorway, her beautiful smile illuminated by the small lantern she holds up to her face. She moves past you as you check the hallways, closing the door behind you and locking it for good measure. Margaery sets down the lamp, and your hand has barely left the door handle before she reaches for you, her hands sliding down your arms to intertwine her fingers with yours. You chuckle as she pulls you closer to her, and she trails kisses along your jawline as she mumbles against your skin, “I’ve missed you, my love.”

“And I’ve missed you.” you reach up, tilting her chin to face you before you press a kiss on her lips. Pulling away, you give her your best attempt at a stern look as you gently scold, “But you were foolish to come here. You, we, could’ve been caught.”

“Do give me more credit.” Margaery teases, and her soft laugh makes you smile. “If I have been careful enough to ward off suspicion for this long, what makes you think I would mess up now?”

You press your lips together in an attempt to hide your growing smile. “Yes, well, I suppose you have been rather good at keeping up the charade with your new husband.”

It’s subtle, your tone, but Margaery has spent most of her life knowing how to read the tiny cues, the small changes in voice and the subtle gestures that give a person away. Your lips curl ever so slightly, a tiny crinkle in your nose forming out of disgust, and you practically spit out the word as if it tastes rancid on your tongue. You trace your finger along the neckline of her dress, one of your favorites that you’ve seen her in so far, and Margaery reaches for your hand, bringing it up to her lips as she kisses your knuckles. A teasing smile flutters onto her face as she remarks, “He is rather sweet.”

You roll your eyes, and Margaery giggles before you spin her around, backing her up into the small bed that decorates the corner of you shabby room. Being located in a rather crowded square of King’s Landing meant accomodations were limited to fit everyone in.

But you could be in an even smaller room than this, you realize as you feverishly kiss her, her soft curls splayed out over your sheets, if it meant spending time with Margaery.

—

Every muscle in your body aches to see Margaery stroll through the gardens of King’s Landing, arms loosely looped together as Tommen bites back a smile at a remark Margaery whispers into his ear.

She’s good, you bitterly think, better than most people give her credit for. Had you not been together, you would’ve truly believed the newlywed couple were utterly in love. You know most people dismiss Margaery as a pretty face, something she uses to her advantage as you know as well as she that she can play the game of thrones just as well as everyone else in the dangerous game.

You busy yourself with the servants around you, who prepare tea and pastries for Tommen and Margaery as they make their rounds through the rose bushes and the decorated fountain before sitting down at the table. You pose as a guard, wearing the armor as the other guards peppered throughout the garden do, keeping a watchful eye on the young King and his new Queen. Despite trying to avoid eye contact with Margaery, your eyes connect for a brief moment, a split second which goes unnoticed by everyone around you before she looks away, placing a flirtatious hand on Tommen’s shoulder as she leans closer to tell him something.

“Make room for another.” Cersei’s cold tone startles you, and you turn to see her standing behind you. Despite having been in King’s Landing for weeks, spying on Cersei and her every move, this is the first time you have been this close to the Dowager Queen, and it takes you off guard. You blink at her momentarily, the servants around you scrambling before you quickly step aside, allowing her to sit. You can see Margaery quickly recover from her initial shock, and you feel your heart pounding in your chest as her eyes flicker to meet yours.

Your shared look is brief, but Cersei catches it. By the time she looks between the two of you, you have already broken eye contact, but you know she has already seen. Margaery quickly plasters on a smile, recognizing the damage done as she greets, “Mother! How nice of you to join us on this lovely day.”

Cersei flashes her a tense smile, but she doesn’t reply to Margaery as she instead looks to you. You remain stoic, despite knowing that Cersei is studying you, picking apart every feature as you know the longer you stay, the more Cersei is memorizing your face.

Everyone looks away as you hear the shattering of porcelain, all attention now on a young servant girl who has clumsily dropped some plates. You use this moment to your advantage, slipping away from Cersei’s turned back and disappearing back into the towers, your breaths shaky as you plan your next move. Knowing you need to stay away from the Red Keep for a while, long enough for Cersei to forget your encounter, you start navigating the hallways to the exit when a hand grabs yours. You defensively snatch your hand away, eyes widening in alarm as Margaery grabs your hand again, pulling you into a darkened corner behind a pillar.

“As much as it pains me to say this, you need to go back to Tommen.” you hiss, peering around the pillar to make sure you’re still alone. “We’ve made Cersei suspicious.”

Margaery wants to make an excuse, wants to dismiss your accusation as paranoia, that simple eye contact can’t give you away, but she knows better. She knows Cersei, knows how perceptive and cunning she is, and knows that it will take a lot to ease her out of her suspicion.

“y/n-” Margaery starts, but there is only so much she can say. Her hand lingers on yours before she pulls away, taking a step back before she adds, “I’m sorry.”

“There is nothing we can do now.” you reply, and Margaery’s face falls as she knows it will be a while before the two of you can see each other again. Waving your hand, you urge, “Go!”

You watch her turn, briskly walking back to the gardens, a brunette curl being the last thing you see of her before she disappears. You leave as hastily as Margaery does, leaving you unaware that just around the corner, Cersei is waiting for Margaery after having quietly followed her.

Cersei knew there was more to the flimsy reasoning Margaery provided, after all, before she had abruptly excused herself from tea with her and Tommen.

—

You tuck the coin in your pocket after selling some vegetables to a young mother, smiling as you wave at her smile child before the two walk off hand in hand. You pick up a basket of fruit, moving to place it down in front of your stand before you’re distracted by the loud commotion from the end of the street. Straining your neck to see above the crowds of people, your eyes widen as you see Cersei marching down the cobbled path, everyone quickly clearing a path as her guards march around her, fiercely protecting her from the terrified civilians in her path. You step backwards, moving to duck into the nearby alley behind the group of people in front of you, but they quickly disperse when Cersei stops in front of your cart.

Your grip around your basket tightens as Cersei takes a step closer to you, her piercing gaze scanning you up and down. Despite the dirt smudged on your face, the sweat glistening on your forehead under the tattered cap pulled over your eyebrows, Cersei takes her time studying your face as she did back in the gardens. A faint, calculating smile appears on her lips as she muses, “I could’ve sworn you looked familiar, as if I’ve seen you wandering the halls of the Red Keep itself.”

There’s a beat of silence, and you hope you sound more confident than you feel as you reply, “I could only dream of ever stepping foot in the Red Keep, my Queen. I suppose I just have a common face.”

Cersei narrows her eyes as you refuse to break eye contact, a silent challenge, yet she doesn’t interrogate you further, instead smiling at you ever so slightly as she raises an eyebrow. “Yes. I suppose you do.”

You hold your breath, watching as Cersei picks up the skirt of her dress as she turns around and departs, her guards loyally following behind her. It is not until she rounds the corner so you finally let out a shudder of air, dropping your basket before leaning against the wall, your head spinning. You close your eyes, attempting to compose yourself before you straighten, and you begin walking back to your chambers when a young man suddenly crashes into you. He scuttles away, not bothering to mumble an apology, and you frown before noticing the folded square of parchment she had strategically shoved into your hands. You glance around, seeing the Tyrell sigil in the wax seal, and you hurriedly rush down the street and back into your room, firmly closing the door behind you.

y/n.

Your name is curled in Olenna’s handwriting, and you step deeper into the room as you unfold the paper, reading the rest of her brief message.

Cersei continues to astound me with her monstrosity, and I suspect she is plotting something against my dear Margaery, if she has not already. You must be extra careful in these times, for if your allegiance to House Tyrell is exposed, the consequences will be dire.

Be sure your love affair with Margaery isn’t exposed, too. Yes, I have noticed.

O.T.

tags: @chinike / @gofandomsandotherstuff / @emmacata / @pascalisthepunkest ↳ want to be added to the tag list?

#got imagine #margaery tyrell imagine #got #got one shot #margaery tyrell #margaery tyrell one shot #reader x margaery tyrell #margaery tyrell x reader #imagine #imagines #reader insert #one shot #oneshot

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carlatsukinamistolemyhamsandwich · 5 years

Note

So these soulmate headcanons.. WOW, they’re awesome! Please, pretty please make one for Reiji 🙏🙏

So sorry for the wait! I got really carried away with this one and it ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would be, so I’ve put it under the cut. I hope you like it ^^

General setup: Set in a universe where everyone has a soulmate and there are various different connections between soulmates. Vampires (and Founders) have been known to have human soulmates. Generally the connection between a vampire/founder and their soulmate will not kick in until their soulmate is born and will fade after their soulmate dies. It considered unusual for a vampire to meet, let alone be with, their human soulmate.

Reiji Sakamaki

Connection with soulmate: youcan influence your soulmate’s emotions when in physical contact with them.

- You weren’t born with any sort of obvious connection to your soulmate. Many people weren’t, but it didn’t stop you from feeling a slight sense of envy towards those with a name or pattern inked on their body that would lead them to their other half. No, you would have to rely on luck to find your soulmate, and you were left with little clue as to what form the connection might take when it showed itself.

- Years passed and all too quickly you found yourself preparing for your last year of school, your connection to your soulmate as elusive as it had always been.

- Just before the start of term, a letter arrived, with an offer to a transfer to Ryoutei Academy and a place to stay while you studied there. One of your relatives had some connection to the politician Tougo Sakamaki, and had apparently been able to pull some strings to be able to arrange the whole thing. Whether you wanted to transfer to the school or not, you were given little choice in the matter, and as all of your friends started back at your old school, you were being driven in a sleek black car to your new home, leaving all of them behind.

- Although the mansion had a dark, unsettling feeling the moment you laid eyes on it, nothing could have prepared you for what lay inside its walls. Vampires, cruel and vicious, some nightmare made flesh, and your apparent hosts. Although captors might have been a more accurate term, all connection to your loved ones had been severed and any attempts to run were met with swift retaliation.

- Reiji had hardly taken a vested interest in you when you first arrived at the house. Your manners and posture left a fair amount to be desired but at least you were slightly better than some of the louder women they’d been sent over the years. Mostly the triplets did with you as they pleased, and he suspected it would not be long before yet another bride would need to be dispatched by the church.

- A few weeks after you first arrived, Reiji was enjoying a rare moment of peace in his room. A pot of freshly brewed tea steaming on the table, it’s pleasant aroma filling the air as he flicked through his notes. The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hall and Reiji lifted his head in response.

Moments later, the door slammed open and you tumbled inside, the scent of your fear heavy in the air. Your eyes widened as soon as they found his and you started to stammer out an apology, something about how Ayato was chasing you and you hadn’t realized this room was occupied.

What an unsightly creature you were, your blouse half torn open and your hair in disarray. But he was far from one to refuse such an opportunity.

Reiji set his notes to the side, readjusting his glasses as he noted how rude, not to mention unwise, it was to intrude in such a manner. It seemed that you thought you might be able to leave his room with only a simple chiding. How terribly naive.

He played to your assumptions for a short while, issuing a verbal dress-down that left you slightly red in the face. When he made an act of generously offering you a cup of tea, you muttered a soft yes almost immediately, eyes on the floor.

It was a simple matter to slip one of his newer concoctions into your cup without your notice. A few minutes after accepting the drink, your hand went to the base of your throat and you started to wince.

“Is something the matter?” Reiji inquired, his own cup untouched.

“My throat, it feels like it’s on fire,” you said, your voice hoarse.

“How interesting, I’d hoped it would paralyse the vocal cords completely, but it seems I still have more work to do.”

Your expression morphed into one of horror and you quickly stood and backed towards the door, but it was too late. Only a flick of his power was required to lock the door without him ever actually touching it. In no time, Reiji had you against the wall, wrists pinned by his gloved hand. You struggled against him but it was to no avail, and then his teeth were at your neck.

The moment his lips touched your skin, a jolt of fear shot through him. Some kind of mortal terror, the likes of which he’d never experienced before. He drew back and the feeling vanished, leaving him breathless. What was this? Your scent was that of an ordinary human, you certainly shouldn’t have the power to affect him in such a manner.

Experimentally, Reiji ran a bare finger over the skin of your neck and the same sensation filled him. Flinching back as thought he’d been burned, he tightened his grip on your wrists to the point where you cried out.

“What exactly are you?” He hissed, scanning your eyes for any indication of deception.

“Human,” your voice shook, “I’m just a human.”

Reiji took a deep breath to see if there was anything he’d missed in your scent, but it was utterly mortal, laced with fear. Wait, fear. Those were your emotions he’d sensed, but how? Vampires were capable of many things but this wasn’t one of them. Unless…

An idea of the situation took shape in his mind, and there was only one way to test it. He lowered his mouth to your neck again, ignoring how you flinched away.

The fear hit him again, but this time he pushed back, summoning the sense of calm he felt when left to enjoy his tea in peace. Almost immediately your muscles relaxed, and even as his fangs pierced your skin, you made no move to struggle, nor did you protest.

The moment his skin left yours, you stiffened. The air once again rife with the smell of your fear.

“What… What did you do to me?” You spoke in a small voice.

A connection that flowed equally between a vampire and a human, Reiji had no doubt about exactly what it meant. That a mortal child held such a power over him… It was far from a pleasant thought and no matter what you were, it was not something he would allow you to wield against him.

“Have you truly not grasped the innate differences between us? This is just another one of the many abilities at my disposal, and another reason why you should learn your place in this household. Should I choose to, I could make it so that you begged me to drink from you to the point where your blood ran dry.” You shivered in his hold, and Reiji braced himself for the onslaught of emotion as he bit down over your clavicle.

You were far from what he had hoped for in a partner, but perhaps that could be rectified with a bit of time and training. The nature of your connection to each other certainly held some potential in that regard, although he would need to find a way to keep you from being able to subconsciously impose your emotions on him.

One thing was for sure though, the triplets had had the last of their fun with you. From now on, the only one who would be feeding from you was him.

- The nature of your days in the mansion changed after your encounter with Reiji. Gone were the many hours the triplets would spend bothering you. They still tried of course, but Reiji had an uncanny tendency to interrupt them before they could ever get very far. In fact, you seemed to be able to go very little time without Reiji making some sort of appearance. He’d somehow managed to get hold of your academic record and informed you that it was not fit for a member of the household, even though you suspected it was at least better than some of his brothers.

He seemed to have decided that it was his duty to ensure your grades were up to scratch and, everyday after school, you were to meet in his rooms for tutoring. Sometimes it would be topics you were familiar with, other times it would be extensions of the syllabus and then there were the lessons on deportment. You’d protested that the latter had little to do with your grades but Reiji had shot you a glance and made a scathing comment about how you were in desperate need of them regardless. Since then, you hadn’t voiced any further complaints.

You couldn’t wrap your head around Reiji at all. His punishments for failing to meet his expectations were harsh, as the marks from his riding crop all over your back proved. But he was capable of being pleasant, of offering a kind word or gesture whenever you began to wonder what the point in trying to please a man with such high standards even was.

And, more surprisingly, he had made no move to bite you since that first day. Not once. He’d also taken to wearing two gloves as opposed to the single one he’d worn in the time before he’d taken such an interest in you, as though he couldn’t bare to touch someone of such low worth.

- About a month or so after your tutoring sessions had begun, Reiji had offered you some of his precious tea and you’d known better than to refuse. It was something of a common occurrence. Sometimes the brew would leave a terrible numbness in your limbs, or cause you to feel so hot that you might burst into flames. But then there were instances where it was only tea and Reiji would chuckle as you stared at the contents of the cup in paranoia.

On this particular evening, when you felt perfectly fine after finishing almost half a teapot of Darjeeling, it seemed it would be one latter occasions. Except when you met Reiji’s eye, he was studying you in a way he often did when you were acting as a test subject for one of his potions.

“Is everything okay?” You asked, a slight sense of apprehension clear in your voice.

Reiji took a deep breath and picked at the hem of the white glove on his left hand. In the blink of an eye, he was standing over you, a bare hand gripping your chin and tilting your head to look at him.

“Do you truly feel nothing at all?” He asked, his expression scrutinous.

“N, no,” you replied weakly. “Am I supposed to?”

“Ah-” he withdrew his hand “-it would seem that particular potion is defective. You need not pay it any mind.” Reiji returned to his seat and took a long sip from his own cup of tea before turning his attention to you. “I’m sure you must be aware by now that a full moon will soon be upon us, and as a result, I find that my throat is not soothed by tea alone.” He set his teacup to the side with a soft clink and you swallowed nervously as he approached you once again.

His fangs pierced the skin of your neck, sending pain stinging through you. You braced yourself, expecting him to use that strange ability he had once before to influence your own feelings. But there was nothing aside from the throbbing that accompanied the process of having your blood sucked. And when he pulled back, you could have sworn you saw something akin to a sick sort of glee in his eyes.

- After you’d retired for the night, Reiji swirled the small bottle of clear liquid he’d spent weeks working on. It had worked to utter perfection. Naturally, it’d been prudent to test the potion on you first and when you’d shown no ill effects it had been time to assess it’s true effectiveness. When he’d touched you, Reiji had been able to feel a slight flicker of your emotions. Nothing comparable to that he’d experienced before, so it would seem that for one of you to truly feel the emotion, the other would have to be experiencing it strongly or send it through your connection by force.

He’d tried to send a feeling through that intangible bond between you, watching closely for any sign of reaction from you. There had been none however, and he’d known then that the potion was fit for his purposes. The effects were not designed to be permanent, but by taking a dose of it each day, it ensured he could touch you while his feelings remained entirely his own. You, on the other hand, would feel whatever he sent through your connection.

With a little experimenting he realized he could even cause you to be overcome by pain or pleasure with a simple touch. Your improvements in his lessons were drastic, your feelings apparently a much more powerful motivator than any physical incentive he could provide, and you quickly grew into a far more suitable partner for him than when you’d first arrived at the mansion. In fact, Reiji found that he had almost started to enjoy periods spent in your company, at least more so than he had with any other bride. You were not a poor conversationalist in the right setting, and had even offered more than a few insightful comments without his prompting.

Perhaps you were soulmates for a reason after all.

- In the weeks that followed, you knew something was not right. Emotions that didn’t quite feel like your own would plague you whenever spent time in the company of the second eldest Sakamaki. A flash of disgust when you caught sight of Shu sleeping in some inconvenient location, a sense of discontent whenever your grades were less than perfect and a newfound appreciation for crockery.

But in spite of it, you had come to look forward to the time you’d spend with Reiji, to the point where you were developing feelings for him. Unfortunately however, you were unable to tell whether they were genuine or another result of those awful vampiric abilities of his.

- One day, as you were walking through the school corridors to collect some documents your teacher had asked for, your foot caught on something and you went sprawling across the floor.

“Heh, nice underwear.” Snapping your head back, you caught sight of Shu, one eye cracked open as he looked at the point where your skirt had ridden up exposing… You quickly adjusted the fabric and made to get to your feet. His legs must have been what you’d tripped over in the first place and you felt some lingering sense that you should get away from the blonde vampire as quickly as possible.

A pale hand shot out and grabbed hold of your wrist. “Hold it, I’m thirsty.” You struggled but were ultimately powerless as he lifted your wrist to his mouth. Blue eyes met yours. “You were the one who fell on top of me and exposed yourself, lewd woman,” he said before biting down.

“Stop!” You used your free hand to shove against him in an effort to free yourself. In spite of how much worse it would make the wounds, the feeling of his fangs in you was unpleasant enough to risk it. “Let go of me!”

“Tch, noisy.” He twisted your wrist until it was at a painful angle and bit down again.

“Ah, it hurts. Stop it!” Even though you knew your protests were more likely to end in further injury than anything else, you couldn’t help it. The sensation of his hands on you felt wrong.

After taking a good long drink of your blood, Shu pulled back and sighed. “You’re unusually bothersome for prey that’s been with us this long.”

“If you have a real problem with it, then why don’t you just use your vampiric powers to manipulate my own feelings against me? Reiji seems to do it often enough.” The bitterness in your own voice surprised you.

Shu’s eyes narrowed in what might almost have been confusion. “What are you… He has taken an unusual interest in you.” Something seemed to click, and a cruel smile played at his lips. “You really are an idiot, didn’t you notice that the triplets never did any similar?”

“What… what are you saying?” Now that you thought about it, they hadn’t. But Reiji was older than them, it didn’t seem too unbelievable that he’d have a better handle on his abilities.

“I’m saying, whatever you’re talking about has nothing to do with him being a vampire.” Shu yawned and let go of you. “Enough, I’m sleepy. Go and find somewhere else to be.”

“Wait! What do you mean ‘nothing to do with him being a vampire’? What is it?” You asked in frustration.

“If you’re so dense you can’t figure it out then go and bother him. Although there must be a reason why he hasn’t told you yet.” Shu closed his eyes, a signal that your conversation was at an end.

You stood motionless in the corridor, mind reeling. Something that allowed him to influence you in such an intimate way but wasn’t just another one of his supernatural abilities. There was only one possibility that came to mind and the revelation made your heart stop.

A soulmate connection. With Reiji. And… he knew. He knew but he hadn’t told you, had instead just used it to manipulate you.

Tears welled in your eyes, a mixture of anger and betrayal filling you. It seemed you would need to have a conversation with the vampire that was long overdue.

- Reiji could scent Shu on you the moment you stepped into the limo on your way back to the mansion. The blonde himself didn’t make an appearance, apparently so lacking in energy that he couldn’t even move himself to the vehicle. Pathetic.

It was only the presence of his other brothers that kept Reiji from doing anything during the ride home. No, this matter would be dealt with in private. Shu had trifled with his prey before, but this time felt infinitely worse; a gross violation of what belonged to him. And that you had allowed it to happen…

For your part, you were unusually silent on the journey, your hand subconsciously straying to your wrist every so often, where Shu had bitten you no doubt.

The moment, you arrived at the mansion, Reiji ordered you to his room. You obliged but there was something in your expression he didn’t like, not one bit.

“So,” he said, after his door had closed behind you, “are you going to tell me where that mark on your wrist came from or will I have to force it out of you?” The riding crop in his desk was easily accessible, but it didn’t feel like it would be enough. Nothing did.

You were silent, looking at him with an expression he couldn’t quite read.

“Well?” Had contact with that good for nothing really corrupted you to the point where you would act with such disobedience.

“How long?” You said in a small voice.

“I beg your pardon.”

“How long?” You repeated.

“Perhaps if you would care to elaborate, I might be obliged to answer,” he replied, and were he not mired in anger, he might have felt a slight sense of apprehension at your words.

“How long have you known that we’re soulmates Reiji?” You met his eyes for the first time since you’d entered the room.

If Reiji’s heart beat as a mortals did then he was sure it would have stopped dead. You’d found out somehow. Shu! He was going to kill him.

“What did he say to you?” In a flash he had you against the wall, gripping your chin so you were forced to see the fury in his eyes.

“Barely anything, but enough to let me know whatever you’ve been doing to me isn’t a result of any vampire ability as you’d have me believe. Why were you so determined to keep it a secret? Because you enjoyed being able to hold it over me? Because I wasn’t what you wanted so you took to training me like some kind of pet?” You spat, anger overriding whatever self-preservation instincts told you defying him was a poor idea.

“That… That is not any of your concern.” He’d known it was unlikely he’d be able to keep the truth from you forever, but he certainly hadn’t intended for you to find out like this.

“No, it is, that’s the point Reiji! It is my concern! Soulmates are meant to be equals, partners. But instead you’ve done nothing but use our connection to manipulate me.” Raising your voice at him was certainly not a wise idea, but you either didn’t think about it or didn’t care.

“Silence!” His grip on you was bruising. “You truly think we are equals? How terribly childlike, but then what should I expect, compared to me, dear,” the word came out as a sneer, “you might as well be a child. Do not think just because such a connection exists between us that it grants you any sort of rights over me, is that understood?”

A loud slap rang throughout the room. Reiji stood with his head to the side, glasses knocked slightly askew and a faint sting on his cheek where your hand had impacted it. He released your chin in shock and you fled from the room immediately. Ordinarily he would have made a move to stop you, but instead he stood, frozen in place.

It was not the physical contact that had affected him so, no, you possessed so little strength compared to him that the very idea of it was laughable. Instead, it was the flood of emotions that had passed from you to him in the short moment your hand had made contact, strong enough to override the tonic coursing through his system.

Anger was at the forefront, followed by sorrow and number of other fleeting emotions, but the one that lingered, and left him standing while you ran, was betrayal, deep and sickening. The dregs of fondness he’d sensed explained perhaps why it was so strong. After all, the deepest wounds could only be inflicted by someone you cared for, trusted.

Reiji glanced towards the door. He could easily catch you, take you down to the dungeons and thrash you until you screamed yourself hoarse for your outburst. As much as he felt like he should, he was intelligent enough to know it would ultimately do little good. And, if he was even the slightest bit truthful to himself, he knew it would utterly destroy whatever had been built between the two of you.

A brief flick of his wrist and the door closed. He had some thinking to do.

- You weren’t sure what on Earth had possessed you to yell at Reiji, let alone strike him across the face. After sitting in the silence of your room, your anger had faded, replaced with misery… and fear. It had been foolish to allow your emotions to get the better of you in a house full of vampires who could kill you with half a thought, and especially with Reiji of all people.

The longer you spent in your room, the more afraid you became. Your actions certainly wouldn’t go without recompense. Regardless of what Reiji had done and how you felt about it, you’d come to learn that your opinions meant very little in this household.

A sharp knock resounded on your bedroom door and you felt the hair rise on the back of your neck in response. Was this it? Had Reiji finally come to finish you off for slapping him and being unfortunate enough to run into Shu? Or had your soulmate announced that he was done with you and now one of his brothers was outside your door waiting to drain you dry? Then again, if whoever was standing on the other side was really intent on your demise, it was unlikely they’d bother to knock first.

“Come in,” you called out softly, glancing at the lamp on your bedside table, you supposed that you could at least try to use it as a weapon if it came down to it. Although even then, you doubted you’d last more than a minute.

The door opened and Reiji stepped inside, carrying a tray laden with a teapot and two of his beloved ornate teacups.

Fear shot through you at the sight of him, recalling the last words you’d spoken to him and the large collection of toxins he kept on his shelf gave you an idea of where this might lead; death by poisoned tea.

Sharp eyes shot to you as Reiji set the tray on the small table in your room. “After all the time I’ve spent on you, you could at least try to maintain some semblance of composure. Although I suppose a healthy dose of fear is warranted given your actions towards me earlier.” A hint of a wicked smile played at his lips and an unpleasant shiver ran down your spine.

“Reiji I…” Your voice cracked and you felt vaguely like you might be about to burst into tears.

He held up a hand as indication to cease whatever miserable plea it was you were about to make.

“I will discuss your punishment for your behavior later, for now-“ he gestured to one of the chairs at your table “-take a seat. And do try to put the lessons on posture I gave you to good use.”

You obediently made your way to the chair and sat down, being sure to keep your spine straight. While your anger at the way he’d manipulated you hadn’t simply vanished, your fear was enough to keep it at bay. Whatever self-destructive impulses had driven you to act earlier, now a dying whisper.

Reiji sat in the chair opposite you and poured dark steaming tea into the cup closest to you. As the liquid trickled into the white china, you thought of all the horrors that it could contain. You’d been exposed to his concoctions before with varying effects, however nothing had done lasting damage. But then you’d never pushed him like this.

“I’m really truly sorry,” you began, whether from genuine regret or fear you weren’t sure. ”I shouldn’t have yelled or slapped you but I wasn’t thinking, I just felt so frustrated and-”

“As much as I feel you should show some remorse over your actions, you need not get yourself into such an unsightly state. It is just tea. I am perfectly capable of ending your life with my own hands, and I would not waste any of my deadlier arsenal on a fragile mortal such as yourself.” His words were as clipped and cutting as always. You took hold of the teacup, the liquid rippling as your hands trembled.

“Well, as I’ve gone to the trouble of preparing it for you, you had best taste it, had you not?” A thinly veiled order.

You sniffed miserably into the teacup before taking a sip. All things considered, it truly was delicious. Some rich blend with just the right hint of bitterness. When you glanced up, Reiji was observing you expectantly and you swallowed shakily.

“It’s lovely, thank you.” You tried to offer a polite smile but you were fairly certain it was more of a grimace.

“Hm, well at least you haven’t forgotten basic manners.” Reiji pushed his glasses back up his nose with a single finger but said no more. You wanted to know what this was all about but you really didn’t want to ask him and so instead simply slipped away at your tea. The silence was thick, heavy and uncomfortable, the vampire across from you seeming content to watch you. Or perhaps he was just waiting to strike.

Once you’d emptied your cup, you set it down delicately on the tray, not wanting to add breaking his chinaware to the list of slights you’d committed. Reiji lifted the teapot to pour you another cup, before clearing his throat.

“With regard to the nature of our… connection to each other, perhaps it was remiss of me not to inform you of it sooner.” For once, he didn’t quite meet your eyes, instead focusing on the action of refilling the teacup.

It occurred to you that this might be some poor form of an apology, or at least as close to one as Reiji was willing to give you. You sat there dumbstruck as he continued.

“As you have made such progress in our lessons, I have decided that causing any lasting damage over a single outburst is something of a waste. Once you have been properly disciplined, I plan to resume our sessions together unless-” he finally lifted his eyes to meet your gaze “-you are now so opposed to my company that you would prefer to serve as a meal for one of my brothers.”

“No!” You blurted out. Whatever your feelings, you certainly didn’t want to go back to being the triplets’ plaything. “I would… prefer to resume our lessons.”

“A sensible choice. Well, you should finish your tea before it cools. I don’t have all night and your punishment awaits.” And with the smirk he gave you, you wondered whether you might come to regret your decision.

***

You can find links to my other soulmate AU headcanons on my master list. Feel free to request a set for any of the other boys, you can check to see if a character has already been requested on my current projects list ^^ Next up is Ruki~

#reiji sakamaki #own post #my writing #soulmate AU #headcanons #These get longer every time I write them #this is almost 5000 words #I think it's because I've transitioned from headcanons to a more drabbley style but I really wanted to have some of these scenes #written out properly #Tbf I suspect this may be the longest set because there was a lot that needed to happen before I got to a conclusion I liked #As in both you and Reiji knew and there was something of a positive outcome #I feel bad Shin's was so short so I may write something of an extra scenario for him #after I finish my other requests

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slightly-nerdy-rambles · 5 years

Text

Robstarweek Day 3: These Winding Halls (Prompt: Lost)

Today’s story is a bit unusual. It takes place in… not exactly an AU, because it still technically fits with show canon, but what I guess you could call an “alternate future” or an AU to my normal set of headcanons. I call it the “Royal Family Verse” for reasons that will be made clear in the story, and I’m planning to set one Robstar Week entry for each year in this same ‘verse. It’s a bit of a self-indulgent concept, but one I really enjoy playing around in from time to time, so I hope you enjoy it as well!

These Winding Halls

There was no way around it: Emperor Mar’ikesh was well and truly lost.

Again.

Nightwing, as the new name translated, groaned inwardly, though he put on an air of perfect calm and complete awareness of where he was going. This was what he got for insisting the guards leave him to wander the palace in peace. It was also what he got for moving to a planet whose architecture took advantage of its inhabitants’ ability to fly, but he was trying to stave off those thoughts.

It had been about two months now (Earth months; he was still working on Tamaranean time scales) since Starfire had received the news that Galfore could no longer safely hold his position as Grand Ruler, and that she was his best option of successor if the planet was to avoid political strife. After many discussions and plans and preparations, she had been coronated a month later, by necessity moving back to her home planet in the process.

And Robin – Dick, Nightwing, Mar’ikesh, whatever he was supposed to call himself now – had moved with her.

He somehow found himself on one of the many high balconies ringing the palace. After checking to see that he was truly alone, he leaned his arms on the railing and allowed himself a low sigh.

Normally he would have Starfire with him, showing him how to navigate the alien (to him at least; here he was the alien) architecture and pointing out places that she remembered from her childhood. But she was in a meeting with some dignitaries from halfway across the planet, and he did not yet have the political understanding to join her. So instead, he had gone and gotten himself lost.

They were lucky, he supposed, that Tamaraneans were so readily built for space travel. It meant that interplanetary relationships were far from a new concept to them – and indeed, royalty taking outworlder spouses could be spun as a way to strengthen alliances with other planets. That certainly explained Blackfire’s scheme during her brief tenure as Grand Ruler. He was just happy that Starfire – and he, for that matter – had been able to make a proper choice this time.

But that wasn’t going to do them any good if he couldn’t even find his way around a stupid BUILDING!

Heavy footfalls approached, and Nightwing stood up straight and schooled his face into a neutral expression. He mentally checked on the translator in his ear – he was still learning the Tamaranean language, and he was not about to stumble through a half-coherent explanation of what he was doing here to one of the guards – and turned.

It was Galfore, alone for once and leaning on a cane as thick as a man’s neck. He’d suffered a debilitating injury fighting off a would-be assassin, and a Grand Ruler who couldn’t defend Tamaran at full strength was liable to attract challengers.

“Masking your emotions does not become a Tamaranean, by marriage or otherwise,” the old ruler said. “We are an open and passionate people.”

That comment stung far more than it was meant to, but at the same time, Nightwing noticed that Galfore was speaking English for him. He relaxed a little.

“Something tells me it wouldn’t end well if the people knew what I’m feeling right now,” he said, leaning back on the balcony railing and allowing himself a small frown.

Galfore joined him on the balcony. “Oh? And what is that, Your Majesty?”

Nightwing fought back a grimace, though whether it was at his own thoughts or hearing that title even he couldn’t quite say. He shifted his gaze and looked out, along the walls of the palace and off to the vast Gikha Desert surrounding it.

“…Fear, mostly,” he said at length, his voice soft. “Uncertainty. I don’t know if I can do this.”

Galfore chuckled, a low rumble that came from deep within his chest. “Starfire is the Grand Ruler, not you,” he replied, “and she is well able to handle the responsibility. All you must do is support her and be prepared to protect yourself and your family if it becomes necessary. Two tasks which you excel at, I must note.”

Nightwing scowled. “I don’t think I’m so good at the supporting part. She needs someone she can bounce ideas off of, and vent to when things get difficult, and ask for a second opinion on hard decisions. But I don’t know anything about running a country, let alone one that covers an entire planet! And I’m starting to think I never will.”

He ground the heel of his hand into his forehead, the words just pouring out now. “And don’t try and tell me that a lot of this isn’t about how people see you. They need to know that Starf– that Koriand’r is a strong and wise and effective ruler, and stupid as it is, part of how they see her is going to be reflected from how they see her family. Which at the moment technically consists entirely of me. How am I supposed to present myself when I barely have any idea what’s going on half the time?!”

Galfore said nothing, just waited patiently as his young liege laid out his worries. Nightwing drew in a shaky breath. When he continued, his voice was soft again and a little hollow.

“I… When I first decided to do this, I told myself that it was so Starfire wouldn’t have to leave everything from her old life behind again. That if we got married, we’d be there to support each other always, and wouldn’t that be good for Tamaran anyway? To have a Grand Ruler who didn’t have to go in alone, and a royal family whose members were there for one another?” He let his gaze drop and swallowed.

“But now, I’m starting to think that maybe I was just being selfish. That I just didn’t want to lose her. I don’t…”

There was a heavy shifting as Galfore settled against the wall beside him. After a short pause, he asked, “Is it selfish to want to be with the one you love, and who loves you in turn?”

Nightwing looked up at him. “I…”

Galfore smiled. “It is as I said before: we are a passionate people. For many of us, you simply being here is enough.” He studied Nightwing for a moment.

“And you are passionate as well, Mar’ikesh. You are a fine Tamaranean, even if you sometimes mask your emotions.” He chuckled. “Do you know, I realized you and Koriand’r were meant to be together after your first visit here. Had she not told me she intended to arrange her own marriage, I may well have betrothed the two of you myself!”

Nightwing started at that and stared up at him, eyes wide. “You wanted to what?!”

If Galfore noticed the outburst, he made no acknowledgement of it. “And as for everything else: give it time,” he went on. “You have only been here a short while yet, and you will learn. I suspect you have already learned more than you realize.”

Nightwing said nothing at first. He just stared at the old ruler for a long moment, searching his face for any signs of insincerity or false reassurance. He found none, but as his racing thoughts began to slow, he recognized a sort of distant familiarity to his situation.

He realized all at once that Starfire must have felt something like this once: alone, unfitting, lost. No – she most certainly had felt it before, had told him as much. And he had always encouraged her, always let her know she had a place on Earth.

Maybe it was time for him to take his own advice.

At length, he let out a low sigh and said, “You’re right. I guess it’s just... hard sometimes.”

Galfore shook his head. “If this life were easy, I would not have needed Koriand’r as my successor.” With that, he stood up and started to make his way back into the palace. After a few moments, though, he stopped and looked back.

“By the way, I came out here to let you know that the Empress is nearly finished with her meeting; by now it may already be over.” He smiled. “Take a left when you go inside; you will find her down the second hall to your right.”

Nightwing perked up at that, and as Galfore left he started heading that way.

Sure enough, he found her as soon as he turned into the hall. Starfire was talking with one of the visiting dignitaries, but her expression brightened when she spotted him.

“Mar’ikesh!” she called out. “I did not expect to see you so soon.”

Nightwing laughed a little as he approached her, giving her a quick kiss by way of greeting (there were some Earth customs that neither of them were about to give up). “Honestly? Neither did I.”

The nobleman decided to take his leave then, bowing his head respectfully to each of the royal couple as he said his goodbyes. Starfire saw him off before turning back to her husband with a furrow of concern on her brow.

“You did not get lost again, did you?”

Nightwing blushed and reached up to rub the back of his neck. “…You could say that, yes,” he admitted. “But I did somehow end up pretty close to your meeting room, so I think my subconscious might be getting the hang of this place.”

The worry in Starfire’s face melted, giving way to a warm smile. “Then we will just have to explore more together,” she said, extending her hands toward him. “Come with me?”

Nightwing returned the smile and placed his hands in hers without hesitation. “Always.”

#Teen Titans #Robin #Starfire #robstar #robstarweek #Galfore #writing #prompt #fanfiction #Royal Family Verse

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artificialqueens · 5 years

Text

Flowers in Bloom, Part 1 - Daisy (Shinkx) - Albatross

AN: The sequel to ‘The Language of Flowers’ - This will feature the Shinkx and Trixya dates that follow immediately where their last chapters left off.

So this didn’t end up being as long as I thought it was going to be at first but that’s alright. I’m trying to learn not set imaginary pressures or deadlines on myself and just enjoy the process of writing. Not sure when the Trixya date will be posted, I haven’t started it yet but I’ve got a lot planned. The next piece to be posted is very likely to be Biadore (because that seemed to be the overwhelming want from the little mini poll on AQ) and then Trixya. I’m also torn between starting on the magical girl AU right away or jumping into Rajalaskam. Might just start both and see which one is finished first. Quick little side note for the chapter names - the flower that I pick as the title is going to be how I feel best describes the date. In this case the Daisy represents innocence and simplicity.

In a matter of seconds, Sharon had followed Jinkx beyond the shop’s door and stepped onto the sidewalk beside her. In the short amount of time it took her to lock up the building for the night, Jinkx found herself suddenly slapped with the reality that she was about to go on a date with her boss. Her heart began racing in her chest as an overwhelming smile threatened to break out across her lips. She just couldn’t believe this was really about to happen!

In a strange way she was glad it was all decided so suddenly; if there had been any lapse of time between her subtle confession and the date itself she was sure she would have gone into a full-blown panic mode. As for right now the immense joy coupled with a heavy dose of shock was the perfect thing to keep her from freaking out entirely. The only thing she hoped for right now was that her expression didn’t betray just how nervous she actually was beneath her relatively composed exterior. However, the smile Sharon shot towards her once she was finished securing the shop threatened to override that thought completely.

As they walked down the moderately busy street, Jinkx found herself toying with the hem of her sleeves. It offered a small bit of distraction but she longed to be able to clasp onto Sharon’s hand. She probably would have tried had the blonde not already shoved them into her pockets. To anyone else she probably would have looked like the picture of perfect composure but Jinkx noticed all of the little tics that betrayed her true feelings; the slightly higher pitch of her voice, the twiddling of her fingers with the items in her pockets, and of course her struggle to maintain eye contact between the frequent breaks to watch where they were going.

Their conversation remained idle but natural as Sharon led the way to the restaurant she had in mind. To both women’s surprise neither fell into the old classic of discussing work as a safety net. Although shortly after arriving at the cafe that was intended for their date, they were reminded all too quickly of the night’s earlier activities. Jinkx hadn’t noticed the issue at first, she was more concerned with trying to dodge the miscellaneous clusters of patrons loitering outside the cafe’s entrance, but Sharon’s less than quiet call of “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” soon caught her attention.

Following the blonde’s line of sight, Jinkx quickly spotted the problem; it seemed that Katya and Trixie had also decided to take their impromptu date here as well. They had been seated at a raised table out in the enclosed patio section and were eagerly chatting away about some random topic Jinkx couldn’t quite make out.

Sharon’s face as she took in the scene was a study of indecisiveness. She didn’t want to risk being exposed to Katya’s unique talent of effortlessly annoying her, especially in front of Jinkx when she could easily lose her cool…but even more so, she didn’t want to delay her date with the redhead any longer. She’d spent so much time simply pining after her from afar, she just couldn’t handle pushing it off for another night now that it was finally within her reach!

Bracing herself, Sharon began to push herself towards the hostess’s stand to request a table but Jinkx catching her arm stopped her dead in her tracks. Sharon’s heart stalled for a moment until she saw the reassuring smile resting upon Jinkx’s lips.

“I know another place we can go,” she offered politely, “If you don’t mind walking a little further.”

Very much relieved, Sharon replied that it wasn’t a problem in the slightest all while making a mental note to herself that’d she probably walk the length of the city just to keep her date with Jinkx tonight. Thankfully the substitute cafe Jinkx had in mind was only an extra ten minutes away. It was a bit more quiet than the bustling restaurant they had just left but there was still a moderate flow of foot traffic coming into the shop. Given that the weather outside was still pleasantly warm, it seems the majority of the customers decided to take their orders to go or at the very least enjoy them at the open air tables and benches. This particular cafe seemed to specialize with coffee and smoothies rather than prepared food, which probably helped to account for the transient stream of customers.

Once inside the first thing Sharon noticed was that it was rather homey instead of strictly a place for business. There was a relaxed atmosphere that seemed to contradict just how busy the shop actually was. The decor was a bit odd to her mind; a lot of the space had been filled with various knickknacks that anywhere else would have probably been very out of place. Before Sharon could truly take in the sights around her, Jinkx was already guiding them towards the small line at the counter. A number of the people waiting for their drinks seemed to be part of one group in particular and as soon as their orders were filled they took their leave and the majority of the shop’s background noise as well. Sharon had just begun to let out a sigh of relief at the newfound peace when she heard a delighted squeal emanating from behind the register.

“Jinkx!” the brunette exclaimed in excitement. “I haven’t seen you all week! Where have you been?”

“Sorry, we got really busy at the shop. We…kinda messed something up and spent the last couple of days fixing everything,” Jinkx admitted with a sheepish grin and quick glance towards the blonde.

Amused, the brunette inquired, “Oh? And just what have you been getting up to? Not starting any trouble at your new job, were you?”

Placing a comforting hand in the small of the redhead’s back, Sharon replied with a proud smile, “No, she’s been an amazing worker and she’s definitely learned her lesson with all that went on this week.”

The barista cocked her head to the side as she sized up the blonde in vague confusion. The realization that they hadn’t yet met dawned on Jinkx and with a polite interruption she introduced the pair to one another, “Sharon, this is Dela, my old coworker and Dela, this is Sharon…my new boss.”

Scanning her eyes around the shop with a new appreciation for the atmosphere, Sharon mused, “So this is where you used to work? I’ve driven by a few times but never stopped in. If I knew this was where I’d find you I’d have wandered in here sooner.”

At the statement made by the older blonde, Dela’s lips curled into something of a teasing smirk and immediately she began nosily asking, “You’re the one Jinkx asked me to order those coffee beans for? Glad to see you’ve got good taste…”

Darting her eyes back to Jinkx, she threw a quick wink and added in, “Both of you.”

Almost immediately Jinkx felt herself taking a heavy swallow in a pointless attempt to will away the growing blush on her cheeks. To her utter relief, Dela didn’t feel the need to make any further comments on the subject and fell back into her usual customer service mode to brightly ask the redhead, “Your usual?”

“Please,” Jinkx replied with a grateful smile.

Turning towards the blonde, she inquired, “And for you?”

Sharon’s eyes raked over the menu hung up behind the counter before ultimately settling on a large cup of the house brew. Dela gave an approving nod of her head and turned to make the drinks but was quickly stopped by both of the women. Each wanted to pay for the order but the brunette assured them, “It’s on me…”

Jinkx was in the midst of a very appreciative word of thanks to her friend until she heard Dela add in, “So long as Jinkx tells every little detail of how your date goes!”

Eyes narrowing at the proposal, the redhead quickly shot back, “I’d rather pay for the drinks then!”

Smiling away, Dela refused any form of payment and informed her huffy friend, “No choice, I already closed the sale in the register. You’ll have to tell me everything later!”

Shaking her head in disbelief, Jinkx muttered, “I hate you so much.”

A final proud grin was shot her way before Dela spun around to continue her work. Jinkx honestly couldn’t believe just how persistent Dela was being…It’s not like she wouldn’t have told her a quick version of it afterwards…She probably just wants something extra to talk about when she compares notes with Ivy….Jinkx really wouldn’t put it past her not to provide real-time updates to their mutual friend anyway. Oh, well. She can’t stop it so she might as well just resign herself to the fact that Ivy was likely to know the majority of her date before Jinkx gets a chance to tell her on her own…

In a matter of minutes, Sharon and Jinkx’s drinks handed back to them in cute little To-Go cups with their names scribbled along the sides in some of Dela’s best handwriting. Jinkx for one couldn’t wait to take the first sip. She hadn’t had a chance to stop in for her regular pick-me-up since Sunday thanks in large part to the fiasco with Katya and Trixie. Her overly sweetened latte would be a welcomed treat after successfully cleaning up the mess that she and the other assistants helped to create.

Almost as if she were walking on air, she led Sharon towards her favorite table in the back of the shop and sat down to enjoy the first very satisfying taste of her drink. Dela was one of the few employees here that she trusted make her coffee exactly right. Try as she might, Jinkx couldn’t hold back the soft sigh of pleasure that escaped from her lips after the nearly too hot drink finished washing across her tongue. Very much intrigued, Sharon asked, “Mind if I try some?”

Jinkx faltered for a moment before sliding her cup across what little empty space remained between them. With a noticeable amount of hesitation in her voice, she warned, “You can but I don’t think you’ll-”

The face Sharon made as soon as the drink passed her lips was truly a sight. Her eyes went wide with disbelief and something akin to fear that someone would willingly drink something as sugary as what she had just tasted. If she hadn’t seen Dela preparing it herself, she would have sworn that no coffee at all had been used while making that drink. Quickly pushing the cup back in front of Jinkx and washing away the after-taste with her own coffee, Sharon commented shakily, “That was very…sweet.”

Jinkx gave her an apologetic grin and took a long sip of her latte in order not to have to say anything more for the time being. Swallowing away the lingering taste of caramel and sugar, Sharon further questioned her, “I’m a bit surprised though…I thought you always took it black?”

The redhead felt a light blush returning to her cheeks and finally admitted in a sheepish voice, “Actually, I only started doing that because of you…I’ve never seen you add anything to yours so I didn’t either as long as you were around…”

Sharon’s eyes widened and just vaguely it looked like a hint of pink was rising to her face. Deciding it was now or never, Jinkx continued on as she toyed with a lock of stray hair, “I just kinda wanted to impress you, I guess. You always made it look so cool and sophisticated…adding my usual amount of sugar and creamer just felt…childish sometimes.”

With the final confession, Sharon’s shocked expression immediately softened and her hand came to rest on Jinkx’s drawn in shoulder. Scooting their chairs closer until their legs were almost touching, the blonde assured her, “Jinkx, never worry about impressing me. You’ve done that already…you still do actually.”

The pair shared a fond smile before the intimacy of the situation became too much and each broke away with an embarrassed smile. They drank in further silence for another minute or so before a new topic was cautiously proposed by the older woman. It felt like the hours slipped by unnoticed as countless customers came and left the shop while the two remained close and cozy in their hidden corner. Around half an hour before the cafe was due to close, Jinkx asked with more than a fair amount of trepidation, “So this…us, I mean. What do we do at the shop?”

Her gaze was curious but also concerned and fearful. She didn’t want this to be a one time thing but it was also a bit of unfamiliar territory to be potentially dating her boss. She didn’t want anything to mess up her personal or business life but if she would have to pick now, she wasn’t sure which she would chose to pursue. Luckily, Sharon had no intention of forcing her to make that choice. Enclosing her hand around one of Jinkx’s fiddling ones, she consoled her employee in a simple but gentle voice, “We’ll do the same thing we’ve been doing; we remain professional with each other while at work.”

“And then after work?” Jinkx questioned in a meek yet hopeful tone.

Smirking just a tad, the blonde gave a comforting squeeze of her hand and stated confidently, “After work…we’ll be anything but.”

Jinkx felt a smile of previously unknown size growing across her lips as she beamed up at her boss. Her heart felt like it would soon flutter out of her chest but she could hardly care about that. Everything felt like a dream at this point and no part of her wanted to wake up any time soon.

She was almost finished with her drink when Sharon placed her empty cup next Jinkx’s. Leaving their hands resting on the table, Sharon worked her phone out her pocket and opened the camera app. She jutted her head towards the pair of cups with a silent request for permission to take a picture yet left the option open for Jinkx to refuse. Vaguely wondering who she’d send the image to before ultimately deciding that she didn’t care, Jinkx nodded her head with a gleeful grin settled on her lips. She found that she wanted everyone to know; both at the shop and the rest of the world.

Crossing the last few inches of space that remained between their bodies, Jinkx let her head fall onto Sharon’s shoulder as the blonde snapped a quick picture. Just at the very edge of the image, Jinkx could see their interlocking fingers making a small cameo while the cups with their names scrawled up the side took up the majority of the screen. With one click, Sharon forwarded the picture off to probably every employee at the shop.

Following the subtle announcement of their relationship to their coworkers, the pair quickly drank what little remained in their cups and bid Dela a short ‘Goodbye’ and word of thanks as they exited the cafe. The walk back to the flower shop was quiet and peaceful, yet over all too quickly to both of the women’s displeasure. Pausing outside the door to Sharon’s apartment, Jinkx stood on her tip toes to press a soft kiss to Sharon’s cheek as she whispered sincerely, “I had a really good time tonight.”

Before the redhead even had a chance to try and disentangle her hand from Sharon’s, the older woman carefully pulled her in closer and offered up hopefully, “Well the night’s not over yet…want to come inside for another cup?…I still have have those coffee beans you gave me…”

Jinkx’s face lit up and without a second thought, she dare to place a brief peck to Sharon’s lips and replied, “I’d love to.”

#rpdr fanfiction #albatross #shinkx #trixya #flowershop au #fluff #first date #jinkx monsoon #sharon needles #trixie mattel #katya zamolodchikova #ivy winters #submission #lesbian au #flowers in bloom

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angstmongertina · 6 years

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A Study in Outliers

AKA OC Kiss Week 2019: Lia/Rosa

Part one of three in the series that I’m calling The Scientific Method, because apparently Lia is gonna get so many smooches. This time, featuring @seckritlab‘s Rosa from 7KPP, resulting in what can be summarized as “Lia.exe has stopped working.”

This is a full month late because real life is a bitch, but I’m still here and I’m still gonna try to finish. However long it takes lmao. Watch for parts 2 and 3 in like... September, probably.

The trip to Vail Isle was longer and more complicated than she had ever expected.

Pressed against the railing of the ship, Lia looked out across the water. The ocean splashed against the wood, not the gentle lapping against the sand on a summer day, nor heavy crashes from an earlier storm which left most of her fellow delegates cooped up in their cabins, but a steady rocking of an active sea. It was, as far as she could tell, ideal weather for continuing onward.

Which, logically, meant that their halt with no land in sight was an anomaly, that there was something important that would take place. But what could possibly be relevant in the middle of the ocean?

The answer soon presented itself when another ship, smaller but more elaborate, sailed into view, cutting smoothly through the water and headed straight for them. Her hands tightened on the wood bar, bracing herself for impact, but it never came.

Instead, the vessel came to a skillful stop under the apparent direction of one tiny figure who stood steady on the deck, long hair like dancing red flames in the wind. Despite being dwarfed by the crew around her, she was in control, the other shiphands orbiting around her in complex patterns that she could almost deduce if she focused. Folding her arms on the railing, Lia leaned forward, intrigued. The woman couldn’t be much older than she was, and yet there she was, commanding an entire crew. Truly extraordinary.

Then again, considering the Hise colors that fluttered from the ship's mast, perhaps she should have expected it.

Before she could make up her mind on the matter, however, the young woman turned and, exchanging a quick word with the man at her shoulder, hurried below deck and out of sight.

With a sigh, she turned, casting her gaze across the water. It had already been nearly a week since she left Jiyel, delayed as they were by the unusual storm not far off the coast. Surely if they were any later, they would miss the Summit entirely…

Movement from the corner of her eye interrupted her thoughts and turned back to the smaller ship, only to find the same woman, now dressed in a slimming gown with her hair pulled into a more elegant updo and accompanied by a considerable looking trunk. The rest of the crew joined the figure and saluted before returning back to their duties.

And, oddly enough, the young captain, for surely that was who she was, appeared to be joining their travels, climbing over from the other ship with the grace of years of experience.

Transfer complete, their ship continued onwards towards Vail Isle, but Lia remained on deck, watching the crew bustle about their newcomer, anxious expressions morphing to relaxed smiles as she spoke with them. It was a far cry from the rest of her fellow passengers, most of whom were ensconced in their quarters for last minute preparations.

Caught up in her musings, she didn’t realize she was staring until bright green eyes met her own and she looked away too late.

When she spoke, her voice was lilting, teasing. “If it makes you feel better, it was either you or me.”

“I’m sorry?”

Lia chanced a glance back, only to find a mischievous grin on her companion’s face. “Don’t be. In fact…” Before she could so much as blink, the woman moved closer, head tilted up to meet her gaze. “Do you mind?”

She forced herself to draw a breath. “I… no?”

“Good.” Warm lips met her own, assured and curious, and lingered for several frantic heartbeats, before pulling away and curving into friendly smile. “Oh, I’m Rosa, by the way. From Hise.”

Blinking, she opened her mouth, only to close it and clear her throat before trying again. “I… Camellia. Or Lia. Of Jiyel.”

“Nice to meet you, Lia!” If Rosa noticed her befuddlement, she didn’t show it, only grinning before turning to wave at the speck that was the other boat. “I have to say, it’s nice to meet someone who isn’t from Hise before the Summit. Especially someone as cute as you. How do you feel about being kidnapped?”

Rosa could very well have said more, but Lia was rather distracted by the question that had already directed her way in far too carefree a voice to even notice. “I apologize. What was that?”

She received a cheerful wink, one that, in an impossible feat of nature, somehow to be both flirtatious and friendly at the same time.

Were all Hiseans like that?

“Oh, I suppose not. A pity, but hey. It can’t possibly always be such fair winds. Well, I better move into my new cabin before the crew wonders where I managed to lose myself, and I can’t possibly have them think I’m so incapable as to get lost on such a small ship already.”

And almost as quickly as she had arrived, she turned, grabbing her trunk, and made her way into the belly of the ship, leaving Lia standing alone on the deck, staring at where she had disappeared.

Well, if any of the other delegates were anything like Lady Rosa, then the Summit would be an interesting experience for sure.

#Tina writes stuff.#OC Kiss Week 2019 #long post #Lady Camellia of Jiyel #Tina plays 7KPP.

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pwincess-aisha · 6 years

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A new start.

Written by Aisha, for @actualdemonbianca as part of a secret Santa present from the fandom @the-otwya-project

A few days before his party a very frustrated Ludwig was slumped over his mahogany desk trying to finalise his plans for his New Years eve party. He scribbled down last second notes of prices for two large stuffed pigs from the butchers, he still needed to set up his decorations in all of the rooms as well as get all the guest rooms prepared for his visitors. He always had everything prepared weeks in advance… Why was this particular occasion any different?

His brows furrowed as the front door opened and the reason for his tardiness walked in. The man’s bright red nose poking above his large fluffy scarf as he walked in shaking off the settled snow from his exposed articles of clothing. Ludwig goes to meet him at the door, shutting out the cold behind. “Heinrich, please tell me you picked up everything I asked for.” Heinrich nodded as Ludwig helped him take off his wet coat, following him into the study Ludwig set the coat over the armchair in front of the lit fireplace where Heinrich positioned himself after dropping the bags of ingredients onto the table. “From vegetables to flour for spritzgebäck and stollen. I got you everything you asked for.” He shrugged, warming his hands over the fire. He sighed slightly before adding a quite “It’s the least I can do for causing you so much stress.” Ludwig huffed as he picked up the heavy bags “Did you say something?” Heinrich shook his head as he took the heavier bags from Ludwig, taking them into the kitchen. “I’ll get started with the decorations after a quick break.” Ludwig nodded “I’ll help you as soon as I get free.” They both nodded, standing their in slightly awkward tension. Unsaid words hanging in the air between them. Ludwig looked up through his glasses and started formulating his sentence but Heinrich quickly cleared his throat and took his freshly boiled tea, “I still stand by what I said, I’m not taking it back. You can continue to disagree, deny and not acknowledge my confession. I’ll continue to help you because this is my fault but please just think about what I said.” And with that statement he left Ludwig to contemplate over their previous few scuffles.

After the pair had decorated the house and set up the bedrooms Heinrich suddenly disappeared from the house. Ludwig had just noticed how empty the large halls truly were when he couldn’t hear the pacing steps above his study. He didn’t feel all to well with how their situation went down. He didn’t know what to think, he did like Heinrich he just didn’t know which like. But he wasn’t going to lose his friendship over conflicting emotions. He’d have to talk to him as soon as he saw him again and put an end to this nonsense.

The night before New Years eve Ludwig was preparing everything, laying out his ingredients for tomorrow’s feast. He checked everything off his mental checklist. He had finished everything but he needed a distraction from his… distraction, he couldn’t think about him when he had such an important event coming up in less than a day. He decided to clean his house from top to bottom again to ensure his guests had the best time at his party and a warm cosy stay at his house.

The first to arrive was his sister Louisa. She began helping him cook and bake. They caught up on their time apart chatting and laughing. Ludwig finally managed to suppress the temptation to think about Heinrich until his sister bought something up. “I noticed you took down the mistletoe and Christmas decorations. Does this strange absence mean you’ve finally found someone?” She giggled but stopped when she noticed her brother’s long face. “Did I say something wrong? I’m sorry brother.” She gently held his arm in a comforting manner. He sighed deeply and shrugged her hand off before turning around and continuing with making the dough, “Louisa, it’s nothing much. Let’s just get everything ready. The guests will be arriving soon.” She softly nodded and they started baking in silence, the heavy atmosphere settling between them.

Having everything prepared and the first guests starting to arrive now, Heinrich had finally been pushed out of Ludwig’s thoughts.

The night continued on, everyone sipping on glühwein slightly tipsy as they chattered, sang and just enjoyed the party. Ludwig was for the most past sober considering he was the one who had clean up after his guests had eaten and gone to sleep, most likely by himself at this point into the long night.

Ludwig had gotten everyone’s attention seating them at their places ready to dig into their succulent feast. One seat remained… On the opposite end of the long table, as far away from him as possible. But he hadn’t turned up. Maybe he wasn’t going to show up. Ludwig smiled tightly as he began to sit down himself but the doorbell rang as soon as he sat down. Louisa laughed at Ludwig’s exasperated expression as he got back up to get the door.

He turned down the handle and a strong gust of wind blew the door open, He shivered and unfurled his arms from around him, to protect him from the cold, as he looked up to welcome his guest. He was taken by surprise when he noticed a shivering Heinrich standing with his hands pushed out in front of Ludwig's face. “Mein gott Heinrich, how long were you standing there for?! You’ve turned blue!” Heinrich huffed through chattering teeth as Ludwig pulled him in, closing the door behind him “I thought you wouldn’t want me here, I stood ready to push the bell for maybe 20 minutes.” Ludwig shook his head in confusion “Never mind that, Go by the fireplace and warm up. I’ll get you some glühwein to warm you up.” He didn’t let Heinrich get a word in edge-ways as he began pushing him. Heinrich planted his feet down and stopped the two in their tracks. “Hold out your hands.” He whispered. “Wha-”

“Shhh, just hold out your hands and close your eyes.” He pleaded to a sceptical Ludwig, who cautiously did as he was told.

Heinrich placed a small, lightweight box into his hands and mentioned for him to open his eyes. “Don’t open it until the clock strikes 12.. Please?” Ludwig looked slightly taken back as he slowly nodded.

They walked in together silently, Heinrich sat at the opposite end of the table, far from Ludwig, right where Ludwig wanted him.

Yet his gaze continuously drifted towards the other end of the table, occasionally he locked eyes with Heinrich. He couldn’t force himself to look away. He didn’t look away even after Heinrich tore his gaze away to look awkwardly at the floor. He couldn’t place his finger on the feeling, he couldn’t connect the emotion to the sickly sweet warm fuzzy feeling. He felt it once before, once… Along time ago when he was younger. But he needed to concentrate on his party and guests.

The meal ended a while ago, the guests were enjoying a nice after meal chat by the warm fireplace while Ludwig was working his way around, cleaning up. Louisa offered to help but he declined, told her to enjoy the company as she needed time to relax sometimes. He continued working until he finally finished. While Ludwig was drying off his hands on the rag he jumped when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around and swallowed the lump that formed every time he locked eyes with Heinrich. “Everyone is asking how long you’re going to be-” He rubbed the back of his neck “It’s almost midnight.” Ludwig nodded and patted down his apron trying to find the small box Heinrich gave him.

It wasn’t in his front pocket. He checked his pants pocket. “It’s not there!” He patted himself down again. “It’s still not there!!” Heinrich laughed a little “It wouldn’t be there if you just checked, and it’s okay. It wasn’t anything important.” Ludwig rolled his eyes “Don’t say that, it is important. You gave it to me.” He sighed frustrated which took them both by surprise. Louisa came into the kitchen just before Heinrich could say anything about Ludwig’s slip up, which Ludwig was grateful for but Heinrich was starting to get a little irked with constantly being disrupted. “Oh you’re both in here everyone is waiting for you. They all want to countdown to New Years day.” He puffed at their childish antics. Ludwig nodded “We’ll be there soon, I’m just finding something-”

“And I’m helping.” Heinrich chimed in. Louisa nodded “Do you need any help?” Heinrich cut in before she finished her question “you go relax Louisa, you’ve done more than enough today” He smiled softly at her and she returned the smile, nodding once in conformation she strutted out of the kitchen back to the party.

Heinrich and Ludwig devised a plan to find the box, Ludwig going through his routine after Heinrich arrived and Heinrich checking everywhere else. He walked back out to the long dining room, He checked everywhere. Got on his hands and knees crawling under the table in desperation trying to find the box. Another guest walked through the dining table to get to the kitchen. They stopped when they saw Ludwig’s legs sticking out from under the table. They cleared their throat a little, startling Ludwig in the process causing him to bang his head as he was trying to stick his head out, his glasses now askew upon his nose and neatly combed back hair now tousled. He popped his head around to look at Johann “Are you okay?” He extended out his hand to help Ludwig up, He greatly took it and he laughed a little. “I just lost something is all, don’t worry about it.” Johann nodded slowly, “What was it, maybe I’ve seen it?” Ludwig saw no harm in it so he explained how he lost a small present box Heinrich gave him. “Was there something in it? Because I found an empty box in the way you’re describing. I left it in your study on your desk since the door was open” Ludwig sprinted out of the dining room across the sitting area calling back a thanks to Johann over his shoulder, across the hall straight into his study room. He saw Heinrich staring at the box then at him. “I was about to call you.” He responded meekly to a huffing Ludwig. He stood up and walked a little towards him, Ludwig automatically did the same thing. They met in the middle of the room. A little closer than arm's length. Heinrich brought the box up higher. Ludwig looked down, Ready to open it. But Heinrich covered his hand before he could pull away. He insisted slightly, tugging him towards him leaving his opposite hand to rest on his lower back. “I hope you considered what I said?” He tucked two fingers under Ludwig’s chin to lift his face to look at him. They couldn’t seem to tear their gaze away from one another until they heard faint chanting coming from across the house. The countdown for Christmas started, 10 seconds left. Heinrich pushed the box into Ludwig’s hands, standing back a bit giving the other some space to open his present. “7-” They heard, Ludwig looked up over the top of his glasses at Heinrich giving a small rose blushed smile. Heinrich gave a smile back. “4” They both began the count down under their breaths but loud enough for the other to hear “3. 2. 1-” Ludwig opened the box. His smile falling.

“The box is empty?” He started worrying thinking he lost the present but Heinrich stepped forward to kiss his cheek softly. “That was the present.” He kissed the stunned man’s cheek once more, pulling away to reveal his own red cheeks. “Happy New Year Ludwig, I want you to start stressing less… to be-” He paused to take a deep breath and gulp down his nerves “I want you to be happy with me?” He thought he’d be more confident but it ended up sounding more like a question.

Ludwig didn’t know how to respond. He was at a loss for words. The only thing he could do that seemed rational and appropriate was pull Heinrich forward into a soft kiss.

They shared this soft loving kiss for a minute or two, time seemed irrelevant to the pair at the moment. Heinrich broke the kiss first “Does th-” Ludwig pecked his lips with a small kiss once more. “Happy new year Heinrich,” he whispered touching their foreheads together, while one hand cupped the side of his cheek the other gently resting on the nape of his neck. “I’m glad I got to start my new year with you.” He sighed softly as they both closed their eyes in contentment.

THE END!!!

The idea: Okay so it's New Years eve Ludwig has a party close friends come over Heinrich gives him a small box but tells him to open it as soon as it hits 12, some stuff happens someone accidentally takes the box Heinrich helps Ludwig find it they find it in a more private area the grand clock strikes 12 he opens it but it's empty so Ludwig starts freaking out thinking someone stole the present but Heinrich gives him a kiss and tells him that's what the present was.

#otwya #secret santa #jugefojfvrrr not my best

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marie-dufresne · 3 years

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This Isn’t a Beach Episode

🧬 Main Verse Page 🧬

This isn’t a Beach Episode: After Marie oversteps, Hojo takes it upon himself to remind her of the place she holds in Sephiroth’s life.

Marie was enjoying a weekend with both her boys at home. Gideon, at seventeen, was studying for final exams and Sephiroth, at twelve, had been given the weekend off from the training and testing he was undergoing at the lab. Edmund hadn’t showed his face much, buried in his work as always, but it was his voice that took her attention from her embroidery that Sunday evening.

“What is this I hear about a trip to Costa?”

He didn’t seem pleased about it, so she lowered her handiwork to the table, smiling brightly.

“Has Sephiroth brought it up to you? He’s so excited. I don’t think we’ve ever brought him to the beach, have we?”

With his hands in his pockets, Hojo shuffled over to her, brows pulled down over his eyes.

“And you thought to plan this without consulting me?”

He reached out, catching her chin between his thumb and forefinger. To a passerby it might have seemed like an act of affection, a tender moment between husband and wife, but Marie saw the glint in his eyes and felt the slight pressure of the pad of his thumb.

Angry was too mild a word to describe the emotion she was bracing herself for. She had only been the victim of it a few times, but she’d seen him demonstrate it in his lab. Dr. Crescent had been on the receiving end of it once and it was the only time Marie had seen the other woman cry.

Taking a deep breath, she shrunk back just enough for him to notice, never breaking her smile.

“It’s just the beach, darling.”

A flash of light and she found herself on the floor. It wasn’t the first time he’d hit her, but it was the first time she’d been hit so hard she hadn’t registered it happening. Her ears were ringing, head throbbing with the onslaught of a headache and now, on the side of her face, a thud, pressure.

His boot.

“How many years of my research were you planning on destroying with your little trip out of town?” he sneered, “do you have any idea how crucial timing can be?”

Of course she knew. She’d worked for him up until Gideon had been born. She’d never been a scientist, never would be, never pretended to be. She was fully intending on checking his schedule, of being sure he was on board. He might have become engrossed in his work over the years, a bit too obsessive even, but he was still her husband. He was still Sephiroth’s father. Marie was not the sort of wife or mother to overstep the boundaries of teamwork.

But now it seemed, since he’d gotten what he wanted from her, Edmund was no longer interested in being a team player.

Mr. Henry in marketing would disapprove.

Neither Gideon nor Sephiroth would approve of this scene, and Marie’s heart was racing not for herself, but the thought of how bad things might get if she didn’t put the room back in order. She could see her supplies scattered across the ground.

“Darling please,” she gasped, her little hand coming up to push his shoe away, rolling into all fours as he complied, stepping away.

She should have stayed quiet after that. Apologized and offered him a cup of coffee and a massage. Revisited it another day. But she didn’t. Instead, her manicured fingers dug into the plush carpet and her lip curled.

“He’s just a child!” she snarled, “he is a child who needs to play like all the others!”

Her legs were shaking as she stood and she felt her stockings rip. She’d never snapped at him like that before and if she wasn’t fast enough, she’d be picking herself up off the floor again.

“He is…a child,” she repeated, standing up straight, pleading in her eyes, “he is our child. Don’t you want him to be happy?”

Hojo’s upper lip twitched once and he stood in silence, watching as she awaited another blow.

“Happy? No one is truly happy, my dear wife. Don’t mistake occasional laughter and cordial smiles for happiness.”

“He could be,” she argued, “if you’d stop poking and prodding him for three seconds! Allow him some friends. He’s twelve years old.”

Another twitch. This time accompanied with a glint from his glasses. A wicked look.

“I gave you the first one to play with, aren’t you satisfied?”

Marie gasped, her hands brushing the string of pearls he’d bought her the day after Gideon had come home from the intensive care unit, born five weeks too early. He’d been such a different man then. His obsession with his work had been endearing, admirable even. Now it was heartbreaking.

“To play with? Edmund—“

She remembered a time when he loved his family. When Gideon was up at night, he held him, pouring over his notebooks until they both fell asleep. Sometimes she heard him proposing theories, talking to himself, working over problems aloud to his infant son. He took him to work, explained to him how things worked, fostered a love of science in Gideon’s heart.

When Sephiroth was born, Gideon had been tossed aside. Once their silver haired child began to walk and talk, so had she. Gideon had accepted it, focusing instead on his studies and the gratitude and love he had for his mother, his pseudo uncle Vincent, and younger brother.

Marie was living in denial.

“They are our babies. They aren’t dolls to dress up or test subjects to study! They’re human beings who need a well rounded upbringing. I am his mother. I won’t let you continue this—”

She didn’t hit the floor this time. She hit the wall. The chair rail of the parlor cut against her spine and she felt her breath lose its way in her lungs, her husband’s forearm pressed up against her chest.

“Edmund—“

“Do not.”

The air she couldn’t control came back to her in heavy inhales, but she didn’t fight his hold. He wasn’t particularly strong. It was likely that she could have gotten away, cried to Vincent about it and earned him a solid Turk beating in his own lab and perhaps she should have, but Marie Hojo was living in denial. To her, this was no more than an overdue spat.

She didn’t fight, but she was tense, the fire of challenge in her eyes. Hojo was prepared to douse it.

“Do not speak to me about being his mother,” he hissed, leaning in to whisper against her cheek, as if a secret just between the two of them, “you gave away that right every time you let me stick you with my needles.”

Just as he knew she would, he felt her relax in his hold. The tears wouldn’t be far off; she was in the exact position he needed her.

It had been his own error to conduct the Jenova Project on his own offspring. His wife was too emotional, too attached to the children. His second error had been allowing her the first three years of the child’s life to be lived at home, fundamental developmental milestones reached in the comforting arms of a loving mother. Key memories that would shape him and she was embedded in so many of them.

Now he had to tread carefully, particularly as his son was on the cusp of puberty. He wasn’t nearly as emotional as his mother, but feelings were becoming difficult for him to regulate. Combined with the strength he hadn’t yet mastered, Hojo was in no way willing to experiment with grief as intense as losing a mother.

He might…later.

For now, it was too dangerous. He had to keep Sephiroth content. To do that, he had to keep his wife stable. It was an irritating game.

Marie’s breath shuddered and she went even further lax, the guilt of being called out on her participation of human experimentation bubbling up to the surface. “I just…wanted a healthy baby…”

Yes. He had her. Perfect.

Pulling his arm from her chest, Hojo took her face in his hands, wiping away the tears that started to fall.

“And that’s what you got, isn’t it? He’s healthy and he’s strong, hm?”

She nodded, chin wobbling. His eyes softened and he shifted his gaze slightly.

“But he isn’t a baby anymore, is he Marie?”

“No,” she breathed, “no he isn’t.”

The scientist hummed, pulling her closer and giving her hair a gentle stroke, playing the part of a doting husband, as if he wasn’t the cause of her despair.

“You know Sephiroth is special, my love. He’s always been special.”

Against his chest, Marie nodded. While she hadn’t been told outright it had been Jenova cells she was accepting into her body (a liability to anyone else, but Hojo was well aware his beautiful wife was too blinded by the fantasy version of family she’d created to take legal action against him), she had accepted the consequences. A child that looked nothing like her, that harbored super strength and an (almost) unflappable constitution.

A child that was property of ShinRa Electric Power Company.

“I can’t concede to a beach vacation,” he murmured into her hair, “but…I don’t see why we can’t find something fun for him to do here in Midgar. Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

A kiss to the top of her head, a light squeeze. Tonight he’d nurse the injuries he caused. Tomorrow he’d send Vince for a gift and buy tickets to the theatre or something or other to make their son happy.

Then he could be left alone to work.

#near 20 year time skips because like I've said before #I don't care about chronology one millimeter #I'll fill in everything eventuall dw #like anyone is actually worried ahahahahahha #Hojosynthesis #professor hojo #ff7 hojo #hojo ffvii #ffvii fanfiction #ff7 fanfic

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chierafied · 7 years

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SessKag Week Day 6 - Fireflies

Finding Happiness

Post-Canon / Romance / 1,323 words

The long summer day was turning to night, when Kagome slipped out of the village and climbed towards the shrine and the Bone Eater’s well. The sounds of merriment followed her up the stone stairs as she left the wedding celebration behind her.

At the top of the stairs, grass brushed at her ankles. She had just wanted a moment for herself, some peace and quiet – but when she walked past the well she knew where her feet were taking her.

Somehow, she thought, a small wry smile touching her lips, that seemed appropriate.

She paused before the tall tree, admired its wide trunk. She stepped even closer, rose to the tips of her toes and extended her hand. Her fingers brushed against the rough bark, caressing the scar she knew only too well.

She drew a quivering breath and bowed her head.

“I didn’t expect to feel bitter today,” she breathed, the God Tree the only audience for her quiet confession, “but I guess a part of me is, a little.”

“You left your home to come here, to a time you do not belong, just to be with him,” a deep voice remarked from behind.

Kagome jumped. Her hand that had been resting against the bark of the Goshinboku balled into a fist.

She had not heard him approach her; this was a predator who knew how to silence his steps. Likewise, he exercised perfect control over his powers – enough to apparently mask his energy, which was why she hadn’t felt him, either.

She turned around slowly.

The impassive golden eyes were narrowed in scrutiny, and Kagome’s shoulders stiffened.

“Yet you did not expect to feel bitter on a day he marries another?”

Kagome bit her lip and glared at him. She was still angry at how he’d sneaked up on her, and in any case she didn’t owe him any answers. But something about his voice caught her; a trace of curiosity that did not show on his still face.

“I thought I had put it behind me,” she said with a small shrug.

“Love is not something one can easily discard.”

Kagome scoffed. “Love comes in many forms,” she countered. “Inuyasha and I started out as friends. We still are friends now. And I love my friends.”

“That is not what this Sesshoumaru means.”

His voice sounded colder, but Kagome wasn’t fazed. The situation was too bizarre to frighten her; to stand here arguing about love with Sesshoumaru – on Inuyasha’s wedding day.

“I’m not sure I ever loved him the way you mean,” she replied. And that was the truth.

Oh, she had wholeheartedly believed she was in love with Inuyasha – but she had been young, even when she had returned three years later. The more she thought about it now, the more convinced she was that it had been just puppy love.

It wasn’t Inuyasha she had truly been in love with, but the image she’d built of him in her head. What he could have been.

“We were together for a while. But it didn’t do either of us any good.” She shook her head, to rid herself of the memories – they still had the power to hurt her, but only if she let them. And she wasn’t going to, not today of all days. “It wasn’t working, and our decision to call it quits was mutual.”

He didn’t say anything, just stared at her. But the intensity of his gaze was troubling enough.

Kagome rubbed her arms and took a seat, settling on the cool grass and leaning her back against Goshinboku.

To her surprise, Sesshoumaru took a few steps forward, and gracefully lowered himself to the ground just a few scant feet away from her.

Unease curled in her stomach like a heavy weight as she suddenly wondered what game Sesshoumaru was playing here. Their interactions had always been brief and carefully courteous at best – expect perhaps that one moment battling Naraku when they’d been alone and united.

If anything, Kagome thought Sesshoumaru regarded her with mild irritation. So why was he here? Why had he followed her, when she had wanted a moment to herself? Why had he engaged her in a conversation? Why was he sitting so close?

Kagome looked across the clearing, focusing on the dancing glow of the fireflies gathering there. Normally, the sight would’ve made her smile, but now it only served as a momentary distraction from the growing sense of foreboding caused by Sesshoumaru’s unexplained presence.

“I meant what I said earlier,” Kagome said, when the silence grew too heavy for her, too much. “Inuyasha’s my friend. Maybe I’m still a bit bitter though I have tried to let go of the past. But more than anything else, I want him to be happy.”

“You did not find happiness with each other.”

It was not a question – and it stung, the way words always did when they struck true and scraped at old scars.

She was surprised that her voice was only a little tight when she replied. “No, but I’m glad he’s found it at last.”

Sesshoumaru stared at her.

She didn’t see it, because she was purposefully ignoring him, but the way her entire body tensed told her all his attention was focused on her.

Kagome gritted her teeth and watched the fireflies – though now that she looked at them more closely, buzzing about their business, their glow reminded her of the golden gleam of his eyes.

When Sesshoumaru finally spoke, his deep voice was soft; softer than Kagome would ever have believed possible.

“And what about you, Kagome?”

Startled, she turned towards him.

“What?”

He tilted his head and studied her, an odd look in his eyes.

“What about your happiness?”

Stunned by both his words and the pain flaring in their wake, Kagome managed a weak shrug.

He struck so quickly that Kagome had only time to flinch – his hand was a blur when it caught hers in a grip as relaxed as it was unyielding.

Kagome’s breath froze in her throat and she stared at his deadly claws delicately curved around her wrist. Panic flooded Kagome’s mind but cold logic followed right on its heels, reminding her that struggling was not a good idea, not when the most lethal predator of them all had caught a hold of her.

Therefore, she could only helplessly watch when he drew her hand towards him.

Kagome cringed internally, preparing for that deadly flash of his fangs while her heart thundered against her ribs.

But when his lips brushed against the tips of her fingers in a soft caress, the shiver creeping down her spine wasn’t all fear.

Kagome’s lips parted, her breath still caught in her throat.

His eyes were hooded, their golden colour almost luminous in the darkening night.

Kagome’s eyes were wide and wild, her mind scrambling to make sense of it all because hot damn Sessoumaru had just kissed her fingers.

“I think that my half-brother has it right, for once,” he murmured, still holding onto her hand, his thumb drawing a lazy circle along her flushing skin. “I would like to find my happiness. Would you, Kagome, be willing to help me look for it?”

Kagome blinked at him, her stomach in knots again but for a whole different reason that it had been earlier.

It was really hard to keep thinking about anything while he traced whimsical patterns on the back of her hand and stared at her with those oddly intent, hooded eyes – let alone trying to process the situation.

Sesshoumaru couldn’t possibly be suggesting what she thought he was suggesting, right?

She swallowed.

And yet… Ridiculous and unwise as it might have been, she felt tempted.

Very tempted.

She took a deep breath. What did she have to lose, anyway?

Kagome squared her shoulders and drew herself up. She met his gaze and sealed her fate with one word.

“Yes.”

#sesskag-week2017 #skw2017 #skw:Day6 #chie writes #sesskag #fic: SK

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annequinox · 7 years

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Traveling With a Lonely Immortal

Part 4/? [part 3] [part 5] Pairing: Zeref and Lucy Rating: T Word count: 5,504 Status: Ongoing A/N: Yay! Sorry for the awful delay. I was really busy with my remaining weeks of summer vacation so I had to make the best of it. I hope you like this part! This one is my favorite so far.

Summary: When Lucy is given a chance to save her mother, she takes it, unbeknownst to her that the cost will be leaving the Heartfilia family forever. In addition to that, she has to spend the rest of her life with the most evil mage of all time and accompany him until her last breath.

The rain was pouring hard one morning, and Lucy and Zeref were cooped up inside the four wheeler, with the thunder clapping above them and a howling wind reverberating across the forest. They had closed the windows and doors, resulting to an echo of their voices as they talked in loud octaves, attempting to be heard through the continuous pelting.

Lucy tried not to look too panicked, but every time she caught sight of her dark-colored gem, she just couldn’t help but worry that what if—what if his curse was to go rampant at this time.

“I’ll just teleport myself out of here.”

She lifted her head, surprised eyes meeting his warm ones. She flushed and nodded. “Sorry… I was just…”

“It’s okay,” he reassured her, leaning back on the bench as he admired the chaos outside. “I was thinking about that too.”

She kept talking to him as his head laid on the window, with droplets of water sliding down its surface and he replied with lengthy answers, his voice serene and peaceful. It was a moment later when the rain quieted down and so did she.

When he looked back at her, she was unconscious.

He bit his lip and looked at his hand, a burning hatred steeling his gaze before he ran his fingers through his hair. A sigh escaped his lips. He closed his eyes, counted to three, and teleported away.

接

“You’re alive,” the Queen whispered, unbelieving. “Did you… Did you manage to find Zeref, dear?”

“She did.”

Lucy choked on her breath as she felt his presence beside her, dark and untamed.

“T-The Black Wizard?!” the King spluttered, hands gripping the armrests of his throne, knuckles turning white.

Zeref smiled politely. “Just call me by my name, please.”

Lucy tried to calm her heart and even out her breathing, a stiff, apologetic smile spreading her lips as she faced the two rulers. “He gave me what I needed, and today my mother still lives.”

The Queen recovered from her shock, eyes now filled with relief and pleasant surprise. “Zeref,” she drawled, sudden realization sparking in her stare. “You’ve been staying in our forests.”

“We have.”

Her long gown hissed as she shifted in her chair. “What business do you want to discuss with us that made you enter the city, risking your presence, and visit us?” She glanced at the blonde beside him. “Although I suppose, bringing dear Lucy along is quite tactical of you.”

Zeref chuckled. “She was the one who wished to meet you, Isabel.”

Lucy turned, about to ask why he knew her name when she did not, but kept her mouth shut instead. The King heaved a heavy sigh. “We’re just glad that she is safe and that you haven’t done any harm to her.”

Isabel nodded grimly and then squared her shoulders. “Let us talk about other matters. What brings you two here?”

“I just wish to warn you of an upcoming war,” Lucy replied first, ignoring the look Zeref sent her. “Even though it might only affect Fiore, I just want Pergrande to prepare if ever the attacks reach this far.”

However, she knew that he wouldn’t go that far. Zeref had informed her that if he decided to push through, he was going to make sure that Pergrande would be untouched. Lucy wondered why, and there was this assumption that perhaps it was because it had become their home, even though they only stayed outside of the city.

“We’ll strengthen our army in advance,” the King told them, eyes hardening at the news.

Lucy smiled warily. “Thank you for your time,” she said and bowed deeply.

Isabel and the King watched them leave quietly, noticing the way Zeref’s hand gripped her waist before they vanished.

接

The Alvarez Empire was massive, if Lucy had anything to say about it. She was introduced to his personal guards as soon as they had arrived and he made her promise to not call him Zeref in public. However, she rejected the offer to live in the palace, instead choosing to reside in an inn that was run by a lovely lady named Olivia. On some days she would go out to visit him, while on the other days he would sleep with her when he knew his magic was at bay.

Today was one of the days when she had to go to the palace. She was up at dawn, and the beginning of a sunrise was slipping through her curtained windows, slightly illuminating her dark room. The wind was lovely as it kissed her skin, a little bit on the colder side but not enough to make her want to cover up.

She grabbed her cloak from the clothing rack and wore it over her simple choice of pants and a top. Even after all those years, she still hadn’t replaced it. Perhaps because it had a sentimental value. Perhaps because Zeref had enchanted it for her and knew that he wouldn’t do it again.

Breakfast with Olivia was always pleasant. Laid in front of her was a plate full of scrambled eggs, another with meat from some exquisite animal, a bowl of buttered vegetables and loaves upon loaves of bread. She wondered why she had so much food.

“Oh, I’m having some friends over,” Olivia replied simply, sipping on a cup of tea as her jade eyes flicked upwards to meet Lucy’s. “And you?”

“Visiting the Emperor,” was her short reply. Olivia already knew what that meant. After the first incident when Zeref had gone to stay the night with her, the innkeeper was left flabbergasted the next morning when she found him in her room sleeping. Before he left, he made her swear an oath to never tell anyone that he visited the inn.

Olivia was trustworthy enough so sometimes Lucy told her about their travels. But only hand-picked ones, and never the stories that could potentially put any of them in danger.

“When will you return then?” the woman asked, her chestnut colored hair falling over her eyes as she tilted her head to the side.

Lucy smiled. “I never stay long enough to sleep overnight, you know,” she reminded her, taking a last bite of meat before downing her coffee. It nearly burned her tongue. “I have to go now.”

“Stay safe!”

“Will do!”

Lucy stepped out onto the cobbled pavement and relinquished the rare peace. With the incoming war that Zeref wished to wage on Ishgar, the citizens of Alvarez were tense and always shouting out orders. There was always some sort of ruckus happening out there during the busy hours of the day. The market was even worse, but she liked the things they sold there so she decided not to mind.

As she made her quiet walk to the palace, thoughts littered her mind. It had been five years now since that day on Tenrou Island. Five whole years since she last saw the Black Dragon—since they moved to Alakitasia. No one knew, not even Zeref himself, where he was now. Although he had some guesses and well-thought assumptions, he wasn’t going to kill him any time yet, apparently. And the war—she didn’t know what it was for. The most he had told her was that it was to take back something powerful, but what, she had no clue.

She wasn’t upset that he was telling her less lately. To be honest, she was thankful that he kept her mostly in the dark. She didn’t know what she truly felt about the war, but she knew that she didn’t want to be a part of it unless he asked her to. And he hadn’t yet.

Lucy reached the palace in half an hour. The guards stationed at the gate wordlessly granted her entrance, giving her a deep bow as she passed them. They had already learned their lesson the first time she visited and had made her wait for almost an hour, before Zeref himself went to get her.

Brandish greeted her at the foot of the stairs and curtsied when she approached. Lucy already told her not to, but the woman was stubborn. “His Majesty is in his study,” the green-haired girl said as they walked up the steps.

“Oh,” Lucy breathed. “Is he busy or what?”

“No, just overlooking proposals from some of the officials.”

She nodded, lips tightening as they entered the palace and was met with servants rushing about. She turned to Brandish. “What’s going on?”

“Ah,” the girl said, as if having remembered only now. “There was a fight among the Spriggan 12 earlier so they’re repairing the damages.”

Lucy arched a brow. “And you aren’t helping?”

Brandish smiled slyly, eyes gleaming with mischief. “Let them deal with it,” she dismissed, waving her hand.

It wasn’t long before they reached Zeref’s study. Lucy gripped the gold doorknob, insides twisting with happiness and turned it. Brandish had already vanished back into the hallways to give them privacy. When she walked inside and closed the door behind her, Zeref was still hunched over his desk, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

She smiled fondly. “Headache?”

He bristled, stunned as he lifted his head to look at her. His posture relaxed afterwards. “I’m the strongest mage of all time, and I let a woman sneak up on me,” he said to himself, chuckling. “Good morning, Lucy.”

She grinned and finally approached him, taking a seat in front of his desk as he leaned over to place a kiss on her forehead. “Good morning. You look troubled,” she commented, fixing the papers that were scattered all over his table.

“Not anymore,” he replied, looking at her with that same warm gaze that she loved so much. “Do you want to go somewhere?”

Lucy shook her head, smiling. “I think I’d rather just stay here and chat. Watch you work, and stuff.”

He returned her smile. “Alright.”

The sun was beginning to set when they decided to leave his study. The halls were quieter now, void of the chattering of servants and the booming voices of his personal guards. It was on moments like these that she wondered how he conquered the nation. How did he make Alvarez grow this big?

They went to the balcony and stared out into the setting yellow orb in the distance, once again, having someone by her side as it happened. The silence somehow unnerved her.

“Lucy,” he began, pausing only to swallow. “I have something to ask of you.”

She felt her heartbeat quicken inside her chest and something roared in her ears, but she turned to him and her eyes continued to remain sincere. “What is it?” she asked.

Zeref’s chin inclined slightly. When he met her gaze, there was an odd emotion in the way he looked at her that made her insides melt. “I never planned to ask you of this but…” His smile saddened and he reached for her hand. “Will you join the war for us?”

Lucy’s breath hitched in her throat and her mind screamed at her that she was right—please, it begged. Don’t go.

She tightened her hold on his fingers and pressed her lips into a thin line. “I don’t see why you want me to join. Are Brandish and the others not enough?” she questioned softly.

“I want to win this war more than anything else. But I want to do it with you.”

Her forehead creased. “I don’t wish to cause any more bloodshed, Zeref.”

“Fight with me, Lucy,” he pleaded. “I will watch your back and you can watch mine.”

Maybe it was the way he said her name, or how his eyes seemed to beg. Maybe it was simply because she loved him, that she wanted to help him accomplish his goals and be by his side through thick and thin. But whatever reason she had was lost by the time she had looked away.

“I will join you.”

病

It was a quarter after midnight when she jolted awake. Lucy wasted no time in getting the blanket off her and swinging her legs over the bed to get on her feet. She stumbled into the bathroom, her gut twisting before she bent over the toilet bowl and emptied the contents of her stomach into it, along with a tinge of deep crimson.

She leaned back and sat on the heels of her feet, shuddering. The night was cold and irrefutably lonely. She reached out towards the mark on her back and tried to give Zeref a caress, a whisper in his ear that she missed him.

Within minutes, there was a knock on her door.

Lucy opened it to find him in his sleeping clothes, made of fine silk that made his skin seem paler than usual. Her eyes slowly trailed upwards, from the hem of his top, to his chest, to his jaw and finally—his eyes. She gave him a breathtaking smile.

“Lucy,” he murmured, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. “Did you have a nightmare?”

She tilted her head to the side. “Not really.”

Zeref gave her a long, calculating gaze before he grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the bed. She followed him wordlessly, nestling into his side as soon as he lied down. But Zeref twisted her around so her back was pressing against his front, his arms wrapped around her waist as he pulled her closer. He sighed against her neck and placed a kiss on the skin that was exposed for him.

“I wish you just stayed in the palace,” he said softly, rubbing relaxed circles on her midriff with his thumb.

She suppressed a shiver. “I wouldn’t mind… if only it wasn’t so full of people.”

“And why not?”

Her eyes fluttered close. “It reminds me of the Heartfilia Konzern.”

His finger stopped, and then resumed shortly. “I can dismiss all of them by evening, if you wish,” he suggested, kissing her shoulder once more. It was an apologetic gesture. “Or I can sleep here every night, if that is also what you wish.”

Lucy swallowed thickly and rasped, “But you can’t.”

Zeref buried his face in her neck and released a shaky breath that made her arch against him. His hand reached up to touch the necklace he gave her, lifting the pendant into the moonlight to find it clear as water. He dropped it and brushed her arm with his fingers before settling them back onto her abdomen.

“This is a night when I can.”

It was all he said before he turned her back around and brought her in for a deep kiss, one that he kept giving her for the rest of the night, while her quiet, trembling voice filled the crisp, cold air.

病

“They aren’t dead?” Lucy questioned, surprise masking her face.

Zeref shook his head, and together they stared out into the horizon, past the city’s countless houses and buildings, past the docks and the ocean, as if they could see the other continent. Almost as if they could see the border of Ishgar.

He sighed. “I don’t wish to die.”

She glanced at him from her corner of her eye. “How can you die? You’re immortal,” she reminded him, puzzled. Yes, why was he worrying about death so much? It was one of the reasons why she wanted to stay away from the war, because she knew he would win anyway. Wounded, perhaps. But not dead. Never dead.

He didn’t meet her gaze. “Seven years ago, I went to meet Natsu not because I missed him, or because I wished for a family reunion,” he began, throat bobbing as he gulped. “I went to meet him because he’s the only one who can kill me.”

Lucy’s eyes widened and the blood in her veins turned icy. “What?” she breathed.

“That day on Tenrou Island was meant to be my last,” he continued, trying not to look at the woman that made him live, despite his dark days and his black heart. “Now that he’s alive…”

She saw him through her tears and she took a step back. “Did you—did you not care that you would leave me?” she asked him, wringing her hands in front of her. “Did it not matter to you that I would be sad and lonely for eighty or more years?”

He lowered his head. “At that time, no. I cared, but not enough to not leave you.”

“You were going to break our contract,” she said hoarsely, chest squeezing with pain. “Our deal—our deal was to accompany you for the rest of my life.” She sobbed into her hands. “I already pretended not to know who Mavis was.”

Zeref stiffened, slowly looking over his shoulder. “W-What?”

“You think I don’t hear you say her name sometimes when you sleep?” she told him, laughing scornfully. “I decided long ago not to care, because whoever this girl was, I knew she was dead. I knew that this Mavis girl was the one you visited at Tenrou, and that she must have made you happy for a moment long ago.”

It was dreadfully silent apart from the mess that she was and the breeze that decided to blow her hair back. She gave him a bitter smile. “I was just frustrated that you couldn’t even tell me. And now—now you tell me you’ve been planning to kill yourself all along?”

He reached for her. “Not anymore,” he murmured, as if to coax her into his arms, but even his voice was broken. “Not anymore.”

“Liar.”

She didn’t dare move as he held her to him, her shoulders racking with loud sobs. “You coward,” she whispered loudly into his robes. “If you’re so disappointed in yourself,” she paused, rubbing at her eyes, “then atone for your mistakes! Fix them, kill your demons and the flaws of this world. Don’t—don’t even think for a second that death or whatever dark magic you have to reset time is the answer, because this world matters, too.”

Zeref hadn’t realized he was crying until a drop of salty water tickled his chin. He tightened his arms around her and swallowed thickly. “I’m sorry,” he replied in a strained voice. “I’m sorry.”

“If you’re going to d-die,” she said, choking on the words. “Then at least do it when I have passed away peacefully.”

A shudder wrecked down his spine, heart aching at the thought. “No,” he objected, squeezing his eyes shut. “You’re not going to die, Lucy. I won’t let that happen.”

She laughed once more, but it still didn’t hold any happiness, only miserable agony. “Unlike you Zeref, I’m a mortal. My existence is nothing but a few passing days to your eternal life.”

He said through gritted teeth, “That isn’t true.”

“It is,” she countered, using his body as support for she was exhausted—of everything. “I… I want to go back to the inn.”

“Not yet,” he begged. “Let’s talk about this first.”

But she shook her head and pushed him away. “No,” she mumbled, and she looked at him to reveal drained eyes, the skin beneath them red. “I’m leaving.”

“Lucy.”

She would have turned around—would have, but she found herself falling and the world tilted before her as her knees buckled. His name was all she said before he caught her just in time, her head inches away from the floor and blood dripping from her mouth.

He swore under his breath and called for Brandish.

責

Lucy awoke to the rumbling of clouds rolling over the empire.

Brandish sat beside her bed, a familiar heart-shaped gem in her hands as she enlarged it and compressed it to her will. She didn’t stop even as she sighed.

“How’s your head?”

The celestial mage blinked before looking around her. Judging from the white marble floor and pale-colored walls, lit by extravagant chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling, she knew she was at the palace. It was very much different from the dull interior of her inn room that looked dim even in the morning. And yet, the palace gleamed with brazen lights despite it being nightfall.

A sound like distress and reassurance escaped her lips.

“We told his Majesty it wouldn’t work, you know,” Brandish began quietly, that mask of indifference on her face slightly wavering. “This little thing.” As if to prove a point, she willed the pendant to squeeze in on itself until it was as tiny as an ant.

“What do you mean?”

She returned it to its original size and gently placed it on the bedside table. “E.N.D wears a scarf around his neck that keeps him safe from the Emperor’s Curse.”

Lucy swallowed hard. “What of it?”

Brandish met her gaze with a silence that roared in their ears, and she turned away with a grim face. “If he had given you something made of dragon scales instead,” she said quietly, gently—almost with pity. “Then this would actually work.”

Speechless, Lucy could only focus on keeping her breathing even, on making sure her heart wasn’t beating too fast for her to faint once more. She remembered their argument, how she had hated him with all of her heart and yet… At this moment, she felt nothing but remorse.

“You’re growing ill, aren’t you?”

The mere fact that Brandish had stated it with barely contained sadness made her grip the sheets.

Lucy breathed shakily, “Does he—does he know?”

A subtle nod. “In between our war meetings and plans, he gives us orders to find a way to render you immune from Ankhseram. Invel told him that the only way would be to use Acnologia’s scales since Irene refuses to let her gorgeous scales be used as an accessory, but he’s still trying to track him down.”

“And where is he right now?”

Brandish cracked a smile through her apathetic demeanor. “Far away. His Majesty doesn’t want to risk being near you at the moment.”

The clap of thunder made her jolt before Lucy relaxed into the soft pillows beneath her head. She finally released her white-knuckled grip on the white cloth covering her shivering body. Brandish frowned. “Are you cold?”

Lucy smiled faintly. “A bit,” she replied, casting a disbelieving glance at her friend’s choice of clothing. “Are you not?”

“No. It must be your body, since it is very weak at the moment.”

Nodding, she heaved a sigh before she started to push herself into an upright position. Her bones and muscles complained with every movement and she suppressed a hiss. Brandish didn’t stop her nor help her, but she kept a careful watch on her as she picked up a magazine and flipped through the pages. A flash of lightning enveloped the room in white light as the blonde successfully leaned against the headboard of the bed.

She panted slightly at the amount of effort it took just to sit. “Will I get my strength back?” Lucy inquired, reaching out to get her gem.

“Yes, if you rest for another day and drink your medicine tonight. But I make no promises—it could take days,” Brandish answered, her tone full of boredom. It did not, however, hide the relief that was delicately hidden behind it.

“Do you think,” Lucy paused to lock the necklace on her nape, “this will all work out?”

“Maybe.”

She opened her mouth to question Brandish again, but the sky whitened once more before unleashing a heavy downpour, accompanied by a loud crackle of thunder, and she closed her mouth to watch it all unravel.

Perhaps, the rain was sharing her thoughts tonight.

責

The next few days were still and silent, if only to give Lucy enough time to heal and return to her daily routine. Zeref had visited her once, bearing the face of a cold emperor at first. But eventually he wavered in her presence and apologized for his actions. She did the same, but none of their affections were shared as he kept a healthy distance away from her and immediately left. She hadn’t seen him since.

Irene had also visited her, offering her smug remarks as she did so. The blonde had nearly thrown her out. However, any wrath she held vanished as the redhead handed her a tiny vial with swirling black liquid that could grant her strength against the curse—only for a few times, she had warned cautiously. Any more and her body would grow immune to the potion and be rendered ineffective. Overdosing was a high risk. Twice a month was enough. Once every two weeks.

So Lucy spent her time reading and painstakingly exercising her limbs. In the early hours of the morning, she would get on her feet to walk a few steps away from the bed and walk back. She would bend her knees until they started to ache and roll her shoulders. In the afternoon, she had Brandish as company if the warrior wasn’t too busy with preparing for the war, but she was present most of the time. Seldom even bringing food with her that Lucy could actually enjoy eating.

She would be lying if she said that she was happy. She wasn’t, not in the least. Although she had to admit that staying in the palace was better than being cooped up in the inn all day, with Olivia being the only person that would’ve probably visited her. Apart from the bustling of servants and the barked orders, she didn’t entirely mind. Here, she had people she truly wished to be with.

Because despite not being happy, she knew there was hope. It was beyond her understanding what exactly that hope was, but there were… breakthroughs. Miniscule and insignificant as they were, the personal guards of the Emperor along with his best healers worked together to find a solution to their tragedy. A loophole, as they called it. Some other way to break his curse or at least render her immune from it.

On nights when she was too preoccupied with her thoughts for sleep, she wondered if they hated her, despised her. She was taking up too much of their time. Instead of training troops and planning for the war, they were mandated to find her a cure. Even though none of the Spriggan 12 expressed their opinions about it and seemed not to mind at all, she simply couldn’t help but think.

Couldn’t stop about wondering if she was becoming a burden to them all.

She was halfway into her little exercise when the door to her slightly smaller bedroom—one she had requested to be moved in after her first night in the previous room—opened for Zeref to appear behind it. He seemed to have realized that he had interrupted her brooding, standing in the hallway with his hands fisted at his sides.

A silent question if he could enter.

And she knew it was silly, to give her pendant a quick scan, but she had already done it before she could stop herself. With the barest dip of her chin, she let him in.

Zeref shut the door soundlessly, and for a moment, he didn’t move. He looked reluctant to.

But her eyes softened at the sight of him and she spread her arms out to welcome him. “You look tired, my dear emperor,” she hummed, smiling gently.

He was within her reach instantly. A shudder went through her as he rested his forehead in the crook of her neck, the previous stony ruler now reduced to a trembling mess, so similar to the lost boy she had once viewed him as back at Lucia.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “I missed you too,” she whispered against his hair, placing a soft kiss on the crown of his head.

He squeezed her for a last time and finally leaned back, vulnerable eyes gazing down at her. “How—how’s the medicine?” he asked hoarsely.

“It’s… doing its job,” Lucy answered carefully, swallowing. “How’s the war-planning?”

“Postponed.”

She stiffened. “What?”

He sat on the edge of the bed and clasped his fingers in the space between his knees. “Ishgar is the last thing on my mind right now,” he explained softly. “I’ve called out every good healer I know and I have exerted every means possible to help you—us.”

Lucy wanted to say something, but could only furrow her eyebrows. He understood her even still. “One thing that I regret the most in my four centuries of suffering,” he paused, face twisting with anguish, “is that I hadn’t done anything to stop Mavis from dying.”

She didn’t recoil at the mention of the dead girl’s name. She didn’t react at all.

“But that was how I learned of the curse’s contradiction. Despite her being an immortal, cursed by the same magic as I was, my love for her killed her.” Lucy counted the beats of her heart at the momentary hush. “So, forgive me, if I do not wish to repeat the same mistake. Forgive me, Lucy, if being with me has only caused you pain and sorrow.”

She opened her mouth to disagree, but realized a second later that he wasn’t going to hear any of it. She pressed her lips together instead and moved to sit beside him, tenderly gripping his fingers with her own.

He returned the action. “I’m scared, Lucy.”

“I know.”

He looked at her, eyes so wide she could see her reflection in them.

“I am, too.”

代

Lucy was flipping a page over when she heard shouting and running. Dropping the book slightly in her lap, she craned her neck over to the door and wondered what the commotion was about.

Her questions were answered as Zeref burst into her room, Brandish and Dimaria behind him. The two females looked torn—almost upset, whereas the Emperor appeared wild and ecstatic. Soon enough, Irene had joined the trio, stopping behind Brandish to peer into her room.

Lucy blinked. “What’s with the party?”

“We found a—solution,” Zeref gasped, trying to catch her eyes.

But she was focused on Dimaria, on the furious look on her face. “It’s a fool’s errand,” she gritted out. “No one should go through this!”

Brandish, unsurprisingly, offered no words and had simply given Lucy a look of sadness.

“It’s the only way,” Zeref snapped, glaring at his personal guard. “What do you suggest we do, then?”

Irene smiled slyly, her red lips glinting under the light. “I suggest we find another solution, your Majesty. This one is too… precarious, even for my liking.”

“What—what’s the solution?” Lucy breathed, and the four whipped their heads towards her, having just forgotten her for a moment.

It was Brandish this time that spoke. “August has found a way to somehow make this work. The solution is… out of this world.”

Irene’s smile widened. “Literally.”

Lucy wasn’t given time to speak as Dimaria intervened, “And I’m telling you this—if that could actually work, then why hasn’t he tried contacting Ankhseram in four hundred years?” Her voice was a near growl. “It’s not possible. And if worse comes to worse, he could take his Majesty himself!”

Realization dawned on Lucy as she took in the words and her breathing hitched, getting the attention of the four once more. Her forehead creased. “Correct me if I’m wrong… but are you saying that the solution that August-san has come up with is to talk with the god that had cursed Spriggan?”

Dimaria snarled, “It’s more than just talking.”

“Bargain,” Lucy breathed, and the fierce warrior stilled. The entire room stilled. “You want to bargain with Ankhseram—for me.”

The redhead behind them inclined her head ever so slightly, mirth dancing in her hazel eyes. “That is right, girl,” she drawled. “But do not flatter yourself. We are doing this for his Majesty and no one else.”

“Irene,” Zeref warned.

But Lucy didn’t so much as flinch at the harsh truth. “Then I have a request, if we’re planning to go along to this solution.”

“We’re not,” Dimaria hissed.

Brandish flicked her eyes to the blonde warrior, laying a hand on her elbow in a silent plea to stay out of it. However, Dimaria slapped her hand away and remained seething, watching with blazing eyes at what would happen.

Zeref held Lucy’s gaze, his eyes warming at the sight of her looking so healthy at last. “What is it, Lucy?” he asked quietly.

She didn’t look away from him as she once again counted the beats of her heart at the silence, at the anticipation of her bizarre request.

Fifteen beats.

“Let me be the one to bargain with Ankhseram.” Another beat. “I will talk to him.”

Zeref was about to argue with her, skin as white as fresh parchment, but Irene gripped his shoulder and held him back.

The redhead's smile was serpentine. "Very well then."

There are four kanjis in this part.

接 - contact or touch 病 - ill (sick) 責 - burden 代 - substitute or exchange—a lot of meaning is packed in this small kanji

Since FT's latest chapter left my plans for this story to be as realistic as possible a failure, I am going to make use of it and divert it from the FTverse entirely. Not sure how others would react to this, but I've decided that that's the better option anyway. Because Zeref should be dead long ago, if I wish to remain true to the Canon story. Anyway, people may wonder, why hasn't he tried talking to Ankhseram indeed? Because no one deemed it possible, but August, who is the void himself, from the joining of Mavis and Zeref, can. And why care now? Because he sees his father caring for someone, genuinely, and dying because of it. I think that's a good enough reason.

I almost forgot, by the way, that Zeref is Spriggan to them. So I had to fix my mistakes and made Lucy call him as Spriggan. Some other details, like her spirits. Where are they? Oh, they are there. They're just... unneeded, at the moment. As wrong as that sounds, but Lucy doesn't have much of a reason to use them lately. But she will, don't worry. Hmm... there are perhaps many questions I would like to tackle, but you may ask them away and I will reply :)

Oh, I am so worried that you didn't like this chapter!

#fairy tail #zercy #zeref dragneel #lucy heartfilia #zeref #Traveling With a Lonely Immortal #part 4 #at last #and it's long too :P

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