#v: but a wolf in sheep's clothing is more than a warning

[needlxd]

@wildkaart: ( from N! ) "I'm here for you. No matter where or when, I'll always be here for you."

🐝  *  ―  𝑬𝑴𝑷𝑨𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑻𝑰𝑪 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺.

optical screen flickers― eyes previously squeezed shut now flickers into something softer, a little less tense, as her gaze shifts toward n. a smile, too, graces her features, however strained it may be. k is still rather upset, but it's hard not to feel comforted in the company of perhaps the only one to ever offer that sort of comfort. j and v certainly aren't the types for it, even if she does regard both of them highly and cherish them just as much.

...well, in the case of j, she did. but now j is a mangled mess, courtesy of uzi's railgun. even if k has come around to the idea of finding out more about themselves, it's hard not to be upset at the apparent loss of what she'd go as far as to call family.

but she does reach over to give n's hand an appreciative squeeze, before she goes on to sign― ah, maybe they can find a way to repair her voice program, if they're going to explore around here?

« you always have been, » she reassures with the gestures of her hands, and even a lean of her head against their shoulder. « and i'm always here for you, too. just because we fought back there doesn't mean that's changed. otherwise, i wouldn't be here now, ready to help you and your new friend. »

it's then that her expression becomes something a little bit more solemn again, muted sigh falling past her lips. « i just wish j could have been here too. v, too― but at least she's alright. just... chained up. » k doesn't think that will last long, though. but maybe v will have the decency not to try and kill the trio again if and when she does free herself.

« ...are we really going to get out of here, though? off of this planet? where would we even go...? »

[hclluvahctel-a]

Vox tags

[inlovewithquestionablecharacters]

Hi,

could you please write a one-shot, which takes place in the hannibal universe, where the fem!reader has been placed on witness protection under Hannibal‘s care by the FBI. She soon finds out that he is the actual killer they‘ve been searching for, but reacts different than expected…(with nsfw in the end?)

Have nice day/good night

Hannibal X reader: A wolf in sheep's clothing

Warning: smut, body parts, dead people, references to canibalisim oral (m receiving), fingering, penetration ( p in v), mean Hannibal, domish Hannibal, no use of y/n, not proofread.

Word count: 1,6 K

It had been a harmless act. You never expected the consequences it would cause. You stood before it, eyes wide as you realized what you were looking at. Hannibal had given you one rule. Never go into the basement.

If only you had listened to him.

Three months ago you were placed under his care. The Chesapeake Ripper had killed a lot of people close to you and the FBI thought you could be his next victim. So instead of waiting for you to become one of the corpses they would have to examine they decided to place you under eye witness protection. You'd been placed in Hannibal's care, moving into his guest bedroom until the killer was caught. That is if the FBI ever managed to catch him. Each day you grew less convinced you'd ever get your freedom back. This killer was meticulous and to make matters worse Will was almost reaching his breaking point. 

In the beginning you were a bit weary of Hannibal. He seemed far more proper than anyone you'd ever met. You'd join him in the kitchen as he cooked, watching him in silence. The last thing you wanted was to be a bother. It was obvious to Hannibal you were growing interested in him the longer you stayed at his house. One night he finally managed to pull you out of your shell. He assured you that you didn't need to feel like you were stepping on eggshells around him. After a while you became comfortable around him, often finding yourself drawn to his presence. 

The only thing Hannibal had prohibited you from doing was going into the basement. He'd warned you that it was an old house and he didn't want you getting hurt under his care. You'd obeyed his wishes but it was rather difficult to keep your curiosity at bay. So when Hannibal told you he'd been called over to the FBI for an emergency you took your shot. 

You really should have just let it be.

You moved closer to the table, trying to see if your eyes were deceiving you. You took a sharp intake of breath as you realized you had been right. You were staring at a severed leg. A human one. You suddenly felt very faint. You had to get out of here before Hannibal got back. You turned around, immediately realizing it was too late. Hannibal stood before the stares, an eerie light illuminating only half of his face. He stayed quiet simply staring at you.

"Hannibal i-”

“It’s a shame. I really was starting to like you.”

Hannibal moved forward, causing you to take a step back. You bumped into the table. Something fell to the floor with a crash but you didn’t move your eyes off of Hannibal.

“Perhaps I'll eat your heart.”

It should have startled you. The way Hannibal spoke about you like a piece of meat. But it didn’t. A sudden rush went through your body as he stalked over to you, his hand moving to grab onto your chin.

“If you were going to kill me you’d done it already.”

You were surprised you've managed to get the phrase out without stuttering. It seemed so was Hannibal. His grip on your chin slackened a bit. He could smell something seeping from you. He had expected it to be sweat, a cause of your fearful state but it wasn’t what it smelled like. You smelled aroused. Well weren’t you just full of surprises?

“You do realize I killed them.”

“Yes. I know.”

“And you still find yourself getting wet at the mere thought of me.”

You let out a pathetic sound, body sagging more into Hannibals. 

“You let me live. Why?”

“You never did anything to deserve my blade. The same can’t be said for your friends.”

“I broke your rule. I came down here.”

Hannibal hummed, his thumb moving against your cheek. Your pupils had become more dilated as the two of you spoke. Hannibal caught onto it. 

“Not enough to kill you for it.”

“Can’t let me go either.”

“Right again. Don’t know if you’ll blab.”

“I won’t.”

Hannibal considered it for a moment. Something told him you were telling the truth. He knew he shouldn’t risk it. He should just kill you and get it over with. But the way you were looking up at him was making the blood rush down from his brain into well… other regions. He leaned his head down a bit, waiting to see what you’d do. You stared up at him, inching your face closer. He could feel your breath on his lips but he refused to be the one to break. Luckily you had no problem seeming like the weak one. You pushed your lips against Hannibal. Your brain screamed at you to stop but your body wanted to keep going. 

So you did. 

Hannibal released your chin, taking a step back. You let go of the table behind you, moving away from it. Hannibal watched you sink to your knees, his eyes gazing at you as your hands moved to grab his thighs. You moved your hand over his dick, caressing it through the fabric of his pants. Hannibal let you have your fun for a bit, watching you slowly release his dick from its confines. It sprang up, almost slapping you in the face due to your proximity. You gazed up at Hannibal through your lashes.

“Are you ready to prove you can keep your mouth shut?”

You nodded at him eagerly, opening your mouth for him. Hannibal placed his hand on the back of your head, guiding you forward. Your mouth wrapped around his dick, the warmth engulfing him. Hannibal forced the grunt that threatened to spill from his throat down. His grip on your head was rough, his pace relentless. He fucked your face at a brutal pace and you let him. Tears sprang from your eyes as Hannibal continued to bully his dick down your throat, one of your hands moving to rest beneath your body. Hannibal watched you hump against your hand, trying to bring yourself  some release. You moaned as your hand moved against your clothed clit, the vibrations causing Hannibal hips to buck forward. You’d barely registered he was cumming until you felt his seed flood into your mouth. He was oddly quiet when he came, his lips moving into a thin line as his brows furrowed. 

You swallowed his cum before moving off his dick. Your jaw hurt from going at it for so long, and your eyes stung from the tears but you felt as content as ever. Hannibal opened his eyes, looking down at your expectant face. You were waiting for a command. Hannibal couldn;t help but smile. He placed his hand under your chin, pulling you up to your feet. Hannibal turned his head to the side, his thumb tugging at your bottom lip. He pulled your face to his, giving you a brief kiss. 

“You did good. You deserve a reward don’t you think?”

You nodded at him enthusiastically. Hannibal's hand moved towards your pants, his fingers toying with your waistband. You whined as he continued to tease you. He enjoyed seeing you squirm against his hand, it reminded him that he was the one in control of this situation. He slipped his fingers into your underwear, gathering up the wetness of your folds before plunging his digits into you.  You gasped, hand moving to grab onto Hannibal's arm. Your nails dug into his skin as he continued to move his hand against you. He was stalling for time of course. As much as he enjoyed seeing you grasping onto his as he brought you pleasure he had other things on his mind. 

You were so close to your orgasm but before you could feel it wash over you Hannibal took his hand away from you. You looked at him in anger, forgetting for a moment you were dealing with a murderer.

“Take your pants off and go over there.”

You did as he commanded, removing your pants before moving to face  one of the walls of the basement. You gasped as Hannibal hand made contact with your back. He trailed a line down your spine until his hand reached your ass. He caressed the flesh for a moment. His body moved closer to yours, heat radiating off it. It was then that you realized he too had stripped himself of his bottoms. 

“Widen your legs.”

You obeyed once again, moving to widen your stance. You placed your hands on the wall, bracing yourself. You felt Hannibal line himself up with your entrance. He entered you with one thrust, the force of it making you press against the wall. Your cheek scraped against the rough wall as Hannibal thrusted into you. You had been so close to cumming it didn’t take long for you to reach your high. Hannibal  continued to fuck into you for a while before his own orgasm washed over him. With a grunt he coated your walls with his seed. As he pulled out you felt some of his cum begin to seep onto your bare thigh. You pushed your head off the wall turning to face Hannibal. He was observing you in silence. 

“Thinking about if you’re going to kill me?”

Hannibal gave you a wolfish smile.

“The moment you sank to your knees I made up my mind.”

He walked over to you his whole body exuding a sort of barely restrained madness.

“You will keep your mouth shut or our deal is off.”

“I promise.”

Hannibal turned to leave the basement but before he got to the stares you called out his name.

“Just promise me something.”

“And what would that be?”

You glanced over at the leg on the table before turning back to Hannibal.

“Don;t feed them to me.”

Hannibal looked at you for a moment before nodding

“As you wish.”

[trashmouth-richie]

If you could make Eddie x Fem!Reader where Eddie makes reader say this, I would be your best friend. Oh, wait, I already am hahahahaha pls write it

xoxoxo @munson-blurbs 💚

*part 2*

eddie x female! reader

W.C 2.3k

Warning: no minors, p in v unprotected sex, oral f receiving—mentioned m receiving, corruption kink if you squint

The itchy pink tufts of your dress are bunched up to your waist, matching pastel heels are hanging on for dear life. The dainty baby’s breath in your corsage was smashed and wilting. The ribbon surrounding the rose was now bowless and hanging on by threads. The once white petals of the delicate rose your boyfriend and his mother had picked out were now brown and tattered, petals falling loosely on the stained floor of the girls bathroom. Hours had been spent on your perfect hairdo, curls falling heavily down your back and pinned on one side, showcasing the slope of your pretty neck and the gentle dangle of your dainty necklace.

“I—mmm—fuck, oh my god…”

“I—mmm—fuck, oh my god…”

Nobody had any idea, no idea about your affair with Eddie Munson. A secret between lovers. Classified information. You were faithful to him, and he was to you. But your poor boyfriend— you couldn’t say the same.

Eddie was everything your boyfriend was not. Rough around the edges but incredibly charming, a gentle lover when you needed and a rough brat tamer when you were being a bitch on purpose. No girl at school was any the wiser of the absolute hog he had behind the black denim. Felt like you were being split in half every single time. Your boyfriend was a safe option; someone to bring home to mom and dad, Christmas at the cabin, or the annual church picnic. To him you were pristine, all holy and white with a satin veil and a promise to him to save your virginity until marriage. He was naive to your vixen ways, truly going to the dark side when you and Eddie had first gotten together. That first night Eddie had called it how he saw it, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Your boyfriend was delighted when he saw his initial carved into a pretty necklace around your neck, white gold and close to your heart, where he intended to stay. It was of sheer mockery that his initials were also ‘E’. And when Eddie had given you the necklace, branding you as his, promising that you would forever be his, he couldn’t help but smirk and roll a chuckle out of his throat when he overheard poor Ethan noticing the necklace in the cafeteria and kissing your cheek in admiration. That night he had parked his van outside of Ethan’s perfectly poised and polished house, stuffed up next to the Harrington’s, and ate your pussy for hours in the back, making you come again and again until you were red, raw and achy, voice hoarse from yelling out his name as you only wore the necklace.

For Eddie, this situation started off by simply enjoying making the preacher's daughter squirm under his tongue in the church parking lot. Reveling in the fact that you had fallen from grace—for him. The town satanist. And he had to admit, the fact that you had a boyfriend who didn’t know you the way he did, made this all the better. It was innocent at first, a friendly gesture by you helping Eddie to study for Ms. O’Donnell’s class. A literal charity case helping the poor Munson boy pass. Whether that was to ensure he would never taint the halls of Hawkins High again, or to be a “good Christian” he didn’t care, he wanted to corrupt you, wanted to make your pretty little mouth murmur around his cock as you kneeled before him. But now it was much more than that.

You had changed, you weren’t the pretty little church girl anymore, you were his. Your parents had no idea that you sat on his guitar amps on Tuesday nights at the Hideout, grinding your pussy with the vibrations, getting yourself off watching him sing and play his guitar. Or that you had gotten higher than a kite with Eddie in his trailer after church every Sunday as your father kissed babies and shook farmers hands praying for rain this Spring and your mother served cake and coffee in the church hall. He just had to play along until graduation— when you would finally tell your parents to get bent and break up with the human purity ring.

Tonight wasn’t any different. Except it was the senior prom. Pressed cheek to cheek for Polaroids and the special ‘kodak moment’ with Ethan you ran the conversation you had with Eddie in your head a million times. “Do you want me to go?” He had you pinned down on his mattress, chest flush with the hideous patterned sheets, hands in cuffs straight ahead of you threaded in the rails of the headboard, ass angled upward as he pounded into your soft weeping pussy, “if you want me there baby, I’ll go, I’ll rent a fucking tux and be the suavest mother fucker there.”

You had already declined his offer, knowing you had already matched your dress with Ethan’s bow tie. “Eddie,” you protested and moaned as his dick curved into your g spot, “I’m going with E-,” he fucks into you harder, spreading his hatred through his entire body for when you spilled that disgusting name while he was inside you, “—him. I c-can’t. I want you to go— I’d rather have you come.. oh fuck.. I’m gonna come—” he wiggled his fingers beneath you and rubbed at your clit as he thrusted his dick into you, slamming hard against you as you unraveled at the seams for him.

It wasn’t until you were laying naked in his arms after he made you come a 4th time that night that he spoke of it again, “can I show up to the Grand March—watch you try not to tumble in some ridiculous heels in front of the whole town?” You had agreed to that. You wanted Eddie there, you wanted him to take you to your stupid prom, and be done with the bullshit. Wanted to be done with Ethan. But you were stunned when you didn’t see him anywhere. Not in the crowd, not holding up a door frame with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, he was nowhere.

So you did what any other normal senior girl did at a prom, you danced, drank cheap punch, did the goddamn limbo. But when it was time to announce the King and Queen of 1986 Prom Extravaganza, a hand over your mouth and a slight drag of your hips pulled you off the dance floor and into the girls bathroom. Of course it was Eddie. He was wearing an expensive looking black velvet suit jacket and black slacks, a deep red button up shirt underneath, two silver chains adorned his neck, one with the smallest of your initials engraved on the side, and his signature black boots and rings. “Eddie? I thought you were only coming to Grand March— I looked but couldn’t find you.” His eyes rake over your body taking you in, the swell of your chest prominent in the sweetheart neckline of your pastel bubblegum dress, cinching at the waist and poofing out indefinitely like you were a true Disney Princess.

He was right, he was the suavest looking mother fucker at the prom, his long hair was freshly washed, curls still slightly damp and bouncing around his face. “You really think I’d miss seeing my girl all fancy and gussied up just so her boyfriend can masturbate and cry to the thought of what her boobs looks like?” he tuts, running a ringed hand along your chin, fingers dancing along your neck and the necklace he gave you. “That idiot wouldn’t know the first thing about how to make you come, how to make you feel good, I bet he doesn’t even know that you wear turtlenecks only because your neck is so hickied up by me that you look like your neck is broken.” His eyes are blown wide with rage and lust as he lowers his head, fringe of his bangs tickling your nose as he dives into your neck, lips plump beneath your ear, “his pure little saint and my devilish vixen, are the same girl and he has no fuck-ing clue.”

He lifts you up and hauls you into the nearest stall, kissing you deeply as you clung onto his neck. In seconds you are consumed by him, his mouth devouring every inch of your skin. Brushing your lips with his as he works on the many layers of your dress, hiking them up to find your pretty panties. He rips them off and gives them a good sniff before stuffing them into his jacket pocket. He kneels before you and spits harshly into your pussy, rubbing the saliva around with the pad of his thumb, circling your clit as your hands are buried in his hair, head thrown against the painted blue metal of the bathroom stall. He stands quickly and unzips his pants pooling them down around his feet. He hikes one of your legs around to sit on the toilet paper holder as he slots his cock between your folds, rubbing your slick and his spit against his girthy length.

And now for your Hawkins High 1986 Prom King!

The wavering sounds of the asshole behind the microphone crane into the stall of the bathrooms. Eddie shoves his fat cock up into your tight dripping hole, not giving you time to adjust as his mouth falls slack and his eyes roll back into his skull like billiard balls rolling into the correct pocket. “Fuck, swear this pussy gets tighter and tighter each time, Jesus Christ sweetheart.” Your fingers grip into the velvet of his suit as he pushes all the way into you, steadily moving his hips and grazing over that spongey spot, perfect ruddy tip of his cock poking and prodding as it feels like your guts will explode.

You whimper as he stretches your walls, the pressure of his cock filling you up making you cry out as he pumps relentlessly into you. “Mmm, fuck, I— oh my god.”

“What did you say baby?” Eddie smirks as his head is buried into your neck, sucking a wine colored bruise into your skin. He loves the way he can fuck you senseless, breaking you down to mush as you scream his name. Think your stupid boyfriend could do that? Try again.

“S—so good Eddie.” You’re already a blubbering mess, mascara spilling from your lashes as tears trickle down your face, the bliss of Eddie’s hips rocking into you sends you spiraling. Your belly- coiling and hot, ready to come undone.

“Fuck baby, you’re so fucking perfect,” Eddie is the one whining now has his hips start to stutter, bangs stuck to his forehead as he licks his lips, “my perfect girl, secret vixen all for me.” He pumps harder now, hand pressing against your neck, the bottom of the ‘E’ from your necklace poking out beneath the heel of his hand. “Tell me you’re mine baby, fuck— tell me, tell me you’ll end it with him.”

“I— ”

For you it should have been a no brainer. He let it slip one night when your parents went out of town for the weekend. You told Ethan you had gone with them, relishing in two whole nights with Eddie all to yourself in the comfort of your own home. You were riding him in the living room, skin slick with sweat, both of you stark naked as you looked deep into his dark chocolate eyes. You rolled your hips around him, foreheads pressed together as you moaned into eachothers mouths. “Fuck, I love you,” Eddie breathed as you had both finished, shuttering around eachother as you fell forward into his chest. Pulling back and staring at him quizzically he continued,

“I mean it, you’re it for me babe.” You hadn’t said it back yet, still gathering your feelings for him, trying to decide what you were going to do.

Your fingernails dig at his chest, legs now wrapped around his lower back as he leans you against the wall. The heat of Eddie’s breath against your ear is what makes your orgasm snap. He rubs and slaps at your clit as you come.

Ladies and gentleman, it’s time to name the Hawkins High 1986 Prom Queen!

Your first and last name is blasted through the speakers of the gymnasium, filling up the echoing halls as you come hard on Eddie’s dick, “it’s over! mmm fuck— Eddie! Fuck— I’ll end it!” Eddie’s high hits him as your words flutter through his mind, ropes of hot cum spill into you and down your legs as relief washes over him. Your name is said again over the speakers.

Eddie lowers you to the ground, and zips up his slacks. He kisses you deeply before you break away, “I love you.” You confess to him, holding his face in your hands. He smiles shyly, wrapping you into his arms as he kisses your head, squeezing you tight.

“Come on,” he says, pulling you by the hand to the gymnasium smiling wildly, “go get your crown, and then we can leave.”

Eddie watches as the twinkling tiara is placed on your freshly fucked hair. The emcee announces you and captain douche Ethan as the 1986 King & Queen of Hawkins High. A dance is supposed to commence between the two royalties but you bail as you kick off your heels and run into Eddie’s arms. Both of you displaying middle fingers as a parting “fuck you”, he carries you out of the side door of the gym to his van. You spend the rest of the night wearing your crown as Eddie teases your clit with his tongue, reveling in the pretty noises rolling of your lips, his Queen.

[waynes-multiverse]

Mercilessly

Pairing: Demon!Dean Winchester x Female!Reader

Summary: Once upon a time, there was a heroic, green-eyed hunter, but now, not much of him and his emerald eyes are left after he made a grave mistake and broke the wrong girl’s heart, leaving her empty behind. Y/N, however, is dressed for revenge and ready to take back what once belonged to her...

Warnings: +18!, language, smut (fingering, p in v, dirty talk & slight degrading), canon-level violence, a lot of evil scheming & some dark fluff

Word Count: 4.5k

A/N: First time I’m daring to write Demon!Dean. This has been on my writer’s wish list for goddamn ages. Written for my wonderful bestie’s @avanatural‘s 1,000 followers celebration & antagonist challenge. 😈 You and your stories completely amaze me, so here’s to 1,000 more! Collect ‘em like Pokemon, babe! The crown truly belongs to you! 🥳🥂🖤 My prompts were Billie Eilish’s You Should See Me In A Crown 👑 and a quote, which you’ll find in bold. I also based parts of it on The Bravery’s Hatefuck 🔥 because it certainly is a fitting song for Demon!Dean. Enjoy, my loves!

Feedback is highly appreciated! Get me drunk on it and fill my writer’s juice 🤓🥃

Main Masterlist | Dean Winchster Masterlist

High noon. The bar was virtually deserted, tranquil, and almost peaceful, cradling every new arrival in a false sense of security if they weren’t smart enough and came equipped with a sixth sense for peril. After all, some dangers lurked in bright daylight and weren’t as easily identified by the naked eye.

Luckily, Y/N was smarter than most and knew exactly what kind of threat was waiting for her there as her black heels on fiery red soles stormed through the doors of the rundown tavern. The remaining guests of the establishment consisted of drunkard patrons lingering around dirty tables and halfway falling asleep in front of their glasses. Her determined and vibrant eyes, however, immediately landed on a tuft of sandy-blond and disheveled locks.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing. A beautiful, flesh-eating flower. A blazing hot mess. Dean fucking Winchester.

Y/N was a big girl, though. She knew better than to get lost in something shiny, the glitter and glamour, the cheap thrill. Fuck diamonds. They were just a marketing scheme, and she already fell for good packaging once in her life and got severely burned like a child touching the hot plate of a stove. And while the cold emptiness in her chest prevented her from feeling anything, not even a tingle, her heart still pounded a few beats faster once her eyes caught sight of the main prize.

Her mind flooded with memories, vivid images of a life she once possessed. The endless movie nights, the laughs and talks, the tears and touches, the love that was lost. Lost because of him and his selfishness. And while none of it mattered anymore, she swore a long time ago, she wouldn’t let him get away with it. No, he still had to pay for what he did, suffer the same fate she had. She was deadly set on making her vision a reality. 

So, you could say Y/N came prepared, came with a plan. After all, the perfect revenge wasn’t something you could whip up in an hour and implement haphazardly. It took years – years of executing moves, forming questionable relationships, and conducting the most boring research in dusty libraries and tombs. Y/N was absolutely playing the long game, a strategy that’d certainly make every grand master of chess blush.

Of course, the asshole of all assholes didn’t even reward her with a meek glance over his broad shoulder, the bang of a door apparently not thrilling enough for him to spin around. The clicking of high heels on sticky floorboards as she stalked closer to the bar counter, however, seemed to do the trick, her target intrigued enough to finally face her.

The promise of a willing woman, of his next potential prey, naturally forced a predatory smirk onto his plush and sinful lips. A smile, which dropped quite abruptly once her former lover realized who truly stood before his acid green eyes. Oh, she was definitely not the corruptible angel he’d hoped for in his wettest dreams. And while he might be anything but human these days, the shock was big enough to let the black-eyed mask slip, and for a moment, she was reminded of the person he used to be. The good, kind, and selfless hero, full of shame, guilt, and regrets.

God, she hated that fucking guy.

“Remember me, Winchester?” A smirk played across her lips when his instinctive first answer was a light swallow, still subtle enough to pretend he didn’t care. The longer he stared at her, the more it became a scathing glare until the shock had subsided enough, and his defined jaw began to clench under the rough layer of scruff.

“Y/N.” Her name rolled off his wicked lips and nearly caused her to sink to her knees in front of him. It had been too long since he’d last said it, and she almost forgot the sound of it, the deep, shuddering timbre of his voice. The strength it took for him to utter her name in the first place was hidden behind a stoic exterior, however. He’d never thought he’d say it again, either, and it showed. “What the hell are you fucking doing here?”

Her head tilted like a lost puppy’s, brow puckering as her gaze innocently drifted to Crowley next to him, who’d been suspiciously quiet this whole time. “Aw, you didn’t tell him?”

Y/N wasn’t in the least bit surprised that A, the demon tried to cross her, and B, tried to make a run for it with his new bestie. It was what demons, especially Crowley, did best, after all. They couldn’t be trusted. And although she warned the scumbag several times, she naturally expected her peasant’s next move. No one beat the queen of chess.

“Tell me what?” Dean gritted through his pearly white teeth, his glare quickly swerving to his new partner in crime, who swallowed the enormous and craven lump in his throat.

“Crowley, Crowley, Crowley…,” Y/N tsked and casually crossed her arms. “You know, I’ve waited.” She took a step closer to the demon king, the flames in her eyes speaking volumes. “I bid my time. I paid my dues. Don’t you think I deserve credit?”

“Of course, of course,” Crowley scrambled for words, the coward in him ducking so much that even a woman of her small stature practically towered over him. “I couldn’t have done it without your extraordinary genius, my dear.”

“What the fuck is she talking about?” Dean’s patience had dried up like a raisin as he demanded an answer, swiftly pulling out the First Blade. He forcefully slammed it into the wooden countertop of the bar, piercing straight through Crowley’s palm and pinning the demon in place before the slippery bastard could pull a Houdini act on him again.  

“Ow! Bloody–!” Crowley hissed in pain and anger at the former hunter, who, in return, smirked quite complacently at the achievement.

“Tell him,” Y/N prompted with an unsympathetic look toward the demon in agony. “Tell him who found Cain in the first place and came up with the idea. Tell him who told you what the mark would do to him. Tell him you truly did nothing because you’re worth nothing. Tell him who made him into what he is. Tell him who cursed him.”

“You did,” Crowley croaked out while his hand soaked the countertop and painted it crimson red. “And may I add, your Majesty looks incredibly pretty today.”

With a scoff, Y/N rolled her eyes at the demon’s obvious attempt of flattery before she snapped her fingers and painfully forced his meat suit to his knees, his palm still nailed to the bar top as he let out a loud scream. She smirked when she noted Dean’s look of surprise at her little trick show. She certainly had leveled up since the last time he’d seen her. It scratched the little tingle in her belly.

“Yeah? If you think I’m pretty, you should see me in a crown. Don’t make me come for your job, too. Let’s face it, Crowley – you’d make a better servant than a king. Cross me again, and I’ll end you, demon scum,” she threatened, her jaw tightening and nostrils flaring. “Did you pathetic weasel really think I wouldn’t find you, slurping chick drinks in some dive bar no less? Do I really need to wear a warning sign next time I make a deal with you? You were supposed to deliver him on a silver platter for me. Did you really think I wouldn’t hunt you down?”

When the reigning king submissively ducked his head and swallowed like a beaten dog, her lips curled into a satisfied smirk. Cheerily, she leaned over the hunter’s lap and the mahogany counter, her hands going through several liquor bottles till she found one to her liking. She purposely stuck her butt out, wiggling and swaying it in front of the former hunter, still remembering a few preferences from the good ol’ days. It didn’t take long before she felt Dean’s long, thick fingers crawl down her spine and smooth over the leather-clad globes of her ass.

“Wanna take this somewhere more quiet, princess?”

Y/N gleefully hugged the chosen bottle of bourbon and pressed the cool, amber glass to her tits, nodding quite eagerly before placing a contrastingly soft kiss on his cheek. “One step ahead of you, my love. It’s time to celebrate!”

As Dean closed the door behind them, he watched as Y/N stalked through the motel room he’d called his home for the past months, curious Y/E/C eyes observing the remnants of his meaningless existence. It had been two years since he’d last seen her, since he kicked her out of the bunker and broke his own useless heart with it. She still looked the same. Stunning and breathtaking like the day he’d met her and bitter, cold, and angry like the day he’d lost her.

“You might’ve acquired those pretty new eyes, but your preferences are still the same, Winchester,” she teased, spinning to him with a grin that reached her ears. “Still picking the shady dive bars and gross motels over the five-star hotels. What’s wrong with a little luxury and a comfortable mattress, huh?”

Dean only rolled his juniper eyes, not in the mood for chit-chat or amusing banter, and prompted, “Why did you do this? Apparently, I owe those pretty new eyes to you.”

“Oh, c’mon, don’t play dumb,” Y/N huffed, annoyed with his act of innocence. “You know why I’m here. Contrary to popular belief, you’ve never been stupid, Dean.” A smirk spread across her face and lit up her dimples as she swayed closer. Her index finger hooked into the waistband of his jeans, pulling him flush against her small body, pointed teeth denting her bottom lip. “You’ve never been-,” her hungry gaze wandered down, palming the growing erection behind the denim, “-disappointing, either. At least not in that regard. You know, I fell for these eyes once before, and they’re even prettier now...”

Her teeth sunk into his pulse point as she left her first mark there, the tip of her tongue licking the salt from his skin. His hands didn’t deny themselves the pleasure of roaming her frame, her perfect curves, and her taut skin either, before one hand found rest on her exquisitely rounded ass, her cheek a perfect fit for his large palm as he cupped and groped it, pushing her against his bulging crotch that achingly pressed against the tight fabric of his jeans and begged for release and a warm, wet hole to fill.

While he hadn’t come to a clear decision about her yet, he knew he could postpone any thinking for later. After all, he did whatever the fuck he wanted, no consequences, and right now, he wanted to shove his cock inside her tight cunt and fuck her like there was no tomorrow. Albeit feelings and past attachments didn’t really play a role for him, he still remembered enough of their time together to know she’d always been a good fuck and certainly the best time. The things she’d do for him, say for him, and let him do, had always been wicked, way before his heart was corrupted, and Dean was all about celebrating the good times these days.

Craving the feeling of a blissful high, his mind flooded with images of the bruises and bites he’d left behind on her skin in the past and filled with thoughts of how much he’d missed her taste and smell. He certainly wouldn’t turn down her irresistible offer. So, throwing his resolve out the window, his mouth roughly claimed hers, tongue slipping inside, teeth biting flesh until it drew sweet, scarlet nectar.

His wet lips trailed along her jawline and down to her delicate neck as she became soft and bendable in his hold. “How did you do that to Crowley?” His question reverberated against her throat before he drew and lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “Last time I checked, you were soulless, not magic, princess.”

He at least had to ensure she couldn’t butcher him before he had a chance to do the same. It didn’t help, though, that their little stand-off was part of the turn-on. Who’d snap first? After all, they’d both been hunters once and knew the game all too well.

Amused, his former lover chuckled with a devilish twinkle in her gorgeous eyes that lit up her entire face. “God, don’t you just love it when they scream? It’s the best sound after cutting someone’s tongue out.”

Dean’s hands then wrapped around her throat, pushing her back into the next wall as he pinned her there and fixed her with a deathly glare, feeling her swallow harshly in his grip. He squeezed a little harder, his jaw tightening with his hold on her. A smirk played across his lips, practically smelling her arousal trickle into her panties.

Dean then pulled the blade from his back and thrust it into the papered wall dangerously close to her head, even drawing a little blood from the tip of her ear. He knew she was smart enough to understand it as a warning. Collecting a scarlet drop on his thumb, he licked his pad and relished in the metallic taste on his tongue.

“You better start answering some questions before I do what I shoulda done a long time ago, sweetheart,” he growled, his nose running along hers as she inhaled his scent like life-supplying oxygen.

But Y/N only smiled mysteriously, puckishly shrugging her shoulders. “Things change. Learned a thing or two after you exiled me. Made some friends in high places.”

“So, what? You did all this for revenge? Little pathetic, don’t you think? All over a good lay…,” he taunted her and scoffed.

Her greedy hands clasped his cheeks, sharp nails piercing his skin as she dragged him back to her addicting lips. “No, baby, I did all this for you, for me, for us. Don’t you see? After everything that happened, after what you’ve done to me… you can finally make it right. I know that’s what you wanted the most, even now with that little curse on your arm. And now, we’re the same without all those icky feelings getting in our way. We can just fuck and make the world ours. One by one.”

“There’s no more us, sweetheart,” Dean bit, flashing her a set of onyx orbs.

“Cute. There’s always an us,” she replied like his answer didn’t even matter to her, leaving no room for further discussions. “Do you still feel guilty about it, hm? You were so, so selfish. At least now, you’re honest about it and not hiding behind feigned heroics anymore.”

“Old me felt guilty, yeah,” he admitted and let out a dark chuckle. “But that’s kinda one of the perks of the new me. Now, I just think those people we used to be were pathetic and weak... I was weak. I sent you away when I shoulda just fucking killed you.”

“Or maybe you should’ve just let me die the way I was supposed to in the first place,” Y/N gritted bitterly. “Maybe you shouldn’t have been so fucking self-serving and let me go. But you couldn’t do that, could you? You had to save me because that was what the great hero Dean Winchester did, right? But the other thing you did so well was fucking things up, and boy, did you fuck this up, didn’t you?” she mocked and smirked when his look darkened and his upper lip twitched in shameful admittance, teeth grinding down. “Do you like my plan so far? You know, not having a soul is almost like already being dead. No dreams, no future... There’s nothing alive inside of me. Might as well sleep in a damn coffin. And because you showed me no mercy, I made sure I showed you none either, my sweet baby boy.”

It was true. It was all his fault she had lost goddamn everything. Her love, her family, her home. As weak as he was, Dean couldn’t let her go when she got hurt during a run-of-the-mill hunt. He brought her back to life, a spell that chipped away her soul till there was nothing left of it. And still, as foolishly smitten and in love as he was, he thought he could goddamn fix it, fix her, fix them. But there was nothing left for him to love and nothing that was capable of loving him back. Yet, he still didn’t have the guts to kill her in the bitter end.

“Want me to correct my past mistake, huh? Is that why you’re fucking here? ‘Cause I’d be happy to do just that,” he growled warningly into her ear as he leaned closer, hearing how her heart rate accelerated as his hot breath fanned against her delicate neck.

“You might be a demon, but I know you still don’t have the fucking heart to kill me,” she giggled in amusement and placed her palm on his chest where the miserable muscle pounded underneath. “Who’s pathetic now, huh?”

“Don’t fucking test me, Y/N. It won’t end well for you, honey,” he threatened, far from admitting that she’d seen right through him and called his bluff. “But then, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve always been a slut for me.”

While Y/N’s little plan, apparently forged in hellfire itself, certainly made them more alike, the difference between them was that he still had a soul. His was just blackened, clouded by darkness, and disfigured over time by an abundance of pain and anger and, well, one little curse. Hers, on the other hand, wasn’t there at all. She was just an empty vessel, no feelings and emotions inside.

Old him couldn’t trust her; new him didn’t care, though. The new and improved version of him even recognized her worth. Y/N had always been cunningly smart, certainly smarter than him and even smarter than Sam. Dean could recall memories of vivid discussions with Bobby, the two of them rattling off weird trivia facts almost to a competitive degree.

Dean needed her. He could use her to his advantage. She was valuable.

Plus, Crowley had started to become annoying fairly quickly. The only reason the former hunter hadn’t stabbed the demon’s meat suit yet was that Dean really didn’t want to take over the duties of kingship. He could care less about Hell. All he wanted was to fuck around, drink excessively, and do a little karaoke.

Y/N, on the other hand, would make a good queen. Smart, driven, just. She’d make fair decisions and reign with an iron fist and a fucking brain. In fact, Dean thought she’d make an excellent ruler of Hell even. She was right from the start: This was what he’d wanted since the day she left him – a way to have her back in his life, didn’t matter if the plan was perfect, good, or straight-up evil. Being a demon, freed from all the chains of humanity, was the best fucking thing that ever happened to him – and he owed it all to her.

“Yeah?” She provokingly nudged his nose as her hand slid under his waistband and inside his boxer briefs, her palm rubbing along his throbbingly hard dick, causing him to growl lowly. “Show me, baby. Show me what a bad guy you can be,” she purred and tore into his plump bottom lip before letting it pop back in its place. “Show me how much you used to love me, how much I meant to you. Show me by fucking me like you hate me now... I wanna be your favorite toy again. Play with me, baby. Love me mercilessly.”

Effortlessly, he twirled her in his hold, pressing her tits against the wall. With one motion, he roughly pried the tight leather leggings over her asscheeks, his hand slipping to her front and cupping her bare and leaking pussy, her arousal trickling onto his finger pads.

“So fucking wet, hm? Did my slut miss me this badly, huh? You missed this cock, baby girl?” he breathed against the nape of her neck and inhaled her intoxicating scent once more before his teeth tore into her smooth flesh, making her cry out. His dick twitched in delight when her moans filled his ears as his digits rubbed at her clit and set the sensitive nerve endings on fire, her nails clawing away at the grimy motel room wall.

One hand then gripped her upper arm tightly and pinned her writhing body in place, his broad chest pressing against her back as his mouth marked her shoulders and spine.

“Cum once now, and I’ll fuck you into the next life, my little plaything,” he husked challengingly into her ear, and just as he thrust his first thick digit inside her waiting, hot center, she came undone and trembled in his hold.

That was one.

Kissing the salty drops from the slope of her neck, his chuckles vibrated against her heated skin. “Still a good girl after all this time. Impressive. You were almost fucking polite. Some things really don’t change, huh?”

Breathlessly, Y/N spun around to face him, the swell of her breasts that spilled out of the revealing top heaving with each erratic intake of air. She grinned crookedly up at him and locked her fingers behind his neck. “Well, haven’t you heard? All the good girls go to Hell. And I believe you promised me something,” she sang like the prettiest, most innocent damsel.

“Don’t be a brat, baby girl. Impatience is a vice,” Dean reminded her, eyes as dark as midnight while his thumb traced her kiss-swollen lips before stuffing his wet fingers into her mouth. Hungrily, he watched her suck them clean as she tasted the mess she’d made, the tip of her tongue provoking his pads and desiring something with more girth.

“Thought we were all about those vices now, my love,” she giggled darkly and kissed his open palm on her cheek before chasing his lips in a drunk delirium, clashing with pointed teeth and tongue.

His hand traveled to the back to cup her head, fingers weaving into her hair and tugging a fistful. Her knees were becoming wobbly, bending and giving in slightly, pulled down by his gravity on her planet, an instant reflex that only came from years of orbiting around each other.

“I want you so badly, De,” she breathed needily against his lips and caressed his cheek with a gentle touch, almost treating him as breakable, whispering, “I might not be able to love you anymore, but I still remember what it felt like, you know? It was so… pure.”

A smile graced his lips, one corner of his mouth rising higher than the other. “Yeah, I know what you mean, sweetheart.”

“You don’t have to worry anymore, baby. I’ll take care of you again. I’ll turn us into something great, amazing even,” Y/N vowed pantingly, the excitement sparkling in her eyes before she desperately claimed his pillowy lips like an addict chasing their next high.

Swiftly, the zipper of his jeans opened, the denim and cotton boxers pooling around his ankles before he gripped his rock-hard cock. Y/N rid herself of her leggings, her hand wrapping around the grip of the First Blade, still firmly stuck in the blood-stained wall. His hand quickly curled around hers on the weapon, a distrustful look glazing his dark green eyes.

“Trust me, okay? I’m not here to cramp your style, baby,” she assured him, a smile playing across her pink lips, and something in her vicious eyes told him that he could confide in her.

Dropping his hand from the blade, he smoothed his palms down her curves and gripped her hips tightly instead as she hoisted herself up on the blade and wrapped her legs around his waist, ankles crossing behind his back. His lips crashed against hers in a scorching kiss, teeth tearing and biting before he lined himself up with her entrance and violently thrust inside her dripping pussy to the hilt. She gasped a loud moan that surely could be heard all through the motel as he bottomed out completely, his dickhead slamming harshly against her cervix. He groaned and closed his eyes for a heartbeat as her warmth enveloped his entire cock. She’d always been the perfect fit for him.

“Missed this, huh?” Y/N teased him, grinning smugly, and watched his brow form furious creases.

“Shut the fuck up,” he grunted and pulled out enough to slam back into her with full force, one hand finding its way back to her throat.

“Oooh, bossy. I like the new you. So raw,” she smirked and gasped anew when he hammered into her again. “F-fuck, baby... That’s it.”

This time, it seemed to do the trick as Y/N’s voice stumped, and she fell silent, her head thumping back against the wall in pleasure as his hips snapped against hers, pounding into her at a furious and relentless speed, the motel room wall shaking with her body.

“You know, by the end of the night, I’ll make sure my cum’s leaking out of every pretty little hole of yours, baby girl. How would you like that, huh?”

With one deafening scream at his next hard and deep thrust, Y/N sinfully smirked at him and nodded eagerly. “Oh, I’d fucking love that, baby.”

Dean tenderly kissed the burning red scratches on her bare back, soothing the bittersweet pain a little as his fingertips traced his marks along her spine. He made good on his promise, fucked her into oblivion without showing her any mercy, so much so that they both lost their sense of time and the meaning of life and love. In the end, it all just trickled down to meaningless, random shit. Pleasure and power were all that truly mattered in this deranged world, after all.

Y/N giggled sweetly as he found another ticklish spot before she turned in his embrace and caught his lips. “So, morning light is here, baby boy. Time to make a choice,” she prompted, smirking broadly. “Wanna team up for a little destruction?”

Dean sent her a smile, brushing a few loose strands of hair out of her face as he gently caressed the rosy apples of her cheeks. Finally, he sealed their deal with a sacrilegious kiss.

“Alright, glad you made the right decision, baby,” Y/N teased, her wicked smile almost splitting her face in half. “You know what we have to do first, though, right?”

“Yeah, we need to kill Sammy, Cas, and Crowley before they ruin our fucking fun,” he replied and kissed a path down to her tits, sucking a hardened nipple into his mouth.

“Ding, ding, ding,” Y/N grinned happily upon his correct answer and wiggled her eyebrows before pushing his head further down between her legs to her abused cunt. “But first, make me scream for mercy again, my love.”

Dear Chuck, you better hide from this toxic af couple 😂 Hope you enjoyed this, babes! There’s another smutty one-shot coming tomorrow for V-Day and then I’m done harassing you 💖😉

Everything Jensen Tags: @extraterrestriali @this-is-me19 @writercole @awkward-and-indecisive @eevvvaa @panicking-outside-the-disco @globetrotter28 @imherefordeanandbones @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior @xlynnbbyx @jassackles @maggiegirl17 @perpetualabsurdity @deans-spinster-witch @deandreamernp @foxyjwls007 @roseblue373​ @lyarr24​ @deanwanddamons​ @deanwithscissors​ @mrsjenniferwinchester​ @justrealizedimmascifygurl​ @akshi8278​ @flamencodiva​ @chriszgirl92​ @lhymer1995 @wittyboldsoul​ @djs8891​ @leigh70​ @snowlovespie​ @b3autyfuldisast3r​ @recoveringpastaaddict @ladysparkles78​ @muhahaha303​ @mimaria420​ @creepzeyecandy​

Dean Tags: @parinarain​ @hobby27​ @fromcaintodean​

[marshmallowprotection]

“Please, don’t make that face, my flower. I’m only trying to protect you.” his hand was incredibly gentle but the look in his eyes was not. Your thundering heart felt like crashing waves as he cradled your face in his hands. There was nowhere to hide from Ray’s unwavering gaze, and you knew that from the moment he stood in the doorway.

You swallowed.

When had it gone wrong?

Was it when you overlooked the glint in his eyes when he spoke of how much he hated the RFA? Was it when you disregarded V’s warnings because he was too much of a fool to explain himself properly? Was it when you ignored everything in your gut because you wanted to help a rabbit locked in a cage that was far too small for him?

Or, was it when you wandered into his cage and he dashed out, only to lock you inside instead?

“It’s dangerous. Please forgive me. It’s too dangerous for you out there,” he whispered. You wanted to trust him more than anything in the world, but the feeling of sticky red against your cheek was undeniable. A rabbit bathed in a puddle of blood was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. “I can’t risk losing you to them. I’m not sure we’d survive.”

You still weren’t sure what he meant by “we”.

Your protests would never reach him. You knew that when he didn’t quiver or waver when you whimpered his name. “Ray...”

“I know,” he rested his forehead against yours. He was cold... what once felt like warmth was chilled to the bone. You loved him, you knew you did, but this wasn’t the gentle boy you held when he cried his eyes out to you only a few days ago.... “You’re frightened. Please, don’t be afraid. I took care of the problem and it won’t ever hurt you again. I promise. Your hands will never be dirty. I’ll do what I must to keep you safe.”

“Ray...”

It was no use.

His blue-tinged eyes almost seemed to glow into yours with intent that made the anchor tied around your heels drag you further into his pool. He wouldn’t listen to you ever again.

“You’re safe in this cage. So, please, wait for me until I can set you free.”

[madam-kumo]

Identity V characters as Music

(I did skip some because I had no idea what to do for them. Also Major spoiler warning)

Masterlist

Survivors

Emily Dyer (doctor)

Nurses Office by Melanie Martinez.

For obvious reasons

Freddy Riley (Lawyer)

The Fine Print by The Stupendium

He mentions in his backstory that he hopes to find a better job than the "menial" job he has with a low wage.

Kreacher Pierson (Thief)

Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson

He literally steals parts from the ciphers.

Emma Woods (Gardener)

Dandelions by Ruth B.

A happy song for a happy character. (Emma is literally so cute, she deserves it)

Servais Le Roy (The magician)

Circus by Brittney Spears

Where do we find magicians? A circus...

Martha Behamfil (Coordinator)

Bang! by AJR

Martha has a gun. That's it.

Fiona Gilman (Priestess)

W.I.T.C.H by Devon Cole

I was gonna go with Dragula by Rob Zombie but that felt too aggressive for Fiona.

Tracy Reznik (Mechanic)

Puppet Boy by Devo

It has the cheerful sound to it like Tracy does but I chose this song because I love her mechanical dolls (they underrated).

Vera Nair (Perfumer)

Francis Forever by Mitski

I feel like this song sums up how Vera felt after murdering her sister.

Kevin Ayuso (Cowboy)

Country Girl by Luke Bryan

I gave him the most southern song I could physically think of.

Margaretha Zelle (Female Dancer)

Liquid Smooth by Mitski

I think this song shows how Margaretha felt and how she saw herself just before coming to the manor.

Sergei (Weeping Clown or Joker)

Cigarette duet by Princess Chelsea

This song is pretty much a nutshell of when Sergei was having problems with Margaretha and was trying to convince her to stay with him.

Aesop Carl (Embalmer)

Coraline Opening Song

If you paid attention to when the other mother is making the doll then you can see when she lays the great aunts doll on what looks like a kit of some kind then you can see that it's an embalming kit. (My favorite movie song for my main)

Norton Campbell

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing by Set It Off

I saw somebody use it in an edit when he attacked Orpheus and Melly so I think this song fits.

Patricia Dorval (Enchantress)

Come Little Children from the Hocus Pocus 1993 film

I always got the vibe that Patricia is very family oriented and tries to avoid social conflict when she can so a peaceful song like this literally being sung by a witch is something Patricia would enjoy. (I love this woman so much)

Mike Morton

Freak by Sub Urban

I couldn't really think of one without repeating so I decided on this one.

Demi Bourbon

Alcoholic Friends by Dresden Dolls

I think this was how she felt after her brother got the invitation to the manor.

Victor Grantz

Message man by Twenty One Pilots

I think this song fits him because I'd imagine he's very observant since he's so quiet so not a lot of people know much about him but he knows a lot about others.

Andrew Kreiss

Tears to Shed from the Corpse Bride film

The movie is about death and the song is about comparing yourself to others. Nothing else fits quite like this one does. (I can't describe how much I adore Andrew)

Luca Balsa ("Prisoner)

Welcome to the Internet- Bo Burnham

I feel like Luca matches the overall chaotic vibes this song has and he would probably explain the internet just like Burnham did (very quickly and kinda passive aggressively)

Melly Plinus (Entomologist)

Entomologist by GHOST

Need I say more

Edgar Valden (Painter)

My Ordinary Life by The Living Tombstones

This song sounds happy like Edgar

Ganji Gupta (Batter)

The Sports Wii theme song

This is what he gets for beating up my poor Geisha during rank

Anne Lester (Toy Merchant)

Pogo- Living Island

A cheerful song because she deserves it (I have a soft spot for Anne mains)

Ada and Emil (Phycologist and the Patient)

Dark Red by Steve Lacy

I love their relationship so much

Orpheus (Novelist)

Satisfied by Marina and The Diamonds.

I don't know, just seems fitting.

Alice Deross (Journalist)

Ramalama (bang, bang) by Róisín Murphy

If you've ever heard this song, you know exactly why I chose this song.

Hunters

Leo Beck ( Hell Ember)

We'll meet again- Vera Lynn

This song is probably something he would listen to on repeat to hope that it will help him reunite with Emma. (I'm gonna cry)

Jack (The Ripper)

Run Rabbit Run by Flanagan and Allen

I have a feeling that he's one of those killers that taunts his victims so this song fits.

Violetta (Soul Weaver)

Spider's Web by Melanie Martinez (my favorite portals song)

She's literally a giant spider. (And I love her for that)

Michiko (Geisha)

Washing Machine Heart by Mitski

Michiko just wanted to marry the man the man she loved but it was ripped away by her lovers father. (I wanna give my main a hug so bad)

Joseph Desaulniers (Photographer)

Paparazzi by Lady Gaga

You saw this coming, don't lie to me

Burke Lapadura (Mad Eyes)

Rainbow Factory by Glaze

He works on machines and stuff. I don't know, I'm running out of ideas.

Yidhra (Dream Witch)

Puppet Boy by Devo

This is the only song I'm repeating because it fits so well.

Robbie (The Axe Boy)

Teenage Dirt Bag by Wheatus

I feel like it matches his energy as a kid with way too much energy and mischief in his little body.

Mary (Bloody Queen)

Where's your Head at? by Basement Jaxx

You could say she lost her head....I'm done.

BonBon (Guard 26)

Blow! By Ke$ha

His ability is that he can make these explosive thingies when he chair someone.

Ann ("Disciple")

Brutus us by the Buttress

This song was the first thing that came to mind when I saw her, obviously.

Antonio Paganini (Violinist)

Sex with a Ghost by Teddy Hyde

I feel like the "woman in the mirror" could be replaced by the devil he made a deal with.

Galatea Claude (Sculptor)

Breezeblocks by Alt-J

This perfectly describes how I think Galatea felt when her statue was destroyed by her father.

Percy (Undead)

Zydrate Anatomy by Alexa PenaVega, Paris Hilton, and Terrance Zdunich

Another song I can't really explain why but it feels right.

Grace (Naiad)

Siren by Kailee Morgue

Perfect for Naiad by the title alone.

Phillipe (Wax Artist)

Hidden in the Sand by Tally Hall

His backstory has always freaked me out a bit since he literally has a corpse covered in wax glued(?) to his shoulder.

Keigan Nicholas Keogh (Clerk)

The Principle by Melanie Martinez

I feel like Clerk would be the kind of person to subconsciously abuse her power like the principle does.

Alva Lorenz (Hermit)

Rat by Penelope Scott

Alva says he will never know the true answers to humanity so I feel like this song fits into that phrase.

Ithaqua (Night Watch)

Below the Surface by Griffinilla

This song was the first thing to come to mind for him so I'm gonna keep it.

Sangria (Opera Singer)

Ballad of Jane Doe from the Ride the Cyclone musical

Jane doe hits some of the highest notes in this song I've ever seen in a musical and I just feel like Sangria would really like this song.

[paradoxicalphoeonix-blog]

December 31

December 31. A night of partying and alcohol-driven activities. The perfect excuse for someone looking to drink away their problems. And that’s exactly what Ava Davenport was looking to do. Despite her petite body, Ava could hold her liquor quite well, hence the reason she had been drinking since 9 am that morning. She didn’t want to get just a little drunk, she wanted to drink to the point where she completely forgot who she was.

After hours of hopping from bar to bar when the bar tender refused to pour her any more drinks, she could finally say that she was drunk. Still not as drunk as she wanted to be, but it was a start. In all honesty, it wasn’t the level of drunkenness she achieved that mattered. It was the level of oblivion. Ava’s mind had always gone a million miles a minute, always analyzing, always making connections. It never stopped seeing things that no one else saw. It was always deep in thought. Ava did not want to think today. It was too painful. Thinking drew up memories from the previous year without any prompting or warning.

It was bad enough on any normal day, but today was the worst. December 31 was HIS birthday. She couldn’t survive a single moment without her brain jumping to thoughts of him and what he had done to her. He had destroyed her, taken everything she valued and left her broken, dependent, ADDICTED to him. Her eyes flicked suspiciously to every perfectly kept head of black hair that crossed her path, as if expecting it to be him. Beyond her ancient pocket-watch, jewelry held no appeal to her and she had stopped writing in notebooks. Even when he was gone, he still haunted her every waking moment.

Throwing back the drink in front of her, Ava blinked slowly, her eyesight getting fuzzy with the alcohol. She sighed. Her mind was still too cohesive even after all this time.

“What are you doing, little bird?” Ava’s eyes flew wide open as she swiveled her head around wildly, looking desperately for the source of the all-too-familiar voice. Out of the corner of her bleary eye, she saw a tall head of black hair seemingly smiling at her. Jumping out of her chair, she sped towards the exit, ignoring the outcries out upset patrons she pushed out of the way in her desperate escape.

Reaching the exit, she hesitated just long enough to hear the door open and close behind her as she tried to determine which direction to go. “Ava…” Panicked, she just started walking quickly, not caring where she was going. She just needed to get away from the voice.

She was running now, weaving between the crowds of people out enjoying a night on the town to ring in the New Year. A “don’t cross” signal stopped her in her tracks. A ghostly hand rested on her shoulder and she froze. “Little bird, why are you running?” There was no point in turning around. No one would be there, that much she knew. Even when he was gone, he still haunted her every waking moment.

[heart-ruled]

{ Makoto and Junko Tags } 

[heart-ruled-moved]

( Junko Tag fix ! )

[nirbokiir-a]

@pagnmin ❤

This country’s weather was generally more agreeable to Marielle than the weather in America had ever been, but sometimes the rain here was just awful. She had intended to leave today, head out and try to infiltrate a Golden Path camp or two, but one look outside when she woke up to confirm that yes, indeed, there was a monsoon sitting on top of them, and her plans changed to Annoy Pagan into doing something other than mope.

So, here she was, wandering the palace until he awoke. Poking at various artifacts, flipping through books, and otherwise wasting time. Until she heard his distinct voice, complaining to someone, and she headed in that direction.

“Oh dear King Min, don’t be so rude. Come on. I have food ready. And coffee, and everything else you like in the morning. The weather is nasty but we can have a nice time inside.” She placed a hand on his forearm for a minute, flashing one of her winning smiles, before stepping down the corridor to a dining room, looking back to make sure he was attempting to follow.

[border-spam]

Does troy really have a split jaw or is that fanon?

It's total fanon!

The design of the split lines across his cheekbones and chin coupled with the cheek clips and v shaped hinge outline next to his ears lead to a lot of people coming to that same outcome, that there is something up with his mouth from a prosthetic/mod standpoint.

So much of his design is never mentioned once or referenced in any way (hightech spinal rig with tattoos under it, neuro connector, mech arm that's much older and doesn't seem related to the spine and neuroport, implants on bicep, face mod etc) that like Tyreen's scars and possible lower body Siren markings, fandom took over when it came to coming up with logical explanations for 'em.

This actually touches ground with some Ao3 comments I wanted to share as they are all Leech Lord compliant, so I'll list them here alongside links to the fics they were related to (note warnings!)

You leave no avenue for characterization unexplored. Troy's facial prostheses finally receiving backstory is amazing

- Maw (Gore/Bodyhorror)

I LOVE the idea of it being not just decorative shit on his face, but my MO for any content I make is always based around asking why, over and over, and trying to make sense of what material I'm using in the first place. The modded mouth is a popular piece of fanon but you know... why? Why would he do that shit to himself. WHY would he want to be grotesque, why would he be chasing the reaction people would have to it when canonically he seems to really not be interested in fan attention the same way Tyreen is, what's the difference to him between being adored as his persona or being lusted after as a monster, etc. I just love deep-diving into the logic behind character and world building? It's what adds meat to the bone for me.

Big 'ol character and worldbuilding / lore responses list under the cut -

He could afford better robots but these ones UNDERSTAND Ty, don't you get it?

- Good night in (tooth rotting fluff)

Hey just because it's mangled and broken, and can't perform its intended function to a degree expected of it by everyone around it... and it's got rusty sharp bits it accidentally hurts you with sometimes... and it's cranky but it doesn't mean it... and sometimes it errors out in a way that's mildly disturbing in a way you can't place.. uh.. doesn't mean you should just GIVE UP ON IT you know? He can fix them :) They will be fine :) No one should just throw away something that's trying so hard just because it's damaged... haha... :')

It's so hard seeing how much they tear each other down when they're the only thing they have left. And what a poor self-image Tyreen has beyond all that glitter and bluster...

- Wolf in sheep's clothing

The twins function well enough as a unit till tensions rise, and I was trying to seed in The Leech's influence on them in earlier work like this too - towards anyone else Ty would become MORE aggressively confident, more assured in her complete and utter dominance of the situation, her flawlessness, but against Troy who see's her for what she is, it turns inwards and eats at her instead of lashing outwards. He switches from relatively submissive around her to almost surgical levels of dissection, he knows exactly how to go for the jugular with words, and doesn't hold back. She's The Leech's mouth but he's its eyes and it's only when they lose control emotionally enough for it to claw to the surface of their psyches that you get an idea of how much it really affects them individually. GB had an absolute goldmine on their hands here of cosmic/body horror and the concept of toxic family when all you have is each other, there's so much to work with, and I figure it's a factor in why some people still really enjoy messing around with Calypso content.

I like how you allow Troy to be a disabled character, how his congenital defects and prosthetics colour his outlook and appear in ways big and small in all these vignettes. It's easy, I think, to see him as largely untroubled by his health apart from when he needs a charge from Tyreen in the game, but you allow him to struggle with his weakness.

- Chronic (Drug use)

I'm really glad to hear that's coming through in the writing because it's something I noticed a lot too. Very often when Troy, or other characters canonically disabled / chronically unwell are written it's "told" and not "shown". Chronic pain, illness, it's not something that is just a little tickbox in a life or some descriptive terms added to a character synopsis, it's something you live and deal with. There are bad days. There are times it is a negative that has to be worked around or faced in ways that aren't pleasant. It doesn't make you lesser or weak to have times where illness does leave you unable to function to a level you want to, it's not a failure for you to be unable to perform tasks when a disability or flair up means it's not viable. I feel personally that by showing scenes like this where his health and body issues do have a very visceral and impossible to ignore the effect on his ability to function, and going through his mental processes of dealing with and managing them, it brings the character across as stronger than if he never seemed to be shown dealing with symptoms or weaknesses. People are more than their disabilities and conditions, those aren't just kinda taglines to add onto a character's description and then never address. I feel like doing that in a way undermines what people deal with who manage chronic illness, pain, and who have disabilities that affect their daily lives negatively. Appreciating the effort it takes to manage them is important.

What I really like about these is that you can really understand as a reader how their dynamic must have evolved. How even before Leda's death Tyreen would have felt demonized while Troy got the attention because of his condition, because he was less willful.

- Starlight, Moonbright

Ah man, absolutely - and that shit stayed with them. It wasn't his fault and he never wanted it, but of course their parents would have had their extremely ill child at the forefront of their thoughts, especially during weeks when he was.. bad. Tyreen by nature even without The Leech's influence is a little attention seeker, she'd be the life of any party and she BLOSSOMS if she's got the spotlight, but as a little kid who's got literally no one but her parents and her brother, and who all three of which can't give her nearly as much time as she deserved? That's rough. That's really unfair. That coupled with The Leech's warping effect on their egos as they grew up and the bitterness and resentment they harbored in different ways created a reverse dynamic. She'd never be out of the Galaxy's attention again, and he'd have no choice but to take his rightful place in her shadow.

I love how you illustrate both how much more, and yet how much less Troy is now. How the blameless child, full of potential, is inextricably linked to the brutal, larger-than-life avatar he fashions.

- DeLeon ( Graphic Violence / Gore / Hallucinations)

He's molded the monster he is now out of the bones of the man he should have been - there's no going back really. There's nothing left to go back to. He broke Troy DeLeon apart to build the persona that acts like an iron lung now, suffocating him breath by breath while forcing him to still take them. That life is over, he killed it before it had a chance, but the idea of it is still there in his subconscious. Somewhere in the absolute trainwreck of Troy's brain is the tiny, flickering belief that maaaaaybe one day this will all be over and he can shuck off the bracer and spines, peel off all the shit he's covered his skin with, and just go back to not being Calypso. DeLeon here isn't some aspect of his mental state or his sins haunting him - it's The Leech, spitting venom at a host it loathes in something that's not sound or comprehensible language. His subconscious has just translated it into something it can understand - his greatest regret.

On if Borderlands Humans originated on Earth -

There's a really tenuous link between BL verse and rEarth, but it's there and can't be ignored. The cultures, accents, terminologies, so many are Earth specific despite these people being spread across galaxies, so hell yes - Earth as an emergence point makes total sense. The next question then, is why is it never mentioned - and you can cover for that with a lot of things like say, tt was so long ago that it's not relevant to anything that would ever be discussed, or it could be a mass evacuation from a catastrophe there is little record of now. I like to go with something along those lines, that the first human Siren host emergence on earth just absolutely decimated the planet. Like, we were doing fine till this random woman somewhere in the ass-end of nowhere develops weird markings overnight, then goes apocalyptic. The first Leech maybe, not understanding her powers and having them rip across continents in a spread of crackling electric death that only left husked shells of plants and animals in its wake, or the first Firehawk who went nuclear and burned the sky, or the first Voidgrasp who lost control and began to collapse the planet's core - some extreme shit that had humans fleeing en masse with barely any preparation and HUGE swathes of history and knowledge left behind. That would cover so many social things surviving into the BL verse, cultures, accents, cooking, that shit comes with us regardless of what we were able to throw into escape ships. Like so much data would be stored on any tech and data arrays within the vessels people would use to leave a dying planet even in an insane rush, but that shit waters down over time - if you're farming barely edible plants on some planet that smells like farts, are you really gonna be that stressed about teaching your kids history from a lost planet when your current concerns are not being eaten by something with 19 legs and 4 buttholes? Don't think so.

On if the other Siren entities are as influential to their hosts as The Leech -

I touch on it a wee bit throughout LL, but the others are FAR more passive and meld more to their host's whims. The Firehawk Siren wouldn't.. like.. care? If the host was burning down a planet or fighting off an evil corporation? They are removed from any nonsense happening on this side, they might not even really be able to tell, it's like asking an amoeba or a collection of sentient atomic particles what its opinion is on Brexit. That's not really its priority. The Leech is so aggressive in its control of the twins and desperation to drive them towards an outcome it desires only cause it's split, broken, removed from the song, and completely lost. We're talking a caged, half-mad animal removed from its natural environment and left totally isolated from its own kind for millennia. It's in pain, it's confused, it wants to find its way back to the song and the others and where it belongs, but it's stopped by a barrier it can't comprehend ( the twins and being ripped between them), so in its impotent rage it feeds back that hatred onto them. It's not really sentient in the way we would describe functional intelligence, but it wants, and craves, and FEELS. And it feels very, very angry.

Big thanks to @undergoingcalibrations for talking through so much of this with me!

Asks are Open!

[bangcrizpychan]

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(sound on)

TAINTED DAISIES (A Stray Kids Fanfiction)

by: @bangcrizpychan​

☞All you need to know about Tainted Daisies; character information, chapters, and more ~\(≧▽≦)/~ happy reading♡  

Genre: Psychological thriller, angst, mystery, crime, rich kid!stray kids au, college!au, slow burn

Ratings: 16+

⚠WARNINGS: blood, gore, violence, suggestive themes, mentions of death, character death, mentions of sexual assault, mentions of drug usage, swear words (let me know if I missed anything)

Note: This is not for the faint of heart, may add some fluff here and there but this is mostly angst; trigger warnings will be applied to some chapter and I advise you to read the warnings before continuing to the chapter/s. *read at your own risk*

The city of Yellow Wood is and has always been known for its people’s extravagance. Almost everyone is rich, if they’re not, then that would mean they are even crazy rich. Those who doesn’t meet up with their standards lives at the edge of the city, the so-called sullen District 9, where they mostly get their low-paid workers. You were from another city and transferred to Yellow Wood University to finish your degree and together with your arrival, the once bright Yellow Wood will unleash its horrors that will shake the whole city to the ground.

Y/n L/n - Transfer student. No other information yet because let’s be honest, no one really cares about transfer students. Unless~ she creates a scandal worth our attention, lol.

The Elites:

Bang Chan - He is a mysterious one, no one really knows what his intentions are nor what goes on inside of his head. However, it is known that he did not come from a rich family but he is friends with Lee Felix, so he got the privilege to hangout with the other elites.

Updated info: He is currently living with his uncle who is the chief of police.

Lee Felix - Son of the Yellow Wood City mayor and the leader of the Elites. He is popular for his kindness and looked up on for befriending the needy like Bang Chan. He is also known for his freckles that attracts almost every girl at the university.

Updated info: We received a tattle that our Lee Felix is not as kind as we thought he was? Still investigating if the rumour is true. 

Lee Minho - He is the smartest among the Elites, wears a pair of glasses but he’s the only one who looks hot in them. He became the unofficial ambassador of the the term ‘smart is the new sexy’. His father is also a famous lawyer who never lost a case.

Updated info: Lee Minho was spotted somewhere near District 9 and we are dying to know what he was doing there in the first place.

Hwang Hyunjin - The perfect boyfriend material, but he only keeps a girlfriend for not more than a week. He’s the MVP of the university’s basketball team and his dance moves could make every girl drop their panties in no time. He’s the son of a popular VIP club owner, you have to be super important to even get to the door.

Updated info: Someone saw Hwang Hyunjin in one of the alleys covered with blood, we hope nothing bad happened to him.

Han Jisung - the youngest of the Elites. Always carries a guitar with him just in case he wanted to swoon someone, which works every. single. time. His father is an owner of a Bar-Casino that makes Las Vegas look like Lost Vegas.

Updated info: our Jisung was seen with a bruised lower lip and injured knuckles, did he get into a fight with someone? If so, we need to find proof.

The Charities:

Kim Seungmin - a scholar from District 9 and the most nerdy piece of shit ever. Remember when we said Lee Minho makes smart look sexy? Well, Kim Seungmin makes you wish to never open a book again. He’s a journalist major and always has his camera wrapped around his neck. Looks clean and handsome enough to be mistaken as a Yellow Wood kid, but we all know he’s dirt from in and out.

Yang Jeongin - Another scholar and a total weirdo. He’s friends with his fellow beggar, Kim Seungmin, what a surprise. He is taking law together with Lee Minho, and not going to lie, he actually looks kind of cute if only he wasn’t poor.

Yumyum of the day:

Seo Changbin - a fresh graduate from YWU and is currently a junior police at the Yellow Wood Police Department or YWPD for short. He was spotted bringing Bang Chan lunch, it turns out that they’re actually friends, which is sad. Why is he today’s Yumyum? Because when he removed his leather jacket at the front gate, he revealed his pair of delicious biceps. We’re hoping he’ll be assigned near the university so we could ogle over those damn arms.

End of message.

- sent from YWU Whisperer at 8:34 AM

Prologue - Welcome To Yellow Wood

i. The Missing Secretary

ii. It Stalks

iii. Click!

iv. District 9

v. Who Are You?

vi. Broken Strings

vii. Friends To Foes

viii. Prey Of The Night

ix. The Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing

x. Peas In A Pod

xi. How To Catch A Killer

Epilogue - Daisies

Note: The ones in bold are finished, will add link here after the chapters are done. If you want to be tagged to keep yourself updated with a new chapter, message me or comment down below  👉👈⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄

- cee wuvs youuu (ﾉ*>∀

[seriouslyblacklikemysoul]

An Ephemeral Eternity in Seven Parts - Steve Rogers x Reader

MASTERLIST Warnings: Gifs aren’t mine. My English. Also, last sentence - well, maybe it’s the start of something new.  Word Count~ 7k.  Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI PART  VII

 The melancholic notes of the guitar accompanied her soft and broken voice in a song that reminded very much of a lamentation of her past, her present and her future.

 Everything she touched, begun to decay. Everyone she loved, had only ended up unloved, depressed, addicted or alone. It had made her wonder if she was the one; if she was the wolf dressed as the little red riding hood. What if everyone around her was simply a helpless sheep and to prowl for her next meal she clothed herself in love and kindness, only to poison those closest to her until they are damaged beyond repair. She could only ever ruin so many relationships before she understood that the devil lived inside of her making her a toxic landfill disguised in fake beautiful grass and flowers - she had never been afraid of the monster in her closet, she had always been terrified by the one she saw in the mirror.  She didn't remember which night it was - the one she left, like a thief, not making a sound, knowing that he heard her. It made her decision easier when he didn't even try to stop her. It was selfish - he had been badly broken too. She felt the failure calling out her name - she couldn't make it better for him because she was a mess. She had lost herself and she wasn't sure she wasn't sure she wanted to be found. And so she left. She took a few clothes with her and left.  She had no solid plan for her days ahead. She couldn't find a point to it. She had wandered aimlessly when she found herself in a small city that did not speak English. She had smiled painfully to herself. A stranger among strangers. 

Not long after her decision to stay there for a while, she had to find a way to earn some money in order to get by. The kind old lady, who had helped her with almost everything, seeing in her face the granddaughter she had lost just mere weeks before she turned up in her door - since she was one of the very few people who spoke English -  had offered her a job she thought it would suit her. There was a small place where those who stayed behind went to drink and listen to old and soft songs about loss, love and pain. They were missing a singer. She had thought why not.  Isabella had been nothing but kind and sweet, just like a real grandmother - not that she had met one.  "Grief is a deeply personal and solitary journey. No one can truly feel or understand your loss but you, even those who have experienced it themselves. But grief is also love, and for that reason it has a right to exist and be felt. It is the debt we owe our memories. It is the final way we love someone" she had soothed her after the first time she heard her sing. There was pain in her voice, even when she sung in Spanish. She had never believed it would cost her everything. Yet, it did. 

 Months flew by as she had fallen into a simple yet so human routine. Many handsome men had threw themselves to her but she had closed herself, letting no one in. She had lost people along the way. She had left others behind. She had cut them out of her life, sometimes uncertain if it was the right decision. Looking back, she had done things she might have regretted now. This quieter life she had now was closer to the one she had been dreaming the cold nights that she had been held by HYDRA or trained by Madam B. She couldn't sake the feeling that something was missing - she was different and she hadn't ever realized. The girl from her past wasn't the woman she had grown to be.  "Hay un hombre guapo buscándote, cariño" Isabella suddenly told her, making her slightly jump from the couch she had been seated for at least two hours, starring at the wall. Seeing her lost eyes, Isabella sat down next to her and took her hands in hers.  "Listen, cariño. Love transcends gender, age, political beliefs; it crosses borders. It’s literally the strongest motivator and force we have. It makes people do things they can’t explain. And it comes in all forms and it comes when you least expect it and it comes and it goes and it changes and people have spent years and wrote books and studied the stars trying to understand it. And sometimes it’s the boy you called over to get over,  the boy you were crying about and sometimes it’s the girl you grew up next door to your whole life and sometimes it’s a friend who saved your soul or a baby you didn’t expect. But it’s all around us in forms yet to be manifested- letters yet to be written, hands yet to be held. And all goodness stems from it and it literally changes the world. So even though it sometimes causes us pain and it drags us into situations we didn’t ask for, we can never close ourselves off to it or give up on it. We have to keep loving because it’s the closest thing we have to magic and without it we’re just a conscious pile of bones and life means nothing. Ve hacia el" and just like that, from the mouth of someone who used to be a stranger, the entire meaning of life and love and pain was summed up into a minute of hope. Isabella had lost her son and her granddaughter, everyone she ever loved and yet, there she was telling her to embrace life with its bad and its good. Tears she had no idea when they escaped, were running down her face. "Mi bella Isabella, gracias por tu sabiduría. Gracias por tu amor. But if I go to him, I'll leave you and I can't do that to you" she told her truthfully. Isabella just shook her head and smiled.  "I'll always be here. Go to him, cariño". She kissed her cheek and hugged her as tightly as she would love to be hugged. She had been everything she was missing.

 As the song went on, her eyes fell on him - he had just entered the place. And every memory she kept tacked away, came back rushing through her veins. In her head, she could hear Isabella's words but her heart just didn't want to get hurt again. She knew the moment he talked to her, she would succumb her entire being to his hands. 

War was the only dance he had ever known and she wished they could have had more time amid the chaos and fire and blood to show him that there could be another way. She fell in love with the way he saw the world, the way he saw her... She fell in the chasm of his soul and his light. She would gladly drown in the darker half of the sea to hold him in her arms for more than just that single night of peace. She had been aware that they had met and they had loved in a warzone and even though his kisses had melted away the gunfire, they still held echoes of the fire burning in him but she knew hers were the same. He had been worth the risk time and time again because with his hand burning into her skin, she had hope once more ... and the blood that had stained him couldn't take away his goodness and the stars that had betrayed him, didn't mean she forsaken her devotion. There had always been a rage built inside their souls, just like this love was worthy of burning empires down ... screams that follow them all the way home only to be quieted when she kissed the blood from his lips... and even when the universe will force them to part he will remain, echoing in her heart that only belonged to him. She knew that they were the ugly parts of the love story but she also knew they were the beautiful ones too. The song came to an end and she went to the table she held every night, the one far away from the lights and the people. Eyes never leaving his, she nodded for him to join her, as she poured herself a glass of red wine. He had never been so afraid of a moment and its impact. He had no idea what to say to her or how to be around her, when she poured and offered him another glass of wine.  "I didn't know you could sing" he told her before he hid his face in his hands, only to resurface as red as a tomato. She tried to swallow her laughter but failed.  "You're still not good with women, Steve" and just by saying his name, her heart places itself in his hands. He smiled brightly even though he had messed up his opening line, it had worked out. She was sipping her wine with a fondness he had never seen before. Maybe leaving was the best thing she had done - and he would be selfish to ask her back. Again. Not leaving her alone, to decide her own path. He needed her in a way he hadn't needed anyone since...  "I will come back Steve. But I need you to promise me that we will search and search over and over again for a way to undo this -and if we don't find one it will be because there isn't, not because we overlooked it" she told him boldly with her eyes a soft lilac color, as she looked over her shoulder, signaling to someone to approach them He was taken aback. He believed that she wouldn't even want to talk about what had happened. He had seen the way Bucky had looked at her before he... and he had already suspected his feelings towards her. Steve knew it had a great impact on her - not that it had been the only reason for her breakdown. After realizing her new powers she had refused to use them because they were the reason half of the planet was dead. He looked at her with a new found admiration - she was the bigger person.  "Of course. May I ask why?" he prepared himself to hear a reason he wouldn't like, instead, his heart broke a little bit more.  She smiled and stood up to give her sit to an old woman he had never seen before. It was the first time Steve saw this side of her.  "Isabella, este es Steve. Ese hombre guapo que me estaba buscando" she spoke in Spanish making him question if he knew her at all. Isabella took his hands into hers and looked at him just like his mother would have, which caused some tears to appear. They got to know each other and he realized that she had never felt the love of a family - and she craved it. When Isabella said her goodnight, having already invited him to spend the night in her house, she grew quiet. She knew he was waiting for an answer. "She is the reason why. She lost everything - her son, her granddaughter - and yet she hasn't lost hope. She told me to live life with everything that comes with it and embrace it because it's all we got.  She is the reason I am talking to you. She told me 'go to him' because love is the closest thing we have to magic and I couldn't just tell her I have magic running through my veins but couldn't save her family" she said with fire in her words and determination pouring over her. 

It felt wrong. Being back, felt wrong. She had followed him once again, but this time she hadn't found the people she had last time. She felt out of time – as if she didn’t belong. No one was waiting for her; Natasha was broken and Tony was nowhere near the place. Maybe she had been naïve for trusting him again; deep down she knew the only thing they had been left with was bitterness. She spent her days reading, training and trying out different things. Steve had an unhealthy need to fill Sam’s shoes as he had begun some group session. The irony was obvious to her; He was telling them, urging them to move on while he would never. She had seen as much in his eyes when they were talking about his past and the beginnings of his story – way before he became Captain America. There was one particular story he didn’t feel like sharing and she understood why – but also bothered her. She had kept her promise and had searched everything in order to find a way to undo this. She had spent days and nights looking for an answer. There had been times she felt so useless she wouldn’t get out of her room – nobody dared to disagree with her on those days. Slowly yet steadily, Steve and her grew distant and she felt as if they were miles apart even when they were sitting right next to each other. Being positive had never been one of her assets and that fake optimism Steve had, got on her nerves. Then again, maybe it was just his way of coping with the events. She had found herself longing to leave the base and go back to Isabella’s house more than enough times to realize that she never felt at home in the Avenger’s base. And the years flew by without even noticing it. The only thing new must had been the fact that she met Carol, a woman with many of her own powers and a life experience to match them. Other than that, Natasha had been obsessing over Clint – who had gone dark after his family disappearance. She could never say that all of those people had died – they had just dusted away. Which was the same and she had been fooling herself for a very long time. Steve had been the positive fucking little unicorn in front of others but he was so lost when they were alone. A raccoon was sending them emails with reports and Nebula wanted to get revenge a tad more than all of them combined.  She knew things were bound to be different, but she couldn’t recognize anything anymore. She had been drifted away from those around her because she didn’t feel a connection to them anymore – the only thing they had in common was anger. She had just made a cup of coffee when Steve walked in, finding Natasha on the verge of crying as he went on about the bright side, but Nat wasn’t having it. She just plopped down next to Natasha, smiling towards Steve without even bothering to listen to their conversation but her eye caught something. Something unexpected. “Oh! Hi. Hi! Is anyone home? This is Scott Lang. We met a few years ago, at the airport? In Germany? I got really big, and I had my mask on. You wouldn't recognize me” Scott Lang was rumbling on at their front gate. Before she could register their reactions, she had buzzed him in and left the room running towards him. “Have you ever studied Quantum Physics?” Scott asked them a moment later. “Only to make conversation” came a sarcastic answer by Natasha, which didn’t bring him down. “Alright. So... five years ago, right before Thanos, I was in a place called the Quantum Realm. The Quantum Realm is like its own microscopic universe. To get in there, you have to be incredibly small. Hope, she's my... She was my... She was supposed to pull me out. And then Thanos happened, and I got stuck in there” he said while he was struggling not to tell the entire truth about their relationship. “I'm sorry. That must've been a very long five years” Natasha sincerely told him only to be shocked when he replied the most unbelievable thing. “Yeah, but that's just it. It wasn't. For me, it was five hours”. Steve and Nat shared a quick bewildered glance, while she had figured it out, because she had indeed studied Quantum Physics. “See, the rules of the Quantum Realm aren't like they are up here. Everything is unpredictable. Is that anybody's sandwich? I'm starving” Scott said as he strode over to pick up Nat's sandwich, and bit into it. “Scott, what are you talking about?” Steve asked him confused and puzzled. “What he is saying is, time works differently in the Quantum Realm” she chimed in, gaining a strange look from Steve and a very impressed one from Scott. “The only problem is right now, we don't have a way to navigate it. But what if we did? I can't stop thinking about it. What if, we could somehow control the chaos, and we could navigate it? What if there was a way to enter the Quantum Realm at a certain point in time but then exit at another point in time? Like...” he went on. “Like before Thanos” she half-whispered. “Wait, are you two talking about a time machine?” Steve asked as he couldn’t believe his ears. “No. No, of course not. No, not a time machine. It's more like a... Yeah, a time machine. I know it's crazy. But I can't stop thinking about it. There's gotta be some way... There's gotta be...some w... it's crazy” his craziness was making her head dizzy. She knew they would have to talk to her father, sooner or later. She hoped it would be later but that was not gonna the case. “Scott, I get e-mails from a raccoon, so nothing sounds crazy anymore” Nat reassured him. “So who do we talk to about this?” Scott cut to the chase and everyone looked at her. 

They pulled over at his cabin and one by one got out of the car. Tony looked at them and she could tell that he was not looking forward to the discussion about to take place. He acknowledged her with a single hey, and so she decided to let them talk in peace while she was gazing at the lake from afar. "I know you got a lot on the line. You got a wife, a daughter. But I lost someone very important to me. A lot of people did. And now, now we have a chance to bring her back. To bring everyone back. And you're telling me that won't even... “ his voice got louder as he tried to sell his desperation to Tony. “That's right, Scott, I won't even. I got a kid” Tony simply told them, making her remark. “Yeah, now he’s got a kid” she retorted, making him realize what he had just said. As on cue, Morgan run to her dad, who picked her up. “Mommy told me to come and save you. And to tell to the pretty girl to stay a while” Morgan told him as she pointed at his other daughter. “Good job. I'm saved. I wish you'd come here to ask me something else. Anything else. Honestly, I... I missed you guys, it was... Oh, and table's set for six” he went on and informed them. “Tony, I get it. And I'm happy for you, I really am. But this is a second chance” Steve tried to reason with him but she already knew he wasn’t gonna give up just yet. He had to solve it on his own. “I got my second chance right here, Cap. I can't roll the dice again. If you don't talk shop, you can stay for lunch. And you should stay for a while” he concluded as he turned to face her. She smiled at him. She was going to stay a while and Steve saw it. It was hard to say goodbye but unfortunately it had become easier with the years. Steve, Nat and Scott were walking back to their car outside Tony's house as she was stepping inside, hugging Pepper. She could feel him slipping away from her life but she didn’t know how to keep him there – well, she didn’t even know if he wanted to be there anymore.

The day had been quiet, Pepper was an amazing mother and Tony was trying to be a great dad but he knew that he had failed once before, so he wasn’t hoping for much. They had lunch and she met Morgan a bit better. The kid was smart, but that didn’t come as a surprise, it was rather a given. “So how do you two know each other?” she asked suspiciously as she eyed her. Tony almost chocked but she kept her calm, as she was sipping a glass of wine. “We used to work together for a project, sweetie” she smoothly told her without raising any suspicion and even thought Tony felt relieved, Pepper shoot him an angry look, making him nod his head as if they made a promise. “You’re an Avenger!” Morgan exclaimed, excited with her new discovery. But before she could say a thing, Morgan begun asking questions – more questions than anyone before, leaving her stumped. “Honey, come on. Don’t bombard her with your questions. Wanna help me with dessert?” Pepper came to the rescue quickly and she couldn’t be more thankful. Silence fell and it was awkward because no one was going to break it first and Pepper knew as she said louldy "talk". Both of them rolled their eyes at that. "She is smart, that's from your side and she is beautiful - that's all Pepper" she commented shortly after. He almost laughed at her quick comeback.  "How are you? How are things back?" he asked her sincerely, trying to make up for all the lost time. She shook her head, not wanting to lie. Something he understood very well.  "Let me guess. You have been drifted away from people, especially Steve" he made a wild guess and he knew he was right. She stopped hiding her feelings. "Everything I thought I had is no longer. That's why I came here with them. They are asking you to be a hero and save the world. I just wanted to ask you a favor. A while back, I... I left and went -" "To a nice lady called Isabella, who lost her son and granddaughter" he finished her sentence for her, leaving her puzzled. "What? Did you really think I wasn't looking after you?" he asked her. "Well, you left to start a family and didn't even call, so... um. I should have" she concluded at last. He disagreed with her. She had stayed there, not to ask him to fight with them, but to help her find a way, because she knew that there was going to be o return for him and she wanted Morgan to have both of her parents and to feel loved. One of his daughters should. 

She was just watching him work from the couch as she was drinking a hot cup of tea. “Look at a mod inspiration, let me see what check out. So, recommend one last sim before we pack it in for the night” he gave orders to his computer. “Maybe in the shape of a mobius strip, inverted, don’t you think?” she commented as she took a look to the holographic experiment. He agreed with an impressed look. “Do as the lady suggests” he informed Friday. “Processing... “ “Give me that eigenvalue. That, particle factoring, and a spectral decomp. That will take a second” he had just stepped away, towards the couch but it was not to be. “And don't worry if it doesn't pan out. I'm just kinda –“ “Model rendered” Friday announced sending waves of bewilderments down her spine. Tony in a complete shock of amazement as the render came back as 99.987% successful, fell back ecstatic by this discovery. “Shit!” they both exclaimed at the same time. “Shit” Morgan giggled as she repeated the word they had just uttered. Tony took on the father roll quicker than she had thought as he nodded to her to take care of everything that had just been projected while he took Morgan away. They had solved time travel. They had actually found out how to go back in time. Her mind was blown away just by looking at it. As she was walking around the holographic model, Pepper came down the stairs looking for her. “You should rest honey. It’s late” she told her like a mother would. She smiled at her and waited for Tony to get back. “Maybe it’s not” she told her, leaving her puzzled. They both sat on the couch, Pepper reading a book and she was just thinking of the endless possibilities. People less lucky than her would get to see the sun again. Isabella’s family. Spider-kid, Wanda, Strange, Bucky. Oh Gods, Bucky. She had tried to forget about him and how much it had affected her. It had been one of the few failures of her life. “Not that it's a competition, but she loves me 3000. You were somewhere on the low 6 to 900 range” Tony announced as he joined them and got Pepper to scoff. “What are you reading?” he asked absentmindedly as she noticed. “Oh, it's just a book on composting” Pepper told him, making her long for a simple life once more. “What's new with composting?” he asked again without really wanting an answer. Before she could, he cut her off. “We figured it out, by the way” he blurred out, pointing at his daughter proudly. “You know, just so we're talking about the same thing –“ Pepper tried to catch up on their new discovery, very happy they were working together. “Time travel” he simply informed like it was nothing. “What? Wow... That's amazing, and... terrifying. Oh, that’s why you told me maybe it’s not late” she told him amazed as she turned to her still very much astonished. “We got really lucky” she commented and both of them agreed. “Yeah, I know” her father said a tad sad. “A lot of people didn't” Pepper softly nudged him. “No, I can't help everybody” he tried to be civilized and open for debate about it. “It sorta seems like you can. Both of you” his wife disagreed. “Not if I stop. I can put a pin in it right now, and stop” he insisted but they all new what was about to happen. “Tony, trying to get you to stop has been one of the few failures of my life” Pepper echoed her thought from moments ago. Tony smiled proudly about that very fact. “I sometimes feel I should put it in a locked box and drop it at the bottom of a lake... go to bed” he had almost given up on saying no. He wasn’t able to deny that she was right. “But would you be able to rest?” her soft voice pierced through his head. “And neither would you. I know that you left at some point because the memories were too much” she told her with honesty. She couldn’t believe how selfless Pepper was being about something so dangerous. “Come on, kiddo. It’s time to sleep. Tomorrow we are gonna go on a trip” Tony urged his daughter. She could get use to that. “Goodnight Pepper. Goodnight To-… dad” she finally told him, making him smile in pure happiness for the first time in a while.  

The whole world was changing and she had been a part of that very fact. Every plan, every strategy and every theory had been mapped out but she knew that sometimes, even the cleverest of minds can miss a point – so small that no one could have seen. Wanda was trying destroy Thanos, having cost everything to her, Scott and Hope were trying to kick start the engine of the van and everyone was trying to get the gauntlet as far away as possible, without it being very easy of a task. 

Pepper landed next to Okoye, followed by Mantis, Shuri, the Wasp, Gamora, Nebula and herself much to everyone else’s opinion – they all thought she was going to be right by Steve. Thanos' army charged while they helped Carol Danvers gey through the Outriders, Sakaarans and Chitauri. When Carol and she flew towards the van with the Gauntlet, Thanos, after being stopped by Pepper, Shuri and Hope, threw his double sword at the van, destroying it completely. He knocked Carol down and smacked Tony away as Thor arrived in an attempt to pin Thano’s arm down – Steve came rushing towards them, helping Thor but they were all overpowered. In a desperate attempt, when she saw Thanos picking up the gauntlet she punched him away. Thanos grabbed her by the arm and threw her away like she weighted nothing. Thanos put on the gauntlet, gamma radiation from the stones all over his body, as he tried to snap, but she arose again, and stopped his fingers from snapping, opening up his hand similar to what she had seen Steve doing in the other battle. She almost had him, forcing him onto his knees, as her powers were finally enough, she was ready to steal the stones herself. She knew she could take them on – she was part of them and they were part of her. But alas, he pulled the Power Stone out of the Gauntlet and used it in his free hand to hit her away, almost killing her in the prosses. Tony was looking at his daughter terrified and too scared to think of what might happen. He made one last attack on Thanos, having an entirely different plan on his mind. Thanos pushed him away, ending up right next to his older daughter. All it took was one look and she knew – before she could anything at all, everything was already over. “I am inevitable” Thanos snapped his fingers, but nothing happened. He saw that the stones were missing. “NO!” she screamed but Tony simply smiled at her. s except a metallic "clink." He sees the Infinity Stones are missing.

“And I– am– Iron Man”.

The cruelest thing that someone had done to her was first claim to love her more than anything in the world. That he had never seen anything as exquisite as her. That she was every star in the night sky. That he would never leave her. And then one day, out of the blue he did. He lulled her into a false sense of security, convincing her that this, this is the forever love she have been looking for. This is the kind of love she needed all this time, the kind of love she had craved and let her get comfortable in it because it would last. And then, one day, he walked away. He made her believe that there would never be another. And then one day, he forgot her. He simply left without warning after promising her eternity. How ephemeral it turned out to be... It had been years since he came back. Not him - not her Steve. Peggy's Steve. She had refused to meet him - she had refused to even look at him, or be in the same building. She felt betrayed. She had lost Natasha as she had sacrificed herself to get the fucking Soul Stone. She had lost her father and that felt on her - she still felt responsible. And then Steve had decided to leave her all alone to fight her demons after constantly reassuring her he loved her.  But he caught her by surprise, when he entered her office, as she was now in charge of everything her father once held - Morgan was too young and Pepper wanted some time off with her daughter. He knocked the door, waited for her to call him in and he entered. She had been facing the other way, on a phone call but the minute she turned and faced him, her phone fell on the floor and her heart skipped more beats than she could count. "Hello, Ms.. Stark. Do you have a minute for an old friend?" he was being polite as well as sarcastic but her mind had already imploded, so what the fuck? Gaining some of her confidence back, she raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.  "We were never friends, Mr. Rogers" she fired coldly but he knew her better and she hated it. He looked at her and all it took was a moment. He too raised his eyebrow and walked towards her with absolutely no intention of leaving. Before she could register his acts, he had enveloped her in to his big hug and she felt so fucking angry - it still felt like home. Without even knowing it, she was crying with her head almost resting on his chest.  "It’s weird. It’s weird how you have the same face but you’re a completely different person. It’s weird how I have so many amazing memories with you but they died off as you’re a completely different person. It’s weird that I’m mourning over someone that is still alive because you’re a completely different person. It’s weird, you’re a completely different person. And I hate you for leaving me, but I can never really hate you because I love you" she told him as he sat them down to her couch. She left his arms to look at him. She lowered her walls and finally opened up to him again.  "If I could do it all again, I would stay up later. I would ask more questions, unashamed of how personal they were and not afraid that I wouldn’t like the answers. If I could start over with you, I wouldn’t doubt my instincts. I wouldn’t fear what people thought if I catered to your every whim and laughed at every stupid joke. If I could try again, I would embrace every moment of every fight and ask for everything I needed from you. I wouldn’t worry if I was too needy, too attached, too much of anything. I would be myself more. I would scream louder. I wouldn’t hesitated to tell you I love you, in every way, every day. If I could do it again, I would not love you in halting steps always looking for some sort of validation that I was stepping on solid ground. I would jump into you and if you didn’t catch me, then I would still be picking up the same broken pieces I am now" she sincerely told him. She had lost both her friend and her father, both of them in the name of salvation and then Steve choose to leave her and go back. She had refused to exist for a while because she couldn't function. As everything crumbled around her, she had looked for a something to hold on to, but those closest couldn’t hear her amidst their screaming matches. She looked for those who swore to be there during her weakest moment only to see the illusion fade away leaving only crossed fingers, emptiness, and disappointment. She was done searching for someone, when someone did appear.  Without even thinking about it, he wiped a single tear that ran across her cheek. He wasn't her Steve, but those eyes...  "I never believed that I would have felt the way you made me feel after all those years in the ice. I owe you everything. And repaying you in the way I did... I wouldn't have forgiven me if I were you. An apology won't help, I know. For what it’s worth, you will always hold a special place" he told her in tender way that reminded her of their story and more tears found their way out. And he wiped every single one of them. She could tell from the way he hugged her when he saw her. He had kept the silent promise he had made when she was too drunk to remember what she had asked of him. Years had passed since she allowed herself to see him again. After saying a polite hello, they hugged like friends did. But then he squeezed her a little tighter right before he let go. She had almost rested her head on his chest out of habit, because it suddenly felt just like old times. She had thought she'd never be in his embrace again but there they were. They both wanted to hold on tighter but they knew they were different now. But she could tell from the way he hugged her, from the way he held on just a little longer, that somewhere, deep down...  "I missed you too" she smiled at him, a strange but very much wanted feeling of relief washing over her heart. They both knew, no one could stop loving. Once you have loved someone honestly, truly, you will never be able to un-love them. You can only find someone you will love more. At that time, your old love will not feel so strong, but it will always be in your heart, it will never let you forget something that at some point along the way made you happy.  "You hold a special place in someone else's heart too, you know" he commented like a genie. Her eyebrow arched. "Stop playing matchmaker, you old wise owl" she mocked him. At least, she could start again. He still held her face in his hands, he still held a piece of her, he would always be her first love. The bigger the love, the harder the fall. They stayed like that until Bucky walked into her office, looking for her. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously when he saw Steve holding her but he reprimanded himself almost immediately. She saw the way Steve looked up at him and she knew he wanted some alone time him. Leaving his hands was harder than she thought, smiling at all times. "Don't be a stranger, Rogers" she bid him goodbye but his eyes told her this wasn't the last time they would see each other and she found solace. She passed Bucky in her way out, smiling brightly to him, making his eyes sparkle in hope. She had just left the room when she heard Steve being completely honest.

"She is different now. I was too much of a punk to see how beautiful she really was. Her heart was beautiful, she cared so much about me and I never understood why. I don't think I treated her the way she deserves to be treated - but you do. Don't look at me like that, Bucky. I am old, not blind. I can see the way you two look at each other. Back then, her love scared me, it was so intense. I almost forgot how enticing her smile was. She just wasted so many tears on someone like me and for that I will never forgive me" he told his friend but his mind was someplace else. She smiled to herself and finally left them alone. Whatever was to come, she would face it. Finding closure had never been about forgetting. It had never been about drowning out the voices of her past or about closing her heart to memories that used to make you happy. Finding closure meant accepting a situation for what it was and moving on. It was coming to terms with the way things were and knowing that she couldn't change what had happened, but could still find growth among the broken pieces.

 _____

“I am so glad I got my heart broken. It led me to you”. ____

Taglist: @accio-rogers @coffee-with-orion @stydia-4-ever​ @smilexcaptainx​ @elliee1497​

[phoebonicawrites]

Why, Grandma... (in which the author plays a game)

So I bought the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality, which is, as the name suggests, a bundle of games by indie creators on itch.io to raise money for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Community Bail Fund. And by a bundle I mean a truly ridiculous number of games for a minimum donation of $5. So go check that out! (And if there’s nothing at all you want in there but you can afford to donate, go donate directly at those next two links!)

Anyway, one of those games is called My Welcomed Guest, and it’s a single-player tabletop roleplaying game about being lost in Faerie and trying to get home without angering your host too much. I played through it earlier and created an eerie story with an unhappy ending that I liked enough to want to share. So here it is.

Warnings: manipulation, betrayal, ill-advised fairy deals, memory loss. This isn’t edited at all, just what I wrote down as I was playing it. The first two lines of Act V were taken directly from the game, just for context.

Act I

They say the Fae are beautiful, that they bewitch and beguile mortals, that they can show you pleasures undreamt of. They may have meant this to be a warning, but I longed to know more.

But I knew that to enter their world might mean losing all I had and everyone I loved. A day in Faerie might be a hundred years in this world. When I returned, surely my mother and father would be long dead, my brother and sisters old and weary.

So I stayed at home, and I tended the flocks, until the day I tripped while searching for a lost lamb and fell into a pit I was sure would kill me. I fell for far longer than I should have, and when I landed at the bottom, unhurt, I was not where I should have been.

My mother always warned me to carry an iron nail in my pocket when I went out into the hills, to ward off the Fae and their tricks. I had always been tempted to drop it in the long grass and forget it, but feeling the weight of it now in my pocket, I was glad I had held on to it. The real Faerie was darker and colder than the land of wonders I had imagined.

The sky was dark with clouds, and as I stood and looked around to get my bearings, a hard rain began to fall. In the distance I could see a cottage, with firelight flickering in the windows. I ran to it, and knocked on the door pleading for shelter. An old woman opened the door, and I gasped in shock. She looked for all the world like my grandmother, just as I remembered her from my childhood. Except that Grandmother had been dead these past five years.

She smiled at me, a kind, gentle smile. “Come in, my dear,” she said. “Come in and warm yourself.” I followed her into the house, comforted by the familiarity of her presence, of the little cottage just as I remembered it.

And yet, in the back of my mind, I knew this could not be right. This couldn’t be real. My grandmother was dead, her cottage sold to others. Whatever comfort I felt here was likely to be a trap. I had to remember that.

She offered me a cup of… something. A warm silvery liquid, with tendrils of purple snaking through it. It smelled delicious, but I thought of the tales I had heard of fairy food and what happened to those foolish enough to accept it. My mouth watered and my stomach growled, but I set the cup down on a table beside my chair. For a moment, I saw fire flash in her eyes.

Act II

“I must get home,” I told her, after a silence that seemed like an age. “Please, Grandmother, won’t you help me?”

She said something too quiet for me to hear, gazing into the fire. She muttered to herself like this for a long time. I grew more and more afraid. Eventually, I dared to speak again. “Grandmother?”

“If I help you, you must offer me something in return,” she told me. “But all that I want is your happiness, dear. One true moment of happiness, from your life.”

I thought of the time I remembered being happiest, playing in the stream with my best friend Samantha as a little girl, the flower she plucked from a tree and braided into my hair. And as I thought of it I felt the fairy reach into my mind and pluck it away, and I knew that once there had been a day like that, but I no longer knew the smile on Samantha’s face or the sound of her laughter, or the cool of the water, or the scent of the flower. The loss of it gaped in my head like a missing tooth.

Act III

“Why is it you’re so eager to get home, dear?” she asked me.

I swallowed. “My family and my friends will be missing me,” I told her, which was true, but it wasn’t the whole truth. The truth was, I was afraid, remembering the story of the little girl who wandered in the woods, the wolf in grandmother’s clothing. I saw her frown as I clasped my shaking hands tight together in my lap.

“Don’t you think this house is lovely, dear?” she asked, and when I nodded my agreement, went on.  “Your grandmother always did have good taste. And she was beautiful, too. That’s why I saved her from the lake that day. Why I granted her long life, and all I asked in exchange was that she leave me her most precious thing, when she died. The most precious thing she possessed, in all the years I gave her.” She smiled, sipping from her own cup. “Did you know you were always her favourite, dear?”

My stomach twisted. “She told me she fell in the lake one day and a handsome young man fished her out,” I said, mouth dry. “She didn’t mention the rest of it.”

“Ah, well.” She set the cup aside. “I’ve seen you, darling, wandering and wondering. The look in your eyes as you gaze off into the hills. Hasn’t a part of you longed to come and visit us? What was it you were looking for?”

By now I was far too scared to lie. “They said – the Good People are beautiful, that they can show you untold wonders, and, uh, pleasures,” I mumbled, blushing to the roots of my hair.

She laughed brightly, like the tinkling of bells. She didn’t seem like my grandmother at all any more. “And do you know why it was you stumbled through my door, my dearest?”

“Because… you put it there for me to find.” I bit my lip.

Act IV

“And now you’d like to go home.” She sighed. “Well, we’ve made a bargain, sure enough.”

I breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

It occurred to me then – an absurdly mundane concern on the face of it, but enough to give me pause – that I’d left the sheep alone on the hillside. If I’d been gone a hundred years, that wouldn’t matter by now, but if it had only been the few hours it felt like, I’d be in trouble with my parents. They’d never believe what had happened to me, not unless I brought back proof.

My eye fell on an ornament on the mantelpiece, a flower made of spun glass so delicate it looked like spiderwebs, certainly nothing my true grandmother had ever owned.

Grandma had always liked to give me little trinkets. I cleared my throat. “Grand… mother?” I asked, tentatively, not sure what else to call her. “May I have this? To remember your kindness by?”

She raised her eyebrows. Hastily, I added, “I’ll give you some more of my happiness, in exchange.”

Her eyes narrowed, but eventually, she nodded. “Very well, child.”

I thought of a warm Christmas morning, my family seated by the fire, for once no squabbling or squalling. I saw it all, and felt it snatched away.

Act V

“Before you lie two doors, one back to your realm, the other to a place of penance. I think you should take the door on the left, but the choice is yours.”

I noted, my heart in my throat, that she hadn’t said anything about which door was which.

I didn’t think she was at all happy to let me leave.

I made for the right-hand door.

I must have walked for years, over rocks and brambles, never growing more or less hungry or tired than I was already, until I found the doors again.

This time I took the left door.

And I walked through endless snow.

There must be one I haven’t tried. The Fae don’t lie. They never really tell the truth, but they don’t lie.

Maybe I should have taken the left-hand door, after all. Or maybe it would all have been the same.

Maybe I’ll never stop searching.

Maybe one day I’ll give up, and make my way back to Grandma’s house, and plead with her to let me in.

[jungxk]

just one (iii)

notes: the only guy on campus who’s track record trumped that of your best friend’s - park jimin - was jeon jungkook. not that that was a problem…until he set his sights on you.

warnings: eventual smut, swearing, bad habits (mentions of drinking, smoking etc)

genre: humour, drama, romance, college!au

wordcount: 7.3k

part i // part ii // part iii // part iv // part v // part vi // part vii // part viii // part ix // part x

contrary to popular belief, jungkook does set some rules for himself. he doesn't have many, but the ones he does have he's strict about.

the first was no drunks in his jeep. he already broke that rule by allowing you and your friend seulgi in, so maybe that was out the window. impressive too, because he hasn't let anyone in his truck that hammered since jimin after taehyung's 21st. he threw up all over the dashboard and jungkook could swear he smelt vomit in there for months. even though he's sensitive to smell and hates repeating the same mistakes, jungkook decided you were worth the risk.

which brings him to his second rule: messing around with girls was just that. messing around. every time he needs reminding of that jungkook remembers the cactus plant taehyung gave him back during his very first semester. he killed that thing in record timing to the point where even taehyung wondered if there was a malevolent spirit in the place, because how else could you kill a cactus? it perfectly depicted jungkook's most telling trait: he can't look after things. look out for things, sure. he can step into a fight if his friend needed help or walk an old lady to her car with groceries. because those were a one off, in-the moment things that jungkook is good at navigating. but long term things? investing himself? he could barely stomach his own emotions for a weekend let alone someone else's, so it really was a recipe for disaster for everyone involved. get in, get out, get going onto the next. that way everybody wins.

and that neatly bleeds into his final rule: no bringing girls back to his place (if he can help it). jungkook preferred to keep his personal and personal personal life separate, so the less girls knew about him outside the bedroom the better. besides, it's not like he's totally unreasonable - if his place was closest and the situation called for it, then fair enough. but that was hardly ever the case.

which is why he's here: stumbling around the park in the middle of the day, totally and utterly lost. he was sure he had taken this shortcut once or twice before but apparently he was wrong, because he didn't even know this half of the park existed.

"the fuck is this place," jungkook mutters to himself, shifting as best as he can through a patch of long grass. he's pretty sure he's got a twig in his shirt somewhere and he doesn't even want to think about that squishy thing he just stepped in. his dick may have had a blast last night (and this morning) but the timbs on his feet had definitely seen better days.

jungkook had been wandering around for so long now he considers calling the girl who's place he'd just left in hopes of getting some directions...but then realised he didn't have her number. and even if he did, what would he say? i made you cum faster than you could spell out my name but now i need you to fish me out of the park like a lost dog? and then the next hurdle: what was her name again? jane? joy? jill? it quickly becomes irrelevant when jungkook gets through the end of weeds and broken branches to an open plain of grass again. it's a cloudy day so it wasn't particularly beautiful to look at, but he's just happy to be out of the mess of trees. looking out to the large pond of water just where the steepness of a hill stops, he double-takes when he sees that the person sitting atop it is...you.

you. bundled up in a hoodie, no makeup, tongue sticking out while you work to get the shading of that wilted tree just right. it's a public place, there are people out on the streets, cars whizzing past, but jungkook still feels like he's stumbled upon something private, intimate even - so beautiful do you look, so simple and candid. just you in your own little world. his fingers practically itch for a camera.

raising a hand before calling out your name, jungkook is unable to stop a smile blooming across his face when you snap your head up. he comes over to you, out from all the bushes like it was a totally normal place for someone to be. you can't help but stare at him like he's go an extra head when he finally reaches you, hair all mussed and eyes wonderfully bright. he smells vaguely of women's perfume and cigarette smoke but fuck if you don't gulp a little at how delectable he looks, leaf in his hair and all. "fancy seeing you here, noona."

"i could say the same," you lean to peer over his big shoulder, quirking a brow. "jungkook, why were you in the woods?"

he looks back with you to inspect the path he came from. "i was in the woods?"

"yeah," you laugh, his dopey expression making warmth flourish in your chest. he looks so loveable when he has no idea what's going on, eyes all big and mouth hanging open like an endearing dumbass. the urge to kiss him hits you out of nowhere. "i'm um, guessing you don't come to this park often?"

"i do! i've been here like," he counts his fingers. "twice? once sober." he looks down at his feet bashfully. "i'm actually a little lost."

"i hadn't guessed," you grin up at him, gesturing, "the entrance is way on the other side, over there. if you keep walking this way and then turn left at the-"

"i'll just wait until you're done," jungkook insists, plopping down on the grass next to you. his shirt wrinkles up around the belt to extenuate the flat of his stomach, settling into the ridges of what quite obviously are his covered abs. he looks so innocent from the neck up, round eyes blinking at you through his hair innocently like he isn't all hard edges and stiff lines from the shoulders down. a wolf in sheep's clothing and all that. "if you don't mind, that is? i don't know if you realised but i'm not exactly good with directions."

"you're right. if i let you wander off alone i'll probably see your face on the news tomorrow. just gimme a minute to pack all this-"

the gentle hand enveloping yours stills you. "please. take your time," jungkook hums, letting you enjoy the warmth of his touch before settling back with his palms in the grass again. "i don't mind relaxing here a little while anyway."

you open your book again upon his insisting. "i won't be too long, promise. this fucking pond is just being difficult."

"looks pretty perfect to me," he muses, pretending to inspect your work when really he's inspecting you.

it goes straight over your head though, too enthralled in getting the lines right, getting every stain of colour placed where you want it. you made the dreariest looking pond look like a glittering lake, alive with colour and life that didn't exist in the real world. he scans the other page; more trees, dogs playing with owners, cloudy skies and orchids, so many orchids even though this park had none. you clearly had a liking for them.

"it's definitely not perfect," you laugh, wetting your brush and softening more edges. "but that's what i love about painting. perfect doesn't exist. or even desired." he hums in agreement, no longer able to look at your art, only you. the way your lashes gently flutter, a dimple forming at the side of your mouth when you purse your lips. you were so easy on the eyes jungkook doesn't realise he's staring until you break the silence. "so are you gonna tell me why you're lost in the park or are you gonna make me guess, slick?"

he grins. "you have three strikes, noona. use them wisely."

"booty call?"

"damn," he huffs, head tilting back while listening to your victorious laugh. "listen, it wasn't exactly a booty call. that would imply i met jane before," he pauses. "i mean joy. wait, jennie?" he scratches his head. "what's your friend's name again, jisoo? definitely not her..."

"ask your dick, he'll probably remember. do you want me to give you two some privacy?"

"what's it to you?" jungkook laughs, nudging your shoulder with his while he gnaws his bottom lip, because it's not like he was about to admit that jane/joy/jennie was the third girl he slept with this week to get you out of his head. it was slutty even by jungkook's standards, and even then it still didn't stop him from secretly hoping you'd at least get a tiny bit jealous - and at best, curious to take their place.

"nothing, nothing," you throw him playful look. "i'm just another art hoe sat in the park, who am i to judge?"

he laughs again, nose scrunching up cutely. "how did you find this place anyway?" jungkook peers around the fence of trees, making the area feel so much more secluded, as if the rest of the world was off somewhere else. "i never knew there was such a big pond here."

"neither did i, until jimin."

"jimin?"

a nod. "he brought me here a few years ago, back when i was," you don't know how to finish, wetting your lips. "back when i was going through a tough time. family issues and all that. he said everyone needs a place to scream and cry and this was his, so he gave it to me too. it also just happens to be very pretty."

you can feel jungkook's inquisitive eyes on you, regarding how wistful you look remembering the days you and jimin would come here every week for some respite from life. it all seemed so long ago but like yesterday at the same time, as if walking around in a dream. it's jungkook that lulls you back to earth with his velvet soft voice. "you know it's weird, i know jimin hyung inside out, have done since we were kids. when he's mad, upset, whatever it was," he pauses thoughtfully. "but i don't think he's ever opened up to me about his feelings. anyone, really. he comes out here to scream but he can't like, talk to people?"

"jimin's like that," you agree. "everyone thinks because he has a million friends he's an open book, but it's the opposite. i've known him all this time and he's never even cried in front of me!"

"same," jungkook sighs. "weird. especially since he was, like, the biggest crybaby from ages four to sixteen."

"sixteen?" you laugh. "seriously?!"

"you have no idea! one time as a joke i asked if he was crying even though he wasn't, and he got so annoyed he started crying," jungkook snickers, eyes crinkling happily while he falls about in giggles with you. "but then he grew up, went to college. gets himself some pussy every time he's upset now, i guess."

"it sounds awful when you put it like that!" you pause. "maybe it is a little awful."

jungkook shrugs. "it's the easy way out, is what it is. doesn't make him a bad guy."

you prod him. "are we still talking about jimin?" you're met with another nudge before continuing. "what i mean is he's always thinking of others, that jiminie," you shake your head fondly at the thought of him, and jungkook sees your affection for him etched all across your face. "i keep telling him that processing other people's emotions for them isn't healthy, but he won't listen to me. have at it when you get the time."

"what was it?" jungkook asks. "the emotions he processed for you, i mean?" he raises a brow when you make a face at him. "or do i have to reach level fifty before unlocking your tragic backstory?"

"try level one hundred," you scoff, hauling yourself up to collect your things. "now, do you wanna go get some coffee or sit here and talk about our abandonment issues? choose carefully, you only get one."

"coffee," jungkook scrambles to pack your art supplies for you, making you laugh. "coffee, coffee, coffee!"

x

x

x

"jiminieee!" you call out across the house, kicking the door shut behind you after letting yourself in. you're glad you never threw out your old key because it came in handy during times like this, when jimin couldn't answer a text to save his life. he usually wasn't so m.i.a. but that didn't mean he didn't have his moments from time to time. you just assumed maybe he had a girl over, in which case you had no problem eating all the snacks in the kitchen and playing video games with taehyung until he was done. "why didn't you pick up, i called you like, twice today! anyway i was thinking, do you-"

you stop dead in kitchen, surprised to see hoseok there with jimin. it's dead quiet, heads snapped to you like they've only just stopped talking upon your arrival. you can't help but blink back at them, a little dazed, unsure what you just walked in on. but before you can think too much about it, hoseok is shooting you one of his sweet smiles. "hey, ____!"

"hey hobi, uh," your eyes skirt over to your best friend nervously. "didn't think i'd see you here..!"

"hyung just came over for a catch up," jimin says, which is about as much of an explanation as you're gonna get. "sorry i missed your calls, i left my phone upstairs. everything good?"

"yeah i just," you shuffle closer to jimin, a habit you had when you felt uneasy. even though there was nothing to be uneasy about, so to speak; you and hobi had been texting regularly for a couple weeks now, so it's not like you had a reason to be so skittish. so why do you get the nagging feeling there's something you're missing? you ignore it in favour of jimin's pleasant expression. "i was wondering if you wanted to go see a movie? that new horror film just came out and i'm free tonight, so..?"

he strokes your back apologetically, venturing dangerously low. boyfriend territory, so to speak. "sorry ____, but i have so much work to catch up on before this weekend! remember irene noona?"

you lean into him involuntarily. "yeah?"

"she's having another thing on saturday. i really wanna go but i gotta submit my project first," jimin explains, his gentle caress along your spine enough to lull you into submission alone. "but hobi can go with you! you're free tonight, aren't you hyung?"

"um," hoseok wets his lips, eyes darting between the pair of you. "yeah. yeah, i'd love to take you for a movie, ____. if you don't mind, that is."

"oh, yeah of course not! that sounds great," you pat jimin's chest briefly. "too bad you can't make it though. next time?"

"next time," he nods, and you do your best not to shiver when he squeezes your hip.

x

x

x

you're still in denial all the way to the movie theatre, right up until hoseok pays for the tickets and the popcorn and the good coke. there was no denying it after that: you were officially on a date with jung hoseok.

and it was the first of many. because hobi was funny and understanding and sweet, planning around your schedule and picking things you liked to do. even if you cancelled last minute or opted for a night in, he was so chill about it all. if there was a definition of prince charming in the dictionary, hobi's face would be plastered next to it, his name in glitter cursive. this is further supported by the way he brings you flowers before taking you to a fancy dinner he saved up for, all the way uptown.

evidently, it was only natural that your first kiss with him be perfect as well.

"oh, hoseok!" you coo, plucking the fresh lillies from his hands happily. his cheeks burn with excitement, because you only ever call him hoseok when you're sincerely touched. he follows you into the kitchen while you put the flowers in some water, like a puppy on a leash. jimin was right, he muses. this way, everybody wins. "they're so beautiful! you really shouldn't have, i can imagine these costing a fuck tonne..."

"don't worry about that," hoseok says, stepping closer to you when you finally face him. he looks awfully dashing in his dress shirt and pants, hair swept back to reveal even more of his bright, handsome face. he reaches for your hand gently. "i'm just glad you like them."

"i love them," you smile, his heart fluttering with how pretty you look in that moment, all sweet features and a sweeter dress. "no one's ever given me flowers before, you know. maybe i'll sketch them tonight, so i remember forever."

"no need," he chuckles, taking another step. you're close now, awfully close. the richness of his brown eyes throws you, studying your face with the most gentle smile in the world. before he looks down at your lips. "i'll buy you flowers for as long as you'll let me."

hoseok reaches up to cup the side of your face, feather light and soft. he waits for you to pull away, and when you don't he leans in to meet you half way in a short, honey-sweet kiss. his lips are just as soft as they look, just as plump as you'd imagined. you sigh into his mouth when he kisses you again, a bit longer this time, falling into his chest for more before hoseok pulls back with a glittering grin.

"come on," he says brightly, tugging your hands. "i busted my ass for that reservation, so no tardiness!"

you hum with a nod, clutching his hand and letting him lead you out.

but of course, you got there on time. dinner was perfect, the food was delicious, the weather was lovely, absolutely everything was just right. and yet when hoseok kisses you goodnight at the door, you wonder why your chest feels like it's got a chunk missing. like scraping the bottom of a tub of ice cream for a piece of cookie dough and not finding any. you pad into your room, waiting expectantly for hoseok's got home safe text that he never forgets to send. you're so caught up in your head trying to figure out if the chicken you had at dinner is what's making you feel off, before your phone pings! right on time. but then you do a double take at the id.

[unknown number 9:28pm] hey it's slick :) just wanted to ask why you let me walk around with a leaf in my hair the other day. awfully mean of you noona

[unknown number 9:28pm] this is jungkook btw in case u havent guessed

[unknown number 9:29pm] unless im not the only guy u call slick...?

the laughter that bubbles up in your chest is so potent and refreshing you find yourself falling back into your bed in a fit of giggles, eagerly unlocking your phone to save jungkook's number. you had totally forgotten to anticipate his text in the weeks hobi kept you busy.

[you 9:32pm] thanks for clarifying, ur actually slick #4. jimins #5 if that helps

[you 9:33pm] you didn't pay for my coffee so it was revenge

[you 9:33pm] plus you Might have looked a bit cute

[jungkook 9:35pm] are u kidding

[jungkook 9:35pm] i got u those overpriced chocolate things which was like 4 coffees

[jungkook 9:36pm] ahhhhh there it is :) i knew u had a thing for me

[you 9:38pm] they're called croissants jungkook

[jungkook 9:38pm] idc lets go back to how u think im cute

[you 9:40pm] i thought you didnt like me calling u cute

[jungkook 9:41pm] ill take what i can get in this fuckin drought

[jungkook 9:42pm] my plan is to run with the cute thing until i evolve. charmander was cute in the beginning too but then he becomes charizard n everyones like woahhh

[you 9:43pm] are you literally 7 yrs old. am i talkin to ash ketchum rn

[jungkook 9:43pm] pls dont be silly noona ash was 10

[you 9:45pm] so older than u then

[jungkook 9:49pm] can we stop talking abt pokemon now im trying to flirt

[you 9:50pm] dont say that or ur ash hyung will be sad

[jungkook 9:51] i actlly hate u

you're so busy laughing you almost miss hobi's incoming message. you should have replied then and there, but the influx of jungkook’s messages keep you occupied. 

[hoseok 9:43pm] got home safe xx

[hoseok 9:43pm] had a lovely night with you hun xx wanna meet before class tomorrow?xx

x

x

x

"you're having boy trouble, aren't you?" is the first thing taehyung says when you drag him out of his room. and he's not wrong. jimin's out so it's safe enough to take the conversation to the kitchen, tae's smirk over his coffee mug only making you flinch harder. "well?"

"i mean," you tap the table nervously. "sort of? it's just not something i wanna talk to the girls about. or jimin either for that matter. unfortunately you're the only neutral party i have to indulge in."

"charmed. so what did hobi do?" he asks simply. "eat the nuggets off your plate? propose a threesome before the third date? wear denim on denim?"

"...one of those is not like the other, tae."

"you're right. if he took your nuggets the fucker wouldn't be even be alive right now."

"but to answer your question, no he didn't do anything. in fact, i'd go as far as saying he's been so perfect it's starting to make me think he's a hologram or something. some kind of sexy robot designed to charm women but he broke out of the lab and now we're dating."

he gives a snort of derision. "come on, he's a guy. there's gotta be something gross about him."

"nope! he dresses well, smells good, never late, texts me back," you hold your head in your hands dramatically. "he even finishes his political arts essays extra fast just so i have an outline for when it comes to writing mine. the guy is a saint."

"so why did you drag me out of my room during wank hours?"

"jesus, taehyung! it's one in the afternoon!"

"well?"

"i just!" you throw your hands up comically. "i think there's something wrong me! he buys me flowers, texts me good morning...so why don't i have butterflies? why aren't i rushing to reply to him? just the other night i left him on read for ju-for some other guy. i mean, half of me is like if i don't feel something then that's valid but the other half of me is wondering why? why do i feel like i ordered the wrong drink at a coffee shop and i only realised after the first taste? like, it's not a bad drink at all, it's actually quite nice. but it's not what i wanted. you know?"

he raises a dismissive hand to your rambling. "answer me this. do you wanna fuck him?"

you pause, mulling it over. "yeah, i guess."

"you guess?"

"well i wouldn't say no," you admit, huffing as you shift your mug between your hands. "because he's crazy hot and a great kisser, if that's any indication. i'm sure he wouldn't let me down. but i have cause to say the same about you and probably half of jimin's other friends too, so."

taehyung rolls his eyes. "well, ignoring the fact that that was possibly the most tepid compliment you could have given me," he leans across the counter so you can't miss the way his eyes bore into you. "if you're not desperate to fuck him, and i mean getting so excited you shiver a little every time he comes within a meter of you, then that's that. game over, case closed. you should never have to guess whether you wanna fuck a guy or not."

"but he's doing everything right," you wail childishly. "and it's not like i don't like him taehyung, i do."

he shrugs to that. "right. you just don't like him enough to continue dating him on your merry way without coming to me for advice? come on, listen to yourself! the guy's half way to asking you to be his girlfriend, if there's no spark now then what are you waiting for?"

"but maybe there will be! eventually! i definitely like him more and more the longer we've been dating," you counter. "isn’t that worth waiting for?" you groan when tae does nothing but shoot a pointed look in reply. "fine, i'm making excuses. but in my defence if you had to break something like this to jimin you'd be stressed too."

"jimin?" taehyung repeats, brows furrowing. "what does he have to do with this?"

"i mean he pretty much set us up. he's super invested too, he remembers when i need to text hobi back more often than i do." taehyung chews on the information. it doesn't sit well in his stomach and it shows, his lips pursing and his legs jiggling restlessly. "at least it put an end to jisoo and seulgi's crazy idea that jimin liked me. weird though, i didn't think guys would give so much of a shit about their friends relationships."

"yeah, weird," taehyung grumbles, effectively switching the conversation to what he knows will distract you before you can clock onto his pinched expression. "speaking of friends, jungkook says you two have been talking a lot recently. that true?"

"oh, yeah. yeah, i guess," you suddenly find your empty mug very interesting. "we text a bit. went out for coffee a while ago."

taehyung double takes. "coffee?" a pause. "like a-"

you silence him. "don't say date. don't you dare say date. i swear to god if you say date i'll make you a new coffee and pour it in your lap taehyung, i'll do it."

he smirks. "did he pay?"

"no, i got the drinks. but he got the pastries."

"but did he order any pastries?"

silence.

"it was a date."

"no it wasn't!"

x

x

x

"how are you feeling about friday?" jimin asks quietly, lips pressed into your hair so the words come out muffled.

you're half asleep against him, it's one of the few times you're snuggled up into him and not the other way around. you're not sure what trashy romcom is playing anymore, all you know is that jimin's chest is so comfortable under your head, his body so warm with yours cradled into it. you yawn before answering, burying your nose into his soft hoodie. "lunch with hobi? we have lunch together all the time, why would-?"

"no," he says softly, pulling back slightly to look at you. "the other thing."

you meet his eyes, and then it hits you. "oh." a heavy beat. "i-i totally forgot. i can't believe i forgot..."

"i'm sorry, i shouldn't have said anything," he apologises, tucking you further into his arm. you hope your heating cheeks don't give you away with how close you are against him, breathing him in like you would a lover. you're so entranced by his flushed lips and tender expression that you barely listen to what he's saying. "it's good that you're with hobi that day, though. keep you distracted a little, you know?"

"yeah," you hum, but it doesn't keep the sinking feeling out of your chest.

"i only brought it up because i wanted to cook for you that night," he smiles. "i'll make that pasta you like, we'll play some video games. it'll be fun."

you gaze up at jimin in that moment and you hear the words he won't say loud and clear: i don't want you to be alone. your affection for him surges and you think he can see it in your face, because he smiles back at you with a tenderness you don't see often. you shiver a little when he brushes some hair from your face, his touch lingering ever so slightly to the point where you think he just might kiss you. he doesn't, of course. he never has, and never will.

"that sounds perfect," you say finally, dropping your head back into his shoulder to hide your flushed face if anything. you wrap a tight arm around his middle, a silent thank you, and he resumes his cheek tucked against your head.

x

x

x

the next day it rained.

the kind of rain that comes out of nowhere. one minute jungkook was flying down the road with all the windows down and namjoon hyung's playlist blasting and then the next it's pouring, the sound of raindrops hitting his truck so loud he thinks maybe it will leave a dent on the bonnet. jungkook's just glad he got his sunset pictures done and dusted before the downpour, because fuck if his photography degree didn't rest in the hands of the weather forecast at this point. he has enough time on his hands to consider squeezing in a smoke with namjoon before maybe heading out for the night or even seeing what yoongi hyung is up to, but all that goes flying out the window when jungkook sees you. again.

you. standing in the street in the pouring rain outside the post office like a fucking crazy person. you, with no coat, no umbrella, not even a jumper. it's like you've seen a ghost and you're too scared to walk through the door, or maybe you are the ghost. swerving into the curb in a haphazard park, jungkook doesn't know. all he knows is that if the rain doesn't sweep you away any minute now then the fucking pneumonia would.

"hey! noona, what are you doing?!" he screeches through the open window. you just stand there, dumbstruck. even when you finally hear jungkook's yelling, it’s like his voice slips through one ear and out the other. "hey! are you fucking insane? it's pouring!" jungkook shouts above the downfall. you still can't move. "____, get in the car!"

you probably wouldn't have if you hadn't looked up to see jungkook's face, twisted in disbelief and what also appears to be worry. cars honk at him from how badly he's parked, butt of the truck sticking out in the road. he stopped for you...

he stopped for you. so you get in the car.

"are you crazy?!" he asks again as he frantically rejoins the traffic while you fiddle with your seat belt, so sopping wet and freezing that you slip and slide with the buckle. jungkook helps you just like last time, reaching over to click you in before glancing back at your face. you're absolutely drenched, hands wrinkled and hair dripping, clothes soaked through to the bone. and even though you're shivering in the passenger seat with barely any semblance of sanity, your grip on the little blue envelope in your fist doesn't falter. "why the fuck were you just standing there?"

"i," you start, but the words freeze up. "i, um..."

jungkook eyes you like the mad person you most definitely are, and you don't blame him. you look mad. you feel mad. out of sorts, like your spirit is floating around your empty body and the only reason you can't hear her yelling is because the sound of the rain is drowning it out. your chest heaves, air not coming into your lungs fast enough, pulse pounding in your ears. "put on my hoodie," he snaps, gesturing to the seat behind yours. "do you see it, the red one?"

you twist in your seat after a shaky nod, clambering around before grabbing it and tugging it over your head as you're told. it's so big and soft, so warm and so...jungkook. your eyes flutter shut when you bury your nose into the fabric, breathing in the smell of him. fresh laundry, soap, the faintest cologne. and something unmissably sweet. you don't know why but your eyes suddenly brim with tears.

"hey," jungkook says nervously, not knowing how to handle this. "you okay?" another beat. "you gonna tell me why you were out in this goddamn monsoon, or?"

you finally turn your head to look at him, really look at him. silver bracelets glimmer from jungkook's wrists while he drives, his hair matted and sticking up at the back a little. his muscles are hard, you can see the bulge of his biceps. his jaw is sharp, his mouth pursed into a line unhappily, but his eyes are soft. his voice is soft. his hoodie is soft. "i was," you look down at the envelope. it's crumpled and sodden but you haven't let go of it. "i was going to post this. i mean, i wasn't. well, i might have, but..."

jungkook steals another glance because he still has no idea what the fuck is going on. "you couldn't have taken your indecisive ass inside the post office to do all that?" you go quiet again and jungkook's chest feels tighten for some reason. "what kind of letter is so important you'd get drenched for it?"

"it's not a letter," you mumble. then, louder, "it's not a letter, it's. it's a card."

"a card?" he frowns. "like a birthday card?"

you nod. it's hits you then, like a punch in the gut: the shame, the utter embarrassment of it all. of jungkook fishing you out of the rain like this so you don't catch a death wish of a cold, bundling you up in his car like a little kid who got lost. but that's what you feel like, a kid wandering around. a basket case with a birthday card. so it was no wonder your thoughts start to spew from your mouth like projectile vomit but in word form. "remember, um," you gulp, trying to reign in your racing mind. "remember i told you i had, uh, family issues?"

jungkook peers at you, eyeing the road nervously between pauses. "yeah..."

"well, um," you scratch your head, hair flat to your scalp from all the rain. you ruffle it, irritated. "long story short, it's that. like i know i showed you my sketchbook and let you watch me paint in the park and rush to draw flowers before they die but all that stuff is...it's the reason why i'm here. i love it, i love art and it's who i am but if i didn't i probably wouldn't have been caught out in the rain and you probably wouldn't have come found me and-"

he shakes his head. "woah, woah. you're not back tracking far enough, what are you talki-"

"my family," you gasp. "they're not like me. they're not like me at all, jungkook, but i tried to be like them. my mum's a brain surgeon and my dad's a chemical engineer and my sister's a physics professor in some fancy university and i was gonna be just like them. i was gonna throw out all my paint and charcoal and be medical biologist, but i couldn't do it. i tried so hard for so long, but. but i couldn't do it," you're faintly aware of the tears sliding down your cheeks. "why do you think i'm friends with jimin? or rather, that he's friends with me of all people? we met through mutuals and by the time i dropped out of my science degree he was the only one who would still talk to me. i would have been living out of my car for eight months if it wasn't for him."

"what?" he eyes you frantically. "what do you...?"

"my family renounced me. cut me out of their name, threw away all my stuff, kicked me out the house, removed me from their will. everything you can think of, they did it. they're smart after all." you start to laugh at how ridiculous it all was, even though you're crying, even though you're angry, even though you're conflicted. "we haven't spoken in years."

"wait, just wait a second," jungkook tries to keep up. "they disowned you because you decided to be who you are and not what they wanted? what kind of pathetic idiots would throw away their own kid over something like that?"

"because their reputation is everything," you sigh. "you don't get it, jungkook. the kind of name they made for themselves is some top dog shit. they publish papers and take part in groundbreaking research like it’s a hobby. for them to say that one their esteemed daughters dropped out of university because she wanted to be a painter or some shit is a disgrace to their reputation."

his mouth visibly upturns, like he's tasted something bad. "they're the ones who are the disgrace. god, what fucking assholes!"

"but maybe it's better to be an asshole than a dumb fuck," you wave the drenched envelope mockingly. "look at me! i stood outside in the rain because i couldn't decide if i wanted to post my dad a birthday card or not! they haven't spoken to me in years and i still send them a fucking card every birthday," you cover your forehead, embarrassed just from saying it out loud. "they probably set it on fire the second it gets passed the mailbox! they probably throw it straight in the trash and here i am, still sending it."

"but you didn't," he points out. "you still have it there in your hand, don't you? and it didn't exactly look like you were rushing to get inside when i saw you either."

"well yeah, because i think it finally hit me how stupid i am," you look down at your knees. "i just wanted them to know that i don't forget the important stuff. i'll never forget. if i don't post it today then my dad won't receive it on time for friday, and. god, why am i still calling him my dad when technically he's legally not even my relative anymo-" you wet your lips, shaking your head. "it's been years. it's been years. and they've never replied. the only one that's still holding onto this whole thing and getting hurt by it is me, so maybe...maybe it's time i end it. i've already moved on in every other way and this is the last thing that's left, the last tie i have with them, so...yeah."

you wait for it; the spiel of expletives that usually follows when you divulge your past. how your former family don't deserve you, how you should turn your back on them just as they did to you, how wrong they were and how much better off you are in the long run. all things that you whole-heartedly agreed with, if you didn't you wouldn't be here. but moving on isn't a straight line. forgetting isn't like waiting for a pin to drop.

"i can't believe you're related to such disgusting pieces of shit," jungkook starts, knuckles whitening against the steering wheel. it's the first time you regard him now that you've finished rambling, and you can finally see how livid he looks, his face pinched together angrily. "have they even seen your art, though? just because you aren't talented in the same thing they are you get thrown out? all those fucking degrees and scientific bullshit but they can't even see their children as people, what useless fucks," and then, out of nowhere, "do you want me to turn around?"

your head snaps up. "what?"

"the u turn is coming up," jungkook clarifies, looking over his shoulder to check his blind spot. you stare at him, wait for any indication that he's joking or just fucking with you. he takes your wary expression as hesitation. "i can go in and post it and you can just wait in the car, if you want."

"wh-what..?" you try again, unable to do anything but gawk at him.

jungkook regards your disbelief, sighing curtly. "look, my opinion about those pricks is just that - my opinion. at the end of the day it's your life not mine so i can't tell you to do shit. no one can. so if you want me to turn the car around to go and post that card for you, i will. i can't help you with the other stuff, but i can help you with that."

your eyes well up again, hands shaking like leaves. you hadn't even told jimin about the cards in order to avoid the scorn, and yet here was jungkook. a boy you had only met a handful of times ready to support a decision that even he didn't agree with. the feeling was as relieving as it was...foreign.

he wets his bottom lip while you blink away your tears hastily. "so?"

"no," you say finally. "no, it's okay."

he looks at you seriously. "are you sure?"

you nod. "yeah, i'm sure. could you just, um, take me to jimin's? i think seeing him will help me feel better."

jungkook nods, changing lanes for the new route. "does he know? about the cards, i mean?"

you shake your head with a tiny laugh. "no way, he'd flip a shit if i told him! you know how protective he is, he hates my family more than i do."

"well i'm not exactly far off at this point either," jungkook mutters, and you can't help but smile. it makes him smile too, the gripping feeling in his chest washing away at the sight of your shining teeth and dimpled cheeks. he likes the way you look in his big jumper, hair messy and eyes bright. out of all the sunset pictures he took today, he realises that none of them compare to you in his passenger seat right now. "do you think you'll say anything?"

"nah, there's no need," you pause thoughtfully. "he's making me dinner on friday. to get my mind off it all, you know? sometimes i really don't understand why he does all this for me, but..."

"he loves you," jungkook shrugs, and you can't help but wince like you've been pinched. "he said it himself, you're like family to him."

"really?" you chuckle. "what a sap."

"i told you. the nation's crybaby," jungkook smirks, pulling up outside jimin's place. he reaches out to touch your wrist when you go to remove his hoodie. "don't, you can keep it. don't look at me like that, i have like a hundred-"

"i'll wash it and bring it back to you," you take his hand before he can remove it. "thank you, jungkook."

"don't mention it," he starts, but you shake your head.

"not just for your hoodie," you say, the thrum of your heart suddenly in your ears again. you grip his wrist, tugging him over the console. it's like your body acts without your brain's permission because it's all over in a flash; jungkook's doe eyed face close to yours, your soft lips against his cheek in a short kiss.

his mouth is still hanging open slightly when you jump out his car and wave back cutely. he thinks maybe he imagined it, maybe he's about to wake up any second now. he's not sure why his palms are suddenly clammy and his heart is racing a mile a minute because lord knows getting his cheek kissed is the most innocent thing to take place in this truck, but he can't help it. the smell of you mixed with rain linger in the air and jungkook has to take a second to steady his hands on the wheel, fix his breathing like he's a fifteen year old who's never been within an inch of a girl before. for the first time in years, he panics. 

don't bite off more than you can chew, jimin had said. and suddenly jungkook hears it differently.