#tutoring seasons are .... yea

[noa-ciharu]

Istg one day imma write "antichrist Fuuma attends clamp campus high school and Seals are losing their mind" crack AU

[sacharinee]

thinking ab peter having a bad tiring day and reader giving him face massages and body massages after they take a bath ‼️

pairing: bf!peter parker x reader

w/c: 780

a/n: hi anon!! i loved writing for this request sm so thank u for sending it <3 i did, however, completely forget to write abt the part about them taking the bath together. im so sorry 😭 but i hope u still enjoy :(( about one spider-man kiss and a ton of domestic!peter

peter knows exactly what he needs right now after a long day. 

there’s only one thing in the world that could make up for having a shitty day and that’s you. 

but unfortunately for peter, when he patters into your shared apartment, you’re nowhere to be found.

“babe?” he calls out. 

he strips himself of his shoes and walks down the short hall to your bedroom, only to find the closet open and your work clothes missing. peter skrinks at your absence and pouts, “great.”

he ponders about taking a nap, but it’s a quarter to nine and he’d rather be awake when you arrive home. 

when his stomach growls, he realizes he’s gone almost an entire day without a proper meal, save for the granola bar you shoved in his hand before he kissed you goodbye. 

as he enters the kitchen, he finds a note left on the counter, scribbled in your handwriting,

“emergency shift at the hospital, back by 9 tonite. food in the fridge, love you!”

peter frowns at your note, sticks it onto the fridge, and pulls out the meal you prepared for him.

he heats up the food and chews the stale chicken slowly. he really misses you. even with your bland food and lack of seasoning, he still enjoys anything from you. you try your best for him. 

when he’s finished cleaning his dishes, peter debates on showering. he wants to wait for you, to take a nice hot shower with you, and clean each other’s stress away. but he’s really stinky from work, and he’d rather just go to bed with you. so he undresses and takes a long shower alone.

—

peter’s prayers are answered when he reenters the shared bedroom dressed in pajamas. 

“hi baby,” you chirp. you take off your glasses and set the book you were reading aside. 

peter’s heart swells at the sight. you’re laying on your side of the bed, hair in a bun, away from your face. you’re dressed in your boyfriend’s plaid boxers and a geeky t-shirt you stole from his dresser.

the tv is playing some rerun of your favorite tv show as he crawls himself across the bed and plops himself in between your open legs. 

peter nests his heavy head upon your pelvis and lets out a deep sigh. your palms run down his clad back, kneading the tense muscles.

“did you eat yet?” he tries to nod his head, “yea, chicken was good, super tasty, thanks, y/n/n” he replies.

he may or not be telling you the whole truth. you’re cooking wasn’t amazing, but he would never tell you that. 

peter flips himself over, staring at you adoringly upside down. your soft hands trace his buff arms, comfort spreading throughout his skin from your touch, “what happened today, petey?”

he exhales, furrowing his brows, and squeezes his eyes shut. he juts his bottom lip out while you weave your fingers and pull through his damps locks. 

“everything went wrong today. everything,” he takes a deep breath, “i was late for biochem, had a pop quiz for psych. not that it was hard but still. i forgot i had tutoring today too, so i'm out fifteen bucks. and we were understaffed for work, so that was a bust. so many mean customers in queens,” he takes a look at you, “we should move somewhere else.”

you snicker at his comment and slide your fingers over his funky left eyebrow, smoothing out the knit and massaging his temples, “yea, like where?” 

you love all versions of peter, but you think this is your favorite. relaxed at your touch, devoting himself wholeheartedly to you. he’s embraced and fully engulfed by you, like putty in your hands. 

“like,” your boyfriend seems distracted, voice deep, staring at you with nothing but affection, “sunnyside? maybe?” peter licks his lips and clears his throat, “just somewhere safer, nicer. for you.”

you’re beaming down at his face; your warm hands cup his cheeks while you land a long and overdue tender kiss upside down. you feel peter smile into the kiss, exhaling through his nose in contentment. 

you keep your hands on his face and gently caress the soft skin as you pull away.

“that sounds nice,” your heart squeezes at the thought as he continues, “we could settle down there, have a family, you know? white picket fence and all. ‘m picturing you in your hot scrubs, bringin’ home the bacon. and i’ll be at home, taking care of the kids.” 

you’re giggling at the scene as you chime in, “and we could have family dinners every saturday night, or- ooh! i could take yoga classes sunday mornings and-”

peter snickers at you, “what you need are some cooking classes.”

gasping, you flick his forehead, “you said you loved my cooking!”

[plexivie]

Never have I ever... liked a bad boy

Katsuki Bakugou is the hottest guy at UA high. With his rock-hard abs, killer hair, and the fact that he's a bad boy. This made him ten times hotter. You've always had the BIGGEST crush on him, but you knew he would never like you back. All you are is a nerd, according to him.

Even though you have the fattest crush on him, you've never had a real interaction with him, until today.

"Hey loser" he said while him and his stupid friends laughed.

"Miss L/n, please come to the office."

Shit.

You couldn't keep your mouth shut, at all. "Do we really have to learn this shit?" So, detention is a once-a-month occurrence for you, so getting called to the office like this freaks you out.

"Miss y/n, we would like you to help tutor."

He's right, you are kind of a nerd. One that is on the top of her class.

"Isn't tutoring a teacher's job?"

"Do you want detention?"

"Fine."

"Great! You will be tutoring Katsuki Bakugou. That kid really needs help."

"What. I can't tutor him."

As if you weren't already a nerd imagine how big of a nerd you'll be now. Plus, he can't know about your crush. Imagine how many more names would come up with that. It will be so hard hiding when you're with him, face to face.

"Come on, he isn't that bad. I think. And besides, a job like this is really good on college applications."

"Fine, I'll do it."

"Perfect. You'll tutor him today after school in the library."

Shit.

Today isn't the best day for you to tutor. Especially with what you're wearing. Pajamas aren't the most attractive choice of clothing. Especially to someone like him. You know he will probably comment on how much nerdier pajamas make you look.

Time passed. Then came what you were most nervous, excited, and scared about. Tutoring with Bakugou. You're not scared because he will make fun of you, you're scared you won't be able to hide how highly you think of him. As said, you aren't great at holding back how you feel at any given moment so accidentally spilling your feelings is likely to happen.

When you got there, he was sitting down, legs spread far as ever on his phone. When he looks up, he smirks.

"Ha, nerd. Look at those clothes. Makes you look like an even bigger loser."

Called it.

"Yea um anyway what do you need tutoring in."

He rolled his eyes. "Math. That shit is too hard for this rundown school."

You smiled a friendly smile towards him.

"Well I can definitely help you with that."

He looked away, oddly.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Damn nerd."

"Um so are you struggling with the homework?"

He nodded slightly. Why is he being so... calm with you?

After a while of helping him with this work, you realized he isn't dumb. He's just dumb for not doing the best he can.

"You're actually really good at this."

"Well why can't I be hot and smart?"

Holy shit. He's good. Too good. You're going to blow it.

But after a few minutes of just that awkward silence, he blows it... and kisses you. You kiss back, obviously.

This kiss was long, and super-hot. He held the back of your head just to keep it on his lips. He liked you, wanted you, craved you. He loved the fact that him hurting you didn't bother you at all. It was almost like a challenge for him, one he couldn't win. After minutes of what felt like hours of making out all he did and said was.

"Damn, nerd."

AN- Hey guys! Thanks for the likes on my last one shot. I decided to make this story based off of the new season of Never Have I Ever that is on Netflix now. Let me know if you guys would like longer stories or even stories with chapters. Thank You!! (reposts would be appreciated<3)

[i-love-southpark-milfs69]

I have a few more questions about pip's life:

- how do the people in the orphanage treat pip (both children and adults)

- do you think pip will ever be adopted (i would hehe)

- does pip get tutoring in subjects he doesn't know

- does pip actually have a cell phone if so which one? (every south park kid has one) if not how can you reach pip when Damien wants to see him?

- do you think pip is interested in fashion? Somehow he's the only one who doesn't walk around basic

- does pip actually cry because of the fact that he leads such a shitty life and if so how often and especially when or does anyone actually see that ?

- if pip cries, does anyone actually comfort him?

- is pip often sad

- how is it in winter or summer with his clothes, you only see him in one outfit and I wonder if he is not freezing or sweating

- does pip have a healthy figure?

- does pip have any physical impairments? If so which ones

- can pip actually swim or ride a bike?

- is pip a long or short sleeper?

- How does Damien pip show his love

1.how do the people in the orphanage treat pip (both children and adults)

Hmm I would say they don't treat him the best but they don't treat him like dirt since his clothes and his body always look clean

2. do you think pip will ever be adopted (i would hehe)

Yes I do believe that pip would have been adopted but I also like to headcannon that he was adopted a few times but was returned lmao

Like these two? Three? Idk

I like to think they were his Foster parents for awhile but returned him hehe

3.does pip get tutoring in subjects he doesn't know

Yea I think like all he would get tutoring for subjects he was failing in just like the other kids

4. Does pip actually have a cell phone if so which one? (every south park kid has one) if not how can you reach pip when Damien wants to see him?

When he was alive...no I don't think he would have had a phone

BUT when he died I would think he would have a phone but Satan would have had to buy it for him for the specific purpose of talking with Damien

5. Do you think pip is interested in fashion? Somehow he's the only one who doesn't walk around basic

Yes I think he would someone who's into fashion but...doesn't have a good fashion sense, I mean look at him

NOTHING MATCHES HERE, PURPLE SOCKS?!,RED JACKET?!,BROWN HAT AND A GIANT BROWN BOWTIE?! He good with dressing up fancy he just needs to learn how to match his clothes

6-8. does pip actually cry because of the fact that he leads such a shitty life and if so how often and especially when or does anyone actually see that?

If pip cries, does anyone actually comfort him?

Is pip often sad?

(I put these together because they're all basically the same question)

Yea I believe pip cries and is sad pretty often because of how shitty his life on earth was and in s1 e10 (Damien) pip says that he takes counseling lessons with Mr. Mackey whenever he's feeling lonely, which I would say is pretty often as he's seen sitting at lunch alone alot (except for damiens episode where he sat with Damien)

And lastly i don't anyone other than early seasons Butters, Scott malkinson (since he's apparently he's apart of butters group ig), Dougie, Damien and Mr. Mackey (big IF on that one) would comfort pip when he cries

9. How is it in winter or summer with his clothes, you only see him in one outfit and I wonder if he is not freezing or sweating

He's probably used to the cold and those socks are probably thick enough to keep his legs warm and in summer he looks like that kid that would always wear a jacket no matter how hot it is so he probably sweats alot

10. Does pip have a healthy figure?

Looking at pip's model compared to others

He's seems to be Skinner than average this is probably because he's doesn't really get a chance to eat, growing up very poor and when he does get something to eat his food gets spoiled most of the time

Poor kid's growth would have been stunted from not getting any nutrients :/

Like we see here

He is the smallest kid here 😭

11. Is pip a long or short sleeper?

Hmmm I would he's a pretty long sleeper (he would take a quick nap and wake up 3 hours later if he was in quiet area) but he would be a light sleeper so it wouldn't be that hard to wake him up

12. How does Damien pip show his love

I love to think that Damien has a hard time expressing himself through words so he would show his love for pip in actions rather than words buying gifts, holding hands, kisses, cuddles etc with the occasional "I love you" :)

[muthaz-rapapa]

Hirogaru Sky Final Impressions (5/5)

Honestly, what were they going to do with those two weeks after 48 episodes? Have us wait until WonPre's broadcast? Yea right, lol

So the 20th installment of Precure is now officially finished and it feels both great and a little bit sad to say that since the bar has been readjusted quite high, we will probably need the 25th anniversary to get another season as awesome and well-written as HiroPre. [/harsh]

But that will be for something to worry about in the next five years.

So first, that finale!

Pretty much 5(ish) of the 6 last episodes was a whole arc dedicated to the most engaging lore Precure has ever given us to date.

Cure Noble is definitely entering the league of legacy Cures and perhaps as the one with the best story as well. How she went from princess-sovereign to becoming the very first Precure (in this universe, anyways) to helping pave a way for peace with her nemesis to laying out the foundation for the Cures who will succeed her in the future.

Yeap, Ellee-chan may have gotten a nice age-up bonus so that we can see her embrace her destiny and actually converse in something other than baby talk.

But it's more accurate to say that Ellee-chan/Cure Majesty's character arc is really Princess Elleelain/Cure Noble's instead.

Which is totally fine with me. Not only was Elleelain super interesting as a hero/protagonist in her own era but Kaiserin was...dear god.

Dear god, when have we gotten a twist that was this good and this dark by the series' standards? I felt we haven't touched this level of grim writing since Heartcatch and that was my first Precure season ever.

But seriously, it's impossible not to sympathize with Kaiserin and appreciate how much she contributed to the plot as well as this season's message that power is not what makes a hero, but the strength of one's heart that does.

Even her traitorous tutor, Skearhead, said she had what it took to become a hero (and maybe even Precure? oooh~), which just makes her fall into darkness more tragic.

But thankfully, she never lost her kindness and compassion, which was what ultimately allowed her to not only be saved but her wounds to finally heal after hundreds of years of suffering from the pain of betrayal Skearhead had inflicted on her.

And that her generals, who all turned over a new leaf, came back to the Undergu Empire to loyally serve her and make sure she isn't alone...

Good! This is so satisfying, I couldn't have asked for anything better! Kaiserin deserves her happiness after all she's been through!

But of course, that's not all because no Precure finale is complete without the last episodes dishing out the best combat scenes of the entire season and did it deliver, alright.

Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-HUH!

The animation was absolutely stellar and not so overdone that it'd look more gaudy than cool. coughDeliPaPrecough

Moreover, the teamwork is what really sold the animation. As it should because Precure is all about that team effort brought on by personal growth, not a one-man show.

I loved how Wing, representing wisdom, was the one everyone trusted to get that barrier back up because it is a mechanism that he researched and developed to help everyone. It proves that boys don't need to fit into a specific mold of masculinity or genius to be a hero because in the end, those things don't matter. It's being true to yourself, your beliefs and your dreams and what you choose to do with those abilities that counts.

I loved how Butterfly, who is physically the strongest in the group, always takes on the tougher tasks such as facing the army of tedious mooks to let those younger than her forge a path ahead. She never forgets her responsibility as an adult to protect the kids but she also encourages them to move forward because she fully believes in them like a good adult would.

I loved how Majesty comes to understand that though she's meant to inherit Cure Noble's will and power and position as Skyland's princess, it's not her destiny to inherit Elleelain's loneliness. And the whole reason that she started out as a baby but was able to grow and become Precure was because she was surrounded by the right people who brought out that potential in her. For Ellee-chan, being with her friends and fighting alongside them was the bigger, more important destiny than her duty was.

Finally, the star duo of the show.

Sky was given stronger MC vibes than the other cast members but you can't deny that she wouldn't have gotten this far without Prism by her side.

Sora's idea of what it means to be hero expanded a lot because she became friends with Mashiro.

She has come to treasure Mashiro so much that when she was on the brink of losing her best friend, she let Skearhead corrupt her in order to have enough power to save that best friend. She was willing to sacrifice herself for someone important to her, which in a way, can be seen as an act of heroism (but only as a last resort, plz do not attempt).

And even then, Sky kept resisting from being taken over. Prism didn't even flinch when Sky aimed a punch at her. That's how much Mashiro believes in Sora, in the hero that Sora is. That even if Sora accepted darkness into herself to do the right thing, she won't ever let that darkness consume her into doing the wrong thing.

And the fact that it was Prism who had the ability to not only purify Sky but also heal Kaiserin's centuries-old wound. She's come a long way herself from the girl who used to think she was talentless, who didn't believe she had anything special going for her.

"You are good as you are now, Mashiro-san."

What Sora said was true until the very end. Mashiro didn't ever need to change. She was already good enough and she was always going to become even better than how she started out because she was always being inspired and supported by those around her and challenging herself to do things she initially hesitated on doing.

Now she's continually drawing new stories, even winning an award for one. Even her Prism Shot evolved and multiplied as an attack and it's all because she learned to believe in herself because all her friends believed in her.

This is essentially what sets Precure apart from the others, what makes it the major name it is in modern day mahou shoujo.

I cannot begin to describe how glad I am that the staff at Toei reinforced those aspects of friendship as well as the celebration of individualism in a milestone year. But I can definitely say with confidence that we can expect to see more well into the franchise's 30th anniversary as long they don't forget these two very crucial things.

As for me, I think this will be the last time I blog Precure on a "regular" basis.

I'll still continue to watch cuz hey, there's no reason for me to stop yet.

(and all the more reason to not stop if Satoru and Daifuku become the next two male Cures in WonPre OMGI'MSOGONNAJINXTHISAREN'TIBWUAHAHAHAHA!!!)

But my priorities have shifted so I gotta tend to those foremost. And as much as I enjoy the show, I feel like I'm always saying the same stuff over and over again anyway, just in different variations of it.

(also, something about WonPre tells me the next four years will be filled with hit-or-miss seasons so meh, I'd rather just follow it leisurely than get too invested and then disappointed)

On another note, I do have some personal rankings that I'd like to post some day. I was going to do it for the 20th anniversary but didn't have time to cuz life got way too hectic and busy but yea, eventually I'll have them up.

Just for fun, y'know.

Ok, that is all.

Thank you, my hero girls and boy! You made this season so wonderful hahahaha, good luck, WonPre for me and I can't be grateful enough for it.

Thank you for a beautiful anniversary! Let's aim for the next!

25th year with 100+ Precure!

Let's gooooooooooooo!!!

[darkimpala1897]

I watched a movie recently called surviving lunch and Clayton Royal Johnson was in it playing a character named Danny and my brain being my brain was like imagine Danny and Andy being twin brothers. So of course I have headcanons I'm me.

They are identical twins brothers.

There completely and utter polar opposites of each other.

Danny gets mistaken for his brother all the time poor baby but nobody mistakes Andy for Danny It's always like this "Andy dude over here." And then poor Danny is like "No sorry I'm Danny."

Their parents named them Daniel and Andrew so they wouldn't have have names that sounded alike but of course Danny decided to go by Danny and Andy went by Andy

Eddie was the first one to call Danny by his actual name and it went something like this

Eddie: "Danny? Yea you big guy."

Danny surprised that he wasn't mistaken for his brother for once.

Danny: "Danny, you said Danny."

Eddie looking at his papers confused.

Eddie: "Your Danny right, you're not Andy cause that would be just my luck."

Danny just immediately hugs Eddie so thankful someone got his name right.

Eddie shocked pats him on the back: "Okay we are hugging."

Danny runs the drama club which Eddie is apart of obviously

Danny isn't part of the popular group, he's part of the nerds and the weirdos.

Danny is the trouble maker out of the two, he's also very socially awkward.

He has a massive crush on Gareth but because Danny has Andy's face he doesn't even try because why would Gareth love him when he's identical to his worse nightmare.

Danny is a giant klutz, I mean it he's tripped and die constantly it's cute it's not so cute when he drags someone down with him or spills something on someone.

Both brothers have a giant fear of needles and blood they see either and they faint there nicknames are literally fainting goats.

Danny tutors Eddie he's trying really desperately to get him to graduate in 86.

He was not part of the giant man hunt for Eddie instead he was a double agent for Eddie, he would somtimes pretend to be his brother to get information out of Jason and Chance so Steve and everyone could move Eddie around it was like a giant game of shells, he felt like James Bond.

Danny helped Gareth and Jeff get fixed up after what Jason did and the entire time he was apologizing over and over again because he really likes Gareth and he knew in that moment his brother just completely ruined any chance he could have had with Gareth. He tried making it better by going: "I think you're music is pretty awesome, don't listen to my idiot brother. You guys are going somewhere."

Danny sorta accidently broke Andy's arm when he jumped Erica because that was just to far he wasn't trying to break his brothers arm it just happened, he purposely saved Jason from getting split in half though.

Danny made Andy apologize to Erica and do everything she asked for like a month straight.

Danny set Steve and Eddie up on a blind date he sorta was supposed to be the third wheel, he pretended to be sick that day.

In this universe you can thank Danny for Steddie.

Danny and Andy sorta got along after the events of season four but not really.

Danny loves just showing up at Wayne's trailer for dinner Wayne jokingly calls him Eddie's pet because Eddie was nice to him once.

Danny "accidently" locked Steve and Eddie in Eddie's closet because they wouldn't stop bickering, Wayne had to let them out because Danny forgot and passed out on Eddie's bed in which Steve and Eddie just decided to sleep on him.

Dustin likes to joke that Danny is his older brother.

Dustin and Danny act like brothers it's funniest thing ever.

Danny knows how to play the bass and guitar so somtimes at practice he fills in for Jeff or Kevin if their not available.

Danny purposely dresses like Eddie to tick Andy off, he also enjoys stealing his brothers hats even though he absolutely hates hats it makes his head itch. He steals them to hide them.

Andy's nickname for Danny is little shit and then Danny calls his brother Little shrimp because Eddie calls Jason shark boy.

Danny is younger than Andy by five minutes.

Steve threw Danny a birthday party and he turned into a five year old basically because he's always had share with Andy.

Danny is couple inches taller then Andy, Eddie noticed this little tidbit.

Danny and Andy share the same middle name which is Templeton though Andy denys this heavily.

There full names are Daniel Templeton Arthur Harper and then Andrew Templeton Vance Harper.

I think that's everything from this little au of mine but the million dollar question is. Should I write a fic?

[graciellasamma]

My AU of Previously On

Sup guys! As you can see on the title this is pretty much of what my version of RvB Season 15 Episode 5 “Previously On” because that episode is my favorite in season 15 because of how funny it is on their story of their retirement. If you want to know about the AU I made, then I suggest to go look at my oc “Frøy Kurenai.”

I hope you guys like it!

Grif: (groaning) Lots of bullshit, I don’t know where to start.

Tucker: Before or after the temple? If it’s before, this is gonna get NSFW real quick.

Sister: Oh yea.

Horobi: Oh God...

Izu: “Temple?”

Tucker: Ho yeah! After we captured Hargrove, we partied fucking hard! See, Chorus has this ancient relic called the Temple of Procreation that when activated makes-

Wyoming, Simmons, & Grif: WE SAID WE WOULDN’T TALK ABOUT THAT!

They quickly look at each other and Grif and Simmons quickly look away, embarrassed. Wyoming just blushed in embarrassment.

Blake: Wait. It doesn’t due as the same implies right?

Sarge: Oh it does! It was all like a planet-wide aphrodisiac! Things got real Bohemian! (knowingly) Mm-hmm!

Tucker: Yeah, y’all keep saying that! But everything felt normal to me!

Sister: Ya, it was completely normal.

Washington: Surprising no one.

Weiss: Gross!

Yang & Urataros: I wish I was there!!

Weiss & Momotaros: DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, YANG/YOU PERVERTED TURTLE!!!

Ruby: Ugh, from you Yang, I’m not even surprised.

O’Mally: Hehe, let me ease up Papa Wolf’s concern over his pup’s virginity. Once the idiot with the sword over here activated the temple. Frøy got bored and decided to play Monster Hunter on his Nintendo while hearing music with his earphone.

Jiro: So he didn’t do anything... weird?

Doc: No not at all, we just doing our business while Frøy too distracted by his game and hearing music.

Jin: I don’t get it, what are they talk about??

Horobi & Aruto: We’ll talk about it when you’re older!!

Felix: Locus was already off of Chorus by the time the planet-wide party began.

Grif is still looking away from Simmons.

Simmons: Can we-can we change the subject?

Ramon: why are you guys so nervous?

Caboose: (To Ramon) Oh, they’re just upset because they got locked in storage closet during the whole thing and Reggie and Flowers were in-

Gamma: Yes, and of course they were.

Ikazuchi, Yang, Nora, Momotaros, & Vice: WHAT?! HAHAHAHA!!!

Wyoming: THE SUBJECT. CHANGE IT.

Frøy: Hold on, I thought you were the one who-

Wyoming: I SAID: CHANGE IT.

Washington: To actually answer your question, after the war on Chorus we decided we were due some time off.

York: We’ve earned some R&R. Even Carolina, Tex, and South agreed!

Tex: When did I ever agree to th-

South: It was for the best. Clearly. (Takes a glance at Carolina)

Carolina: I thought I’d give the simple life a day in court.

Gamma: Surprising. Everyone.

Grif: No more adventure? Hell yeah, I was on board!

Butch: We were all on board.

Simmons: Kimball set us up on this isolated moon, and she built us some of the most awesome new bases, ever!

Shot of the new Red and Blue bases, which look like luxury condos.

Tucker: Everyone adjusted to the peace and quite differently. Some of us were natural!

Grif: Don’t hate the player.

Theta: Sarge got hopelessly depressed after not dying heroically on Chorus!

Sarge: Hogwash! Baseless slander!

Simmons: But you said-

~*~*~

Cut to the Red Team, including Lopez, outside their new base. Sarge walks up.

Sarge (flashback): I am hopelessly depressed after not dying heroically on Chorus! We need a new enemy...

Hearing this, Red Team quickly scatter.

Sarge (flashback): ...something to fight. Where y’all going?

~*~*~

Back in the Bases, CT looks at Carolina.

CT: Sarge wasn’t the only one having a hard time adjusting to inaction.

Everyone looks at Carolina.

Carolina: What?!

Washington: Fortunately, we found a tutor.

~*~*~

Cut to Carolina and Grif in a small ravine, Grif sitting cross-legged on the ground and Carolina  standing up, looking at him as though he were a wise master. Or Yoda, maybe.

Carolina (flashback): (dead serious) Help me, Grif. Help me be the best at being lazy.

Grif (flashback): (wise and mysterious) You’re not ready, padawan.

Carolina (flashback): I can try!

Grif (flashback): No. There is no try.

Felix (flashback): (offscreen, yelled) YOU SAID THE LINE!!

~*~*~

Flowers: (narrator) The peaceful times didn’t last too long. Turns out this planet has some native lifeforms!

~*~*~

Loud thumping as Flowers, Frøy, North, Simmons, Tucker, and Grif run across the scene. We hear the sound of a dinosaur roaring.

Simmons (flashback): AHHHH, RUNNN!!!!

Grif (flashback): I CAN’T DIE AS FOOD! OHHH HOOO, THE IRONY!!!!!

North (flashback): HOW IS THAT IRONY?!?!

Frøy (flashback): HAHAHA!! I’M HAVING SO MUCH FUN!!!

~*~*~

Carolina: (narrator) While everyone debated if dying as food was technically ironic, Caboose went and made friends with the dinosaurs.

Hiromi: Why would he do that?

Grif: (narrator) Because of course he did.

~*~*~

Carolina, Flowers, North, Frøy, Tucker, Grif, Sarge, and their AIs are staring up in awe the camera, while we see the shadow of a dinosaur with a Caboose-sized figure on its head.

Caboose (flashback): (offscreen) Awww, who’s a good boy?! Awww, you are a good boy!

Felix (flashback): Holy shit!

Flowers (flashback): CABOOSE, get down from there!

Church (flashback): How the hell does he get up there without getting eaten?!

Frøy (flashback): Can I eat it?

Sarge (flashback): Tell him to fight me!

Theta (flashback): Ummm Sarge, you do know you are gonna lose that fight in a heartbeat, right?

~*~*~

Tex: And let’s not forgot, trivia night.

Everyone except Felix, Wash, Delta, Theta, Carolina, Caboose, and Donut groans at that.

Felix: Hey, you guys wanted to give me a party, and that’s what I got.

Tucker: Easy for you to say! You got all the answers right!!

Simmons: You gave us hard questions.

Felix: Are you serious? It was easy!

York: It was a trick question!!

Ryutaros: What’s trivia night?

Delta: They are like pub quiz, one of us has to ask the question that we made while the rest of us have to answer the question correctly.

Theta: We decide to make a theme on all the questions from his favorite movie series!

Tucker: Which is Star Wars by the way. (glaring at Felix)

~*~*~

Everyone gathers around for trivia night.

Grif (flashback): Anakin Skywalker.

Felix (flashback): (monotone, like church) No.

York (flashback): C-3PO.

Felix (flashback): (monotone) No. That’s a droid.

Sarge (flashback): Grif.

Felix (flashback): No. He’s not even a Star Wars character Sarge.

Sarge (flashback):............. You sure?

~*~*~

Felix: WHAT PART OF “THE MOST ANNOYING CHARACTER IN THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE” DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!

Sarge: It was a trick question!

Felix: Oh come on! I gave you plenty of hints! Even Caboose got it right!

Caboose: I nearly said Tarkin because he is mean.

Frøy & Church: Well not all of us is a Star Wars nerd like you, so sorry if we don’t know all the characters!!

Felix: Oh fuck you both!! (Giving them the middle finger)

Grif: (narrator) And then DONUT somehow managed to burn down our bases!

~*~*~

Donut standing in the foreground, while the bases burn in the background.

Donut (flashback): Whoopsy-daisy!

~*~*~

Grif: (narrator) Ah-ha, why, why, oh why?!

Church: Some of them were crying, and some of them didn’t care.

Tucker: And you were one of those people who didn’t give a shit.

Church: I expected things to go wrong from the start. Don’t blame me if I didn’t help with the problem, dickhead!

Donut: (offscreen, still unfiltered) I told you, it was a simple mishap with my vanilla-satin-scented candles. Sheesh.

Flowers: DONUT! CLOTHES!

Donut: Party pooper!

Kintaros: Why is he naked?

Leo: THAT’S your first question?

Aruto: Why did you have a candle in the first place?

Wyoming: We need them to remove the stench that was coming from the kitchen.

All eyes from the Reds and Blues glared at Carolina yet again.

Carolina: I was trying to find a hobby, so don’t blame me.

Frøy: Are you kidding me?! I wasn’t able to use the toilet because of both Grif and Sister were stuck in the bathroom for weeks because of food poisoning, and the toilet clogged because of that!!

Grif: I regret ever tasting that MRE.

Jiro: I know how you feel.

Both Jiro and Ramon glared at Riki because of the stench in his room and his cooking skill.

Simmons: Anyway, we lost 80% of our rations in the fire, so these two fat-asses (looks at Grif and Sister) over here started going around and eating native plants!

~*~*~

Grif and Sister approach some wild mushrooms that glow a mysterious blue coolor.

Grif (flashback): Oh, hey there, sexy.

Sister (flashback): These look good.

~*~*~

Simmons: (narrator) Oh, and as it turns out, the mushrooms are basically crystal meth ON crystal meth!

~*~*~

Cut to Grif and Sister running by, in order, Sarge fighting a tree, Carolina fixing a Warthog, and Simmons going for a walk.

Grif (flashback): (super fast) Heyhohowyadoin’? Good?Okay. I’mgonnagoforarun. AlotofpeoplesayI’mnotfast,butI’msuperfast. Don’ttell anyybodythough,it’soursecret, Okay, bye!

Sister (flashback): (super fast) I’msofullyetIhavesomuchenergy.

~*~*~

Back to the base.

Grif: Yeah? Well, at least I didn’t spend my summer learning Esperanto!

Simmons: (ashamed) I thought “Esperanto” was Spanish for “Spanish.”

Church: Spanish is just Spanish! Me and Delta told you thst multiple times but you kept saying Esperanto is Spanish!

Simmons: I know...!

Frøy: And now you’re the only one in the universe who speaks a dead language! How appropriate!

Simmons: (sigh) Mi estas tiel sola. (I’m so alone.)

Caboose: And Freckles got a new body! He can use any bathroom he wants now!

~*~*~

Freckles walks threateningly into the scene. We then cut to a wide shot to reveal he’s hopelessly small, with Caboose and Tucker looking at him.

Freckles (flashback): (like a chipmunk) Prepare to be exterminated!

He shoots Caboose. Caboose dramatically falls.

Caboose (flashback): AHHH! Tucker! You’re supposed to be playing dead.

Tucker (flashback): (leaving) Riiight...

~*~*~

Back to the base.

Tucker: That’s right around when we tried to raise some money for new bases by selling off our movie rights!

Delta: I believe we didn’t have any-

Ruby, Jin, Ryutaros, Aruto, Leo, & Vice: You have movie rights?! Awesome!

Pyrrha: Even with my fame. No movie company has asked for me to be in any of their films.

Izuku: What rights did you own?

South: Us and for some reason Reservoir Dogs. We still have no idea why we own that.

Grif: Yeah well, Hollywood really screwed the pooch on that one.

Church: We should have burned the script when we had a chance.

Weiss: Was it bad?

Doc: Well it received positive reviews and critical acclaim. They just got us and the story all wrong.

O’Mally: Ugh, they just have to ruined my character.

Simmons: Oh, but we were rich!

Grif: And then we realized water parks were way more awesome than bases!

Carolina: So we built the galaxy’s greatest... water park.

CT: 101 on how to waste money on useless stuff, we don’t need.

~*~*~

Cut to the water park. Where all the boys even Washington jump in the air with joy. Carolina, South, and CT refrains.

Boys (flashback): Yay!

Girls (flashback): (with disinterest) Yay...

~*~*~

Ruby, Jin, Vice, Ramon, & Ryutaros: That’s so cool!!

Yang: I wanna swim! I’ll get my bikini!

Wyoming: Don’t bother.

George: What? Why?

Grif: BECAUSE OF DONUT-!

~*~*~

Mirroring the shot from before, Donut is in the foreground as the park burns in the background.

Donut: Whoopsy-daisy.

~*~*~

Grif: I MEAN HOW?! HOW DO YOU BURN DOWN A WATER PARK, DONUT?!

Delta: It is highly illogical of how he did it.

Donut walks in, now wearing his armor.

Donut: 1) Lube isn’t normally flammable! And B) I didn’t burn down the whole water park! Just the park part!

Caboose: And then we formed the best band ever!

Washington: Tucker thought it might attract... chicks.

Tucker: Which worked.

~*~*~

Cut to Grif and Tucker arguing over the name, with Caboose watching on the drum while Frøy was on the mic and while Church and Felix just standing and floating at their partner’s side while watching the whole argument.

Grif: The Talking reds!

Tucker: Mötley Blüe!

Grif: How about redmau5?

Carolina: Hey, I heard you boys are looking for a backup singer.

Tucker: Uh, yeah! Chick singers are awesome!

Grif: Can you sing, though?

Frøy and Church does a killing gesture knowing their sister’s voice.

Carolina: (confident) Can I sing?

~*~*~

Cut to the base.

Tucker: (unconvincingly) Carolina sings. So good.

Carolina: Thank you.

Simmons: Oh, and we’re definitely not hust saying that because she could kill us.

Wyoming: And break every bone in our body.

Grif: (strained) So. Good.

Tucker: I mean... Frøy wasn’t bad.

Frøy: Please stop it.

Simmons: Sarge decided to make his own enemy, so he built an evil robot army to invade our valley!

Tucker: But the robots malfunctioned and attacked the dinosaurs!

Theta & Iota: And it was the awesomest battle ever! Of all time!!

~*~*~

Cut to the Reds and Blues watching an enormous battle happening offscreen. We get explosions and roars and some flashes of red light plus a black plume of smoke coming in from off-camera.

Theta/Iota (flashback): Woah.../Wow...

Washington (flashback): I have seen some amazing things in my life, but this...? This takes the cake.

Frøy (flashback): I think I can died happy now.

~*~*~

Back to the base.

Vice: Now that is so cool!

Ryutaros: Are the dinosaurs still alive?

CT: Yeah they are, they just destroyed the robots and left. Haven’t seen them in awhile though.

Carolina: (snickering) And then Grif convinced Simmons Game of Thrones really happened.

Leo: What the heck is Game of Thrones?

Ikazuchi: A really good TV show ever!

Blake: And Grif convinced him that a fictional series actually exist?

Simmons: He explained it to me in very convincing manner.

South: And apparently, after that, we learned Simmons has a knack for-

Simmons: (panicked) Don’t say it!

~*~*~

Grif and Simmons are standing on top of the base, mirroring their positions in the first episode.

Simmons (flashback): Nuh-uh.

Grif (flashback): Uh-huh.

Simmons (flashback): Oh, shut up!

Grif (flashback): Seriously, dude!

Simmons (flashback): Nah, nah, no way!

Grif (flashback): Yeah, way!

Simmons (flashback): Dude.

Grif (flashback): Dude.

Simmons (flashback): Dude!

Grif (flashback): Dude.

Simmons (flashback): Dude!

Grif (flashback): Yeah, dude.

Simmons (flashback): That’s awesome! Man, I’m gonna go visit!

~*~*~

Weiss: Seriously?

George: Wow, you’re must be an idiot for falling for that.

Ryutaros: Wai! Simmons-no-baka!

Simmons: What? I can’t believe in it? Anyway, Sarge found a new enemy! One that would keep him busy for the rest of our time here.

~*~*~

The Reds are gathered outside the new base, watching Sarge walks on camera again.

Sarge (flashback): For far too long our people have been oppressed, crushed, under the weight pf ourselves! If we don’t start standing up to our mortal foe gravitty, by god who will?

Washington, Frøy, Church, Felix, Carolina, and Tex are watching nearby.

Carolina (flashback): Are we really going to let this play out?

Washington (flashback): Why not see where it goes?

Felix (flashback): This is gonna be good.

Church (flashback): Something we can agreed on.

Frøy (flashback): You both are just cruel.

Lopez is in the Warthog, Sarge nearby.

Sarge (flashback): Buckle up, friendo! It’s time we take this fight to the enemy!

Lopez (flashback): Por farvor no. (Please no.)

The Warthog goes flying off a cliff.

Sarge (flashback): Chaaaarge!

~*~*~

Simmons: But that just meant Blue Team had one more Jeep than Red Team.

Tex: Not the First time either.

~*~*~

Back to outside the base: Donut, Grif, Simmons, North, South, Wyoming, and CT are standing there, while the warthog is on fire in the background.

Sarge (flashback): Gentlemen and lady, we simply cannot let Blue Team have tactical superiority over the canyon! This means war! Red. VS. BLUE!

Lopez (flashback): (offscreen) Mierda... (Shit...)

~*~*~

Back to the base.

Tucker: That helped us realize just  how outdated this whole Red Team-Blue Team thing really is.

Simmons: So, we had a meeting to debate a new form of government.

Yaiba & Naki: Oh this should to be good.

~*~*~

The Reds and Blues are facing each other outside their base, Carolina having joined the Blues this time.

Grif (flashback): I vote anarchy.

Simmons (flashback): You can’t vote anarchy, you dumbass!

Omega & O’Mally (flashback): But it fit us so well!

Flowers & Doc (flashback): No!

Tucker (flashback): Monarchy! Whoever holds the magical sword, (draws his sword) Excalibur!

Caboose (flashback): Party Paryarchy!

Felix (flashback): Jedi Order!

Frøy (flashback): Of course, you’ll choose that.

Felix (flashback): Hey, up yours Frøy.

North (flashback): Democracy?

Sarge (flashback): Military Dictatorship!

Carolina (flashback): Matriarchy.

CT (flashback): I like where you’re thinking.

South (flashback): Fuck yeah!

Tex (flashback): We can make an agreement on that. (smirks)

Church (flashback): Typical.

The girls (flashback): Hey!

Church (flashback): Not all of us are girls in this valley! Heck, most of us are pretty much a dude! Of course, it’s freaking cliche.

Caboose (flashback): Oh! How about Malarkey?

Flowers (flashback): Caboose, that’s not a type of government! It just means meaningless talk and nonesense!

Long silence.

~*~*~

Washington: (back at the base) Malarkey won.

Theta: There was also the time when Frøy built a bomb and it blew up and make a wormhole to a new universe.

Grif: And what came out was really, really, really weird.

~*~*~

Everyone is gathered up.

Wasington (flashback): This has to be one of the strangest things I’ve seen ever... Of all time.

Frøy and female Frøy are looking at each other with Church and Felix floating at their partner’s side also in their opposite gender. Both wear identical armor and have identical weapons.

Both Frøy (flashback): THIS IS AMAZING!!

Both Church, Felix, & Tex (flashback): This is a fucking nightmare.

~*~*~

CT: The destruction they caused was enormous.

Frøy: (sigh) Too bad she had to go home. I never met someone that I could have so much fun with.

Church: Thank God for that!! I don’t think I could handle another Frøy and Felix.

Felix: I could say the same for you, asshole.

Tex: I suppose to be the one to say that\, consider that I have to be the one to handle the both of you cockbites.

Church & Felix: Shut up, bitch.

Donut: Oh! And don’t forgot York and Carolina’s wedding!

Ruby: (gasp) Really?! That’s amazing you guys!

Leo: Congrats, you two!

Sakura: Omedetō!

George: Congratulation!

Ikazuchi: Mazel tov!

York and Carolina: Thanks.

~*~*~

Carolina was in a nice Cyan dress with York in a suit holding each other hands. Behind Carolina were CT, South, and Kimball while behind York were Wash, North, and Tucker while Frøy as the Ring Bearer with Church, Felix, and Tex floating at his side. In the center is Sarge marrying them.

Sarge (flashback): And now by the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. Just kiss the bribe already.

York chuckles with a grin.

York (flashback): You don’t have to tell me twice.

Before York could even kiss her, Carolina grabbed him by the collar and dipped him, he got startled by this but he kissed her back as everyone cheered. The lieutenants and feds shot their guns in the air as Donut and Jensen were crying.

~*~*~

Wyoming: And that’s when we knew who would be in control in bed.

Tucker: (chuckles) That’s not what I saw at the-

Carolina: Finish that sentence and I’ll make sure you have surgery so you be a women.

There was an awkward silence for that until Caboose broke it.

Caboose: Ah, you haven’t mentioned the dark place!

Tucker: Oh yeah! Somehow Caboose got stuck in another dimension!

Frøy: I didn’t do it.

~*~*~

Caboose is somehow in the Upside-Down from Netflix’s Stranger Things.

Caboose (flashback): Hello? Anyone there? THIS IS AWESOME!

The Reds and Blues are staring at the alphabet Christmas lights from Stranger Things.

Washington (flashback): “Neat.” He just... keeps saying, “Neat.”

North (flashback): I think he’s just excited, or he could be yelling for help if “neat” meant something.

Delta (flashback): How did he even end up there?

~*~*~

Back to the base.

Tucker: Oh, and we found Donut dead!

Nora: Really?

~*~*~

Grif and Wyoming find Donut’s supposedly dead body lying next to a body of water.

Grif (flashback): Sweet.

Wyoming (flashback): I guess it was the best day ever.

Simmons, Tucker, York, Wyoming, Grif, North, and their A.I.s are staring at a shallow grave.

Grif: (voiceover) We decided to bury him in  a shallow, unmarked grave.

They look up, hearing Donut offscreen.

Donut (flashback): (offscreen, unfiltered) Aw, fiddlesticks! I can’t find my suit!

Grif: (narrator) Turns out he was just... skinny-dipping.

York: (narrator) And that’s where I got second-degree trauma. Thanks a lot, fuckface.

Donut (flashback): (offscreen, unfiltered, cont’d) Guess I’m going au natural! Nice and breezy!

~*~*~

Leo: Did you see him?

Grif: Yes! Yes, we saw him!

~*~*~

In the exact same shot from when they were running from the dinosaur, Simmons, Tucker, York, North, and Grif run from Donut.

Simmons: AAAAAHHHH, RUN!

Wyoming: DON’T LOOK! DON’T LOOK!

Grif: AH, THE IRONY!

York: I’M BLIND!

North: I’M SCARED FOR LIFE!

~*~*~

CT: But that wasn’t even the weirdest thing that happened! Wash, Grew. A bread...

~*~*~

Cut to Washington standing outside. Of course, we can’t see the beard because his helmet is on.

Washington (flashback): It’s kind of... itchy.

~*~*~

Tucker: And then this morning Grif spiked Simmons’s couscous with his meth-meth shrooms! And Sister wanted to see if she was faster than him.

Grif: You know, for the lolz.

~*~*~

Cut to the shot from the opening, with Grif and Flowers talking to Frøy and the rest of his companion that he met and brings them to the base as Simmons and Sister runs by.

Simmons (flashback): (super fast) Ihaventbeenbeenthishypersinceihadamargerita!

Sister (flashback): (super fast) FastImfastyougotabetterone

Donut (flashback): (offscreen, voice unfiltered) Anyone seen my tanning oil?

Flowers (flashback): Jesus Donut, we have guests! 

Grif (flashback): Put some clothes on, for Pete sake!

Tucker appears again.

Tucker (flashback): Oh ho, Blue-Tang Clan!

Grif (flashback): The Red Kennedys!

There is a loud whistling sound, as though something is falling from a great height.

Sarge (flashback): (falling with it) SUCK IT NEWTON!

We quickly cut back to Grif before Sarge hits the ground.

~*~*~

Grif: It’s been awful! Instead of a peaceful retirement, it’s been the same damn shit with the same damn idiots!

[radishleaf]

woke up this morning and remembered that sabrina, in the original series, had like a black best friend who she was tutoring or something into being a witch who kinda just... disappeared from the show come the change of seasons. i think her name was dreama??? which is such a cute name btw.

anyway, yea, there's zero fics about them and i am disappoint.

[rsbry-beret]

watching vox machina for the first time!!

SPOILERS BELOW. SO MANY. FOR ALL THE EPISODES IN SEASON 1

telling apart vax and vex is gonna SUCK

liam obrian my beloved

they’re so stupid this mean council guy is OBVI a dragon who can shapeshifte,, these fools

the king is a dilf

awwww vax with kids

AWWWW THE KIDS ARE DEAD UH

gnc barkeep nice

this show is rly gross like. barf blood ew

THSI INTRO SLAPS

thought fince the dragon was just trying to drive down real estate prices until he mentioned bargaining w gold

TUSK LOVE in gilmore’s shop omg

WAIT THE SCOTTISH GUYS THE DRAGON WHATTTTT NOT THE RAISIN GUY ???

why is there a troll dick

this sad victorian stage coach??? apparently his name is DESMOND which. yeah.

omg vampire nevromancer power couple?? hate them but also love that for them.

i’ve been told to stop chanting “horsdeourves” (how spell)

oh 1% anime boy has trauma D:

THE SNAKES NAME IS SIMON 🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍

vax ur awesome

yea okay i love percy hes my fav

apparently he needs wooden bullets?

side note would silver work ???? bc ik silver works for “evil” creatures generally like werewolves and steel for “nice” creatures like fey?? so would vampires count hmmm

also btw their fancy outfits are so coooool i love them !!

we’re taking a break and i have many thoughts;

do grogs tattoos have significance??

also cleric struggling w faith hell yea cool side quest tho

vax being disaster bisexual ICONIC of him

surprisingly i am not struggling w vax vs vex names v much :0

BEADS OF LOVE

your soul is forfeit dude ur so cool

duuuude secret passages!!!

WHY did the guards keep the twins together??? big stupid moment ngl

woa the ever light kinda dark tho. just saying.

keyleth <3 ur so nice 🥰🌸😇

ghosts fuck yes

NOOO THE GUARDS WERE SO HOT NOOOOO

aw grog not wanting to break piles shrine

ghost grabbed grogs titties lol

why doesn’t ANYONE have the light spell omgggg

PERCY IS CURB STOMPING A GHOST RN WHAT

He’s my fav

oh my GOD grog’s “what if i need you?” 🥺🥺🥺

“you’re their light now” stfu 😭😭

omg gilmore’s back :0

ok but what the heck IS percys weird shadow smoke thing??? intriguing

oh my god vax is a bisexual disaster wow.

these scenery shots are sooo pretty oh my god

oh my god that’s a massive fuck off dog

woaaa cool omg it’s just a torso that’s metal as fuck

that’s awesome ok

wow

hahah cool blood dogs okie

it’s sorta trottin along aww

percy’s tutor guys is eugh

AWWWW VAX “kiki”

bruh “friend”

wow these guys. suck at not accidentally bringing up percys trauma lol

vex’s abandonment issues popping off okay

this whitestone flashback is GORGEOUS so it’s gonna be in ruins now :/

yea it sucks now 😬 sun tree looking uhhhh

fits the vampire aesthetic a lot more now ngl but i like the pretty version personally

oh damn. the ending of episode 5. damn. augh

percy V pale. vitamin deficiency? very very white boy

why tf are there giants/goliaths here?? does not make sense bestie like is it an ecosystem thing? additional guard force?? i am wondering.

whitestone? more like graystone OOOOO BURN it’s bc the city is dirty.

religious person keeping the peace? BOOOO RISE UP VIVA LA RESISTANCE

Oh nvm she’s in the resistance ! sick. good for her.

aww archie and percy childhood crushes?? adorable

everlight on FIRE?? i guess not dark now but that can’t be good oof

“those were bad ideas and you should all feel bad” so tru bestie

also vax and percy standing like a power couple in that scene polycule rights

that’s a RLY COOL gun scope omg

haha back door team are all bottoms

oh my GOD they can’t open the door jesus

help action unsuccessful yikes scanlan

scANLANS FOOT???

PERCY FELL OUT A WINDOW

oh my god archie is nice and i like him <3

keyleth going FERAL I LOVE THAT FOR HER

WAIT. scanlans piercing is on the gay ear !!!!!

FUCK YES NO MERCY PERCY

and the NAME melts off the GUN this RULES

Cassandra is alive!!!!! holy shitttt

percy was a NERD in his youth

still is lol

this tutor suuuuuuucks booo

“who’s the sixth barrel for?” THE SHADOW. OH.

awwww archie and percy <3 <3 cute

let. me. be. annoying.

oh this lute music is a VIBE.

scanlans song slaps as well this is great

OMG THE GUARDS ARE PLAYING DND HAHA

“he’s a really tall guy” “scanlans just got shrunk” thanks @a-human-pippin-took i’m dumb at moments

WHAT FIRE BREATH WHAHAHAT HA

HEY HE IS BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE!!!!

this rules.

DUDE HES A TRICERATOPS THIS IS AMAZING 🦖🦕🦖🦕🦖

So dinosaurs are real??? or are they like mythical creatures in this universe ?

i can’t believe this mission was a total success good job scanlan

dick lightning omg nice sam

oh shit. cass. fuck man.

FUCK this tutor guy !

this loser brought a sword to a gun fight. sHit nvm he brought golems

OH MY GOD SHES ALOVE SHE SURVIVED JESUS CHRIST AH THANK GOD

pikes side quest goin Wild rn

oh THATS what it’s supposed to look like. a bit more light-y

oh this possession thing is uhhhhhh Fucked Up

oh my GOD percy is cool. fucked up but cool.

cass is. she has trauma as well! oof moment

oh my god. keyleth and the de rolo crest. that’s cool as fuck 😌😌

this vampire building is cool af and definitely trustable!!

uhhh that’s some. strange looking ceiling mold. 😬

oh FUCK THAT the hanged children have been ununalived now

ARCHIE NOOOOOIIIIIIOOOOOOIIOJOOKOOOOOOO THIS IS SO SAD

still torn up about that but holy shit keyleth

aw “kiki” 💚💚💚

that was a V good speech percy!! i miss archie :,(

oh my god “you know i’m in love with you, right?” “NOW?”

PIKE YES

“marry me?” “yes right now let’s do it” “really?” “no”

aw fuck still zombos

necromancer lady tattoo is messy as fuck. stick poke?

vax u CANT just free EVERYONE who the briarwoods hate,,

woa percy what did she do tho

oh this credits song!! <3 cute

oh FUCK this doctor lady

egh i rly don’t like anna ripley eghhhh

i agree w scanlan lol the smoke is a Bit fucked up lol lol hmmmm

WOA

OH MY GOD WHAT PERCY WHAT UR SOUL DUDE WHAT WOAH WHAT

this is so sus

cass u better be chill and not not chill

OH THATS SO COOL OMG “you’re at the bottom of my list”

taliesin king of one liners and crow noises

i only just realized pike is astral projecting

sick dagger vax 🔥🔥🔥

WAIT THE NAME CAS NO

shit fuck balls i called it

shittttt

percys crying vex is crying i’m gonna cry

HEAVY METAL

grog why is ur dick named that,,,,,

oh scanlan u genius

WATCHING W SUBTITLES ORTHAX IS THE WEIRD DEMON WTF AHHHH

percy holding his arm back from shooting cass,,,

oh my god scanlans muted,,,, smart but UGH

PIKE !! ❤️❤️❤️❤️💕❤️💕❤️❤️💕💕💕

KEYLETH THE LIGHT YEs

WEAKENS VAMPIRE FREES VEX THIS RULES YES

FUCK. YES. PIKE. THIS IS AWESOME KICK HER ASS

ok that fight was EPIC

And cass is more chill again!

aw fucks sake vampire lady pls stop it jeez

KEYLETH

the demon is orb

shittttttt

percy nooo ur soul is being overtaken haha

okay i got so wrapped up in the last episode i forgot to write ANYTHING but this show is VERY GOOD i highly recommend

!!!

[hazelcephalopod]

The Great Hunt Ch 17-18

Difficult returns, arrival, and moving towards something greater but likely at great cost.

Gets a little bit heavy in Ch 18.

Disclaimer: this is my first read thru but I’ve watched all of the show thus far and been spoiled on some book things. So… I’m going to lean into that. Enjoy figuring out what I know, and what I think I know, and what I just don’t. Also s/x I add commentary when I edit.

Spoilers for the first and second book and all of season 1 under the cut. Potential spoilers for later books -idk if they’re light spoilers or not.

Ch 18: Choices

Glyph stone

POV Rand

Time to run!

Oh fight? Uhhh

Oof he’s not doing well is he?

So the Power? Ta’veren? Or just being that good an archer. Just unnervingly perfect

Oh the grolm are dead. All five. All Rand’s arrows. Straight int the center eye

“The void held Rand. The light called to him, and he. . .reached. . .toward it. It surrounded him, filled him.” -(Rand) using the void to shoot. Feeling the magics call and unable to resist

Huh. Easier to use the Oneness the more to use it. That sounds familiar

“He still wanted to, he realized with horror. He wanted to go back into the void, wanted to feel that light filling him again. It had seemed as if he were truly alive then, sickliness and all, and now was only an imitation. No, worse. He had been almost

alive, knowing what "alive" would be like. All he had to do was reach out to saidin. . .” -(Rand) having touched the Power in the void. Yup. Addictive

Interesting these creatures haven’t been an issue until very recently. Or suspicious when it’s the same time Selene showed up

It would be quite a feat to use that stone or kill all the grolm. A magical one even

“She must be able to channel, even if she doesn't know it, or it couldn't have brought her here.” -(Rand) thinking to himself at the Portal Stone.

Smooth and oily stone columns?! In this series?

“The light was all. The heat and the light…” -(Rand) accessing saidin

They was fucking good. The way that the taint of saidin makes it all that harder to embrace, while saidin still draws the channeler in. Very horrific

He did it! Or, at least, he brought them somewhere very much like home

Oh ffs lol. They do not, but I still enjoy the joke

He is possibly correct about Mat tho

Correct sir

I’m guessing the Two Rivers sex Ed is wanting at best

Oh continuing west then cool

Oh fuck! He smelled a future trail? That is kinda weird but very cool

That… wil be something to explain. ‘Yea we got teleported to this alternate world and then it warped space and we got here using these strange ancient stone portal things. And also we met this lady’

‘Oh and Fain is over there. Or will be very soon’

May or may not be a red flag as much as I do actually like Egwene personally

19: To the White Tower

TFoTv

POV Egwene

Ah yea seasickness sucks. Poor Nynaeve (Editors note. It gets worse for her. So that’s great /s)

At least people believe her about the dreams even if they don’t offer solutions

Ohhh she’s getting Balzo dreams now. That is unfortunate

Curious she can see his eyes sometimes. I’m not sure if Rand has

Siuan herself is doing tutoring tonight. (I soon learn to dread that)

Lol. Nynaeve ‘if it weren’t for this stupid boat and seasickness I would disobey so much!’ (I later learn she shoulda just gone and liked on the deck tbh)

I think Nynaeve should be allowed to learn the sword. I hope one day she does!

I think Moiraine personally. Or really a number of people not a singular someone. Maybe Cenn Buie

But can you use that air sword as a weapon at will? No. You can’t. Steel sword tho? Yes!

Now we’re talking. Kn*fe

This is a good lesson tho ‘take care. The magic is addictive’

“Please keep a check on you temper.” -(Egwene) thinking her hope for Nynaeve’s behavior rn. Lmao

Hold person! Via control air

They could do what in the AOL? I mean… I suppose controlling air might allow that ability

Interesting that how they flew isn’t clarified.

Apparently you can’t do that trick on yourself. Tho I don’t get why you couldn’t like make the hard air as stairs and platforms. Make like a surfboard to fly on ya know?

So Nynaeve can only use magic when she’s angry. Rage wizard

Oh is that the first shielding?

I’m… not going to analyze that but too much. There is so much I could probably get from it tho (Editor me. I lied. I will go into it a bit. It is fucked)

Oh Egwene always prepared to break the rules as long as she doesn’t get in trouble

The manipulative tactics do irk me.

… oh. Well that’s devastating to read tbh

Wtf? That’s fucked

No. Don’t do that to anyone else

No one should be going thru that

Hey! They made it to TV!

Lace bridges and Shining Walls. And Dragonmount

“Dragonmount, made by the Dragon’s dying. Egwene wished she did not think of Rand when she looked at the mountain.” -(Egwene)

Huh. People cheering for the Aes Sedai is quite an different rxn. But does make sense. Do like kinda (at least, it’s a refreshing change)

Hello strange person probably an Aes Sedai

Oh it’s Sheriam.

So Nynaeve will be an Accepted but taught like a Novice basically it sounds like

40 novices right now? That is indeed minuscule. And 8-9 make it to Accepted so… let’s say 8.5. That’s 21% graduation rate or whatever.

Well this is some of the most and most straightforward information ever thus far. ‘So we don’t get many and very few make it. But we will work you hard to make sure you can be successful as a full Sister’ I can respect that honesty at least

But. Nynaeve makes a point about why does it have to be that hard tho

No but like. That was not ok -what Siuan did to Nynaeve, that’s assault. There was no excuse for that I’m sorry. But I don’t give a shit about any explanation. That was wrong. I’m not saying it was an unacceptable part of the plot and shouldn’t have been written but it was wrong. The end.

Well onto the next chapters later.

[radishaur]

Exceptional (Sugawara x Reader)

Warnings: None

Genre: Fluff, Slight Angst

Part: 1/1

Summary: Suga begins talking with the girl that sits next to him in English. He’s quick to fall in love with her and even quicker to pretend he isn’t. She thinks he’s exceptional; he doesn’t agree.

•••

Being replaced by an insanely talented first year is something I think about a lot. I made the right choice, I know that, but it doesn’t make me feel any less bad about it. I made the choice that I thought would take us to National’s and that would allow my closest friends to play, even if I didn’t get that same opportunity. Kageyama deserves the spot. He was gifted, that was for sure, but he also worked hard.

Compared to him, I feel less than ordinary. I’m a third year that barely plays. I’m not smart but not stupid either. I’m cute but not attractive. I’m just....there. Kageyama might not be the smartest, but he makes up for it with killer skill and good looks.

Watching my friends play with a big smile on my face comes as second nature because I’m proud of them. I’m so so proud of them. I just wish that I could be the one playing with them sometimes. Like how it used to be. Then maybe I wouldn’t feel so, for lack of better words, blah about myself.

“Hey, Sugawara. Are you ok?”

The words are whispered quietly, but they’re still enough to bring me back to reality. I turned my head to see the pretty girl I’d been crushing on all year, Y/N L/N, looking at me. I smiled nervously and rubbed the back of my neck.

“Y-Yea I’m ok,” I said sheepishly.

“You just looked really sad. You were really deep in thought, huh?” she asked, a small smile on her face.

I felt a wave of butterflies in my chest. She was smiling at me. I couldn’t stop a smile of my own from breaking out at the realization.

“I was, wasn’t I.”

She looked like she was about to respond when suddenly our teacher cleared her throat. I whipped my head up towards her and saw her glaring down at us from the front of the class. Everyone was staring, even Asahi who was grinning widely at me.

“Sugawara. L/N. See me after class, please.”

I mumbled an apology and sent an apologetic smile towards Y/N before focusing back on the teacher. It wasn’t long before the bell for lunch was ringing. I told Asahi that I’d meet him and Daichi after dealing with the teacher and not to wait up for me. He waved goodbye and I made my way up to the teachers desk where Y/N was standing as well. She didn’t seem too annoyed, so I prayed this would be over soon.

She gave us a quick scolding before sending us on our ways. I sighed in relief and grabbed my things, mustering up the courage to talk to Y/N. At the very least, I owed them an apology for getting them in trouble. As we were walking out of class, I finally squashed the churning in my stomach and turned to look at Y/N.

Surprisingly, she was already looking up at me.

“I’m sorry about getting you in trouble,” I apologized, a nervous grin breaking out on my face.

“Oh, it’s ok! It wasn’t that big of a deal,” she assured me, a tiny smile setting my insides on fire.

“R-Right. Well, at least let me buy you something to make it up to you. Do you like anything from the vending machines?” I asked.

Her eyes lit up immediately and I was grinning wider before I could stop myself. She visibly brightened before answering.

“I do! They have this really good milk. It’s not as good as the one’s they sell a few blocks from my house, but they’re a close second.”

We ended up spending the entire lunch period together, something Daichi and Asahi bullied me for extensively when they saw me at practice that night. We got so lost in conversation that both of us forgot to eat, simply standing by the vending machine and chatting excitedly about everything. I learned that she was really passionate about milk, that her favorite season was fall because she loved the feeling of being wrapped up in a warm scarf, that she was getting top scores in all her classes, etc.

If it was even possible, I was falling harder for her every second.

From that day on, we seemed to run into each other more often. It was small things at first. A simple passing in the hallway and eyes meeting from up at the second story window. Then it got bigger. Meeting at the vending machine to talk and leaving class to eat lunch together. Eventually, it got to the point where I was subconsciously scanning the crowd for her as if my body was seeking her out on its own.

We had grown to be close friends and the idea of being close to her no longer filled me with butterflies, but an intoxicating warmth instead.

I smiled as I continued walking home. Practice was cancelled today due to the gym being closed for maintenance. Daichi and Asahi has parted ways with me a few minutes ago and I was making the rest of the walk alone like usual. That was, until a familiar person called out my name.

“Suga?”

“Y/N?” I asked in shock, turning to face her as she came running up to me.

She engulfed me in a hug that made my skin tingle and buzz. I reciprocated, enjoying the brief feeling of her hair tickling my chin and her arms around my waist. When she finally pulled away, she was laughing happily.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, falling into a peaceful stride to continue walking with me.

“I live a few blocks away from here,” I said, pointing in the general direction of my house.

He eyes widened in shock as she looked up at me, but she was quickly smiling excitedly.

“No way! So do I! I can’t believe I’ve never seen you walk this way before,” she said, contemplating as she looked up ahead.

“Usually I’m still at volleyball practice by now. It was cancelled today because of maintenance on the gym,” I explained, my heart racing slightly at the prospect of living so close to her.

“That’s right! Don’t you guys have a match coming up? Against uh... jeez what was their name. Don’t tell me,” she said, brows furrowing as she struggled to remember the name before suddenly relaxing and saying, “Aoba Johsai!”

She smiled up at me and I could have sworn my heart melted on the spot. Her eyes were sparkling and she seemed to almost be glowing, so proud of herself for remembering. I couldn’t stop myself from staring.

“Was that not right?” she asked, frowning slightly.

“No no! I’m sorry, I got lost in thought again,” I apologized quickly, recovering slightly from my panic when her frown disappeared, “We have a match against them this weekend. It’s just a practice, though.”

“Oh, really? The way Kageyama was talking about it made it sound like it was a real match.”

My heart dropped into my stomach at that point. I quickly schooled the shock in my expression before she could notice.

“You know Kageyama?” I asked hesitantly.

“Hmm? Oh yea. I help tutor him sometimes. Our parents work together so that’s how I met him. He’s always talking about your guys team instead of studying,” she said, giggling slightly at her own memory of it, “That’s why I kind of already knew who you were before we became friends.”

Of course she knew Kageyama. Come to think of it, it made sense. She had known my name without me ever introducing myself. I gave a half hearted smile as I pretended to listen to her talk. I felt my heart sinking lower and lower with each step I took. Her and Kageyama would make sense together.

They both loved milk to an insane degree. They were both attractive. They both have a burning passion for the things they enjoy like nobody else I’ve ever seen. And she clearly cared enough about him to remember even the most minute details about volleyball that he no doubt rambled about during their study sessions. How could I ever compete with Kageyama? This was just another area he would beat me in.

“-and next time you guys have a real game, you should tell me! I’d love to go,” she said, the first half of her sentence lost to the buzzing of my thoughts.

“Oh, uh...yea. That’d be nice.”

We parted ways after that and I went home, noticeably gloomier than before.

When my friends asked me what happened I told them it was nothing and not to worry about it. Neither of them would understand how I was feeling and I didn’t want to burden them or guilt them into putting me in more. Kageyama was what was best for the team and who would probably be the best for Y/N anyway.

We continued on like normal, except for the occasional days where I would walk home with her. For the most part, I tried to avoid talking about volleyball with her because it always circled around the Kageyama. It only reminded me of what little chance I had with her. So, when it finally came time for our first real game, I didn’t except Y/N to actually show up.

“Suga!” she said, catching my attention as she weaved her way through the crowd.

“Y/N? What are you doing here?” I asked, shocked to see her here on a Saturday.

“I came to cheer you guys on! Kageyama invited me,” she explained, pointing to the bright orange jersey with the number 9 on it.

If it was even possible, my heart sunk even lower. She was wearing his jersey. That meant they had to be dating, or at least that they liked each other and hadn’t admitted it yet. I took a deep breath and forced a smile onto my face.

“That’s great,” I lied, hoping desperately to find an excuse to leave.

“Don’t tell Kageyama I said this, but I hope that they put you in this game. I’d love to see you play,” she said.

Before I had a chance to respond, Daichi called my name and I had to go warm up. She disappeared into the crowd leaving me even more confused than before. The dull ache in my chest was still there but I ignored it in favor of focusing on the warm ups. Every once in a while I would catch a glimpse of Y/N watching us from the risers and I couldn’t help but hope they put me in at least a little.

As if my wish was granted, I ended up being subbed in for Kageyama during the second set. As we were switching, I heard her cheering my name. I looked over my shoulder and saw her shouting happily. Our eyes met and I knew from that moment that I needed to pull out my A game even more.

I stayed on the court for longer than I was expecting, but I still wanted to play more. I missed when I used to play the entire game. I smiled bitterly as Kageyama entered the court once more. I made sure to give him one of my trademark good luck comments, but it hurt more to say this time. Watching Kageyama play just reminded me of why Y/N would definitely pick him instead.

The game ended with a win for us and we quickly cleaned up before getting ready to eat lunch before our second game. I was talking with Daichi and Asahi when I caught Y/N and Kageyama talking. She was talking animatedly and Kageyama, for once, seemed to actually be listening. The sight of them together stung, but I couldn’t deny that they would make a good couple even with their age difference. I turned back around to continue listening to Daichi talk, resigning myself to another defeat.

It wasn’t more than a minute later that I felt someone run up next to me. I turned to look at who it was and saw Y/N, babbling excitedly about how amazing we all were today. She was still wearing Kageyama’s jersey, something Daichi and Asahi noticed but decided not to mention. The boy himself was nowhere to be seen, but that was typical of him during our breaks. He usually ate alone to keep himself in the zone.

“Hey, Y/N. Where’s Kageyama?” Asahi asked.

“I have no clue. That boy is always leaving me without telling me where he’s going. I pray for whoever he ends up dating,” she said with a sigh, giggling slightly as she said the last part.

“W-Wait, you’re not dating him?” I asked in disbelief and also surprise.

“What? Absolutely not! He’s like a little brother to me!” she replied, laughter bubbling out of her at the mere idea of it.

The wave of relief that washed over me was almost suffocating. She didn’t like Kageyama. That meant maybe I had a chance?

“If you’re not dating then why wear his jersey? That’s typically a couple thing to do,” Daichi pointed out.

She looked down at the oversized jersey that was tucked into her pants and then looked up with an innocent smile on her face. It still managed to send butterflies through me even after months of being friends.

“I guess it does look like that, doesn’t it? Honestly, it’s just something we’ve always done. Ever since middle school,” she explained.

“Well, why don’t we go get some lunch?” Daichi proposed.

We all nodded and headed towards the small cafe nearby. We all ordered and began talking as we waited for our food to come out. Daichi and Asahi went to the bathroom, leaving Y/N and I alone. There was a comfortable silence for a few moments before she spoke.

“Suga, can I ask you something?”

I took a sip of my drink and nodded. She shuffled slightly in her seat nervously before meeting my eyes. The intensity of her gaze sent a jolt of electricity through my spine and commanded my full attention.

“Why didn’t you invite me to come today?” she asked, a hint of hurt in her tone.

Her question caught me slightly off guard and I choked slightly on my drink. I coughed a few times as I forced myself to calm down before meeting her eyes once more.

“Why didn’t I invite you?” I repeated, checking to make sure I had heard her right.

“Yea. I always tell you I want to see you play, but then when you finally had a real game coming up I had to find out from Kageyama. Did you not want me to come or something?” she questioned, her usual confidence disappearing into thin air.

“That’s not it at all!” I said quickly, shocking even myself with how loud I was before lowering my voice and continuing, “It’s nothing like that, I promise.”

“Then what is it like? You always avoid talking about volleyball with me and you never want me to come watch your practices. I just don’t understand why you try to keep me away from that part of your life. We’re friends! I want to see you doing what you’re passionate about,” she huffed, her brows furrowing as she spoke.

I sighed, my shoulders dropping slightly as I cast my gaze down onto the table. There wasn’t going to be any way out of this except for me to tell the truth. I took a deep breath before starting.

“It’s because I’m embarrassed,” I admitted quietly.

Y/N stayed quiet, waiting patiently for me to continue. I looked up at her with a pained expression.

“Kageyama and I play the same position. We’re both setters, but there can only be one setter on the field at a time. Even though he’s a first year and I’m a third year, he’s way more talented than I am so I convinced Coach Ukai to put him in instead of me as a starter. I know that it was the best decision for the team but...it’s still really hard on me sometimes knowing that I’m not good enough to do it myself. Compared to him, I always lose. He’s just better than me at basically everything and sometimes I can’t help but think that everybody else thinks that as well. And I didn’t...I didn’t want you to think of me that way.”

As I finished, it felt like a small weight was lifted off my chest. Finally saying all my fears and insecurities out loud was relieving. Y/N was smiling sympathetically, which only made me feel even better about finally saying everything out loud.

“Sugawara Koshi, you are exceptional, you know that?” she said, a huge grin on her face.

My heart fluttered at her words but my face twisted into a disbelieving frown. I opened my mouth to protest only for her to cut me off.

“I’m serious! Look, I can’t say that I know much about volleyball, but I can tell that you’re good at it. Kageyama is amazing, don’t get me wrong, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t. You both have different strengths and weaknesses and I could tell during the game that you really helped stabilize the team and boost them to their full potential. And even outside of volleyball you’re amazing! You’re the kindest person I’ve ever met and you always know what to say to make me laugh after a long exhausting day,” she said, her eyes shining with nothing but admiration as she continued, “You put 100% of your effort into everything you do, no matter what. You’re constantly supporting others during their time of need, but you also won’t hesitate to literally and figuratively knock some sense into them when they’re spiraling. So, when I say you’re exceptional, I mean it.”

“I...don’t even know what to say,” I whispered, completely awestruck at the fact that my crush could say such passionate things about me.

She blushed, laughing awkwardly as she rubbed the back of her neck. If my heart wasn’t already soaring, it was now. Her pure beauty even doing the most simple of things never failed to astound me.

“I guess that was a bit much. Sorry for getting carried away,” she apologized, smiling sheepishly at me.

There was a lot of things I wanted to say at that moment, but the thing that came out was definitely not what I was expecting.

“Will you go on a date with me?”

Her eyes widened slightly in shock as she processed what I said. Even my own eyes widened, my words finally catching up to me. I blushed profusely and was silently praying that the world would swallow me whole at that very moment. I was about to start apologizing when she smiled, a bright excited smile, and responded.

“I would love to.”

When the four of us eventually returned to the stadium to play our second match, with Y/N watching from the balcony once more, her jersey had a giant number 2 on it instead.

[sugarhoneyboba]

HELL YEA I FINALLY GOT ALL THE DESIGNS FOR MY TMNT OC EOS IN FOUR OF THE UNIVERSE, AHHH so there is details about how she meet the turtles in each and personality stuff on going to type it out in here so if you can’t read it. Also I may change 2012 Eos clothes because they look too much like another artist oc and I didn’t see it till now, I don’t want it to seem like I’m copying but YAY!

In order 2003 Eos! She was an intern with April when she use to work with Baxter. This girl is honestly a nervous/ awkward wreck around people she doesn’t know. The type to apologize for something see didn’t do. Being this nervous she destroyed her bangs. When she does get use to you she is a cuddle bug and a big gift giver because you made her feel comfortable. She has a huge crush on Leo. She admires his confidence and control with his emotions. She doesn’t like to show her skin. She first meets the turtle in season 3 during the invasion. After become closes with them she goes over to the lair more often. She doesn’t like fighting but she loves these boys and april too much not to fight for them. After an accident with Raph, he gets hurt and she asks him to help train her. He gifts her with clawed Gauntlet because he’s style of fighting reflects in to her.

2012 Eos, first meets the turtles after saving Raph and Mikey from an explosion caused by the krang. Not from New York, going to college and moved over, lives alone. But after almost getting attacked by krang she then tracked them and became a vigilante. She is an absolute sweetheart and at the same time is a stressed out mess. Fighting krang and college work doesn’t leave time for sleep. She then meets the turtles again after getting injured and running from the krang, she runs into Leo who saves her. She after that becomes very close with Leo as his best friend and a huge supporter of his crush with karai but secretly has a crush on him. She studies plants and talks to Donnie a lot about science shits. Mikey and Raph teach her the basics before splinter after april ask, takes her as a student as well. Mediation a lot with splinter because of the stress. Weapon of choice also brass knuckles.

Bayverse Eos! Updated! She after witnessing a major foot clan plan becomes a main subject of a hunt (a mainly because in the past she was a test subject, memory was wiped) and April finds her doing the only things so could, takes her to the turtles. She is a very lazy girl, never leaves the lair unless with the boys only at night. To keep her safe Donnie makes a suit for her, and she becomes a roller skate vigilante. Did I mentioning this girl is a major roller skater. (Seriously better at roller skating then Mikey is at skateboarding .) she is open about everything and goofy as hell. She fixes all the fights with the boys, the biggest support for these four because of how insecure they can be. Leo gets very protective of her, (maybe wouldn’t say it yet but this boy is so in love with her, each of the boys probably have a bit of a crush on her). But Leo gets jealous that Raph and her are workout buddies. She doesn’t do well to sleep alone, usually find her cuddles up with one of the boys at night.

RISE of TMNT Eos!! This hothead meets april as tutor, you wouldn’t tell it but this girl with her warm expression will kick your ass if you say the wrong thing. She meets Leo after an accident when tutoring april. He sneaks out a lot to hangout with her and when she finally gets time cause this poor college girl is so busy. The foot clan attack, this is when her true colors come out for the first time. Leo learns quick that she has a issue with her anger. “THIS WAS MY ONLY TIME TO MEET LEONARDO’s BROTHER AND YOUR GOING TO RUIN IT BY ATTACKING US!! IM DONE WITH MISS NICE GIRL, WELCOME TO A WORLD OF HURT” of course weapon of choice brass knuckles. When she does finally meet them she adores these boys, they honestly are the reason she doesn’t spend more than three days without sleep. Raph always has to fight her to sleep. She pushes too hard, being a college student plus part time tutoring is difficult. Mikey teaches her that painting can help with stress. Eos loves Leo’s one liners, alway makes her laugh. Donnie is the first to see before Eos even know how much of a crush she gets on Raph.

Stay safe and clean little flowers remember to drink your water! Without it you’ll never blossom!

Thank you so much for all the love and reposts I means the world to me!!

🌻🍃🌻

[akinnie75]

Until Spring (2/2)

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Sow Burn, Romance, Angst, Fantasy

Word Count: 25k

Summary: Freesia Island has the greenest Summer, calmest Autumn, and purest Winter. But their Spring has so many flowers that the land itself becomes a rainbow. It’s a place that you’ve always wanted to travel to after hearing the tales of that island. And one day, you finally got to be there in person, but not being forced into an unwanted marriage by the king himself.

Part One: Here

Pressing the tip of the pen on your paper, the ink leaks out, pouring onto the sheet and soaking into the pages underneath. A pool of blue blood, circling wider and wider onto the paper as your tutor’s words turn to muffles in your ear, going in one ear and out the other as the heaviness in your heart is too heavy to carry anything else.

“Your Highness!” Your tutor shouts.

You raise your head, not necessarily looking at her, but staring through her with your hollow eyes.

“Pay attention, you’ve been zoning out lately. You cannot represent women when you can’t do something as simple as focusing.”

“Sorry…”

Ever since you broke down in front of Jungkook, sleeping hasn’t been easy. You toss and turn in bed often, the ache in your chest not leaving no matter how many times to try to swat it away. The head maid and the tutors aren’t making it easier either.

“Apologies are meaningless if you don’t do anything to piggyback it.”

“Yes…”

———

The summer is getting colder, so you’re finding yourself wearing thicker clothing. If you thought that Spring is cold, then you can’t imagine how you’re going to survive through Autumn and Winter. You don’t even know if the plants are going to make it through the colder seasons either since they’re meant for warmer weather.

After lessons, you notice many of the servants scurrying around in the hallways. You’ve been locked up in this small room with the devil of a tutor all morning, so you don’t know what’s going on.

You tap on the shoulder of a passing servant. “Excuse me, may I ask what’s going on?”

“Your Highness, you don’t know? King Jungkook’s brothers are coming to visit the capital for his birthday.”

Since when were they preparing for his birthday? Also, you didn’t know that Jungkook’s birthday was coming up soon. And his brothers coming? It’s so soon that it makes you nervous just thinking about it.

“Since they’re coming, we’re trying to prepare as many things as possible before their visit as well as for other guests. This will also be a great way to introduce you to many others.”

Suddenly, you regret all those lessons that you ditched or didn’t pay attention to. The etiquette lessons are practically useless unless events like these happen, and now you’re feeling even more anxious. Not only will this be the first time you will be meeting Jungkook’s brothers, but other wealthy people as well. One wrong move, and it’ll tarnish Jungkook’s reputation.

Based on the sort of tone Jungkook uses when speaking about his brothers, you can somewhat tell that he isn’t fond of them. You haven’t spoken to him much since that night. He’s completely recovered from the poison, but he returned to his usual schedule of paperwork and sword training. Because you haven’t shown any improvements in your mannerisms, your lessons have significantly increased, so it gives you less time to make brief conversations with him. It saddens you a bit since those were the few times when you felt free.

“Ah, speaking of the celebration, the head maid would like to talk to you in regards to it.”

You can already tell that this spells trouble. Nothing good ever comes out whenever you’re with the head maid. “Okay, thank you.”

———

“His Majesty’s family are visiting soon. You must prepare to be the best representative as Freesia’s queen. Do not mess this up.”

Just as you thought.

“You must make sure that you do not make a single mistake. Doing so means that it’ll live down in history. Nobody wants humiliation to be remembered, so everything must be absolutely perfect.”

“Yes.”

You don’t look forward to the next few days before his birthday. It’s definitely going to be hard, but you have no other choice but to follow through.

———

And the next few days have been extremely rough. It’s nonstop lessons on nearly everything: the history of Freesia, every aspect of table manners, and the proper way of speaking to others. You have to constantly watch for your posture when you walk and sit. By the end of the day, you’re extremely exhausted, falling onto the bed without changing out of your clothes.

On top of that, you have to take care of the plants, so with so many things on your plate, you just want to sleep the stress away. Other than giving Jungkook the report, you don’t talk to him much. You feel a little embarrassed about what happened that day, and even if you did find the time to talk to him, you have to quickly return to the head maid and finish the rest of the lessons. With each passing day, you dread the lessons more, as you already know that you’re bound to make a mistake on the day of his birthday.

Your feet are killing you. You spent all morning checking the plants, and they haven’t been growing that well. It might be because of the drop in the temperature. While looking through the papers, you know that Jungkook won’t be satisfied with this.

At his usual training place, you see him beating the scarecrow with a wooden sword. He’s drenched in sweat, his white shirt soaked to where you can see his skin from underneath. When he sees you, he wipes his chin with his forearm, breathing heavily as he watches you draw closer to him.

“Good morning, Your Majesty. Here’s the report for today’s garden.”

He takes it from your hand, flipping through the data that you collected. As you glance in other directions, you don’t notice that Jungkook keeps making quick glances at you. He clears his throat, but it doesn’t get your attention.

“Are you tired?”

“Huh? Oh, no I’m fine.” You respond, not expecting him to ask anything at all.

“Every time I see you in the bedroom, you’re dead asleep. Plus, you have eyebags underneath.”

“I do?” You touch below your eyes.

“Are you being overworked?”

You shake your head. “I’m fine! It’s something that I should be able to do.”

But he doesn’t believe you. He makes it apparent that he’s worried, and it’s somewhat embarrassing. It might be your imagination since it’s unbelievable that somebody like Jungkook would be concerned for anybody but him.

“A-anyway...it’s almost your birthday!”

As happy as you try to convey, Jungkook is the exact opposite. If anything, his expression hasn’t changed once.

“I don’t look forward to it just as much as you don’t.”

You’re surprised he knew, but how? Did you make it that obvious? You open your mouth, looking around to say something, but nothing comes out. Since it’s almost his birthday, you’d assume that he’d be excited.

“E-even if you don’t look forward to it, it is the day that you were born.”

“...Yea.”

But with nothing else to share, you stand idly until you can’t handle the silence. You wave goodbye and walk off stiffly. The conversation was particularly off-setting since Jungkook was more serious than usual. He brushed off the topic of his birthday so quickly that you felt like you shouldn’t have brought it up.

———

It’s the day before the birthday ceremony, and everyone is on high alert to make everything as perfect as possible. The head maid has gotten stricter with you, shouting at you for the mistakes that you didn’t even know that you did. The punishments become harsher, turning more physical with the ruler to the hands.

Throughout all this, you haven’t gotten the chance to personally sit down and talk to Jungkook. But what’s strange is that you haven’t seen Taehyung for a while now either. You never see him when there are a lot of people in the same setting—only when you’re alone. But since the castle is riddled with people running about, it’s as if he disappeared into thin air.

By the end of the day, you’re so tired that you could sleep on the floor. You somehow manage to drag your feet to your bedroom, seeing the bed gives you a tiny surge of energy to dash across the vast room and drop your weight onto the bed. You don’t bother with changing out of your dress or wiping the makeup off. All you want to do is sleep.

———

“...Hey…(Y/N)...wake up.”

You hear a familiar voice whisper in your ear. Somebody is shaking your shoulder to wake you up, and it manages to work. Your eyelids feel so heavy that you don’t want to open them, so you groan in response.

The voice sighs. “You’re still in your day gown, and your face powder got all over the pillow. You didn’t bother taking it off?”

“Tired…” You say in a groggy tone.

The person lifts your hand up and inspects it. “Your hands are red. What happened?”

“Hmm...I have a hard time listening...that’s all.”

“Hard time…?” He sighs. “The head maid did this to you, didn’t she?”

You nod slightly. “But it’s okay...It’s not her fault that I’m not good at anything.”

You still refuse to open your eyes, nor do you want to lift your head up. You can feel him stroking his thumb over the red marks you received from the maid. His touch feels so gentle that it’s oddly soothing.

You hear him step away from the bed and the sound of the private bathroom door opens. The sound of water splashing occurs, followed by Jungkook returning and sitting by the bedside again. He cups your cheek and turns your head to face him.

“Stay like this and don’t move.”

A wet cloth touches your face, and your eyebrows twitch before letting him continue with what he’s doing. He wipes the white powder off of your face, followed by him wiping the eyeliner off. He then goes down to your lips, getting rid of the red paint. But you don’t like the feeling of the cloth being pressed against your lips, so you grab his wrist and try pushing it away.

“It feels weird.”

“It’s not good for you to wear makeup while you’re sleeping. Let me finish, I’m almost done.”

Although you dislike it, you let him do what he wants. Once he’s done with that, he goes back to the bathroom and throws the water out, returning once again. You feel his hands wiggling under your back, and you flinch.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything. I’ll loosen the dress for you and help you take the corset off.”

He unties the back of your dress, pulling it down to reveal that you’re wearing another but thinner gown underneath. He then unties the corset and a wave of oxygen enters your lungs. You can finally breathe again. Jungkook doesn’t bother taking off the rest of your clothes, leaving the rest for you to do. The room falls silent for a while once that’s over.

“...What’s it like...celebrating birthdays in your village?”

“Hm? Oh...all of us gathers around the campfire, and we roast a huge pig for everybody to eat.”

“That’s it? No big celebration?”

“What are you talking about? It’s a huge celebration for us. Then again...it’s nothing compared to here. There are so many things you have to worry about that it’s insane.”

“Yea...I wish it wasn’t that much of a big deal either.”

You can feel his hands brush through your hair. This is very unlike Jungkook, who would typically keep his distance from you.

“Do you and your people typically give gifts for birthdays?”

“Gifts? Why would we? Gift exchanges only happen when there’s a wedding ceremony.”

“Ah...is that so?”

You adjust your sleeping position, facing away from Jungkook, which also means pulling yourself away from his hand.

“I’m...sorry if I’m interrupting your sleep.”

You shake your head, eyes still closed. “It’s okay...I don’t mind talking to you as long as my eyes are closed.”

“Really? Why? I’m not an impressive socialite.”

“You don’t have to be. You’re a good listener.”

He raises an eyebrow. “You sure  are strange.”

“What’s strange is that it seems like you don’t ever sleep. Take a break every so often. It worries me.”

You? Worried for him? He can’t believe it. He thought that he was just imagining things. Jungkook covers his mouth with the back of his hand, his cheeks burning up. He can’t remember the last time somebody said that they were concerned for him. Even if what you said caught him off-guard, he doesn’t necessarily hate it.

“You’re definitely a weird person.”

But you’ve already fallen into a deep slumber before you heard him. However, it wasn’t his intention for you to hear him anyway. He brushes the hair behind your ear before leaving the room.

———

FALL

The castle has been decorated with white paper folded into various shapes of flowers in celebration of Jungkook’s birthday today. With the hectic servants running around and rushing to make everything picture-perfect, it’s more grandeur compared to your home; no wonder Jungkook was surprised by how small and quick your birthday celebrations are.

The one thing you hate the most is wearing makeup. They cover your face with a white-powdered substance, and it’s irritating on your face. Not only that, but you still can’t get used to the gowns that you have to wear. You used to wear clothes that weren’t so tight, but now that you’re a queen for thousands of people, the head maid claims that you must also represent what elegant women should wear. Since there are people coming from other countries coming to this island to celebrate, the maids try hard to make you as flawlessly beautiful as they can.

Finally free from the grasps of your maids, you’re walking alone on the second floor, above a spiral staircase and looking down at the entrance of the castle. You crouch down into a fetal position, exhaling heavily as you try to breathe through the corset tied tightly around your waist. Despite wearing these heels not even for an hour, your feet are already in pain.

From the corner of your peripheral, you see somebody getting closer to you. You’re quick to get back on your feet in case it was your head maid, but it’s Taehyung.

“Taehyung! Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in such a long time.”

“Don’t worry about it. I had business to attend to relating to your escape,” he smiles to brush off your question. “You look stunning. Are you ready for tonight? You’ll be meeting Jungkook’s brothers for the first time.”

“Truth be told, I’m not. I just want today to end already.”

“Understandable. Unfortunately, you will have to meet them sooner or later because I just saw a carriage with a man who looks like one of his brothers is arriving soon.”

Your heart becomes heavy just thinking about having to introduce yourself to them. And Taehyung was not exaggerating when he said that they’re coming soon. A man with stunning looks enters. He marches into the castle, craving for attention as he makes every step with his boots as loud as possible. He clears his throat, just waiting to shout whatever he wants.

You look down from the second floor, your stomach leaning on the railings. Thankfully, you’re high enough to where Jin doesn’t notice you, so you can spy on them without eyes weighing down on you.

“That’s the oldest, Jin, and he belongs to the late king’s first concubine,” Taehyung explains. “Even though he’s a bit obnoxious, I hear that a lot of women claim that he’s the most handsome out of the six. He may seem a bit dim-witted, don’t fall for it. He’s really good at reading people’s emotions and knows what to say to get what he wants.”

Although you’re too far to hear exactly everything he’s saying, you can already tell that he’s the exact opposite of Jungkook. The way he approaches the servants, patting them on the back and wrapping his arm around their neck as if they’re friends. Even though you’ve been told that he’s reaching his thirties, he doesn’t look like he’s nearing that age whatsoever.

The brother next to arrive is a lot calmer compared to Jin. His hair is brushed back, and he looks strong enough to carry a horse with that upper-body physique. He walks in with an aura of sophistication that no one can ever imitate.

“That’s Namjoon, and he’s the fourth oldest. He was born the same year as the third oldest, Hoseok. He was known for being the smartest and strongest, but he’s also distant from the other brothers.”

Just as Taehyung speaks, another one enters, and his smile is so captivating that you can’t get your eyes off of him. He seems the most normal, smiling at every servant that he walks past by. Right behind him, another handsome man walks in with his hair as black as coal and a glare so cold that everyone freezes upon eye contact with him.

“Speak of the devil, that’s Hoseok. Before Jungkook, he was ranked the best swordsman. Next to him is Yoongi, the second oldest. I don’t know much about him, but I know he’s the most ruthless.”

And lastly, the fifth oldest enters, giggling as if he heard something funny. He’s talking to a guard, and he seems like the kindest out of all of them.

“That’s Jimin. He’s the fifth oldest, and he lives closest to Freesia.”

With that, you’ve seen his half-brothers. All that’s left is for you to meet them. The thought of meeting them makes you anxious, even to the point where your stomach turns. Not all of the brothers seem menacing based on Taehyung’s claims, but you still can’t get that nervousness that’s stuck in your stomach like an anchor. As much as you want to avoid them, you have no other choice but to come face-to-face with them.

———

It’s time for the celebration to begin, and nearly everybody that has been invited has arrived. People from all areas of the world have come to congratulate Jungkook for turning one year older. In the ballroom, you and Jungkook sit in the back on your thrones, a long line of people extending all the way to the other side, waiting for their turns to hold Jungkook’s hand and wish him a happy birthday. With each person, Jungkook forces a plastic smile but not thanking them in return. Once they leave, he returns to his usual stoic self before the next person steps before him.

Unlike the good treatment he receives, they barely acknowledge you. They glance at you briefly before turning away and whispering in each others’ ears as if they’ve never seen anyone like you before. A few of them do greet you, but it’s one of those greetings that feels very forced and an attempt to not make you seem unusual.

After hours of greeting people, it finally comes to a stop, and Jungkook slumps his back, exhaling heavily. You turn to him, just as exhausted as he is. Keeping a proper posture brings pain to your back,  you feel as if your spine is going to break at any given second.

“Are you tired, too?” You ask.

“I want this dreadful day to end already.” He massages his face.

You’re glad that he agrees with you. Even though he’s the king, some of these people came from far away to visit, so it’ll ruin his public image if he suddenly sent everybody home. When you look closely, you notice that Jungkook is also wearing makeup to hide his eyebags.

“Sleeping is a waste of time, but tonight is an exception.”

You had a feeling that he wasn’t exhilarated, but not despise it to this extent. Although you two haven’t said much, you both express the same feeling.

You watch as the guests gather around the dance floor while the live orchestra plays. They all seem to be enjoying their time here, but something about this seems off. It isn’t like the feeling of misfortune creeping up your spine, more so that you’re not familiar with what’s in front of you.

It’s Jungkook’s birthday, but besides the brief moments of introductions, they’re focused on themselves. Those days spent preparing for this day, people traveling long and far to come here, all for them not to look at him. For some reason, it’s pitiful. It’s no wonder he doesn’t look forward to his birthdays—it’s all a chore only for it not to be recognized.

Jungkook looks at you from the corner of his eye, then looking down at your hands. He notices that the scars that he saw before are gone. On top of that, the skin color on your hand is paler than before. His assumption is that the maids must’ve covered it with makeup powder.

“What’s with the long face?”

You didn’t think you were making faces, but Jungkook must be really good at reading the atmosphere. “It’s just...I don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

“I don’t mean to make it sound selfish but...isn’t the whole reason for this gathering is to celebrate your birthday?”

He raises an eyebrow. “I don’t see where you’re coming from?”

“Back in my home, we come together to eat at a table to wish the person a happy birthday. Here, it feels...segregated?”

You’re not sure if that’s the right word, but that’s the closest to how you can describe it. Jungkook raises an eyebrow, looking at the people who aren’t even batting an eye at him. He looks back to you, seemingly like he doesn’t completely understand what you’re saying.

“Tell me more about your birthday celebrations.”

———

Standing around each other just on the outside of the dance floor are Jungkook’s five half-brothers. They’re all holding wine glasses, observing Jungkook talking to you. His eyes are only on you as you speak, and the only time he isn’t staring at you is when you’re doing hand movements and he looks down.

“I’ve never seen Jungkook like that with somebody before.” Jimin is the first to break the silence.

“Hey, he’s young and that’s his first wife, so it’s no surprise that he’d be interested in women,” Hoseok snickers slyly as he takes a sip of his wine. “He may be our little brother, but he’s still a man.”

Yoongi scrunches his nose. “Why do you talk about him as if he’s precious to you? You don’t even like him.”

Hoseok laughs again because Yoongi saw right through his shallow comments of endearment.

Namjoon rotates his glass clockwise. “Why her of all people? Isn’t she just some barbarian from a remote island?”

“Have you seen the fruits that her people grow? I’ve never seen anything like that before. That’s probably why he married her.” Hoseok tries to make the shape of an oval with his hands.

Rather than being supportive of his little brother being potentially interested in you, Yoongi can only look at you and him with disgust. “He stares at her like she’s important.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with that?” Jimin sneers at Yoongi.

“As a king, it’s their duty to be more focused on the state of the kingdom, not on a person. Holding a single person as valuable as your land exposes you to weakness. What would he do if she were to be killed?”

“Well…”

“He will be too busy mourning and not focusing on leading his land.” Namjoon chimes in.

Their harsh words leaving Jimin at a loss of words. That’s when Hoseok wraps his arm around Jimin and laughs to lighten the mood.

“Hey, Jungkook has always been a stone-cold kid, so if she were to die, he probably would’ve forgotten that they’re husband and wife.”

After being silent throughout the entire conversation, Jin finishes his glass and sets it down on the dinner table. He wipes his lips with his sleeves, not caring if the red wine gets on his suit.

“I’m going to talk to them and get an idea of what she’s like.”

The brothers are hesitant on letting Jin proceed with his plan, especially since his mind can be a bit rash. However, since he’s the oldest, they let him do what he wants, so he marches right for you and Jungkook, watching as trouble is about to unfold.

Jungkook notices Jin approaching you and him, finally breaking his trance from you to him. Seeing as his attention is elsewhere, you turn around and is startled to see how close Jin is. He leans over to your throne, and you would’ve admired his graceful good looks if he didn’t sneak up on you.

“I don’t think we ever got the chance to speak that much.”

What you looked forward to the least has finally happened. They weren’t interested in getting to know you, which played more into your favor of not having to embarrass yourself in front of everybody, but the heaviness in your chest returned the moment you saw Jin inching closer to you.

“Is there something you need?” Jungkook asks with a frigid tone.

Clearly offended by Jungkook’s impoliteness, Jin pulls himself back. “Hey, who are you to talk to your older brother like that?”

But Jungkook’s unfriendliness doesn’t end there. He stares at Jin with dagger eyes, and that alone makes it very clear that he does not want Jin to stay here any longer than he should. Seeing as Jungkook won’t respond to him, he turns back to you with a malicious grin.

“So...was this marriage consensual?”

That question completely threw you off-guard. You pull your head back, almost as if he threw a punch right to your face.

“Excuse me…?”

“Brother, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

But Jin raises his hand up to order him to silence. He won’t let Jungkook ruin his enjoyment. “This is the question I always ask all my brothers’ concubines. Did you agree to the marriage?”

You look at Jungkook for an answer, but he doesn't know what to say either. That means you’re on your own.

“I did…”

Rather than going along with your response, Jin scoffs at it, rolling his eyes. “What I mean is...did you whole-heartedly agree to the marriage? There was no exchange to be made—no threats involved?”

“I...I…”

This is something you thought about every day, but having a third party shove this in your face is too much. It feels like your vision is becoming blurry, and your head is light. You can’t bring yourself to look at Jin nor Jungkook.

“I ask this because the majority of the time, the women we chose as our concubines almost never have a say in it. That’s just the way we live—men dominate and women are second nature.” He shrugs his shoulders.

You didn’t want to admit it, but it’s true. Ever since you came here, it’s almost like your opinion never matters. With the exception of Taehyung and Jungkook (sometimes), nobody cares about what you think. The manners you’ve been taught exist with the sole purpose of appearing as the ideal woman, but your ideas don’t play a role. Everything your head maid has been teaching is there to keep your personality hidden from the public, and that realization hurts.

“I’m sure you know this by now, but none of us loved our father. If anything, it was a blessing when he died. The only disappointment is that he made that street rat the king of the capital and gave the rest of us natural-born royal bloods in charge of smaller lands. Even you have more royalty compared to him.”

Jin points right at Jungkook. That’s right, you completely forgot about Jungkook’s origins, but he’s not saying anything to stop him from opening his mouth. You were told that he forbade anyone from speaking about his past, but he isn’t stopping Jin.

“We hate our father, but we grew up with him, so we can’t help but become like him. I thought that Jungkook would be nothing like him, but I guess I was wrong. He still married a woman for his own benefit. Did you know, our father had six wives? I wonder how many Jungkook will have.”

With all these words he’s spitting out, Jungkook does nothing to stop this. Even you want him to stop because he’s reminding you of your position. But the more he talks, the more it sinks in that this is going to be the rest of your life. The whole reason you’re talking to Jungkook is to get information out of him for Taehyung, but you’ve been getting too comfortable around him that you let your initial goal slip.

Jin spots that line of vulnerability that you’re showing—that uncertainty in your eyes. “You know what’s interesting about Jungkook’s mother? She sold her body in exchange for money.”

But this triggers Jungkook, and he looks like he’s about to lash out. However, Jin continues just to anger him further.

“But what is there of value if a woman doesn’t value her integrity over her body? Nothing. So then, what makes you think our father decided to make her his last concubine?”

He doesn’t need to say more for you to put the pieces together.

“It’s devastating that she ended up going to heaven along with our mothers and that wrenched father of ours. On the bright side, at least we don’t have to worry about—”

“BE QUIET.”

Jungkook’s booming room makes the ballroom fall silent. He clenches his fist, about to punch Jin but contains the desire to do so. You stand up from your seat, stepping in between to stop the violence from pursuing forward. Without another word, Jungkook walks off and exits the room. You’re about to run after him when Jin stops you.

“There’s no point in following him. People like needs to calm down on their own.”

Although he may be Jungkook’s older half-brother, you have zero respect for him. To be pushing Jungkook to this extent simply for his own amusement is too much. You snarl at Jin, but he returns the look with a side smirk. You run off to find Jungkook, with all eyes on your back as you leave the room.

———

You run around the castle bare feet, holding the heels in your hands. You were running for a while that your feet were beginning to hurt. The long gown is also making it more difficult for you to run, so you lift it up to make it easier to run. Since everybody is in the ballroom, the halls are practically empty, and the only thing you can hear is your feet patting against the floor and your heavy breathing.

You walk around the halls calling his name, but you get no response. Since he isn’t there, you rush to his office, but he isn’t there either. Your last hope is the bedroom, so you head there. Unfortunately, you fail to find him here as well.

Having nowhere else to search, you sit by the edge of the bed, breathing heavily as you finally got the chance to catch your breath. Where could he have gone? He ran off so suddenly that it was difficult to keep up with him. But what did Jin mean when he said that his mother was sent to heaven along with their father? Could it mean that his mother is dead? It could explain why you’ve never seen his mother before and also why he doesn’t enjoy talking about his mother.

While thinking of other places that he could’ve gone, the wind blows into the room, causing it to crawl down your spine. You’re not used to this cold weather, so the chilly gale distracts you from your thoughts. You get out of bed to close the balcony door when you notice someone at the small shed where Jungkook typically practices. Unsurprisingly, it’s Jungkook. Relieved that you finally found him, you rushed out the door and to the garden.

———

It’s even colder outside, and you wrap yourself with your hands. His back is facing you as he stares at the stars. He grew up in this cold weather, so it’s not a surprise that the cold doesn’t bother him. He doesn’t notice you until you get closer and the sound of your gown dragging against the dirt grabs his attention.

“What are you doing here?”

“Did you really think I wanted to be there alone?” You snicker.

You stand next to him but at a safe distance where you don’t touch. He glances down at your dress, and even though it’s dark, he can tell that the ends of the fabric have been torn and you’re not wearing any heels.

“Your feet don’t hurt?”

You shake your head. “Wearing shoes hurt me more.”

From a distance, you see silhouettes of people running through the halls with lanterns. They’re all running frantically as if searching for something.

“They’re probably looking for us. Let’s hide.”

“Where?”

He points to the shed then walks ahead of you. You follow from behind before looking back at the people who are looking for you two.

———

You’ve never been in the shed before nor have you ever thought about entering. Not to your surprise, it looks like any other shed—various types of swords hanging on the wall, a rotting, mahogany table in the center, and lantern that Jungkook is lighting up with a match.

Jungkook sits by the edge of the table, and you do the same since there’s nowhere else to sit. You look down at your feet and see that it’s covered in dirt, but you aren’t disgusted by it. You never wore shoes prior to coming to Freesia Island, so it’s relieving to run around without them. While thinking about the past, you begin rubbing your necklace without thinking.

“You really like that necklace.”

“Oh…” You look down at your necklace, raising it up higher for him to see. “It’s an important part of my family tradition. Whenever a younger generation gets married, we pass it down.”

After saying that, Jungkook scoots away from you. He stares at the ground as he bites his bottom lip.

“I’m sorry. I wasted it.”

“Wasted what?”

“...You got something valuable because you got stuck with me. I dragged you into something you never agreed with.”

Is he thinking about what Jin said to him earlier? He must’ve seen how hurt you were when he was speaking, so it’s finally settling in his head how unhappy you are here. How do you respond to this? You’ve made it obvious that you hate it here, and lying that he didn’t drag you into anything won’t make him feel better either.

“You did,” He looks even more offended, so you desperately think of anything to say to make him feel better. “B-but it’s not so bad now! I mean, it’s tough being an outsider, but I’m getting used to it.”

“Yea, that’s not what you thought when you cried that night.”

“Cried?”

It hits you hard when you’re reminded of your mental breakdown. It’s something that you don’t want to remember since you dislike crying in front of people. Just thinking about it makes your cheeks turn red, so you cover it with your hands and look away from him.

“You don’t have to remind me! Of course I miss my home a lot, but rather than make the topic about me, is there something you want to talk about?”

“What?”

“I dunno. It looks like there’s something bothering you. If you don’t want to say anything, that’s fine. I’m just saying that it’s better to let it off your chest. I promise I won’t tell anybody about it.”

He stares at you suspiciously with an eyebrow raised, but there’s nothing suspicious about your round eyes returning the gaze back at him. He feels a little uncomfortable because it’s still not normal for him to be going to somebody to lean on. Clearing his throat, he thinks about where to start, but nothing comes to mind.

Since he doesn’t have anything to say, you decide to lend a hand. “Is it true that you and your brothers don’t like your father?”

“...It’s true. I despise him with everything I have, and I’m disgusted knowing that we share the same blood. And I also dislike thinking about those men as my brothers. They never treated me like one.”

Jungkook plays with his thumbs, twirling them in circles.

“My mother did have sex with men because it was the easiest way for her to make money. Everybody looked down on her for what she did, but nobody understood that she did it so that we could eat something by the end of the day. She risked sleeping with many dangerous, violent men all for the sake of me.”

He remembers those times when they still lived in the slums of the city, living in an abandoned building infested with rodents and sewage water. Every day, his mother brought another man, luring them in with her captivating beauty and pretending to be infatuated with these lustful men. She did it so often while Jungkook was in the same room that sex was a normal occurrence. Then by the end of the day, his mother would caress his cheek, asking him what he would like to eat. When he looked up at his mother, all he saw were green and purple bruises on her skin.

“Then one day, the king came to town asking for my mother. He was in love with my mother, or at least I think. When I first met him, my mother insisted that I was his son. But truth be told...she slept with so many men that her statement felt like a lie. She must’ve said that to make sure that we would live a life of luxury in the castle.”

He gets a flashback of when he first entered the castle, and it felt gigantic. He had never been in such a vast place before, so being a naive child, he was excited for the life that he was going to live.

“But my mother was treated no differently than when we lived in the streets. She tried her hardest not to show the pain she went through being abused by my father’s concubines. She was the lowest of the lowest, so it wasn’t shocking when even the maids looked down on her. However, I did notice that the higher the position a concubine’s son had, then the more well-respected the mother receives. I thought that if I wanted my mother to live a more comfortable life, then I would have to work hard to impress my father.”

“So that’s when you started training with the sword?”

He nods. “It was hard at first, but I got the hang of it pretty fast. I made sure I scored high on my tests, and it didn’t take long for my father to recognize me. But...after working hard for so long, my father got sick after receiving a wound during a battle and appointed me as heir to the throne.”

“That’s good, right? That means that your mother can live more comfortably.” You say with excitement.

However, Jungkook doesn’t look as gleeful as you. “She died.”

Your jaw drops.

“It’s tradition that whenever the king dies, we burn money and kill his wives so that they can travel to heaven along with him.”

He clenches his fists, refusing to let those memories return. Jin did mention that his mother is no longer with them anymore, but you weren’t expecting her to leave in this fashion.

“When I was recognized by my father, it was the day my mother died. So...those years spent working so hard for the sake of returning the favor to my mother, wasted. She died with the reputation of being a whore, and I couldn’t do anything to show everybody who she truly is. She...sacrificed her body countless times to these wretched men just so that I live an easier life, and I hate that I could never show her how much she meant to me...and everything she did. I never intended on becoming king...I just wanted to protect the person who I treasured the most.”

Just as you thought, despite her image being that of a prostitute, she did it because she loved Jungkook. You can tell that she didn’t care whether or not he returned the favor, she simply wanted him to grow up in a safer environment. The worst part is that her death must’ve been right before he met you because people have told you that he merely became king weeks before he came to your island. That explains Jungkook’s solemn personality when you first met him. It wasn’t that he is a cold-hearted man to the core, he was just mourning the loss of the only person who’s ever loved him.

There’s a lump in your throat, blinking profusely as the tears form in your eyes. Jungkook is taken aback to see that you're the one who’s crying. He leans forward, using his sleeves to wipe your tears away.

“Why are you crying?”

“I’m sure she knew.”

He wrinkles his eyebrows, not understanding where you’re coming from. That’s when you pull him in for a hug, burying him your shoulder. He’ll probably try to fight you off, but he looked like he needed a hug. You rock him back and forth, and he stares blankly at the wall with wide eyes, unsure of what to make of this intimate moment.

“It hurts, and it’s something that’ll never heal. Her birthdays, death anniversaries, your birthdays, they’ll hurt because she isn’t there to celebrate with you. I know it feels like she left, but she never did. Even if you can’t see her, she’s watching you right now, and she knows that everything you did was all for the sake of her. So...to let your mother rest in peace and to help you move forward, don’t beat yourself down anymore, okay?”

You continue to cry for him, and Jungkook wraps his arms around you.

“Are you an idiot? Why do you feel bad for someone who stole you from your homeland? I’m the one who ruined your life.”

He’s right. You truly are an idiot suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, pitying the man who took everything away from you. But...you can’t forget that time when he held onto you when you cried. There was a middle ground where you two know how it feels like to lose someone important. And for that, he’s glad that there’s somebody like you who understands him and holds onto him.

———

You assumed that since his birthday has ended, you wouldn’t have to worry about tutoring and training sessions, but that isn’t the case. The head maid continues with the arduous teachings. Even though it already feels like a lot that you have to learn, this feels neverending. How much more do you have to learn until you’ve learned it all?

In your dressing room, you’re balancing three books on your head, with each book being at least four-hundred pages. You attempt to keep in balance, making sure that you don’t drop any of the books and keep your back straight. Your head maid walks around you in circles with a ruler in head. You know perfectly well what that ruler is for.

“If the books remain unstable, then it’s going to fall. By not keeping them well-balanced, then it shows that you are incapable of walking like a proper lady. So far, you fail to do so.”

You’ve already gotten used to her verbally abusing you that when she speaks, her voice goes in one ear and out the other. To distract yourself from having to be put down by her, you look out the window to see that the colors have changed. From the green trees and blue sky, it slowly faded to the autumn’s orange and red leaves. The grass is dead now, and there are fields of brown spread across the land. You would be mesmerized with this view had you not have to focus on holding books with your head.

The head maid slaps you on the shoulder, making you jolt.

“Keep steady! Loosen your shoulders, but don’t slouch to where you look lazy!”

You hate this. You absolutely hate this. You’ve had patience with her since the beginning, but you can’t anymore. She’s only doing it because she doesn’t like you. If you were of some other background, she would’ve been easier on you.

Out of irritation, you want to piss her off even more, so you purposely drop the books. Her jaw hangs low, absolutely in awe that you did that. You tempt her, tilting your head and cocking your head to the side just waiting for her to explode.

“You little-!”

She raises her ruler, getting ready to punish you just as she normally does.

“What happened?”

Standing by the door is Jungkook, arms crossed and his shoulder leaning on the door frame. The look of horror on the head maid’s face is laughable, the power she had over you drained. You hide your hands behind your back, looking at your feet as you wait for something dramatic to unfold.

“Y-Your Majesty…! I…”

“(Y/N), show me your hands.”

You stare at him in a daze, unsure if you heard him the first time. “What?”

“Let me see your hands.”

The head maid begins to sweat bullets when you hesitantly show him your hands. He holds them gently, noticing how red they are and old scars all around it. He doesn’t get angry, but it seems like he doesn’t appreciate the scars either.

He raises his head and glares at the head maid. “Have you been doing this to her?”

“Y-Your Majesty, I can explain. This is just a typical process for disciplining the lady.”

He doesn’t look convinced, and this makes the head maid even more nervous. Seeing how scared she of Jungkook, you pity her, despite her inflicting those injuries onto you. You step in between them, letting go of his hands.

“It’s okay, it’s because I never pay attention.”

He can see it in your eyes that you don’t want him to get upset at her. He doesn’t like how forgiving you are, especially since she must’ve made your life hell, but if you don’t want anything to happen, then it’s better for him to forget about it if it means not upsetting you.

“If that’s the case...then is it alright if I take her out of lessons in the meantime? I have something to talk about with her.”

“Please do! N-no need to ask me for permission, Your Majesty.” She bows her head.

You blink profusely. What does he want to talk about so suddenly? He’s never done this before. If it means intervening in your lessons, it must be important. You glance at the head maid, then at Jungkook. He flicks his head to the door, signaling for you to leave. With nothing to say, you exit the room, leaving him alone with the head maid.

Jungkook watches as you disappear from the hall, constantly looking back to see if he’ll follow you. Once you’re far away enough from the room, he leans close to the maid’s ear to whisper something.

“From this point on, (Y/N) will no longer be needing tutoring lessons. And if I see you ever hurt her again, then you will be seeing yourself out of the castle.”

“Y-yes, Your Majesty.”

“Whenever she needs your assistance, don’t even look at her in the eyes. Don’t forget your position, and don’t forget hers especially. You’re lucky she decided to spare your life in spite of everything you’ve done to her.”

“Y-yes.”

“Good.”

He leans back, leaving the room and catching up with you. You saw the whole thing unfold, but you couldn’t hear anything. When you look at him, he behaves as if none of that ever happened.

“What did you say to her?”

“Nothing of value. Now, come on, I have something to show  you.”

Jungkook walks before you and left in confusion, you follow him.

———

In the backyard, you get a better view of what Autumn is like in Freesia. The red and orange leaves are falling off the trees by the second, and the ground is covered with dead leaves. Each step you take, you hear the crunch of the leaves breaking into a million pieces.

The first thing you felt when you went outside of the cold air blowing against you. Despite the thick layers of clothes, it doesn’t protect you from the chilly weather mainly because you’re better suited for warmer climates. Jungkook notices how much you’re struggling with the decrease in temperature.

“Are you cold? You were like this on my birthday, too.”

You shake your head. “No! I’m fine. Now, what did you want to talk to me?”

“Well...please don’t make fun of me when I say this.”

“Say what?”

He pulls up his sweater to hide his flustered cheeks and hides his hands in his pockets. “I thought about what you said...about me overworking myself. Since I have time, I thought I would take this opportunity to relax.”

“That’s great! What do you plan on doing?”

Jungkook crouches down and picks up a single leaf. “Autumn is one of my favorite seasons because when I was a child, the only fond memory I did have was when I gathered the leaves into a pile and fell into it.”

“What…?”

The skeptical expression on your face makes him think that you find this activity to be childish. He turns away, now his entire face turning red as he stands up. He can’t even look you in the face.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to waste your time.”

“No, no, no. It’s not that I think what you did as a child is ridiculous, but I didn’t know that you can do that with leaves.”

“I can show you.”

He kneels down again, using his arms to scoop up as many leaves as he possibly can into one pile. You stand over him, observing intently with what he’s doing. He makes a pile large enough that it’s a little above your knees. Once he’s done, he stands next to you as if waiting for you to do something.

“Is...that it?”

“You’re supposed to jump in.”

“But wouldn’t it hurt?”

“It’s softer than you think.”

You won’t budge. Since you are convinced by what he said, he decides to jump in it. You jolt, about to stop him, then getting on your knees to help him up.

“Are you crazy?! Why would you do that?”

But as you pull him out of the pile, what you see is Jungkook laughing. He’s never laughed this much before, seeing as his eyes squint when he laughs a lot. This is the happiest you’ve ever witnessed Jungkook, and it’s almost weird in a way.

“Try it, it’s fun.”

There are pieces of dead leaves stuck in his hair. You have the urge to pick them out, but he looks so joyful that you don’t want to ruin it. You look around for leaves, gathering them and towering them into a large pile. Even though you make a tower that you believe will support you if you fell in it, you’re still doubtful, so you make an even taller pile. But as you keep piling on, the leaves on the top begin falling down.

“I think that’s enough.”

You stare at him suspiciously, not believing that you’ll land on it safely. Since he won’t say anything, you stand up. Now that you got that done, all that’s left is for you to jump. Right as you were about to fall into the leaves, you stop yourself. The thought of jumping into leaves to kill leisure time and being watched so keenly by Jungkook makes it feel...uncomfortable. You become conscious of what you’re doing, and now you almost don’t want to do this.

You’re really beginning to question what you’re doing here. You were just doing lessons with your strict maid, and now you’re here with Jungkook, about to jump into this pile. You thought about everything you’ve done to bring you to where you’re at, and it’s led to you to this moment.

As awkward as it is, Jungkook is anticipating it a lot, even if he isn’t saying anything. You squeeze your eyes shut, not necessarily jumping in per se, simply dropping your body onto it. Just as Jungkook says, it wasn’t as rough as you first thought. It wasn’t soft either, but the crunchy texture wasn’t tough enough to scratch you.

When you open your eyes, it felt like everything was in slow motion. The leaves were launched into the air after your impact, and you watch as the autumn colors flutter around you. You reach your hand out to grab them, but none of it falls into your hands. Within seconds, everything has fallen to the ground. You sit up, wanting to experience that short-lived fun again.

“Look at you, you have leaves all over your back.”

You remove your hair to the side, feeling your back with your hand to feel the small pieces latched onto your woolen clothes. You pick them off individually, and he scoffs. He helps sweep it off since picking them off is going to take an eternity.

Without telling you, you feel his hand run down your back, though a bit vigorous with his movements. It startles you, but you don’t retaliate with his help. It’s sweet that he’s helping you wipe it off. But touching your back is making you flustered. He never makes contact with you unless he tells you, so this is a bit strange.

“There’s some even in your hair.”

It isn’t easy to take them out with your hair tied into a braided bun. He has no other choice but to pick it out one by one.

“You did it, too, so don’t you have some on your back?”

“I do, but I can take it out later.”

“But what if the servants see? They’ll go ballistic if they found out that we were playing outside.”

“It’s fine. I can always take off my coat and shake it off. My hair isn’t as long as yours, so I can run my hand through it to comb it out. Goodness, you have so much in your hair. You might have to wash it out.”

It was fun while it lasted, but what isn’t great is having to clean up the mess that comes after. It takes a long time before he’s done. Your press your hair, noticing that you have strands sticking out from your formerly neat bun. It might be because he never had to worry about long hair, but he must’ve messed it up as he was trying to clean your hair.

When he’s off-guard, you sneak up behind him, scaring him when you start patting him on the back. “Wh-what are you doing?!”

“Helping you clean your back, too.”

Jungkook doesn’t look like he wants this to happen, but just like you, that he doesn’t want to ruin the mood, so he doesn’t say anything. As it was quiet between you two, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable, at least for you. You keep staring at his hair, noticing how thick his black hair is. His hair has grown quite a bit since the first meeting. Ignoring the dead leaves in his hair, it looks really soft, and you feel the urge to pet it.

Without thinking, you reach your hand out to touch his hair. He jolts, frightened by your touch, and you flinch your hand back.

“S-sorry!” Embarrassed, you slap his back really hard.

“Ouch!”

Because of your rash action, the pieces of leaves scatter in the air, some getting in your eyes. You move back, covering your eyes as you feel them poke your eyes and sinking deeper into your eyes.

“Ow…”

Jungkook looks back seeing you in distress. He scoots closer, moving your hands away from your eyes. Each time you try to open them, the pieces would move with your eyelid, pricking at your eyeball again.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

“I got something in my eyes.”

Your eyes get watery, and you get the urge to wipe them with your hands, but Jungkook is still holding them away from you.

“Let me see.”

He leans his face just inches away from you, opening your eyelid with his hand and searching for the dust that fell into your eye. Your heart nearly jumped out of your chest when you saw how close he was. You tense up, not sure about what to do.

Jungkook begins to blow gently in your eyes to see if he can get rid of it. Your eyes twitch, jerking your head back slightly. However, you remain still, letting him do what he wants. You try really hard not to look at him in the eyes, otherwise, you’ll get flustered again. This close proximity is making your heart beat rapidly.

Even though you told yourself not to look at him, your brain unconsciously directs your eyes to his mouth. Since he’s really close, you can only see his lips. They don’t look chapped whatsoever, and they’re healthily pink. You never noticed that he has a mole under his lower lip. Not only that, but there’s also a scar on his left cheek. There are so many small details about him that you didn’t see the first time, and it makes you wonder if he can notice the little things on your face.

Just thinking about that makes you feel somewhat insecure. Your cheeks turn red, being more conscious about his hand on your face, his thumb holding your eyelid open as he blows in your eye. This intense awkwardness is making you think that your chest is about to explode. You can’t take this anymore, it’s making you feel shy.

Without thinking, you push Jungkook off. He falls into the fallen leaves, the leaves scattering everywhere. You’re so embarrassed that you hide your red cheeks with the palms of your hands. But after that rush leaves, you crawl to Jungkook, hovering over him to check if he’s alright.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that!”

He sits up, rubbing the back of his head, presuming that he hit his head when you pushed him.

“Oh my god, are you okay?”

You lean closer, inspecting his head for any injuries. You sigh in relief to find that there’s nothing fatal.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have touched you without permission.”

“N-no, you didn’t do anything.”

Was the air always this uncomfortable when you spoke to him? You brush your hair behind your ears, your eyes locked to the ground.

You flinch when Jungkook reaches his hand out to brush your bangs as well. Just like when he put his hand on your face, it was very gentle. When you glance up at him, he gazes at you with such care that you’ve never seen before. It’s almost like this isn’t the same Jungkook you’ve always known. He’s sweeter, more playful, and a joy to be around.

Despite the contrast, the man in front of you is still the same. He has the same calm demeanor and looks the same. You can tell when he wants to share things with you, but he doesn’t want to come off as too excited. There’s still that childishness that he has inside of him, but he hides it with his mature side.

“You should go back inside and get your hair fixed.”

He moves away, pretending as if he never touched you. It leaves you surprisingly disappointed that your time with him is ending, despite begrudgingly enduring the uncomfortable atmosphere. Despite barely speaking, it was fun.

“I just wanted someone to talk to. Thank you,” he’s speaking to you, but he has his head turned away. Still, you notice that his ears are turning red. “Maybe during winter, I can show you how to make a snowman or a snow angel.”

You’ve never seen snow before. The closest you’ve ever gotten to snow was when your father described it for you when he saw it. To actually experience snow sounds thrilling.

“I look forward to it! And thank you for taking me out of lessons today.”

“That’s nothing. From now, I don’t think you need it. I’ll see you later.”

You wave goodbye, walking off. You wish you got to talk to him longer, but there’s nothing you can do about it. Your relationship with him has come a long way, and it’s nice seeing how much it blossomed. There’s no more of that lingering dread whenever you’re around him, just comfort, like he’s your friend.

When you turn the corner, you get startled when you find Taehyung just standing there, leaning on the wall. You put your hand over your heart to soothe it, exhaling.

“Oh god, Taehyung! You scared me.”

“You’ve gotten really close with him these days, haven’t you?”

“Huh…? Oh, yea. A lot has happened, so…”

But you let your sentence trail off when you notice that Taehyung doesn’t look happy. He normally treats you with a friendly smile, but he looks a little upset.

“You haven’t forgotten about our plan, have you?”

Mentioning the plan makes you feel bitter inside.

“No, I didn’t.” You look down with shame and shake your head.

“Then what have you been doing? You haven’t been doing your part of the deal.”

“I still am…! It’s just that it...it takes time.”

“I’ve been watching you, and it doesn’t seem like it’ll take that long. All I needed you to do is to find Jungkook’s weak-point. Is that so hard?” He asks with a passive-aggressive tone.

His belittling is irritating you slightly. It’s like he lost trust in you. You’re at fault for not playing your part of the plan, but he never explained why he needs to know Jungkook’s weak spot. How does learning his weakness is going to help you return home?

Home...Every time you thought about it, there was a hollow void that only despair was able to fill in. But now, bringing it up doesn’t hurt anymore. You still want to go home, but it doesn’t have to be immediately either. You want to experience your first snow with Jungkook, and you want to be there when the first day of Spring arrives.

There are things you want to do with Jungkook, and he’s shared so many deep secrets that you feel like a traitor if you left him without telling him. You did this because you thought Jungkook has nothing but malice in him, but there’s more to him than what meets the eye.

When you take a while to respond, that’s when it clicks in Taehyung’s head. “You’ve grown a liking to him, have you?”

Mild panic sets in when his question sinks in. Like him…? Your animosity toward him definitely died down, but not as a romantic interest. You’d like to think that the feeling’s neutral and you two no longer have that gap in between. You know lying won’t convince Taehyung anything, so you can’t beat around the bush.

“He’s not as bad as you think he is.”

He scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Are you forgetting who we’re talking about? This is the son of a tyrant, and you think that he’ll be different from his father and brothers?”

You know that, but Jungkook isn’t like them. He didn’t grow up with royalty, and he knows what it’s like to be the lowest of the low.

Taehyung sighs in frustration, pinching his sinuses. “Do you know what happens to the concubines after the king dies?”

You tilt your head, wondering why he brought that up. “Why?”

“If Jungkook dies, then you have no other choice but to die with him.”

The utmost dread sinks into your stomach, weighing you down so much that your knees feel weak. Just like his mother, the second you tie the knock with him, you’re destined to be by his side even after death. Why didn’t it hit you when you learned of his mother’s fate?

You step away from Taehyung slowly, covering your ears as you refuse to listen to him. Sweat starts pouring down your forehead. You just came to terms that this was going to be your life, you don’t want to question it again. Jungkook can’t possibly let you fall into the same fate as his mother. Does he care enough about you to even stop it?

The distraught in your eyes does not give Taehyung any remorse for what he said. The further you step away from him, the closer he gets.

“It has been an integral part of Fressia culture that it’s become normal. That’s why I’m trying to help you, so you can get out of it.”

You shake your head, not wanting to listen to any more of this.

“Then keep with the plan. Now that you know that, don’t let Jungkook get attached to you. Otherwise, when he dies, he’s going to want you to die with him. And don’t cling onto him either. It isn’t like he’ll change tradition.”

Taehyung walks off, leaving you to face the struggle on your own. It was so easy to agree with him and go against Jungkook’s back after what he’s done. But everything isn’t so black and white, just like Jungkook. He may appear cold-hearted, but he has trouble showing that tender side to him. Despite how much you’ve learned about him, there’s still that debate of what he’ll do if he finds out that you’re betraying him?

———

Despite your relationship turning for the better, what Taehyung told you that day haunts you. It’s like a malevolent spirit latched onto you, and each time you see Jungkook, the spirit whispers evil into your ears. Now when he sees you, he would try extremely hard to hide that smile on his face, always doing the same pattern of looking away, curling his lips in, and cheeks turning pink. He would try to answer you in a calm tone, even though it’s obvious that he’s happier when he sees you.

But you can’t say that you feel the same when you see him. It isn’t that you dislike him again, but just an array of complex emotions. You have a feeling that if you talk about this with Jungkook, he won’t be upset about it, but just thinking about asking him still makes you anxious.

In the halls, you just finished inspecting the dragon fruit plants for the day. There isn’t much to check anymore since the weather has gotten a lot colder, and it was already a struggle for the plants to grow during summer since it still was too cold. But with it being autumn, it isn’t shocking to see that the plants have already died. It’s saddening to see, but there is nothing that you can do to make it grow.

Walking behind you is your head maid, with her head hanging low. She’s been like this ever since Jungkook spoke to her privately, and whenever you asked if she was alright, she would barely respond. You’re grateful that your lessons are over, but without it, your day is practically free. You spend most of it just exploring the castle and looking for things to do.

When you turn the corner, your heart stops when you see Jungkook. You two make eye contact, a smile appears on his face for a quick second but disappears when he becomes conscious of the face that he’s making.

“Good afternoon, (Y/N).” He clears his throat.

“Hello…” You respond nervously.

From the corner of your eye, the head maid’s head still remains low, even stepping further away from you. She doesn’t bother looking up to greet him like she typically did. But it doesn’t seem like Jungkook particularly minds.

“What were you doing just now?”

“Oh, I was just finishing up the report.”

You hand him the clipboard, but he barely glances at it.

“Good, then does that mean you have finished work for the day?”

“I am.”

“Then would you like to accompany me to practice? You’ve improved a lot since we’ve last done so.”

“A-actually…” you look around for any excuse possible. “I...Uhm...There are some dresses that came in today, and I have to try them on….s-since...winter is coming soon, so I have to know what to dress to prepare for the cold.”

He looks disappointed that you can’t come with him, even slumping his shoulders to hear your decline. But he tries to make it seem like it didn’t affect him whatsoever.

“Ah...I see. That’s fine.”

You quickly pass by him, making him a little more offended that you’re trying to avoid him.

“(Y/N)...?”

You stop, turning around and smiling. “Yes?”

“Are...you okay? You haven’t been yourself lately, and we haven’t been talking much.”

He notices your bottom lip shaking, but you bite it, blinking profusely as if you want to tell him but is afraid of what he’ll say. You nod, pulling the fakest but most convincing smile possible.

“I’m fine! Be safe while you practice.”

You speed off. He almost called for you again, but seeing how fast you wanted to leave, he didn’t want to bother you.

———

After asking your head maid for some privacy, you lock the door to the dressing room behind you. In the center of the room, you get into a fetal position, pulling your hair as you whine to yourself. You’re irritated by how obvious you made it that you didn’t want to talk to him. Jungkook knows you better than that—he knows you prefer confronting than hiding.

You slap yourself on the cheek, telling yourself that you can’t keep hiding and talk to him like how you used to. You can’t let what Taehyung said bother you any longer. If you want to see your father again, then you aren’t going to do it by running the opposite direction.

You stand up, accepting your declaration. You have to see him again and clear this muddy distance you’ve created. With this newfound drive, you open the door only to be frightened by Jungkook standing inches away from it. You jump, letting a little scream out as you nearly bumped into him.

“Sorry, did I scare you?”

“N-no, you didn’t. I thought you were at sword practice. What are you doing here?”

His cheeks turn slightly red. Now that he’s here, he doesn’t know what to say. It wasn’t bad thinking about it, but now that he’s here, it’s a little embarrassing to say it aloud.

“Oh...I...I just...thought…” He takes in a deep breath to calm down. “I wanted to ask again...if you wanted to have sword practice with me.”

His eyes are shaking, afraid that you’ll turn him down again. You feel so awful avoiding him like this, and it doesn’t hurt to say yes especially since you have nothing to do.

“But wouldn’t I get in the way of your practice?”

“No, never. You look like you need a break from all the feminine activities. And...it’s a bit...more fun with you there.” His voice gets quieter after he admits the thing he was so embarrassed to say.

You can’t say no to him anymore. Just seeing how much he had to fight himself to say that, you don’t want to turn him down anymore. You told yourself that you weren’t going to avoid him anymore, so you have to suck it up and say yes.

“Oka—”

“Your Majesty.”

“What?!” With the peak of his day ruined, Jungkook responds with an upset tone.

“I-I’m sorry, but this is urgent.”

He looks at you, not wanting to leave but has to. Based on this man’s tone, it doesn’t seem like it’s any ordinary news. He tells you goodbye before walking off, his serious tone switched back on and having to return to work. Now you’re the one who’s disappointed.

———

And that disappointment lingers longer than you would’ve expected. Since that day, Jungkook has returned to his previous self where he focused solely on work. He’s so busy that he doesn’t have time to greet you anymore, spending most of it in his office or walking around the castle. He hasn’t told you what happened, neither did anyone else, so it’s beginning to make you worried.

Seeing how busy he is, it’s making you feel even more awful that you were avoiding him because of some idiotic thing somebody else said. You want to ask him if everything’s okay, but you rarely see him nowadays that you aren’t even given the chance to ask him that.

At night, you’re in the room alone in your nightgown. In your hand, you’re holding a picture of Jungkook and his mother. You still haven’t returned the picture yet. You actually forgot about it until you recently found it in your dressing room. Every time you stare at it, you can’t help but wonder what his mother was thinking at the time. Did she know that she was destined to die with her husband? You wish you actually met her so that you can learn how she went through all this without going insane.

You hear the door unlocking, so you quickly hide the photograph inside the drawer, putting it back where it belongs. On the other side of the door is Jungkook, and seeing him made you calm down. Your heart nearly jumped out when the door suddenly opened.

“Did you finish work?” The way you asked that felt somewhat unnatural. It’s been a while since you last spoke to him.

He barely nods his head as he drags his feet across the floor. He looks like a walking zombie with eyebags underneath and his face so gloomy as if he’s filled with nothing but depression. 

He drops his body on the bed, his face buried in the blanket. You don’t know what to say, until he rolls around to pull the blanket and wrap himself in it. He scoots closer to you, resting his head on your lap and wrapping his arms around your waist.

Alerted by this, you blush. “Wh-what are you doing??”

“It’s been a long time since I got to be with you. Just give me this chance, I promise I won’t do anything.”

You can’t argue against him since he looks so tired. He always shows his tough side so that nobody can ever think of him as weak, but it’s like he’s given up on that. You feel bad for him—just turning nineteen and having to hold the entire world on his own.

“Aren’t you cold? You’ve been shivering lately.”

“I’m getting used to it.”

“Okay. I want you to be as warm as possible. I don’t want you to get sick.”

“You need to take care of your health, too! Don’t overwork yourself until you faint.”

He doesn’t say anything immediately. “...Can you say that again?”

You raise an eyebrow, thinking that he probably didn’t hear you. “Take care of yourself and don’t overwork your body.”

He lets out an exasperated breath, a small smile appearing on his face. But he feels so bashful that he buries his face in your stomach.

“H-hey! You’re holding me so tight that I can’t breathe.”

“Then don’t act like you’re worried about me.” He teases as his ears turn red.

Is he really not that used to people genuinely asking if he’s okay? He’s like a child who’s hungry for compliments but gets shy afterward. He pats his hand around the bed, looking for something. You don’t know what he’s trying to get until his hand touches the tips of your fingers, grasping your small hand with his large, cold hand, then dragging it over to his head.

He lets go of your hand, and you didn’t know what to do at first. That’s when you realize that he wants you to comb his hair with your hand, but he’s just too shy to say it aloud. He truly is a child, too scared yet brave.

“Your hand’s cold, but your face is hot. Are you getting sick?”

“I’m not sick. A lot of blood is rushing through my head.”

“Should I get the doctor?”

“No, it’ll go away, I hope. Besides, it’s your fault.”

“Me?! How?” You ask, slightly annoyed.

“Never mind. I’m tired, so I’m going to sleep.”

You find it a little endearing seeing how clingy Jungkook is. You would have never expected it, but there are times when he’s a bit childish, but in a sort of way where it’s lovable. As much as you enjoy this, there’s something off about him for the past few days. It must be about the urgent news that he got.

You brush his hair behind his ear. “How are you feeling? You look very exhausted.”

“...Yea, I’m exhausted. There’s been something strange going on in the castle.”

“What is it?”

He turns his head to look up at you. “We  think there’s a spy among us.”

A spy? You haven’t noticed a thing, so how were they able to suspect one?

“We don’t know where or how this spy was able to breach through the castle, and we don’t even know what this person looks like. All we know is that they’ve been leaking information out to third parties to bring me down, like when the pirates invaded our land months ago.”

“Is there any way I can help?”

He smiles at how innocent and naive you are about this situation. He reaches out to caress your cheek, feeling your soft skin that he hasn’t touched in a long time.

“Just stay safe.”

In fact, Jungkook even remembers if he’s ever treated you this gently before. There’s some resentment in himself, taking for granted the time he’s spent with you.

“I hate myself.”

You chuckle. “So suddenly?”

“I wasted my time in the beginning treating you terribly. If only I can savor those moments again, but I know I can’t. The best I can do is cherish the moments I have with you right now.”

There’s a burning sensation in your chest like there are explosions going on in your chest. He sends confusing messages to you—does he like you, or are you still a means of making money? You can’t keep this struggle in your head anymore because it’s making you go insane.

“Hey...what are we?”

He looks a little surprised by your question. You never acted like you cared about the marriage, but it wasn’t as if he saw his relationship with you as a full-pledge marriage either. What he does know is that he likes being around you.

His hesitation is scaring you. He isn’t looking at you in the eyes, and it’s not because he doesn’t love you. It’s because of all the hardships that he went through and the lack of care that he’s been receiving that he never imagined to have another person other than his mother in his mind. His mother has always been his priority—to make sure that she lives a leisurely life for everything she’s done for him. He thought his life was nothing worth more.

“I’m sorry.”

His answer only makes you more anxious.

“...You must be going through a lot and feeling complicated. If it relieves you of those troubles, how would you like to go visit your homeland?”

You wouldn't believe what you heard. You never thought that in a million years, he would give you the opportunity to go home. You almost cried, finally being able to lie under the sun and be around the people you love. And you can finally visit your mother’s grave.

But...you feel a little bitter about leaving. As much as you want to go home, you don’t want to leave Jungkook either. You can see it in his eyes that he doesn’t want you to go, but he tries to hide it, albeit, he does a poor job at that though.

That’s when an idea pops up in your head. “How about...after all this is over, let’s have a brief trip to my homeland? I can show you some of my favorite places and maybe even introduce you to my mom.”

There’s a sigh of relief, glad that there’s a mutual feeling in terms of separating, but still, he doesn’t seem satisfied. “I would love that. I would also like to talk to your father. I’d like to discuss something with him.”

Although you don’t know what he’d like to talk to him about, you can only assume that he wants to make up for what he’s done and taking you away. He and your father did not end on a good note, so it’s understandable that he wants to repair that broken relationship.

“Okay! It’s a deal. I have a lot to show you.”

He lets out a laugh. “I look forward to it.”

He closes his eyes, falling into a deep sleep within seconds. He sleeps soundly, being unable to sleep for the past few days because of the spy problem. He must be more stressed than she thinks, but he doesn’t want to show it. He doesn’t want to worry you, which is caring of him to do, but it also doesn’t do much since it still makes you concerned when he bottles things up. But you yourself feel like a hypocrite. You want him to be more honest about his emotions, but there are struggles of your own that you refuse to talk about with him.

You don’t want to do that to him anymore. He’s changed for the better, but it still feels like you haven’t changed at all. The only thing that has changed is how dishonest you are with people. You clutch onto the pearl necklace, thinking this really has to end. There’s no point in continuing Taehyung’s plan if Jungkook is willing to let you see your home again.

———

WINTER

“(Y/N), wake up.” Jungkook whispers in your ear while shaking your shoulder gently.

“Hmm…?”

“Wake up, it’s snowing.”

You stretch your arms, not really thinking about what he just said to you. You open one eye, sitting up slowly to find Jungkook sitting next to you on the bed. There’s a big grin on his face, like a child impatiently waiting to show something to their parents.

“What’s happening?”

“Come look, it’s snowing.”

He takes you by the hand and drags you to the window. You didn’t think too much about it—you just let him do it. He wipes the fog out of the way to show you what he’s talking about. It takes a few seconds for you to process how white the outdoors are. That’s when the childish excitement hits you.

“Whoa!” You press your hands on the window only to jerk it back after feeling how cold it was.

This is your first time seeing snow, and you’d never thought that one color could be so gorgeous. Despite no sun, the whiteness reflects the light and makes every dark color disappear. Jungkook looks down, glad to see that you like the snow.

“How is it?”

“It’s so...pretty, but…” you hug yourself. “It’s so cold.”

“That’s right...make sure you keep yourself warm.”

“Since it’s snowing...what about the plants?”

By now they’re all probably dead.

“Don’t worry about them, we can clean it up. I have to go to my office, I’ll see you later.”

Even though it’s just the morning, he already has to work. As he heads to the bathroom to clean his face, you call out after him.

“Wait, if I don’t have lessons and don’t have to take care of the plants anymore, what should I be doing?”

He turns to you, shrugging his shoulders. “Whatever you want.”

Jungkook walks out the door, leaving you alone. The longer you’re here, the more freedom you have, and it’s strange. You no longer feel captive here, and it almost feels like this place can be your home. The more you think about him, the more flustered you become.

You press your cheek on the cold glass window to cool down your burning face, cursing Jungkook for being so kind to you.

But as you did so, you sneeze.

———

Despite the beauty of the snow, the freezing temperature is unbearable. You’re finding yourself wearing more layers than ever before, wearing up to five layers, scarves, and mittens. Now with no tutoring and having the responsibility of taking care of the garden, you spend most of your time near the fireplace. Your hand has become so stiff because of the cold that it hurts to even move.

But the times you do warm your body enough, then there’s one thing that you have to do, and it’s to find Taehyung. The more you think about him, the less you actually know about him. You don’t know where he hides, only presenting himself whenever he wants to. He never talks to you whenever people are around, and you never have seen him talk to anybody else. You started experiencing discomfort when he started questioning you. You don’t want to keep this from Jungkook anymore, so you want to end it. But, you don’t know where to find him.

“Your Highness, you shouldn’t stay too close to the fire. Your clothes can get burned.” A maid kneels next to you.

“Just a little longer…” You sneeze.

Even though you stand really close to the chimney, you’re shaking uncontrollably. You would have never thought that it was possible for temperatures to drop this low. It’s only been a few days since winter began, and you can’t stand it. Your nose is congested, and you’ve been sneezing and coughing often.

“We can get you warmed up if you let us give you more layers, Your Highness, so please…”

“I don’t think layers will work,” you rub your nose with your finger. “I don’t feel well…”

“But standing by the fire won’t make you feel better...If you’re feeling ill, then let us give you some medicine.”

“I’m okay...I think some sleep will help me.”

“Alright, I’ll provide you with some medicine immediately. Please stay still while I fetch you some.”

The maid runs off and leaves you alone. You start coughing, sniffing again as you look out the window and seeing snowflakes swaying downwards. It looks so pretty that it’s disappointing that you’ve too unwell to go outside. Your body has been made to function in the heat, not the freezing weather.

You yawn, trying your hardest to keep your eyes open but failing to do so. You lay on your side, the warmth from the flames blanketing you, even though your back is being hugged by the cold air. Just for five seconds, you thought to yourself before closing your eyes.

———

“(Y/N).” Taehyung’s deep, soothing voice wakes you up.

You open your eyes, not recalling when you fell asleep. He’s on his knees, looking down at you with hollow eyes. Because you’re half asleep, you don’t bother asking why he’s here or what he’s doing. After all, Taehyung can come and go whenever he wishes.

“Taehyung…?”

“Sh...I need you to be quiet.”

“...What’s going on? Why are you here?”

“I need you not to say a word.”

You raise your head, using your elbow to stand you up. “What?”

Your first thought is to tell him that you don’t want to do anything with the plan anymore, but you’re so tired that your mouth won’t move for you.

“I promise you it won’t hurt, so stay still.”

He puts a cloth over your mouth. You fight with him temporarily, attempting to push him away, before you breathe in the chemicals, garnering you unconscious. Your eyes become heavy again, closing your eyes. Had you still have your strength, then you would’ve been able to fight him longer. Unfortunately, you succumb to the toxic small, falling asleep once again.

———

Jungkook sighs in a frustrated tone, massaging his head. He leans back in his chair, releasing him of his stress for now. With so much paperwork still left to do as well as devising battle strategies with his brothers, it seems like his days will never end. Not only that, but he still needs to continue with the investigation of the supposed spy hiding somewhere. The experts of dragon fruits from his island aren’t doing successfully either, especially since the shipments have been slow due to the blizzards.

He hasn’t spoken to you in days, and he still hasn’t gotten the chance to show you the snow. He’s been holed up in his office, figuring out ways for his agenda, so he hasn’t slept in his bed in ages. It felt like forever since he slept next to you in bed, even though it was a few days ago. Even though his bed is as comfortable as it can be, sleeping beside you felt like heaven. He would like to know what you’re doing now.

But on the other side of the room, he could hear a ruckus going on. It may be because of his stress, but the noise happening on the opposite end is beginning to annoy him. He grunts, getting up from his seat and opens the door to see what’s going on. Standing by the door is his main butler.

“What’s going on?”

“Your Majestic, do not worry about it. There’s just a minor issue going on that’ll be solved in no time.”

But the vagueness with his statement only makes him more suspicious. He crosses his arms, raising an eyebrow.

“And what is that ‘problem’ that’ll be solved? Why is it that you can’t tell me?”

Sweat falls from his forehead, trying to think of ways to tell him so that he doesn’t become frantic. “Well...you see...Her Highness...is missing.”

“What?!”

Just as predicted, Jungkook is shocked to hear the news.

“What do you mean she’s missing? How do you lose a human being?!”

“P-please, settle down, Your Majesty…”

“How do I settle down knowing that she’s gone??”

“We’ll figure everything out. For now, you should finish our duties for the day. Your brothers have been insisting that you submit a new—”

“I don’t give a shit about what they want right now. Tell me where she was last seen.”

“The maids claimed that they went to fetch her some medicine since she was showing signs of a fever, but when they got back, she was gone. They thought it was her wandering about the castle as per usual, but there isn’t a single trace of where she had gone off.”

Jungkook hadn’t an ounce of clue that she was sick. He had been so busy with his work that he didn’t have time to pay attention to her.

“I’m going to help.”

“But, Your Majesty, you shouldn’t worry about something as small as this! I’m sure she’s just playing around in the castle somewhere—”

He grabs the butler by the shirt, pulling him close. He has never seen such pure rage in Jungkook’s eyes, bloodlust that could kill someone at any moment.

“This woman who you’re claiming is ‘playing around’ is my wife and the queen of this land. If she is sick like you say she is, then why on earth did you assume that she’s fooling around?”

Never has anyone heard Jungkook declare you as his married partner, but it was at this time that he has finally accepted his feelings—how he sees you in his eyes. It took your disappearance for him to come to terms with his emotions, and now he cannot hold them back anymore.

He pushes the butler away, marching off in search of you. “If no one is going to do it, then I will.”

———

He barges into the bedroom, hoping that you would be here. “(Y/N)??!”

But no response.

He looks in the private bathroom then in the closet, calling your name numerous times to no avail. How could he have ignored you these past few days? He feels like a fool; he should’ve known that you couldn’t adapt to the change of weather, fearing that you have become more vulnerable to the flu.

After searching the whole room, turning everything upside down, he sits on the bed, sighing heavily while messing with his hair out of frustration. There were times when he thought about letting you go back to your island without him, but knowing that you’re not here, it’s already enough for him to go crazy.

He lowers his head, but then he hears something tapping gently on the nightstand. He looks up to find your black pearl necklace hanging on the knob, swaying against the cold gale. Seeing the necklace by itself is already unusual, but peeking out from the crack of the drawer is a piece of paper.

He opens it, discovering a written letter, and it reads:

“Come to the bottom of the mountain during nightfall. Do not alert anyone of this and come alone.”

With the necklace missing its owner and the mysterious letter, he knew that you’ve been kidnapped. He crumbles up the letter, tossing it aside and running out the door. He doesn’t know what’ll happen to you, but only time can tell.

———

You flutter your eyelashes, waking up from a deep slumber in an unknown area. Whatever you’re in, it’s a rocky place, moving up and down and the clacking of horse steps. Your eyes adjust to the darkness, and you’re in a wooden carriage. You sit up, hearing two male voices talking on the other side of the carriage.

“That fucking bastard better pay us well.”

“Why? Are you paranoid?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? We have the queen in our hands, and knowing how scary the king and that damn brat are, we’re risking our lives here.”

“Don’t worry, he was able to get her out without anybody noticing. I’m sure it’ll stall some time before we give her away.”

Whoever these people are, you don’t trust them one bit. You try moving your arms, but they’re tied behind your back. It doesn’t take long for you to learn that you’re in danger. But since you’re alone, it makes everything more terrifying. You try looking around for anything that’ll spark an idea, but nothing pops up. Even though you can see enough to where you know you’re in a carriage, you can’t distinguish the minute details.

You begin coughing, having completely forgotten that you’re sick. You try to silence it by covering your mouth, but you fail to do so since keeping it in your throat irritates it. You cough repeatedly, coughing so much that you’re dry heaving. This alerts the two men at the front, slowing the carriage down.

“Hey! Are you awake?”

But you don’t reply.

“Hey, answer us.”

“I can’t...breathe.” You respond in a raspy voice.

The two men look at each other.

“God fucking damn it. He didn’t tell us that she’s sick.”

“Well, we can’t have her die,” he stops the carriage and points to the back. “Go check on her.”

He groans, grabbing the lantern and jumping off the carriage. He walks to the back, unlocking the door with a key and opening it.

“What the hell are you going on about—”

Suddenly, you show yourself to him, but you do so by kicking him in the face. He falls backward, dropping the lantern. You debate on whether or not you should bring the lantern with you, but since there’s another man, you don’t want to run the risk of making yourself visible when he’ll chase after you.

But hiding behind the cloak and clipped onto his belt is a dagger. You turn around, bending backward to reach over and grab it before the second man catches notice.

“What’s going on?!”

You’re able to get it in time, then you flee into the wilderness in the complete darkness. He gets off the carriage and sees the man with a bloody nose.

“Fuck!”

He takes out his pistol and aims it at you. He squints his eyes, steadying his pistol to shoot, but it’s too dark for him to make an accurate shot. Instead, he takes the chance and pulls the trigger, not sure if he managed to hit you.

He puts his hands to his hips, cursing again, knowing full well what’s about to befall on him and his partner. He takes a few seconds to think about what to do, then he chases after you.

———

Riding on a horse is Jungkook, holding up a lantern and using his other hand to hold onto the rope. They glide through the snow, looking around in hopes that you will appear. He shouts your name, praying that you’ll answer him. However, each time he calls for your name, nothing would respond.

“(Y/N)! Where are you?!”

He knew that the spy who broke into the castle took you, but he should’ve had more security around you. He didn’t think that the spy would make a move on you, and this frustrates him. There were so many things he could’ve done to avoid this, but he did none of it and now he has to pay for it.

His nihilistic side is telling him that you’re already dead, but he keeps shaking that thought out of his head. He can’t lose hope now—there’s still a chance that you’re out there. Each time the worst possible imagination creeps into his brain, he pushes it away, convincing himself not to give up yet. He thinks about all those times when you spent time with him despite the things he’s done to you. Even if it was a facade, he enjoyed every single second of it. You gave him something that no one has ever given him, and it’s being treated not as a king, but as a human who shares the same emotions, struggles, and happiness.

However, he stops in his tracks when he sees a man with a lantern in the middle of the road. Jungkook was going too fast that he nearly ran into him. He gets off of his horse, about to ask him if he’s seen you, but he takes out his gun, pointing it right at his face.

“Good evening, Your Majesty. What are you doing here so late at night?”

Jungkook freezes, immediately knowing that this is the man who took you. He is about to reach for his sword, but the man moves the gun closer.

“Don’t move, otherwise I’ll blast your face into a million pieces.”

He raises his hands up.

“I can’t believe you actually chased after her on your own. I would’ve expected better from a king,” he draws in closer, not putting the gun down. “That was a rather clumsy move of you to do. Risking your life for a lowlife like her.”

“Don’t call her that.”

“I can call her whatever I want! I’m going to kill you anyway. Did you really think that everyone agrees with you marrying a savage from some tropical island?? You could’ve just pillaged their entire island and take everything for your own. I don’t understand why you had to marry her.”

Jungkook doesn’t reply to him. He knows that this man is trying to get to his weak side, but he won’t let him.

“I can just kill you right here and now. No one will know. I can actually get away with killing you.”

Since there’s no other way out, Jungkook gets ready to draw his sword out.

But just as Jungkook was preparing to fight, someone ambushes the man from the bushes and tackles him down. They’re both caught by surprise, the person and the man rolling down the hill. Jungkook chases after them, sliding down with them. When he sees who the person is, he’s shocked to discover that it’s you.

You manage to stab him in the abdomen with the dagger that you took from his partner. The wound isn’t fatal since you didn’t put all of your strength into it, but you did manage to push him against a rock, causing him to fall unconscious.

You curl into a ball, freezing to death as you cough profusely. He rushes to you, turning you over and notices that your shoulder is bleeding from a gun injury, having barely missed the shot but still brazing you on the shoulder.

“(Y/N)?! Hey, (Y/N)!”

You used up the last of your strength, so you’re finding it difficult to answer him back. You’re shivering so much, so cold that you can’t feel your fingers. He holds onto your hands to keep them warm, his mind going all sorts of directions. The first thing he needs to take care of is making sure that you get back to the castle safely.

He carries you up the hill, trekking through the deep snow with you in his arms. But at the base of the hill, the man groans, barely conscious due to his head injury. Jungkook looks down, seeing him moving his arm slightly. As much as he wants to leave him down there, he knows that it isn’t ethically right.

Once he makes it to the top, Jungkook lays you down on the ground and he runs back down to get the man.

———

You wake up, gasping for air. You’re sitting in front of a horse, but other than that, you’re not sure where you’re at. You keep going in and out of consciousness that you don’t know what’s a dream and what’s real. You feel so weak that you can’t sit up straight, but what’s keeping you from falling is an arm wrapped around your stomach.

“Huh…? Where am I…?”

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe now.”

You look up, unable to believe that it’s Jungkook. Earlier when you saw the man try to kill him, you don’t know what you were thinking and it was your gut instinct to save him.

“...Are you hurt?”

He chuckles. “Why are you asking me that? I should be asking you that.”

You lean back on his chest, falling back asleep again. It’s so cold that you can’t move your fingers.

“I’m okay...just...cold.”

Jungkook scoots you closer to him without a centimeter of air in between your back and his chest. He stretches his coat out and makes sure that it covers you entirely.

“Feel better?”

“A little bit.”

You look behind him when you hear something dragging against the floor. Jungkook attached some ropes on a man-made sleigh he made out of bark and on it is the person who tried to kill him earlier. You don’t know why he’s bringing him even though he tried to murder him, but you’re too tired to think about it further.

With his arm wrapped around your stomach, you hold onto his forearm with your hands. “Why did you go so far to save me?”

“Why? Well…”

“You didn’t have to risk your life like that just for me.”

“What makes you think that? My life is not worth more than yours.”

“Because...you wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of traveling down here and getting me. I know how busy you are.”

“...Don’t talk and rest. You’re burning up.”

But you don’t feel like falling asleep yet. There’s still something you’ve been meaning to talk to him about, and with your half-awake consciousness, there is no such thing as boundaries.

“Am I going to die if you die, just like your mom?”

His eyes widen, taken aback by what you asked. When he looks at your face, you’ve fallen asleep, which is a blessing because he wouldn’t know how to respond to you. He knew that you’ve been behaving oddly lately, but he wasn’t expecting that to be what has been bothering you. Rather than feeling confused, he feels awful for making you question this.

Jungkook can’t continue this any longer. He can’t see you this upset anymore.

———

“She has a fever and is coughing fit, but other than that, she’s fine. The cut on her shoulder will heal in no time.” The doctor steps away from you.

You’ve been bedridden with three layers of blankets over you. The doctor has treated your wounds and the medicine you needed. Standing beside him is Jungkook, his arms crossed and biting his fingernails.

“As long as she stays in bed, then she’ll get better within a few days. Her body hasn’t adjusted to the winter, so it’s preferable that she stays as warm as possible until she gets used to the temperature.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

The doctor walks out of the room to give Jungkook some alone time with you. He holds onto your hand, listening to you breathe steadily. Although your physical health will improve, it feels like with each passing day, your mental health deteriorates. You weren’t afraid to express yourself, standing up when you needed to, but now, you’ve become reclusive, keeping to yourself.

He shouldn’t have isolated you in the beginning, especially when you were in a foreign land by yourself. You had to endure things on your own, and yet, you were the one who approached him and was there when he needed it the most. On an island that he grew up in, it was you, an outsider, who knew him better than anybody else. The only time when you expressed how troubled your mentality was when you broke down into tears after eating dragon fruit. He turned a blind eye to your homesickness, and now you’re paying the consequences of his actions.

He kneels down, pressing your knuckles on his forehead. Never in his life has he ever felt this selfish before. He knew you wanted to go back, but the more he became attached to you, the more he didn’t want to admit that you didn’t want him as much as he wanted you. While his world has become nothing but you, you’re gazing in the opposite direction, desiring the comfort of your home.

He laughs at himself. “I really am like my father…”

Jungkook kisses the back of your hand, finally coming to terms with what you want in contrast to him. “I’ll fix things now so it won't have to be like this anymore.”

But first, there’s something that he needs to take care of first. He lets go of your hand, walking out of the room to do some unfinished business. He takes out your pearl necklace and puts it around your neck where it belongs.

———

On the lowest floor of the castle, the man Jungkook saved is stuck in a room infested with rodents. The walls leak with sewage water, and he’s stuck on a chair, tied to tight that he’s losing blood circulation in his wrists. He’s covered in blood and sweat, his breathing heavy.

The door creaks open, and Jungkook walks in. Despite his face remaining stoic, there’s raw anger buried underneath the irises. The man’s fear heightens, terrified of what Jungkook will do. Jungkook takes each step closer to him slowly. Once he’s in front of the man, he presses his hand on his shoulder, and the man flinches. He unties the cloth around his mouth, letting him inhale fresh air.

“It won’t be excruciating as long as you answer me. I’m still pissed off, so I have very little patience in me so if you try to lie to me or avoid my questions, I won’t go easy on you. Now, tell me, who hired you to kidnap (Y/N)?”

———

Winter was like a blur, coming in and leaving very quickly. By the time you know it, it’s already the last day before spring. The snow has melted, green grass springing up again, revealing itself after a harrowing winter. Leaves are sprouting on trees again, meaning that it’s almost the season of color. It’s almost been a year since you arrived here, but it still feels like it was yesterday when you first set foot here.

Your health has improved significantly, but you haven’t left the castle. You still can’t remember if that evening when Taehyung took you away from a dream or real, but it has to be since you vividly remember walking around in the snow and Jungkook rescuing you. You find it hard to believe that Taehyung actually did that to you, and you’re more than furious that he went behind your back and cost nearly your life and Jungkook’s. As much as you want to talk to Taehyung, you don’t know where he is.

Even though everything has returned to normal, it feels a bit too unusual at how quick it was to revert to the typical lifestyle. Jungkook doesn’t bring up what happened that night, and whenever you try to, he avoids the question altogether.

In the bedroom, you’re folding the blankets when Jungkook enters.

“Oh, good afternoon, Jungkook.”

“You don’t have to fold the blanket. Have one of the maids do it.”

“I know, but I like doing it on my own. Was there something you needed?”

“I do, actually. There’s something I need to ask of you.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Do you know about the Spring Festival?”

You clap your hands together, knowing this folklore better than a native of this land. “Is it about the God of Spring looking for his lost love, Freesia?! I love that tale!”

“You do?”

“My mom always told me that story before bedtime. It was one of the reasons why I wanted to come here.”

“Right...you never saw the festival, have you?”

You shake your head. You came around mid-Spring, so you missed the opportunity to celebrate it with everyone in town.

“Well, the townsfolk are going to pick freesias and place it in the river by midnight. Since you’ve never done it before, would you like to participate in it?”

“Are you kidding me? Of course!”

“Okay. I finish work later tonight. Once I’m done, let’s sneak out of the castle and head to town.”

Just as Jungkook is about to leave the room, it struck you when Jungkook said ‘sneak’. “Wait, sneak? Are we even allowed to leave the castle?”

He simply puts his index finger to his lips, telling you to keep it a secret. He closes the door behind him, leaving you both nervous and excited. You haven’t been to town since the first day, so it’s nice to finally leave the castle and venture into the streets. You look forward to the festival since it’s been something you wanted to be in since you were a child.

———

The evening rolls along, and it’s almost time for the spring festival. Since the pair aren’t allowed to leave the castle, they wear a disguise with cloaks to hide their identity. They stealthily pass through servants, snickering like children who are skipping class for the first time. They’re able to sneak out of the castle undetected, stealing a horse in the process and heading down to town.

In town, Jungkook ties the horse’s rope on a fence. Starstruck by the number of flowers decorating the city, you’re left in awe. Freesias are hanging on the walls of buildings, and tied to the roofs of the narrow buildings are strings that hold paper lanterns with lit candles inside. Unlike the dead silent castle, the town is surrounded by live music with townspeople dancing at the town square. By the sidewalks are stalls selling various items.

You can’t wait any longer. You run into the fun gathering with Jungkook from behind running after you.

“Wait!”

You head to the closest stand that is selling different fruits. Some of them you’ve never seen before, and one that stands out is a lone dragon fruit isolated from the rest of the fruits. There’s a sign in front of it, selling it for a high price.

“Where did you get that?” You ask.

“Ah, I see that this exotic fruit has caught your attention. You see, this is a recently discovered fruit from the tropical island known as Pitaya Island. The king himself traveled long and far in search of it. And while some of it has died due to the cold weather, this one managed to survive. Since you seem like a nice girl, how about I sell it for ten percent off?”

You look at the price, baffled by how much he’s selling it for. Even if the discount is put in, it’s still expensive. You have so many in your homeland and there are bags of seeds in the garden storage, so there’s no reason for you to buy it.

“No thanks.”

“Please, I insist! You’re not gonna find it anywhere. It’s the last of its kind. Here, I’ll let you in on a little secret,” the seller looks around as if this is top secret that only you can hear. “There’s a myth that in rare cases, some dragon fruits actually real-life dragon eggs. I can guarantee you that this is one of them. It’s a little pricey, but it’ll be worth your money.”

You scoff, knowing full well that myth isn’t real. Also, you know that dragon fruits can grow exponentially bigger than what he’s showing you. It must’ve shrunk because it’s past its ripe phase is losing liquid inside.

“I’m okay.”

“Ma’am, I’m telling you—”

“If she doesn’t want it, then don’t force her to buy it,” Jungkook pulls you away, dragging you away from a scammer. “You have to be careful. Some of these people will do anything just to get you to buy something. And for a high price at that too.”

“Really? Why would he do that?”

“To make ends meet, I guess. Trust me, I used to do that, too.”

You can’t imagine Jungkook as a scammer, especially at a young age. He takes you around at the other stalls, the other sellers trying to convince you and him to buy from them. What they sell intrigues you, such as wall clocks, fabric, and accessories. There are things that you’ve never seen before, like a statue of a monkey, for example, that the seller claims to be a rare artifact that belonged to the god of war, whatever that means.

In one stall, it looks particularly crowded, so it grabs your interest. You take Jungkook by the wrist, dragging him to the busy stall to see what the commotion is. While pushing through the crowd, you see that the woman behind the table is selling steamed potatoes.

“Hello, young lady! Would you like to have some?” She looks at you.

“Uhm…”

“They’re freshly roasted potatoes with one of the finest goat cheese drizzled on top. You only get to have this once a year, so try it now before it’s too late.”

Watching other people eating it does make you want to try it as well. You look at Jungkook, and he already knows that you want some. Unable to say no to your puppy eyes, he gives in.

“One please.”

Jungkook takes out a few bills and gives it to the woman. She heads to the back and gives you and Jungkook one steaming hot potatoes wrapped in paper.

“Thank you very much!”

You two walk away from the standing, taking a bite out of the potato. Your eyes light up, the melted cheese filling your mouth with a flavor you’ve never had before. It isn’t sweet, but it isn’t too savory either, like perfectly in the middle. The starchiness of the potato isn’t overwhelming either, letting the cheesiness take lead and the potato to tie it together.

“Do you like it?”

You nod your head excitedly, taking a second bite. After the second bite, you stuff it into your mouth.

“Slow down or else you’ll choke. See? You have it all over your mouth now.”

He uses his thumb to wipe off the cheese from your lips. You blush when his face is inches away from you. Feeling shy, you look away, not yet used to being intimate with him.

“Thank you…”

With half of the potato left in your hand, Jungkook has yet to try some. You put the potato in between your face and his to get him to move back.

“Do you want some? You haven’t had dinner.”

“No thanks. I’ve had it enough to where I know what it tastes like.”

“You have?”

He nods. “When my mother and I used to live here, she would save enough so I can have one every year.”

“But you haven’t had it recently, have you?”

“Not since I was a child, no.”

You push it closer to his face. “Then have some. I’m sure it’ll taste different or remind you of your childhood.”

With your persistence, he can’t decline it again, so he takes a bite. Sure enough, it tastes just like when you had it long ago. They didn’t change the recipe even in the slightest, but there isn’t much to change when it’s mere cheese on a potato. He doesn’t even know if it’s actually from goat milk, but it’s still just as delicious as it was when he was a child.

Eating a cheaply-made street food that’s being sold for a rather high price, it truly felt like that was the only time when he got to be a real kid. Every day except for this time of the year, he and his mother worked hard to make money to survive. But it’s holidays like these when he got to beg to his mom about what he wanted, though it was mainly food.

“Good, right?”

“Yea,” Jungkook pauses. “Just like what I remembered.”

You give it to him to finish. He looks confused, but you simply grin. He probably wanted to eat it all anyway. You set your eyes on something else now, and it’s the people dancing in the town square. The dancing you know at home is different from here. While the dance you’re used to is individualized, Freesia’s dancing involves two people.

He catches on that you want to be a part of it. “Do you want to dance?”

“What?? I-it’s okay! I don’t even know how to dance.”

“I can show you.”

He takes you by the hand, taking you into the center of the square. Your head looks at all directions, worried that people will recognize you and him. To distract you from your trivial concerns, he puts his hand on your lower back and pulls you in to close the gap.

“They’re having too much fun to look at us, don’t worry.”

You look around, and he’s right. Everyone is so focused on themselves that they aren’t batting an eye at you two. Stuck in the crowd, you and Jungkook aren’t royalty, but ordinary people.

“How do I dance?”

“Put our hand on my shoulder, and give me your other hand.”

You rest your hand on his shoulder and give him your other hand. He intertwines his fingers with yours, putting his other hand on your waist.

“Just follow my steps.”

He takes one step to the side, so you look down to follow. You mimic every step he does, making sure that you don’t step on his feet. From afar, two partners dancing didn’t seem too bad, until you’re doing it. You’re so close to him that you can feel his breathing, and your waist is feeling ticklish.

“See? It isn’t so hard.”

“I guess it’s okay.”

“We were supposed to dance on my birthday, but we never got the chance, did we?”

You can’t forget about that day. He wasn’t happy on his birthday and wanted nothing to do with it.

You grin. “Well, now is our opportunity.”

You two continue dancing along with the music. Dancing with him feels like you’re walking on clouds. It felt like long ago when you couldn’t stand him. Now he’s all you ever think about. Separating from him seems impossible. You rest your head on his chest, catching him by surprise. It makes him blush, wondering what’s gotten into you.

“What happened? Did you fall sick again? Are you falling asleep?”

“No,” you laugh. “I was just thinking about something.”

“About what?”

“I don’t think I hate you anymore.”

Jungkook falls silent.

“It felt like a prison being here, and even though I wanted nothing to do with you, I ended up forcing myself on you, but I don’t regret that. I’m glad I kept bothering you because you’re not as bad as a person I thought you were.”

Words that should bring him joy doesn’t do anything for him. He looks gloomy like you weren’t supposed to say that. Your confession only entangles him more in his mixed emotions.

“Are you sure you don’t regret it?”

“What?”

“...Never mind. I just want to let you know that the feeling’s mutual. I don’t hate you, and I never did.”

This whole time, you thought that he hated you as much as you hated him. He never showed any signs that he cared about you, so it made you assume that you meant nothing to him.

From the corner of your eye, there’s a crowd forming. Couples stop dancing and follow the crowd. Even the music has stopped playing.

“What’s going on?”

“The last event must be starting.”

“Last event?”

The short-lived dance ends, and Jungkook follows the crowd with you closely behind. In one of the stands, there are bins filled with freesias. Your jaw drops at the sight of so many flowers. You look around, watching people pick one flower at a time and walking to a nearby river. Every one of them places a flower in the river, letting the flowers swim along with the flow of the river.

Jungkook picks one up for you and him to do the same thing that everybody else is doing. “Put this in the water. This is a blessing for the God of Spring.”

You make your way to the river that reflects the full moon in the water. With the flowers floating above, it almost makes it seem like the moon is wearing the flowers as accessories. You place the flower gently in the water, your fingers getting into contact with the freezing temperature of the river. You let it go, watching as it joins the hundreds of other flowers swaying away, never to be seen again.

“We send these freesias away in hopes that one of them turns out to be his lover. We don’t know if she’ll be there, but it’s tradition to welcome spring onto our land—to ask for forgiveness for taking away his loved one.”

This is a tale that you grew up with. This is how you knew Freesia Island by. But after witnessing the festival, the excitement, the gathering, it ends on a solemn note, never learning if the God of Spring will ever find his lover. This is all for a god who they don’t even know if he actually exists. Still, there’s that little motivation in you that you want to help him reunite with her.

But just like the myth with dragon fruits being actual dragon eggs, this story that you admired since childhood is just as bogus as that.

“Do you think sending all these flowers actually work?”

“Who knows, probably not. People are very idealistic beings, and if our imagination is what keeps us going, then so be it.”

You let his statement shimmer in your mind. It’s disappointing to hear him be realistic, but being an adult and seeing how cruel the world can be, it makes sense that childish fantasies such as the story of freesias help people move forward.

Jungkook holds onto your hand. You look at him, looking for an explanation for holding onto you, but he doesn’t give any reason. He just wanted to hold it for the sake of holding it.

“Tomorrow evening, let’s go back to your homeland.”

“Really?! So soon?? But...is it okay for us to leave…?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already figured everything out. I’m sure you want to see your father, and he most likely wants to see you too.”

This is too soon—so soon that something doesn’t feel right. But he must’ve waited to tell you this until after you experienced the holiday that you’ve been dying to experience. You can’t describe how much you miss your father. You haven’t heard anything about him, so you can never say no to not going back home.

You squeeze his hand, about to shed tears but hold it back. “Thank you!”

If you said anything more than that, then you would’ve started crying. If there was one thing that Jungkook admired, it was that you weren’t afraid to express your emotions. He’s been described as someone who has the expressions of a stone, but your face is filled with so much life that he’s envious.

———

SPRING

“What? Are you sure?”

You and Jungkook are in the bedroom together. Your back is facing the balcony, and behind you is the sunsetting. You’re packing your clothes in a bag, and Jungkook is standing by the door when he announced some shocking news.

“Yea, I’ll catch up with you soon. There’s just something that I need to do.”

“Oh, okay.” It’s unusual that he waited until the last minute to tell you, but you decide that if it’s urgent, then you aren’t going to whine about it.

You grab your bags, walking to the front door, but you stand there, waiting for Jungkook to move aside. However, he doesn’t move at all. He stands there as if he doesn’t want you to leave. Then out of nowhere, he embraces you in his arms, hugging you so tight that you almost can’t breathe.

“Jungkook?!”

“Tell your father that I’m sorry for taking you away.”

It’s odd...almost as if it’s farewell. You wrap your arms around him, just in case he needed the comfort.

“Of course I will, but wouldn’t it be better if you said it yourself? I promise you my dad won’t kill you as long as you explain everything.”

But he doesn’t respond immediately. Instead, he pulls himself back, giving you an unfamiliar yet warm smile. You’ve never seen it before, but seeing him like this, you know your chest should be pounding, but you feel a little anxious about this.

“I think it’s better if you said it.”

He cups your cheeks, leaning in for a kiss. It catches you by surprise, since you two haven’t kissed since the wedding. Unlike the first time, this one felt more full and longer. Rather than taking away something, it feels like he’s giving something to you, redoing the mistakes he did in the past.

He drags his head back, moving in for another one, and this time, you prepare yourself for it, closing your eyes. However, he refrains from a second attempt, otherwise, he definitely won’t let you go. He removes his hands from you, moving out of the way.

“You should hurry.”

You wave goodbye to Jungkook. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

He nods, gazing at you as you walk out of the room. That short interaction felt extremely strange, but you tell yourself that it might just be you.

Once you’re gone, he sits on the bed, sighing. “You can come out now.”

———

You’re in the carriage, going down the road. When you peer through the window, the town folks would stop whatever they’re doing and point at you. It’s unnerving being in town without Jungkook, but you try not to think too much about it.

Once again, you wanted to see the spring flowers, but when you’re deep at the heart of the city, the buildings block the view of the fields. It looks exactly identical to when you first came here. The only difference is that Jungkook isn’t here. It makes you question what it is that’s so important that he’ll catch up with you later? Going back to Pitaya Island felt rushed, and he has yet to give you a proper explanation as to why he wants to go suddenly.

When you arrive at the seaport, there are men already ready for departure. The ship is rather small, but it’s still big enough to carry at least fifteen people. The carriage stops right by the pier, and the driver helps you out. You keep looking back, hoping that Jungkook would appear any minute now, but each time you do, he’s not there.

“Your Highness, hurry up and get on board.”

“Oh, yea.”

You get on the ramp, constantly looking back to make sure that he’ll be there. Once you’re on, you lean over the ledge, checking if you see his carriage coming down the hill. However, you don’t see him anywhere in town.

Sighing with uneasiness, you rest your chin on the boat’s rails as the crew is getting the ship ready for sailing. Your necklace jingles, so you pick it up, pinching it between your fingers. You rub it, pondering what your parents’ marriage was like before you came along. It seemed like they got along, but you wonder about those days when they get into arguments. They must’ve been tired of each other multiple times, and yet, they choose to stay together.

You think about the kiss from earlier. It felt strange to receive one, especially with how conservative Jungkook is. You two hardly hold each other, and it’s only recently when you both became comfortable with it, like two teenagers on their first date. But thinking later into the years, will you two be happy? Jungkook can easily marry another woman if he gets tired of you, and you hate that thought...more than dying with him at his funeral.

Resting on your cheek, you notice that into the distance in the ocean, there are objects floating in it. You squint your eyes, but you still can’t make out what you see. You tug on the sleeve of a nearby man.

“Excuse me, what’s that?” You point.

“Oh, those are all the freesias that the townsfolk tossed into the ocean. It’s for some sort of tradition, I don’t know, I’m not from here.”

That’s where the flowers end up? You knew that they don’t actually go to the God of Spring, but seeing the aftermath of the beautiful flower event, it’s a shame to see that that’s where they stay. Behind a heart-tugging tale ends with trash in the water, opening your eyes to the real world that stories don’t exist, but merely an idea by people’s wild imaginations.

“Do you know what that tradition is?”

“Something about lost lovers? I dunno. I don’t believe in it.”

“Why not?”

“I mean, look at the water. Do you actually think that a god fell in love with a flower? One of my old captains told me that the reason why this story has been passed down is so that women can stay loyal to their husbands. ‘Men are naturally born physically strong but break his pride and he has nothing left. Women are born with emotional intelligence and exist to please them, and in exchange, they protect you.’ It’s a lesson to teach women to stay loyal to their husbands.”

You’ve never heard of this interpretation before, and quite frankly, it’s very shattering to hear. A story that you grew up listening to ends up being a warning for males and females to stick together. It’s ridiculous, but it makes sense, why you went through that harsh training on becoming a proper woman’.

But when you look back in the past with what you and Jungkook have done together, it doesn’t feel like how the man explains it. You two don’t serve each other in that way—it feels neutral, feeding off of each other’s energy when necessary. If one is in danger, then the other is there to help. Despite being king, he doesn’t follow the tradition very well. Why is that?

“I never intended on becoming king...I just wanted to protect the person who I treasured the most.”

“I’ll fix things now so it won't have to be like this anymore.”

“Tell your father that I’m sorry for taking you away.”

How could I have been so stupid?! The bell rings, signaling for the ship to set sail. But just like the bells ringing, your own bell rings in you, an epiphany happening too late. You sprint across the boat and right for the ramp. The men are just about to take it off when you stop them.

“Wait, wait, wait, don’t leave yet!”

“What?”

“There’s something I have to do!”

“Is there something that you forgot, Your Highness? If so, then we can get it for you—”

“No! No, I have  to do it on my own. So please…”

“As we said, we can—”

But having no patience to deal with them, you jump off the boat, landing on the ramp. You lose your footing, causing you to roll down until you land on the pier. The people around you are in utter shock to witness you fumbling down carelessly, but that is the least of your worries. You get back on your feet, chasing after the carriage that brought you here.

He was so subtle about it, but he kept dropping hints that took you up until now to know what they meant. You made it clear to him countless times that you were homesick, but you did it so much that it overshadowed how much he means to you. He must’ve thought he’s only brought misery to you, which is why he tried sending you back without ever seeing you again. But you have to hurry up back, let him know the truth.

———

“You don’t have to hide anymore. You can come out now.”

Back in the castle, Taehyung shows himself from the balcony, hands behind his back and a smirk drawn on his face. “That was very touching of you to send her off before the inevitable.”

“What do you want?” Ignoring his statement, Jungkook cuts to the chase.

“I’m surprised it took this long for you to find me. I guess it shows how well I know the castle more than you. If you had never captured one of my men, then you probably wouldn’t have found me.”

“But I still did in the end,” Jungkook places his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Tell me, what was the purpose of kidnapping (Y/N)?”

“I’m trying to get rid of you, but that’s what you’re thinking about? That girl?”

“Answer me.”

Taehyung’s joking tone goes away, and his smile disappears. “I’m taking back what’s mine.”

Jungkook raises an eyebrow.

“Your father took everything away from me. My parents, my future, my lineage, my land.”

That’s when Jungkook realizes who Taehyung is. “You’re the former king’s son.”

Taehyung nods. “I was the only one who survived when your father took over the castle. My mother snuck me into a secret passage, and that’s how I managed to escape. I lived most of my life being a street rat, doing whatever I could to survive on my own. Then when I heard the news that you, also a wretched rat, was crowned as prince, it made my blood boil.”

He draws out his sword and points it to Jungkook.

“That’s when I decided to take matters into my hands and take my father’s land back. As for (Y/N), I merely used her so that she could pass on information about you, see if I can find a weak point.”

“And you repaid her by kidnapping her??”

“No, you see, my original deal was that she help me, and in return, I would send her back home. However, it took me a while to realize this, but this whole time, she is your weakness. You would do anything for her as long as she’s there.”

He’s not wrong. Jungkook has grown a soft spot for you, and you mean the whole world to him. And that’s why he let you go. He can’t bear to see you hurt any longer.

“...Take back the land. I don’t care.”

This completely catches Taehyung off guard. He wasn’t expecting Jungkook to give it up so easily.

“That’s it…? You don’t want to try fighting back?”

“I never cared about this land.  You’ve seen the bad side, haven’t you? No matter what I do, it’ll never satisfy everyone. Catering to this land and the many other territories that my father conquered is overbearing. I had more freedom when I was a scum of the streets than living this life of elegance. You can take it.”

“No!” Taehyung’s voice echoes through the walls of the bedroom. “Have you no sense of dignity?! Are you really not going to fight?? What about your pride??”

“...I lost it a year ago after I became the king. I’m just like you, losing everything I loved the most. I don’t even know who I am or what my purpose is anymore.”

He thinks about your smile, when he looks down and sees you round eyes staring back at him. He isolated himself for so long that he had forgotten what it was like to talk to someone, to break free from the title as a king. For once, he wanted to forget his reputation and just be your husband.

Taehyung lunges toward Jungkook, nearly piercing his shoulder with his blade. Instead, the tip of his sword sinks into Jungkook’s skin, blood being soaked in blood. Despite that, Jungkook doesn’t flinch.

“If it gets you to fight, then how about this: if I win, then I’m going to find Pitaya Island and marry (Y/N).”

Jungkook wrinkles his eyebrows, and this starts to play in Taehyung’s hands. He smirks, finally getting a reaction from him.

“I don’t know if you know this, but (Y/N) and I have great chemistry. She and I got along pretty well when you didn’t have a single clue. We both had something taken away by you and your father, so that was how we related. So maybe after the wedding, we can—”

Within seconds, Jungkook is quick to draw out his sword, clashing with Taehyung’s sword, pulling the tip out of his shoulder. Caught by surprise, Taehyung was so focused on monologuing that he wasn’t focusing.

“I knew it! She really does push and pull you around!”

“She has nothing to do with this. Leave her out of it.”

“You really are hopeless.”

Taehyung makes the first move, dashing toward him, but Jungkook’s blade collides with his before he can land a strike on him. They swing their swords, with Taehyung taking the offense and Jungkook on defense. Sparks fly from the amount of strength the two men are using. But no matter how noisy they are, the bedroom is too big and far away from the rest of the castle, so no one can hear them clash.

However, Taehyung is no match for Jungkook. His strength outweighs his, pushing Taehyung out onto the balcony. His back leans on the railings, holding him back before he could fall. With one final blow, Taehyung deflects it in time, his arms shaking as he struggles to fight against Jungkook’s force.

“Your father took everything away from me. I can’t die now…” he pushes back. “...And the worst part is that he died before I can lay a hand on him. But at least I have you.”

“What…?”

Suddenly, you burst through the doors, interrupting the suspense of their battle. “Jungkook!”

Your voice alerts Jungkook, making him turn around and surprised to see you. “(Y/N)?!”

Playing right in Taehyung’s hands, he grabs Jungkook by the collar. When he returns the look back at him, Taehyung smirks.

“You’re not allowed to be happy.”

Taehyung lets go of everything, falling backward and pulling Jungkook in the process. They both lose their footing, tipping over the railings. Without much thought, you sprint across the room in hopes that you can save them.

Miraculously, you manage to grab ahold of Jungkook’s hand as he dangles over the edge. You press your hand on the rails, helping you keep steady with your balance. When you look down, you notice that Taehyung is holding Jungkook by the ankle. Thankfully for your strength, you are barely able to hold both men.

“What are you doing?! Just let go, you’re going to fall with us.”

“No! Just grab onto the ledge.”

“Why are you being stubborn? Just let go!”

“I said no!! I don’t want to let go! Hurry up, I can’t hold for much longer.” You clench your jaw.

But Jungkook can only stare in confusion. “Why are you going so far for me…? I thought you hated me.”

“Because...because you promised that we will go back to my home together!”

Jungkook’s eyes widen.

“Please, don’t give up yet. I want you to talk to my father and let him know how much you changed,” you smile, but the tips of your lips twitch. “I know he won’t believe me if I’m the one to tell him.”

Just that glimpse of your smile, it gave him all the determination to keep going. If it means to see you happy again, then he’ll stay alive for you, as he now made the revelation that  you value him as much as he values you.

He grabs the rails, lifting him and Taehyung up as you help pull them. The two men are able to climb over and safely get back to the other side. You breathe heavily, trying to catch the air that you lost. Soon after, you embrace Jungkook in your arms, relieved that he’s okay. This catches him by surprise, unsure if he should return the hug to you.

“Are you hurt?!”

“N-no, but...why did you come back?”

“Why are you asking me that? You think I wouldn’t notice? It almost worked, but I’m glad I realized just in time.”

“Are you stupid?!” Taehyung shouts as he stands. “Why would you go back to this good-for-nothing of a king?! You rather put your faith in him—a man who doesn’t even care about his nation?!”

“Shut up!”

You’ve been wanting to say that for a long time, and now you don’t have the patience to be dealing with him. You came here to make sure that Jungkook is alright, not to hear Taehyung lecture you for a second time. But he won’t take it from you. His vision turns red with fury, not understanding why you’re siding with a villain.

“He’s the one who took you away and made your life miserable, and you treat him like he’s your savior?!”

“I know! But…”

“He didn’t marry you because he loves you. He did it because he saw you as a profit. He knew about the tradition for concubines dying with their husbands, and he married you because he thought that he was never going to be in love with a barbarian such as yourself. Can you still embrace him knowing that?”

You look at Jungkook for an answer, but he averts his eyes. His refusal to make a counterargument is proof that what Taehyung’s saying is true. Jungkook can’t bear to look at you, even though he was the one who made the choices.

Instead of pushing him away, you caress his cheek and turn his head to face you. “That’s what he thought in the beginning, but I know he’s changed. As much as I can hold a grudge for the past, it won’t help push me forward.”

The soft gaze you give him, it gives Jungkook reassurance that you won’t turn him down. It’s the sort of comfort that he knows that he can let his guard loose.

“I hated Jungkook in the past who took me away by force and left me isolated...but the one who’s trying to do everything he can just for my sake, that’s the one who I fell in love with. If he wanted me to die with him, then he wouldn’t have to sneak me away on a boat, would he?” You smile.

Hearing your confession, it was like his chest has been squeezed to where it’s dry of blood. He thought his mother was the only person he could trust, little did he know that reaching out just a little would change the course of his life forever. Outside of his small world of torment and loneliness, he reached out, and you grabbed him.

He bursts into tears, his bottom lip quivering as he sobs like a toddler. Losing his mother was like the end of the world, and it felt like he died along with her. He would have never thought that you would end up being the one who radiates life in him again. Watching Jungkook break down into pieces, the animosity that Taehyung has been building for years disappears within seconds. It wasn’t that Jungkook is a stone-cold man, but a broken person who wasn’t allowed to share his wallows with his own kingdom.

“I don’t want to be king. I never asked for it. I just...want to be with you.” He whimpers.

You couldn’t agree better. Underneath the paradise, he was silently screaming inside.

“Your Majesty! Where are you?!”

“Hurry! Check on the king!”

The many voices coming from the staircase rushes to the room. Unbeknownst to them, servants have seen Jungkook and Taehyung hanging over the ledge and are now rushing to aid them. Not only that but with you dashing through the castle, it only makes them more worried.

Jungkook wipes his eyes, making a decision that will dramatically change his life once again. He takes his sword, raising it over Taehyung. He swings it down, but rather than slicing him, he stops the sword centimeters away from his shoulder. He then repeats that process to the other shoulder. Once that’s done, he drops the sword.

“From here on out, you are now the King of Freesia. I no longer have power over the land, and you have successfully returned the kingdom back to your family line.”

“Wh-what? What about you?”

“It was never my intention to become king and did it because I thought there was no way out. But, after meeting you, you have the best interest in the land, more than I do. I can entrust that you’ll make it a better place, not one ruled by a tyrant. As far as anyone knows, the story will be that you have slain me. Heartbroken by my death, (Y/N) has ended her own. We no longer exist.”

It’s a shocking idea, but to avoid having people search for you and him, it’s better that people don’t know that you two are still alive.

“...Very well. There’s a secret passage by the balcony. Open it, and there will be a path that’ll lead you to the town and to the pier.”

Jungkook puts on a cloak and puts it on you as well. The two of you run to the balcony, pressing on the walls until there’s a loose concrete brick. Just as Taehyung claims, a door opens.

Before leaving, you and Jungkook look at him one last time.

“Thank you…” You say.

“I didn’t really do much. Now hurry before they find you.”

You and Jungkook run through the secret tunnels with Taehyung closing the door. From behind, you can hear the echoes of the maids screaming, presumably at the surprise of seeing Taehyung. However, you continue looking forward, hand in hand with Jungkook. You two stick close with each other, liberated from the chains that had bound you and him.

———

SUMMER

Jungkook crouches in front of your mother’s grave, his arms on his knees. There are no words shared, the only thing speaking is the wind blowing. He’s wearing a lighter layer of clothing, sweating profusely but doesn’t seem to mind.

Looking down from the cliff, he could see your village, going on with their daily lives. The people look like ants from this distance, but no matter how far, he can hear them shout.

“I haven’t done this in a while, but uhm…hello. You’re (Y/N)’s mother. She talks about you a lot, probably because she misses you. I’m her husband...and well, your husband doesn’t like me, which is unsurprising. But I found it a lot harder to talk to you than to confront her father. I’ve done things to your daughter that I deeply regret. I guess based on the stories that she’s told me, you’re a saint, and I feel like I have wronged you in a way. I don’t forgive myself for what I’ve done, but (Y/N) has taught me that it’s better to not forget about what I’ve done so I can look back and make sure I don’t do it again in the future.”

Jungkook gets on his knees and bows down to the grave.

“And I promise you that from now on, I’m going to treat her better. I’ll prove to myself that you can trust me with your daughter.”

“Jungkook? What are you doing here?”

He turns around and sees you walking up the hill. “Nothing much.”

“Come down, we have some fruits we want you to try. I think you’ll like these ones more.”

He gets up, and you tilt your head curiously.

“What’s up?”

“Your hair’s getting longer.” You extend your hair out, pinching a strand.

“Oh,” Jungkook brushes his hand through his hair. “Should I cut it?”

You chuckle. “I like it messy and long. Better than short and clean-cut.”

He grins, wrapping his arms around you, kissing you on the side of the head. He looks back at the grave one more time, and hanging on the grave is your black pearl necklace, swaying with the wind and reflecting the sunlight back to you and him, almost like receiving a blessing.

[End]

A/N: AHhhh I can’t believe it took me two months lol. This story was really hard to write and I was stuck multiple times trying to figure out how to end this. :( But I’m glad it finally ended and I really hope that you all enjoy it!! ^^

@rossemayme​ I promised to tag you and I haven’t forgotten!

Masterlist

[akiameokami]

Popular Potter

Look at him, looking so smug as that curly-haired reject has her legs strewn across his lap. Potter. It just isn’t right for someone of his status to be with someone like her. He is a pureblood, she is muggle-born, and to make matters worse she has an eyebrow ring! Her poise certainly isn’t a redeeming quality either. I cannot see a single element that makes her good enough for him, expect perhaps that she is smart enough to put Raven Claw’s brightest to shame. If it wasn’t for her lack of professionalism and personal upkeep I am sure she would be in Raven Claw and not Gryffindor. She has changed him so much since they started dating. Potter used to be such a prince, but even since they got together he has been hanging out with anyone, even the problematic Weasleys. I can’t believe his parents let him do that, do they not care about how it will effect their status? Father always reminds me to be cautious of my social relations because they will effect him greatly. He would simply die if he saw me with someone adorned in chains such as Hermione chooses.  The brazed crème a top the shit soufflé is that Harry Potter got a tongue ring! His parent’s certainly know nothing of this, but for the first time ever, I think I may not make Father privy to this. Potter and I have been associates every since primary school, and the tongue ring is a secret to all but his inner most circle. Except somehow Ronald and Hermione have become the bulk of that circle since we entered Hogwarts. To think that first semester we picked out matching Slytherin class rings together, and he somehow became a Gryffindor like them. Maybe classes do divide people too definitively? Or maybe he is changing as a person.. He always did have an affinity for the muggle world and other oddities, I just never thought he’d choose them over me. 

“Hi Har- Er, Potter, and company”, I say awkwardly as I approach their group. They all go quiet as they look at me, the only green clad robe amongst a sea of red. I feel as if this griffons pride may swallow me whole. They seem to be waiting for Harry to respond before they pounce, he really has gone from a Prince to a King. 

“Draco!” Harry exclaims as he moves Hermione's legs off and stands to greet me. I go for a slight wave but he pulls me into a hug. I can feel the daggers from his entourage. “I haven’t seen you around school in a while, what has Snape been forcing you into this time?” He asked, staring only at me. I’d appreciate the opportunity to get lost in his viper green eyes, but I can’t hold his stair. He knows my distaste for Snape, but he doesn’t know why. It’s a story for another time, but he’d already know it if he’d never stopped talking to me. 

“Oh, no, Snape is no longer tutoring me. Instead of academic pursuits, I’ve decided to try out for the quidditch team. Seems they have taken a fancy to my flying skills!” it hurts to not tell him to truth, to see him go from someone who I could tell anything to, to having to smile through the biggest heart break I’ve ever had. When I mention quidditch he gets very excited, and his posse eases up a bit. It is not uncommon for groups of different classes to enthuse over quidditch together, it is one of the few social glues we have. “What a coincidence! I will be joining the quidditch team as a legacy next season!” he says very boisterously, “I know they are expecting a lot because of my father, but I think they will be pleasantly surprised. I did always win when we would race, right?” He says with a slap to my shoulder. To others this would look like a casual challenge, but for me that slight touch meant so much more. It brought back summers spent struggling to learn how to fly out behind the greenhouse. The time he carried me back to Mother after I was able to be the first to get off the ground and flew too high. 

“You’re right, you used to be much better than me. Who knows if it’s changed, maybe you could have a practice race with me and give me some pointers if I lose?”. This audacious bastard would never turn down a challenge, and despite knowing I will likely lose, it means we’d finally have a chance to spend some time together so I’m willing to “take the L” as his muggle friends would say. 

“Harry, that’d be awesome to watch!”, “Yea Harry darling, you should host a little Gryffindor versus Slytherin flying practice before the season starts!’ Ron and Hermione cheer him on from the background. The other Gryffindor's start to chime in on how they would love to see a friendly match and see how skilled the new flyers are. “Well Draco, what do you say? I’m game to leave all you snakes in the dust, but only if you think Slytherin has enough flyers to make it worth the effort”, he chuckles as he says it, but he squeezes my shoulder with a bit of aggression behind it. He didn’t want it to be a spectacle, but I’m not going to clean up his messes if he wont be my friend anymore. 

“Sure Harry, I think I can pull together some wizards and witches that will make it worth your precious time.” I flatly announce as I start to walk away. I make myself keep stepping forward, and I can hear their snickers behind me. I walk straight away from him, no not quite, I walk straight to Snape's office. I wonder if he knows the pain he puts me through? Being compared to the Potter-Prince growing up, Father pushing me to be better than him, Harry having the audacity to be such an amazing man, friend, and first. Yet he also has the power to be the person to put me through more pain by not being in my life, driving me to focus on my studies, to get Severus to be my tutor, to use Severus as a coping method to get over him. Do you know what you’ve done to me Harry? 

~~~Imagine a world where Harry didn’t grow up with the Dursley’s, where Voldermort wasn’t a thing, where Lily and James didn’t die. Would Draco and Harry have been friends? Would they have been more? Harry and Draco are 17, nearing graduation and independence, but that also means they are climaxing from their teenage angst and heartbreak. Will they get closure?

I approach Severus’s office, emotions flooding me. After Harry and I got accepted to Hogwarts and he started drifting away, I found myself lost. At first, I believed his excuses for why he bailed on our plans, and then I blamed myself thinking I made him mad, and then I realized he just didn’t like me anymore. The self blaming was the hardest to get over, but Severus helped with that. I chose to focus on my studies, I had to find something productive to do so that Father would be proud of me again. He got very angry when I messed up the connection with the Potters. I decided instead to try and be very academically accomplished, so I needed a good tutor. Father and Mother were both very familiar with Severus Snape and knew him as an intelligent man and an excellent wizard despite being only 6 years older than me. They arranged for him to be my tutor, and he lived much closer to the school than we did, which meant I would study at his house and in the summers I stay with him. Since he is also a teacher at Hogwarts we don’t ever interact politely as school, because frankly our relationship is unconventional. to the public. I don’t love him, he doesn’t love me, but we both have been burned by the Potters more than once and despite all our pain, we still love them. Don’t get me wrong, Rus is very good to me, and we have had some very sentimental memories, but I can never mean as much to him as Lily I don’t think. That and I am not willingly to fall in love. 

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*  - “Come in.” I walk in and instantly Rus’s face goes from stone cold to slightly softer. “Draco, I assume you came to speak about your last test scores?” He arches an eyebrow and nods at the door indicating I should close it. 

“Oh come on Rus, I know we have an arrangement to not interact extra here but I..” I close the door and try not to meet his eyes. I know what I am feeling, and its stupid! I can’t explain it though. He closes the door while reaching over me. With his other arm he pulls into a hug. 

“Use your words Draco.” He kisses the top of my head while whispering softly. I bury my face in his shirt. How do I tell him that I am hurting because the person who means the most to me, acknowledged me, and it left me feeling hollow? “Is it about Mr. Potter? I saw you speaking in the courtyard. That was dangerous.” I let out a shaky sigh. This is why we are together, because we share the same pain. 

“Yea..” I mutter, “We are going to have a little race between Slytherin House and Gryffindor to see who the faster upcoming flyers will be.” Even saying it sounds absolutely  ridiculous! It’s a bloody pissing contest! Yet nothing has been able to break me out of this numbness until now. Rus braces the small of my back as we lean against his office door. I look up to see him with a small smile, “I understand. I think this will be for the best. Whether it is closer you get, or simply a win. I be here if it goes wrong”. He is so consistent. Just as expected, after saying something so sweet that I could almost develop feelings, he leans down and begins a gentle kiss. He pulls my waist into him, spreading my legs with his knee. I kiss him back while running my fingers through his hair. I reach down for his belt, trying to undo it. He stops my hand and pulls back, “Now Mr. Malfoy, we are on school grounds.” He says with his stern, teacher voice. He the leans in and whispers, “You can show my what that Malfoy mouth is good for later”. I feel my dick jump a little bit, giving me a semi. This is how I cope. Feelings cannot negate the power of something physical, and Severus Snape needs to forget about the Potters just as much as I do. We were a match made in Hell. 

“Draco....” I hear Harry’s voice calling my name, but it sounds distorted, almost as if I’m underwater. “Draco!” it comes through clearly this time, but it isn’t Harry, It’s Blaise yelling at me to rouse me from my sleep. I had returned to the dorms embarrassingly late, but I had the forethought to lay out my quidditch gear ahead of time so I wouldn’t be scrambling in the morning. “Draco, wake the fuck up! We’re gonna be late to the race!” Blaise is still yelling but I can hear him heading for the door. Late? What did he mean late? I roll over and check the time, he was right, I had about five minutes to go from bed to the quidditch field. Fuck. 

“I almost thought you chickened out Draco!” Harry taunts as I approach the quidditch field, running as fast as I can with all my gear on. I was able to gather three other Slytherins that wanted to race, and who were marginally decent. Sadly Harry seemed to have a whole team that wanted to test us. I glance at Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle and they do not seem to be exuding confidence. I got them into this so the least I can do is be the one who people blame. “What? Run away from you Potter? I could never”, I say a little too seriously while making eye contact. I catch the slightest frown from Harry, but it fades as quickly as it appeared. “Well then, lets get this over with. It sounded fun, but looking at your little group, it just feels like bullying.” He rejoins his group at the start line. The course was to make one large loop around campus while going through specified markers, such as looping through the womping willow and its thrashing limbs, and past Hagrids hut. It is just the school campus, but that doesn’t make it not dangerous. That is why I wore my protective gear, but as I glance around I see that most everyone else was casually dressed with the exception of Longbottom. He looked as if he was wrapped in bubble wrap. I don’t want to be associated with the likes of him so I discard my protective layer.  I return my attention to the other end of the field where Hermione stands with the flare, and off it goes. I must’ve been disassociating during the count down. I feel the wind of the others taking off before I see the bristles of their brooms when they speed past me. Shit. I take off as fast as I can, but I am not too concerned about the starting line. Anyone can get up, its staying there that’s the problem. 

The first obstacle is the peaks of the school, where we stand the danger of Mr. Fletcher seeing us and everyone getting in trouble. This obstacle is more about stealth than speed, you could speed right through the peaks, but you would certain alarm everyone inside the castle. The trick to making it without being seen is to pay attention and roof hop, taking a break to wait out anyone who may see you. I can see ahead of me where two Gryffindor flyers drop altitude instantly, nearly getting caught. I swerve away from that tower and loop around the other way, hopping off the roof after checking the next peak. When I emerge from the other side of the peaks I see Harry far ahead, Ronald right behind him, and Blaise  on their tail. either no one else made it through, or they are behind me, because no one would be ahead of Harry. We approach Hagrids hut and drop down low for the loop, I see Blaise take the turn too tightly and have to drop to the ground to prevent himself from going tip over tail. Ronald falls behind me as he flew too close to the hippogriff and got the tail of his broom snipped out. The race is between Harry and I as we approach the womping willow. It is especially crabby today it seems, or perhaps that was just because I was actually flying closer too it and not away from it the way I would have preferred. As we near the willow I am close enough that I could grab the bristles on Harry’s broom if I wanted to. I follow his maneuvers dodging the willows grasps. There is no denying that when it comes to agility Harry has an edge on me. There is no doubt that James took the time to train him personally. Despite all his preparation I see Harry narrowly avoid getting swept by a branch, which meant I had no time to avoid the branch at all. The willow makes contact with my broom and sends me plummeting to the ground. I’d rather jump and break something, that be strangled by a tree. The impact knocks the breath out of me, and the pain floods my body. My vision goes black and once again I feel like I am in bed, floating into nothingness. 

“Draco?!?!” I hear Harry’s voice calling out to me, but I don’t respond. Blaise wont fool me again. He just wants me to wake up from my peaceful nothingness. Then the pain hits me and I remember what happened. I open my eyes to see a sweaty and shirtless Harry tying my arm in a makeshift sling. “Draco.. please say something..” He mutters as he struggles with the knot. 

“Ouch you bloody bastard, that fucking hurts!” I squeak as he tightens it too much. Despite my pain I see a look of relief cloud his face. “Other than your arm, what hurts? I can’t tell if anything else is broken. I already have Ron and Blaise going to get a teacher. I am so sorry Draco, it wasn’t suppose to happen like this!” Harry is running his sentences together as he is frantically searching me over for any other damages. Everything hurts, but what I feel the most is the throbbing in my chest. Did I really have to almost die for him to say my name in such a caring way? I don’t want to be here, it hurts to see him like this knowing it is just me that is feeling this way. “Professor Snape!” Harry yells as Severus approaches with Ron and Blaise right behind him. I see Rus reach for his wand and the next thing I know Harry is swept away from me by an unseen force, flown at least three yards away. “Harry Potter! What have you done now?!” Severus yells, abnormally angry. He turns his attention toward me, worry lines streaking his face. He looks me over and his face softens. A wave of his wand and I feel a million times better. He leans down next to me and whispers, “You’ll be okay Draco, I’ll take care of this”. He turns his attention to Harry, “While I transport this young man who could very well be crippled, I’d recommend you contact your parents before I get the chance. Let them know I expect to be seeing them soon.” Severus knows better than to touch me, so he makes me float using Hermione's favorite spell. He must have cast a different spell as well, because the last thing I see is Harry’s terrified face as Severus brings me back toward the castle. 

I wake up to a sudden jolt of pain coming from, well, everywhere. The most prominent pain is coming from my right arm. I sit up to exam the damage, but to my surprise I see none other than Hermione Granger sitting next to my bed in the infirmary, reading of course. Without a word she raises her hand and indicated the number 1, probably to suggest “one minute”. I wait for her to finish her page. 

“I know about you and Harry.” She announces bluntly as she closes her book carefully. She is smart, but she can’t possibly be that smart. “Well, yes, I assume you would know about how he got me clobbered by a tree. You were there.” I try and dismiss her suspicious words. She does not buy a word of it. “No, you twit, I know about you two’s past, and I am willing to bet that your annoying behavior is because you still have feelings for him.” She states it so matter o’ factly that I am left speechless. She rolls her eyes and gets up to leave, “Well, I sure hope that is the case. Him and I broke up you see. After I found out the only reason he wanted to be with me is because I am smart enough to brew a Polyjuice potion of you so he can fuck it, I decided maybe I should be with someone who was actually attracted to me.” She walks away without giving me a chance to argue, or well, say anything at all really. He does what?  She runs into someone at the door and I hear them exchange words, and to my surprise the next person to walk in is Harry Fucking Potter. He stands awkwardly at the end of my bed for what feels like an eternity before asking, “how are you feeling?”. Despite his concern, he wont make eye contact with me. He doesn’t even seem like he wants to be here. I sink back into the bed and roll away from him. “You can go, I am fine. I bet your friends are lost without you.” I bite my tongue at the end, knowing that isn’t how I feel. I feel the bed shift as he sits down on the edge. 

“Draco.. I don’t want to go. I feel terrible about what happened, and I Hermione just told me that you know about.. me, or us, or however you want to say it, and what I am trying to say is, “ He takes a deep breath, “Draco I am so sorry. I know your father doesn’t want me around you, but it hurts to see you like this, and it hurts to not be with you.”. His voice got weak as he finished his sentence. His hand grabbed my leg and squeezed it. It’d been forever since I had felt his warmth. 

I can’t. 

I can’t. I can’t.  I can’t  I can’t  I can’t  I can’t  I can’t  I can’t  I can’t  I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’tIcantIcantICANTICANTICANTICANT! 

Why? Why does he have to do this? Why does he have to hurt me like this? What does this all mean? Does he think that because he said sorry I can just roll over and pretend the last two years never happened?! HE LEFT ME! He hurt me! He got me hurt! When I lost him, I lost the love for myself as well. How can he say those things to someone who is just a shell? 

I start breathing desperately, my heart racing and my head flooding with these thoughts. I can’t control it, I can’t stop it, and I can’t move. I want to reach out to him, to grab his hand, to push him away, I don’t know!  

“Mr. Potter, now would be a good time for you to leave.” Severus’s calming voice announces over the hallway in the infirmary. I hear his footsteps swiften towards us. “Proffessor Snape I was only-” Harry starts, but gets interrupted by a stern and almost hissing whisper, “No, Mr. Potter. Mr. Malfoy’s parents are heading this way, I strongly recommend you make it as if you were never here. Do you understand?”. That very much so sounded like a threat. “Of course, I’m sorry... Please take care of him!”. Harry runs down the hallway and I hear the door slam before Severus addresses me. He kneels beside the bed to be face to face with me. “Draco, I’m so sorry. Deep breaths”. He says gently as he wipes away tears that I didn’t know I had. “Don’t worry about your parents. I will tell them now is a bad time. We will all reconvene at my house this evening once you recover from the healing spell. You can ask them about what Mr. Potter said if you must, I will protect you. Always.” He gently kisses my forehead and leaves silently, leaving me to suffer, as always. 

It's painfully awkward sitting at dinner with my parents and Severus. He was able to fix my arm, but it left me what could only be described as the largest hangover one has ever suffered. To top it off, since I was okay physically, my father was going to make sure I wasn't okay emotionally or mentally. He'd done nothing but berate me for causing a scene. I zone out of his rants and stare down at where Severus is squeezing my knee. He is trying to be supportive, but all I can notice is a strange tattoo on his arm that wasn't there before.

"Severus, what is this?" I ask as I drag my fingers over the snake that's wrapped around a skull. It graces his forearm so delicately, it really adds to his aesthetic. My father looks appalled at my blatant change of topic, and Severus looks panicked. He tries to cover it with his sleeve, but father stops him. "Severus Snape, is that the reaction to my spell?" Father stairs him down.

"Yes, my lord. I've no excuses for my behaviour. I will only say that never once have I sought to harm Draco. I've had his best interests in mind, always." Severus hangs his head as he finishes his sentence, knowing what he has just admitted.

"Draco, that mark - or something definitive, will appear on anyone you've had relations with." Father waves his hand towards Severus's arm as he struggles to remain calm. Mother chokes down a sob. "I had my suspicions about the Potter child, but I suppose this confirms that you are exactly the deviant whore I assumed you to be." I- wait, Harry? He knew about us? If he did something like this, something permanent to someone who worshipped him, then what did he do to Harry?

"Father! Tell me, is Harry's scar because of this?!". I grab Severus's hand and squeeze it, needing all the support from him that I can get in this challenging moment. Bever had I spoken againt father, but this was going too far!

"Of course. Are you really that daft to think he spontaneously manifested such an atrocious mark? Honestly Draco, to think you've tainted a wizard of such nobilty, and to include Severus on your path of destruction. I am ashamed to call you my son." Lucious stands to leave, grabbing Narcissa by the arm and dragging her with him. I never thought it would come to this, I knew father could be nasty, but I never believed he would be this way towards me. Everything I did was to make him look to, to do the Malfoy name proud. Yet he can't even let me love who I want to love? I want to chase after him but Severus weighs me down in my chair. "Don't Draco, let him cool off before you try anything. It wont end well if you pursue him now.".

The next day at school I can't help but stair at Harry's scar in every shared class. Severus explained how the curse worked, he explained that the mark would burn and feel as if it were festering when the host was around me. He explained that the reason Harry grew distant was because of my father and James Potter deciding to seperate us by any means necessary. Severus only learned about this after he began tutoring me and learned of my heart break. I still couldn't bring myself to speak to him. I don't know whether I feel betrayed, or heart broken. I don't know where I will go when the weekend comes, because I can't go home, or to Severus's, and I can't stay here. The library seems like the only logical option to kill a little bit of time at before finding a place to spend the night.

"Draco?" Before I even look, I know it is Harry who has joined me in the endless rows of books. "Draco.. I am so sorry. I hope you're okay. I hope Luscious didn't.. do anything, to you. Like he used to-" "STOP" I can't take this anymore! "Did you know? About the curse, about our fathers, and what he would do? This whole time were you just hiding from my reality?!" He is standing right here in front of me but as I yell at him I only stare at the scar on his forehead, knowing it must be throbbing.

"I knew.. after it appeared, they explained it to me. They said it was what you wanted, and that this would help us distance ourselves." He steps closer to me, reaching out for me. "But I knew it couldn't have been true. I figured it out after you started getting so familiar with Professor Snape. I tried asking my father about it and he told me the truth, but I thought you'd moved on so I didn't want you to have to choose.", he grabs my hand and holds it close to his chest. "But I'm done waiting. I don't think you've moved on, I just think you're too afraid to be yourself. So stop me if this isn't what you want." The last words are practically a whisper as his lips close in on mine. It'd been so long since I'd felt his touch, let alone his kiss. He starts out soft and sweet, lingering to feel the softness of my lips. When I don't fight his kiss, he gets more aggressive, his tongue parting my lips and finding mine. He grabs the back of my head and laces his fingers through my hair, cushioning the impact of him pushing my into the bookshelf. "Draco~" he mutters my name as he leans into me. I can feel his hard on pressing against me. "Fuck Draco", he lips press against my neck as he kisses me intensely, trying to leave a mark. "I've never stopped wanting you", he bites me gently, "I never let you get taken from me again".

[breannathesimblr]

The group of friends sat at the table to beginning studying for the geometry final.

Tatum cleared his throat. “Your tutors will be...for the dumbest, me.” Kai glared at him for making that comment. Tatum continue. “Then Ariella and Rylee. And Yasmin and Myles.”

“Why am I the only one you didn’t mention by name?” Kai asked Tatum.

Tatum answered. “No real reason. Let’s beginning.”

They all started studying and tutoring for the final. An hour flew by fast.

“Wrong.” Tatum told Kai before hitting him on the head with a rolled up piece of paper. “You’re calculating the radius.”

Kai sighed. “Come on...Why am I the only one being tutor by a guy?!”

Tatum rolled his eyes. “Don’t be unreasonable.”

“You actually finished Kakegurui?! It’s a great anime right?!” Yasmin squealed.

“Yea. I can’t wait for the third season.” Myles answered.

“Me too. It’s an anime that Cookie and I like to watch.”

“Yasmin.” Tatum glared at Yasmin.

Yasmin looked down. “Sorry.”

“Myles, don’t leave her off track.”

Myles nodded. “Sorry.”

Meanwhile, Rylee was trying his hardest to study but it was too hard because of his major crush on Ariella. “She looks so cute right now.” Rylee thought to himself.

“Are you done?” Ariella asked him.

Rylee looked down at his paper. “Uh...”

Ariella took a look at his paper. “Rylee, it would look really bad if you had to repeat this class.” She said with concern in her voice.

Rylee nodded and started to work harder.

The Beginning | Previous | Next

[papermoonloveslucy]

KATIE & ROSCOE

November 6, 1948

“Katie & Roscoe” is episode #17 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on November 6, 1948.

Synopsis ~ Katie, the Cugat's maid, has been telling her long-distance romance that she was rich. Can Liz convince Roscoe that she's the maid and Katie is her employer? It all depends on whether or not George finds out!

This script was partially used as the basis for the “I Love Lucy” episode “Mertz and Kurtz” (ILL S1;E32) first aired on October 11, 1954. 

Note: This episode of “My Favorite Husband” was aired before the characters names were changed from Cugat to Cooper. It was also before Jell-O came aboard to sponsor the show and before the regular cast featured Bea Benadaret and Gale Gordon as the Atterburys.

“My Favorite Husband” was based on the novels Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Record of a Happy Marriage (1940) and Outside Eden (1945) by Isabel Scott Rorick, which had previously been adapted into the film Are Husbands Necessary? (1942). “My Favorite Husband” was first broadcast as a one-time special on July 5, 1948. Lucille Ball and Lee Bowman played the characters of Liz and George Cugat, and a positive response to this broadcast convinced CBS to launch “My Favorite Husband” as a series. Bowman was not available Richard Denning was cast as George. On January 7, 1949, confusion with bandleader Xavier Cugat prompted a name change to Cooper. On this same episode Jell-O became its sponsor. A total of 124 episodes of the program aired from July 23, 1948 through March 31, 1951. After about ten episodes had been written, writers Fox and Davenport departed and three new writers took over – Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, and head writer/producer Jess Oppenheimer. In March 1949 Gale Gordon took over the existing role of George’s boss, Rudolph Atterbury, and Bea Benaderet was added as his wife, Iris. CBS brought “My Favorite Husband” to television in 1953, starring Joan Caulfield and Barry Nelson as Liz and George Cooper. The television version ran two-and-a-half seasons, from September 1953 through December 1955, running concurrently with “I Love Lucy.” It was produced live at CBS Television City for most of its run, until switching to film for a truncated third season filmed (ironically) at Desilu and recasting Liz Cooper with Vanessa Brown.

MAIN CAST

Lucille Ball (Liz Cugat) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. “My Favorite Husband” eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Richard Denning (George Cugat) was born Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger Jr., in Poughkeepsie, New York. When he was 18 months old, his family moved to Los Angeles. Plans called for him to take over his father’s garment manufacturing business, but he developed an interest in acting. Denning enlisted in the US Navy during World War II. He is best known for his  roles in various science fiction and horror films of the 1950s. Although he teamed with Lucille Ball on radio in “My Favorite Husband,” the two never acted together on screen. While “I Love Lucy” was on the air, he was seen on another CBS TV series, “Mr. & Mrs. North.” From 1968 to 1980 he played the Governor on “Hawaii 5-0″, his final role. He died in 1998 at age 84.

Ruth Perrott (Katie, the Maid) was also later seen on “I Love Lucy.” She first played Mrs. Pomerantz, a member of the surprise investigating committee for the Society Matrons League in “Pioneer Women” (ILL S1;E25), as one of the member of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League in “Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress” (ILL S3;E3), and also played a nurse when “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (ILL S2;E16). She died in 1996 at the age of 96.

Bob LeMond (Announcer) also served as the announcer for the pilot episode of “I Love Lucy”. When the long-lost pilot was finally discovered in 1990, a few moments of the opening narration were damaged and lost, so LeMond – fifty years later – recreated the narration for the CBS special and subsequent DVD release.

GUEST CAST

Hans Conried (Roscoe Miller) first co-starred with Lucille Ball in The Big Street (1942). He then appeared on “I Love Lucy” as used furniture man Dan Jenkins in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) and later that same season as Percy Livermore in “Lucy Hires an English Tutor” (ILL S2;E13) – both in 1952. The following year he began an association with Disney by voicing Captain Hook in Peter Pan. On “The Lucy Show” he played Professor Gitterman in “Lucy’s Barbershop Quartet” (TLS S1;E19) and in “Lucy Plays Cleopatra” (TLS S2;E1). He was probably best known as Uncle Tonoose on “Make Room for Daddy” starring Danny Thomas, which was filmed on the Desilu lot. He joined Thomas on a season 6 episode of “Here’s Lucy” in 1973. He died in 1982 at age 64. 

John Hiestand (Cory Cartwright) served as the announcer for the radio show “Let George Do It” from 1946 to 1950. In 1955 he did an episode of “Our Miss Brooks” opposite Gale Gordon. Cory was a regular character who was eventually written out of the series when the Atterbury’s (Gale Gordon and Bea Bendaret) were introduced. 

Bea Benadaret (Lucy, Party Line Gossip) was considered the front-runner to be cast as Ethel Mertz but when “I Love Lucy” was ready to start production she was already playing a similar role on TV’s “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” so Vivian Vance was cast instead. On “I Love Lucy” she was cast as Lucy Ricarodo’s spinster neighbor, Miss Lewis, in “Lucy Plays Cupid” (ILL S1;E15) in early 1952. Later, she was a success in her own show, “Petticoat Junction” as Shady Rest Hotel proprietress Kate Bradley. She starred in the series until her death in 1968.

Florence Halop (Bessie, Party Line Gossip) was cast to replace Bea Benadaret in a radio show moving to CBS TV called “Meet Millie” when she was hired to play on of the two women on Lucy Ricardo’s party line in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) also featuring Hans Conried. She wouldn’t work for Lucy again until 1974, when she played a Little Old Lady on a Western-themed episode of “Here’s Lucy.” In 1985, she replaced Selma Diamond (who had died of lung cancer) as the bailiff on “Night Court.” Coincidentally, Halop, also a heavy smoker, died less than a year later of the same disease.

Herb Vigran (Newspaper Collection Man / Bank Telephone Voice) made several appearances on “My Favorite Husband.” He would later play Jule, Ricky’s music union agent on two episodes of “I Love Lucy”. He would go on to play Joe (and Mrs. Trumbull’s nephew), the washing machine repairman in “Never Do Business With Friends” (S2;E31) and Al Sparks, the publicity man who hires Lucy and Ethel to play Martians on top of the Empire State Building in “Lucy is Envious” (S3;E23). Of his 350 screen roles, he also made six appearances on “The Lucy Show.”

THE EPISODE

Liz Cugat is in the kitchen doing dishes when Katie the maid comes in, worried about a boyfriend she hasn’t seen in 15 years: Roscoe Miller, a wealthy man from Kansas she’s been corresponding with. Katie has told him she was wealthy, too.  Roscoe is coming to town and now Katie is worried she will be discovered as a maid, not a mistress. 

To rescue Katie, Liz will pretend to be the maid, while Katie poses as Lady of the house!  To accommodate the deception, Liz loans Katie her wardrobe and perfume.  In the process, she tears the dress.

KATIE: “I’m just too fat for your clothes.” LIZ: “Oh, fiddle-faddle!”  KATIE: “That’s just it. My fiddle’s okay, I’m just too big in the faddle.”

The doorbell rings and Liz goes into action as the maid to answer it. She admits the man, but it is just the newspaper collection man (Herb Vigran). After he goes, the bell rings again. It is Roscoe Miller, who doesn’t match Katie’s description at all. 

Katie greets Roscoe, but instinctively doesn’t sit down, forgetting she’s no longer the maid. Roscoe is still single.  Katie says she is, too, but Roscoe spots a cigar smoldering in the ashtray.  Katie says it is hers!  Roscoe also sees a photo of a man (George) inscribed “to my wife”!  She says they are her ex-husband. 

LIZ: “Pardon me, ma’am. How do you get the cream and sugar into those little tea bags?” 

Katie asks Liz to explain about the ex-husband in the photo. Thinking quick, Liz says he left and has never been heard of since, taking the children with him. 

LIZ: “And he took her automobile with him.” ROSCOE: “The cad!” LIZ: “No, the Buick.”

Liz continues her story, saying that he developed amnesia and is wandering the world somewhere. Katie starts to cry. Liz says his name was Adolph Jensen. When Katie starts to chime in on Liz’s story, they tell conflicting tales, confusing Roscoe. They can’t decide where she met him: bank or country club or whether it was 8 or 10 yeas ago.

The doorbell rings. It is Cory Cartwright (John Heistand). Liz enlists his help by telling him the whole story on the porch:

LIZ: “Roscoe Miller is Katie’s old boyfriend who thinks she’s married to Adolph Jensen. Adolph has amnesia because he embezzled the bank and we’ve got to get rid of Roscoe before George comes home and he finds out the truth. Now, is that clear?” CORY: “Sure. You just condensed the plot of the last three years of ‘Ma Perkins’.”

“Ma Perkins” was a radio soap opera heard on NBC from 1933 to 1949 and on CBS from 1942 to 1960. Between 1942 and 1949, the show was heard simultaneously on both networks. The series is widely credited with giving birth to storytelling and content-based advertising.

Cory agrees to help Liz by taking Roscoe downtown and drop him somewhere. 

Later, the phone rings and George asks if he can bring a friend home for dinner - a new acquaintance named Roscoe Miller.  

LIZ: “We’ve been held over, Katie. We’ve got to give a repeat show for the West Coast!” 

This inside joke refers to the fact that live radio (and later television) shows had to be done twice to account for the time difference. Once for the East Coast and again for the West Coast. Technology would soon make such reprises unnecessary. 

Katie urges Liz to call George back and tell him the truth. When she tries, the phone is being used by a party line with Lucy and Bessie gossiping non-stop. 

A Party Line is a local loop telephone circuit that is shared by multiple subscribers. Party line systems were used to provide telephone service starting with the first commercial switchboards in 1878. Party lines provided no privacy and were frequently used as a source of entertainment and gossip. Objections about one party monopolizing a line were common and eavesdropping remained an ongoing concern. By the end of the 20th century, party lines had been phased out in the United States.  A party line would also be featured in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) where one of the gabby partiers is also played by Florence Halop!  

If she can just get through on the phone, Liz will tell George she has lockjaw and can’t entertain guests.  When Liz is finally able to get the women to hang up, George has already left the bank. 

Cory comes back to say he’s completed his task, but Liz tells him that they’ve met up and he needs to find them and head them off.  

When George and Roscoe pull up to the Cugat home, Roscoe realizes George is Adolph Jensen!  He tells George that he’s about to be reunited with his long-lost wife!  When he opens the door, Liz and Katie both pretend George is Adolph.  Roscoe asks about Adolph’s six (or seven, according to Katie) children. 

George insists that he’s George Cugat, not Adolph Jensen. Saved by the (door) bell!  It is Cory, answering the door Liz the maid has a moment to whisper in his ear to play along.

LIZ: “Why, Adolph!  Don’t you recognize him?  Your eldest son!” GEORGE: “Cory!  Say something!” CORY: “Daddy!” 

Later, George and Liz are relieved that everything ended well. George reports that Roscoe bought a lot of bonds from him. Liz reasons that then he can afford to buy her a new fur coat.  He suddenly fiens amnesia. She does too!

LIZ: “I’m not Liz. I’m Mrs. Jensen. Give me a kiss, Adolph.” 

End of Episode