lettersfromaphrodite
Letters from Aphrodite
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[19.45]
â pairing : Changbin x fem! reader
â content warnings : smut, fluff, grease! au - therefore it's the 50's, street racer Changbin, fwb to lovers (reader is a Pink), unprotected sex (wrap it up yâall)
â word count : 3.633
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
đș GREASE! STRAY KIDS SERIES
Chris part one | part two // Changbin // Jisung // Hyunjin // Seungmin // Minho // Felix // Jeongin
«You know heâs gonna win, right?» Minho gently nudged his shoulder against yours, offering you a gentle smile as your eyes met.  You nodded, slowly adverting your gaze from his and quickly waved at Changbin, which winked at you with a confident smile before getting in his car: a white and flashing convertible Ford Deluxe with âSpearBâ written on its side, a car which you were very familiar with.
You knew about his and his friendsâ habit to spend their Sundays at the Thunder Road to do illegal races long before you became a Pink â Changbinâs only and exclusive Pink to be precise, but since the two of you started going out, you slowly saw these races in a completely new, different way.
Before being a Pink, you would spend your Sundays afternoon at the Frosty Palace along with your friends, talking about how idiots Stray Kids â and the other groups, were to do illegal races, all of them completely aware about the fact that the police knew about this.
Now, you would spend your Sundays along with Stray Kids at the Thunder Road, Changbinâs leather jacket draped over your shoulders - and over your short dress, your eyebrows furrowed in worry.
Changbin would always win, no matter who challenged him. His car was fast â the boys would spend so much time taking care of their cars it was insane, and yet, your growing feelings for him prevented you from neutrally seeing things like
Hyunjin, Minho or the others did.
«Theyâre gonna do the race for Pinks» Chrisâ voice said, joining you and Minho on the sultry asphalt of the long, straight road where the cars would have raced. «If Changbin wins, heâs going to win his opponentâs car. Seungmin is gonna take it back to the garage-»
«Why canât I?» you mumbled, shortly tearing your gaze away from Changbinâs nape. Chrisâ smirk grew wider as soon as you cut him off.
«Because,» he chanted, «He said he has plans for the two of you.» he shortly draped his arm around your shoulders, a friendly habit he had, which you didnât mind. Between all of them, you got along the most with Chris â probably due to him being the only one knowing you were completely smitten with his friend.
Your attention was drawn to the loud roar of the car engines, and as soon as the race started, you leaned on Chris, your eyes never leaving Changbinâs speeding car.
«Yeah, his plans are gonna be eat some cheeseburger and then go to his house to smoke a joint and have sex.» you mumbled, and he threw his head back as he laughed.
«Itâs not like I ever heard you complain.» Chris shrugged, affectionately kissing your hair.
âI never had any reason to complain.â you thought. Changbin was great, regardless of which side of your ârelationshipâ you analysed: sex was great, you could not blame it, he was rough enough to make you feel like he had just fucked your brain out but he was also â unexpectedly, the sweetest boy you have ever met. You never thought Changbin was the type to like aftercare but much to your surprise, he never once asked you to leave. Instead, as soon as the both of you came, he would hug your frame close to his body, cuddling together and humming to some unknown and random songs he liked to sing with Chris and Jisung while they were working on their cars. Sometimes, he would ask you to eat something together but still, you would spend the majority of your days together.
Even when you were hanging out with the others, Changbin always found a way to have you sitting on his lap, his strong arms securely snaking around your waist and his hands caressing your thighs or delicately brushing your hair away from your face.
Changbin was not afraid to show you any and every side of him, and you could not be surprised when you finally realized that you had fallen for him.
In addition, you could not exactly say you have been very subtle about your crush.
Between Stray Kids, Chan had been the first â and only one, to notice. Few months earlier, you sat at their table and spat a very unfriendly «Who the fuck is that», as your eyes fixed on the girl talking to a very pissed of Changbin and trying to hold his hand and she spoke. Chris immediately glanced at you with a knowing smile, a cheshire grin spreading around the red plastic straw of his strawberry milkshake.
«She wants to be his Pink.» he shrugged, nonchalantly, eyeing your every move as you changed seat in order to face Chris, turning your shoulders to Changbin and the girl. «I donât know why girls even bother, tho. Changbin already made it pretty clear that the only Pink Lady he wants is you.»
Since then, you and Chris became even closer, heâd listen to you complain about your stupid crush, as you called it, and told you that with Changbin thereâs more than meets the eye.
This was the main problem: it was obvious that you had a crush on Changbin but in return, he never said anything about it.
Minho and Jeongin cheered loudly, followed by the others, and you snapped out of your thoughts.
The race was over, and Changbin was the winner; all of you started walking to the end of the Thunder Road to congratulate with him.
«I donât know, love. To me itâs pretty obvious your stupid crush is totally reciprocated.» Chris sighed, and you furrowed your brows, his arm still draped around your shoulders. «Letâs go congratulate your boyfriend.» he chanted, again.
As it happened after every race, Changbin draw you closer, pulling you to his body using his leather jacket still framing your body to meet your lips in a long, passionate kiss, which punctually ended due to the wolf whistles of the others.
«Youâre my lucky charm.» heâd whisper on your lips every time, only for you to hear, and you would smile, butterflies in your stomach and a faint blush spreading on your lips.
Exactly as Chris told you earlier, you said your goodbyes. Seungmin quickly hopped on the opponentâs car along with Jisung and the others left towards the Frosty Palace, waiting for them, in order to celebrate Changbinâs win.
«Theyâre going to celebrate your victory without you?» you giggled, sitting on the passengerâs seat of his car and Changbin tapped the wheel with both his index fingers, an embarrassed smile on his face.
«Yeah, well⊠Itâs almost dinner time, I want to take you somewhere first,» he sighed, re-starting the car. «Before joining the others, I mean.» he quickly added, and you nodded at him.
While driving, Changbin had one habit you absolutely loved; his hand would either rest on your thigh or gently drum his fingertips along with the rhythm of the songs played by the radio. Occasionally, he would ask for a kiss anytime the traffic light showed the red light.
The ride was quiet; you hummed to songs together and you playfully complained about your hair being dishevelled due to the wind and Changbin simply laughed at you, reaching out to playfully ruffle it. You did not pay attention to the road until he started taking random turns and getting further away from the crowded city; his car made its way on dirt roads, going higher and higher, until you reached what it seemed to be the top of a small hill.
The silence that reigned there was in contrast to the noisy town you were used to live and it was pleasant, relaxing.
«What about this place, Binnie?» you quietly asked, the both of you unbuckling your safety belts. You shifted a bit, turning your body towards him. Changbin took a deep breath, and you took advantage of his silence to gently trace your fingertips on his muscular thigh.
«Itâs almost sunset,» he briefly explained. «I thought we could watch it together.» he hesitantly looked at you, and you both got out of the car. You walked towards the hood of the car trying to ignore the butterflies dancing in your stomach and your heart picking up its pace.
Well, indeed, it was a romantic spot to watch the sunset together but why did Changbin take you there? You were not a couple.
Changbin sat on the hood of the car, spreading his legs so that you could face the sunset while also leaning on the hood of his car, his hands snaking around your waist and his chin resting on your left shoulder. You relaxed in his arms, surrounded by his scent. You were already wearing his jacket, leaving him in a white, tight t-shirt. You shortly wondered about him being cold, but he interrupted your thoughts.
«I talked to Chris.» Changbin mumbled, his voice dangerously close to your ear sending shivers down your spine. You petrified, as the sun started setting and painting different colours all around the two of you.
âThat fucking traitor.â Â You thought, deciding that as soon as you would see Chris, you would have probably thrown that damn strawberry milkshake he always drank right on his face.
«It was a pretty enlightening conversation,» he quietly giggled, tightening his arms around you. He did not raise his tone of voice, instead he kept mumbling against your ear, almost afraid someone else would hear your conversation even thought there was probably no one within miles. «He made me realize that as much as I love you being my Pink Lady, I honestlyâŠÂ» he stopped in mid-sentence on purpose, pleased with your reactions of immediately turning around into his arms to face him with furrowed brows and worried eyes.
«Honestly?» you asked, mirroring his tone. Your heart was beating like crazy; you reached out to hold the hem of his black t-shirt, mentally preparing yourself to be officially refused.
«Honestly, I donât need you to be my official Pink,» you felt your heart sank. «since I want you to be my girlfriend.» You stood there, dumbfounded. Changbin was looking at you with a sincere but teasing smile, and your head started spinning. You exhaled loudly, a frustrated groan hitting his strong chest a bit harsher than you originally planned.
«I swear, youâre unbelievable!» you whined, seeking refuge in his neck as you heard him laugh and tighten his arms around you. «Couldnât you go with the âwill you be my girlfriend?â like any other boy, instead of giving me an heart attack?»
«Iâm sorry, I couldnât resist.» Changbin kissed your hair, that small gesture he did so often now holding a new, different meaning.
«What did Chris tell you, that I am smitten for you? That I was ready to throw hands to that girl asking you to be your Pink?» you mumbled against his shoulders, slowly leaning back as you didnât receive any answer from him.
Changbin was staring at you with wide eyes, his expression clearly confused. His lips erupted into a smug smirk as soon as he read in your face that you realized to have said something you should not have. «Actually, he never said anything about you. But Iâm pleased to hear these things.» he leaned in, lips hovering above yours.
«What did he say?» you mumble, honestly confused.
«âChangbin, for fuckâs sake, get your shit together before someone idiot snatches her away.â» he quoted, whispering against your lips before capturing them in a sweet, loving kiss.
Your mouths moulded together, tongues languidly moving against each other. You tried to keep your hands to yourself; you tried to endure that sweet and marvellous first kiss as an official couple but, as soon as you felt Changbin sliding down of the hood of his car in order to reverse your positions, effortlessly picking you up in his arms and letting you sit on it instead, you couldnât hold back the whine escaping your lips as Changbin pressed his body between your spreaded legs.
Your boyfriend nibbled at your lower lip, settling for kissing your neck as his hands travelled on your legs, caressing their way from your knees to the hem of your dress, as his lips marked your neck as much as the neckline of your dress allowed. Changbinâs kiss were passionate, loving and rough, just like his personality; he didnât mind marking you up where anyone could see but also, in more private places only for you and him to know, and he didnât mind being marked by you in return.
Your left hand flew on his bicep, loving how it tensed under your touch, and the other tangled itself in his brown hair, guiding his lips back on yours. You shared open-mouthed kisses and your left hand slid on his arm just to stop on top of Changbinâs hand still firmly holding your thigh, and guiding it under your skirt.
«Well well, kitten,» Changbinâs raspy voice mumbled against your lips, as his fingers traced the outline of your panties. «I guess being fucked in the back of my car wasnât enough for you.» he added, sliding his thumb under the cotton fabric and coating his finger with your wetness, spreading it around your folds in circular motions. You panted against his lips, tightly gripping his hand as you felt another finger being added to the motion.
«Itâs not enough.» you confirmed with a whine, a teasing smile on your bitten lips.
«Remember your words when later, the others will ask you why your legs keep shaking.» Changbin scoffed, and easily inserted two fingers in your wetness without further notice. You were glad that no one was around, so that you could be as loud as you wanted â even if you secretly loved his hand over your lips trying to muffle your loud moans.
Changbin momentarily detached from your lips to gently push you back, so that you were laying on the hood of his car, he quickly got rid of your panties, throwing them back in the car, and pulled up the dress you were wearing right around your waist. He inched down, his right hand on your waist to prevent you from moving, and the left one tightly wrapped around your right thigh - your left leg lazily draped on Changbinâs shoulder.
Both your hands flew to his hair as soon as you felt his hot breath and his lips connecting with your clit. He gave it few soft nibbles, teasing it with his teeth, and the only thing preventing you from arching into his face to get more friction, was his hand firmly pressed on your abdomen. You knew Changbin had a thing for biting but you could have never guessed that even his teeth on your clit would feel amazing. He teased you further, separating your folds with his tongue, alternating between keeping it flat or simply brush your wetness with the tip of his tongue.
By habit, your hand flew on your mouth to muffle your increasing moans.
«You can be as loud as you want, Kitten.» he told you right before sucking on your clit again, the hand which was on your abdomen moved to briefly palm himself over his tight jeans. With a loud, needy whine, your hips moved towards his face, feeling already so close. You figured out that Changbin probably knew your body more than you did, since he moved away from between your legs, placing both his hands on the hood of his car, next to your waist, balancing his weight.
«I was close.» you whined, wriggling your lips as if he didnât know already. Changbin chuckled, and you sighed, looking at him. His soft hair were a mess, his eyes were blown with lust and both his lips and his chin were glistening with your wetness. The sky behind him was still painted with the sunset colours, colours that reflected on his tan skin, making him appear like a masterpiece.
You lift yourself enough to kiss him, closing your legs around his waist and tasting yourself all over his mouth and tongue, your breath itching in anticipation. Changbin used one hand to reach for his belt, while the other was tangled in your hair. You started palming him through his jeans, but he quickly stopped you, tightly holding your wrist.
«You can do that on our way back, kitten.» he explained, guiding you off the hood of the car and gently turning you around after affectionately pecking your lips. You leaned over the car as he unbuckled his belt and lowered both his jeans and his boxers round his ankles. You whimpered quietly to yourself, anticipation was driving you insane and you leaned over even further, balancing your weight on your elbows and spreading your legs, pushing your ass out a little more.
Changbin gently caressed your hips as he quickly pumped his length to full hardness, you head falling between your shoulders at the sensation of the tip of his length spreading your wet folds.
Unconsciously, you lift yourself on your tiptoes to accommodate him even deeper as he slowly bottomed out, filling you up with his length. You both moaned at the feeling, one of Changbinâs hands tightly held your waist, while the other was sprawled on the hood of his car, next to one of your elbows. Changbinâs head was on your shoulder blades, and you closed your eyes to picture him: his eyes closed tightly and his lower lip between his lips; you were now used to his body language, he always did it as he bottomed out, probably to prevent himself from immediately thrust into you.
Another thing you loved about Changbin, no matter how much time he had to wait, he would always wait for you to allow him to move.
«Go on Changbin, ruin me.» You held back a moan as you pushed yourself further on his length.
«Not until you say âpleaseâ.» He scoffed, his strained, raspy voice once again dangerously close to your ear. You purposely clenched around him, earning both his short nails digging into the skin of your waist and a choked moan. However, you understood quickly that he really was not going to move unless you said the magic world.
«Please, Changbin-» if you had to be honest with yourself, you were ready to beg him further â as you often did, but he didnât want to waste any further time, and moved his hips in a slow, tentative thrust. Your hand reached over his on the hood of the car, intertwining your fingers as his thrusts grew in speed and intensity. Your wetness were probably dripping on the grass below you, due to how aroused you were. Changbinâs large dick was hitting in all the right places, that familiar sensation in your abdomen quickly coming back. Changbinâs hoarse and husky groans mixed with your louder ones, as he chased both your orgasms. His pace slowed down, the hand around your hip lowered behind your thigh only to lift it against the front of his car, making the feeling of his length sliding in and out of you even more intense due to the new angle. Your knee was tightly and slight painfully pressed against the front of his car, you would probably have marks later on but you enjoyed it way too much to complain.
Changbin was restlessly thrusting into you with both his hands pressing on the hood of the car, and you somehow managed to move just enough to meet his hard thrusts. His hips stuttered, before stilling inside you as his orgasm triggered yours. Changbin moaned your name with a raspy voice as he spilled his loads into you and in return, you almost screamed his as you clenched impossibly tight around him.
You both stood there, panting together, Changbinâs head once again falling on your shoulder blades as you both evened out your breathing. He carefully slid out of you, and gently lowered your dress back down. You heard him re-dress himself and buckle his belt but you were still too lost in bliss to function or to actually stand back up.
Changbin was right, your legs were trembling but honestly, it always happened. Having sex with him was pretty intense, only thinking about his strong body manoeuvring yours so easily made another rush of heat flow towards your belly.
«Hey, kitten, look at me.» his still raspy voice gently called out, his tone sweet and caring as he turned you around under the â now, dark evening sky. You hummed, a wide smile on your lips mirroring his as he hugged you once again, kissing the side of your head. «Iâm so in love with you, you have no idea.» you heard him mumble.
You blushed, your heart swelling and picking up pace. «I could say the same, Binnie.»
You kissed again, slowly, savouring each other lips, before you actually decided to join the others at the Frosty Palace.
Changbin laughed at you as you struggled finding your panties in the backseat of his car.
«Why did you throw them in the first place?» you whined, laughing.
«Why do you have to wear them again if youâre going to sleep at my place?» he shrugged, starting the engine as soon as you buckled your seat belt giving him a thumbs up, whispering a quiet «Found them!»
His hand found your thigh again, and you instantly intertwined your fingers together.
âThat fucking Aussie.â Â You thought, a wide smile on your lips, deciding that as soon as you would see Chris, you would have offered him one of those damn strawberry milkshake he always drank, for at least one month.
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories.
I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.
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«flames to dust.»
â pairing : Chris x fem! reader
â content warnings : soulmates au, angst with a happy ending, magic au, medieval settings, implied smut, pay attention to Seungmin and Hyunjin's dynamics, locations and sceneries are inspired from Black Desert Online as always, a few LOTR quotes here and there because of reasons,â ïžmention of violence, mention of death, character death(s) the main pairing is safe, mentions of blood, mention of the skinning tattoo technique, mention of violence, choking (sadly, not in the kinky way!!!)â ïž
â word count : 43k
â notes : she's back. she's longer. she's a one shot // special thank you to my girlies @stressedfranya and @helav98, this fic wouldn't have existed if not for your support and our continuous brainstorming // Lea's character is inspired from my lovely and beloved @minbiny, aka my wonderful soulmate.
â notes : take a look at the deities! Karanda - Goddess of Air // Garmoth - God of Fire // Vell - God of Water // Offin - Goddess of Earth // Kzarka - God of Rot and Corruption // credits for the deities amazing gifsets and pics: @unikornu
â summary :
The only certainty you had, was that you were running out of time. As fate repeated itself and the pressure of being responsible for the fate of countless people had been placed on your shoulders, would you allow yourself to love and to be loved in return?
PREQUEL đź : «do you believe in fate?»
PROLOGUE
The âCursed Castleâ stood tall at the worldâs end: made of lava stone and golden amber, its menacing appearance was enough to make people fear everything about who lived in it and within its increasing territories.
Moreover, dark and thick clouds were constantly hovering above the Castleâs territories â almost shielding it from the light of the Sun, therefore making it impossible for even the faintest ray of sunlight to reach over those numerous layers of darkness.
The fallen King had once been a good, adventurous and magnanimous man; as a child of Fire, he had the pleasure to meet both Garmoth â the God of Fire, and his soulmate â a child of Air. Actually, some even said that the King had lived a life full of love, showering both his wife and their daughter with affection, until that love that once filled his everyday routine had been abruptly taken away from him without any notice.
From the moment his wife had passed away because of a strange and incurable illness, the King had gradually withered from the path filled with joy and love he had always walked on, just to venture himself in a mysterious and darker path.
Slowly, a mysterious menacing power took hold of both his heart and soul, mutating his elemental powers and therefore, changing the appearance of his once bright red eye â now reduced to a black, void and emotionless orb.
Within the years, the sadness of losing his soulmate had turned into an obsession, and with the only goal to tear apart the four Gods one by one, the King started to gather children of Nature under his dominion, succeeding in tainting their conscience and changing the nature of their powers as well.
With the help of his seven long-time friends â eventually called the âSeven Generals of the Underworldâ, the King had managed to keep the world in check and constantly on the verge of war, becoming a different but bigger threat than the Serendia Shrine ever was.
To the Gods, it was impossible to understand how a single man had managed to generate to create such a dark power completely by himself; no matter how deep their sorrow was, humans were not supposed to generate a brand new kind of magic, let alone corrupt people â almost hypnotizing them, to join their army.
At some point, the Gods suspected for their nemesis â the God of Corruption, to have arisen once again, even if the possibilities were highly improbable.
Before the world as it was known took shape, an otherworldly battle had taken place â modelling the sea, mountains and the sky into a different shape than the one people were used to see; many Gods fell trying to defeat Kzarka, and only four of them managed to survive, sealing him away with extreme fatigue.
Therefore, the four Gods started to suspect that the fallen King had managed to found something he was not supposed to, something related to the battle against the God of Corruption, something that could dangerously increase his natural power while feeding on his desire of revenge.
As for you, the fallen King was probably the man you loved the most. Even if you were constantly trying to ignore the fact that the more time went by, the more he lost his self and his memories to darkness, the faint hope of managing to save both him and your cherished uncles kept burning in your heart, a faint hope that would have soon flared up.
As dejecting as it was, however, you spent years silently watching your father losing his memories the more his power increased, to the point that sometimes he couldnât recognize you â his own daughter, as well.
«I know your faceâŠÂ» he would mumble, lost in thoughts, as his narrowed eyes scrutinised your features; heâd mumble your name few seconds later, a kind and fond smile suddenly growing on his lips and an identical one growing on yours, accompanied by the faint trace of tears forming in your eyes and sorrow enveloping your heart in a tight hold.
Although you were a child of Fire, everyone had told you that your resemblance with your mother was uncanny and therefore, sometimes, you wondered if your father had forgotten about your mother as well.
The heels of your leather boot clicked against the marble floor in a rhythmic way, as you were making your way towards a familiar figure standing against the railway of one of the Castleâs wide balconies; you  politely greeted him, and he gently tilted his head towards you in a hint of a bow.
«Uncle Seonghwa,» you gently spoke, breaking the temporary and comfortable silence, «could you tell me something about mom and dad, please?» you asked him, as the memories of your parents slowly seemed to be held hostage by a threatening fog, almost preventing you from remembering what you wanted to.
«They loved each other a lot,» Seonghwa answered with a sad smile, «your mother had always been an excellent fighter, she would be proud of you.» he added, and you nodded briefly, a small smile adorning your lips. After that, Seonghwa told you about the adventures he lived with your parents, and you closed your eyes while listening to his words, trying to imagine everything as best as you could. Â
Unbeknownst to the two of you, someone else was leaning against the doorframe, hiding from your sight; his head was slightly tilted, and his gaze was unfocused, as if he was suddenly remembering everything his long-time friend was telling you.
Someone, no one but the fallen King â Kim Hongjoong.
CHAPTER I
«Wake up, sleepy head,» you acknowledged Wooyoungâs gentle voice with a groan as you shifted in bed, covering your head with the blanket, reluctant to wake up.
«Five more minutes... What time is it?» you mumbled tiredly with your eyes tightly closed, as you felt the bed dip under Wooyoungâs weight.
«Itâs hard to tell,» Wooyoung replied, gently removing the blanket from your head as he glanced out of the window; it was almost impossible to keep track of time due to the fact that a thick layer of clouds was constantly preventing anyone from glancing at the sun, «according to Yeosangâs watch, it should be seven in the morning.»
«What in the world do we need to do at seven in the morning?!» you questioned him, rubbing your eyes in the vain attempt to wake up faster.Â
Something in the smile erupting on Wooyoungâs lips was definitely tense, but you were still too asleep to notice that something was different; Wooyoung simply answered that the two of you needed to go shopping, because according to him, you absolutely needed new clothes.Â
«Itâs like talking with your mom all over again,» he replied with a brief giggle as you tried to convince him that the clothes you already owned were more than enough, «hurry up, or Iâll call Jongho.» he eventually said, and as if he spoke some magic words, you immediately sat up in bed, ready to wash up and get dressed, despite your prior complains; being woken up by Jongho meant the whole mattress being flipped â with you still on it, towards the ground as soon as you said you didnât want to wake up. Of course, Jongho would still be careful and help you up, but for you it had become an unconditional reflex: as soon as you heard either his name or his voice first thing in the morning, any trace of sleep seemed to vanish from your soul in the blink of an eye.
«Hongjoong wants you to have this,» Wooyoung added, placing a velvet box on your bedside table, before walking out of your bedroom.
Both being incredibly curious and both hoping that you father had returned to his old self, you reached out as soon as the wooden door closed behind Wooyoungâs shoulders, and getting a little more comfortable on the bed, you hesitantly opened the small box.
A silver earring laid alone on top of a small cushion made of black silk, it was nothing too precious, but it still managed to make your heart swell; a small feather carved in silver hung from a small circle, and you immediately realized that it was the feather attached to the necklace that your mother used to wear everyday, as if it was her second skin.Â
Although you were incredibly happy about the present, a doubt immediately formed in your heart: since your mother had passed away, Hongjoong had always worn her necklace, so, why was he suddenly gifting it to you?
A whirlwind of questions started to form in your head as you washed up and got ready for your date with Wooyoung, and as you headed out of your room, the earring was safely dangling from your left ear.
-
The citadel extended around the Castle for a few miles, and it had nothing to envy to other cities, not even to the Capital. The marketplace was vast, and â although the dubious morality the people living within the kingdomâs territories had, they were always cheerful and lively. Hongjoong had managed to corrupt an almost unquantifiable number of children of Nature, but even so, not everyone following his lead was corrupted, nor could use elemental magic: those who were organizing the market â or the ones taking care of the commercial matters, were almost always their uncorrupted partners.
It was not uncommon for a husband which couldnât use elemental magic to follow his wife just because he was worried for her, and vice versa; eventually, those people accepted their fate, and tried to understand the purpose behind Hongjoongâs wicked plans, tying to convince themselves that it was for their own good as well.
Hongjoongâs kingdom stood in a strategic position: dangerous and steep mountains stretched around the citadel to the east, south and west, while a part of dense woodland extended to the north; mighty rivers naturally moulded through the mountains and passed through part of the undisturbed woods. Therefore, not only was the kingdom almost completely impregnable, but it didnât need any kind of external trade: Hongjoongâs kingdom was completely self-sufficient, and in continuous expansion.
Over the years, even clothings had changed significantly: dark colours were the only thing people wore, and leather details or harnesses were used in the most various combinations, whether for aesthetic purposes or strategic ones â it wasnât rare for daggers to be attached to someoneâs thigh.
This different and singular fashion became extremely characteristic, to the point that anyone could easily notice when inhabitants of the cursed kingdom ventured into foreign lands.
For the whole morning, Wooyoung seemed a man on a mission: not only he managed to buy a huge quantitative of clothes, but he managed to buy clothes which definitely did not seem to belong to the general aesthetic everyone used to wear.
As the two of you were carefully making space in your wardrobe for the things you bought, it didnât go unnoticed how Wooyoung almost seemed to wanting to hide them into the left corner of the wooden structure; whether you had any doubts about his behaviour, you decided to keep quiet.
Honestly, recently you had noticed a slight change in Seonghwaâs, Wooyoungâs and Sanâs behaviour; theyâd glance worriedly ad each other every now and then, or entertain what seemed a dramatic argument just to immediately change their behaviour as soon as you approached them, clearly tying not to worry you. Although you tried to question them few times, you decided to eventually drop the subject, since it was clear that no one was going to tell you anything about what they were worried about.Â
«I canât believe I still look so good,» Wooyoung spoke all of a sudden, catching his reflection of the mirror next to the two of you; instinctively, you scoffed while hiding an amused smile.Â
Time passed extremely slowly, and life expectancy was extremely long, especially for children of Nature. It wasnât rare to meet people few centuries old; unless oneâs life ended by illness or battles, people aged extremely slowly. However, you had to admit that what was happening to Hongjoong and the others was definitely not normal: twenty four years had passed since the day you were born, and nothing had changed in their appearance.
Eventually, you convinced yourself that it was yet another consequence of the darkness corrupting their hearts; but still, you silently questioned why it didnât have any effect on you.Â
«Stop being so surprised,» you joked, «I bet San makes sure to tell you at least twice a day.» as you sat on your bed once again, you saw a confident smile appearing on Wooyoungâs lips, who was still looking at himself in the mirror.Â
«At any chance he gets, actually.» he clarified, talking about his beloved husband, and you shook your head; you had to admit, it was refreshing to see them being so in love despite everything happening around you, and once again, you couldnât help but wonder whether they would one day forget about each other, just like what was happening to your father.
A sudden knock on the door caught your attention, and the door slightly opened only for Mingi to partially lean into the room; there had been a day where Mingi cherished for you and showered you with affection just like how Wooyoung, San and Seonghwa were still doing, but sadly, those days were long gone. Mingi had been one of the first ones to be completely corrupted by Hongjoongâs power, and therefore, his behaviour towards you was strictly formal, going from teaching you how to fight without tripping on your feet, to talking to you only if needed.
«Hongjoong summoned us for a meeting.» he simply said, before quickly closing the door, as if he had never been there in the first place.Â
Still, your heart started to race; you didnât know what to expect, especially because anytime your father wanted to have a meeting, it was never because he wanted to deliver good news.
Usually, Hongjoong called a meeting just to set up an efficient organization for an upcoming war, which you desperately wanted to prevent, but you didnât have nor the power, nor the authority to oppose his ideas.Â
-
«Yeosang has incredibly good news.» Hongjoong spoke with a satisfied grin, as the nine of you were standing in front of him, who was comfortably sitting on his throne.
Compared to the extravagant and precious furnishings of the Castle, the throne room was large, and almost completely bare of furniture; above three steps was Hongjoongâs throne, made of black obsidian, and four tall, wide marble columns stood around the room.
Sometimes, you had the sensation that the room almost seemed too humble to be the silent witness of such atrocious plans and confessions.
However, within the throne room was the real treasure of the cursed kingdom, a treasure of immeasurable value; two precious stones of mysterious nature â probably otherworldly, were set against the wall above Hongjoongâs throne. Red as rubies, they shone with a mysterious and frightening light, a light which seemed to become increasingly brighter as Hongjoongâs power steadily grew.
«According to my researches, some people managed to summon the Gods, without being summoned by them and of course, without dying.» Yeosang spoke, and you listened to him, fearing for the worst; you were aware about the fact that beside your parents, Seonghwa and Jongho had met their godly parent as well, but, listening to Yeosangâs words, between summoning a God out of your own will and meeting one because they decided to give you a second chance at life, there was a huge and extremely dangerous difference.Â
Hongjoongâs plan could be easily guessed: summon the Gods one by one, challenge them and defeat them, whatever it took. The possibility of losing not only your parents but the others as well was starting to make you feel like you were suffocating.
«However, there seem to be no traces of the summoning rituals,» Yeosang added, and you felt like breathing again, «so Iâm trying to track those people down: some of them must be still alive.»Â
«Isnât it dangerous?» you quietly asked, before feeling both Seonghwaâs and Sanâs elbows nudging against yours, in a rushed silent warning to not speak any further. Hongjoong tilted his head towards you in a polite yet tense smile, and your gaze naturally locked on the floor.Â
«Princess, my beloved daughter,» he addressed you with a tense voice, «I think you should be happy, for we are one step closer to get our seeked revenge.» he added, and you were completely aware about the fact that you were testing your luck, but you couldnât follow the silent hint of keeping your mouth shut; after all, children of Fire were known for acting on their instinct, for better or for worse.Â
«You want to summon a God just to defeat them, but what if you end up being defeated?» âwhat if I lose you as well?â you mentally added, but your torn emotions reached blind ears; a thin layer of black smoke seemed to generate from the crimson stones behind him, before materializing around Hongjoongâs right hand, and you realized that he interpreted your words as a tentative of opposing his authority.
However, before Hongjoongâs rational part could even realize the fact that darkness had completely clouded his soul and he was about to attack you with his magic, a thick layer of black and moving sand materialized in front of you, momentarily startling you.
«Hongjoong, calm down.» Jongho quietly spoke, his right hand barely lifted in the air to keep his spell alive, and Hongjoongâs unforgiving eyes locked with his friendâs neutral gaze.Â
«Go.» Seonghwa told you barely above a whisper, and you took the chance to excuse yourself and head out of the throne room. Â
Accompanied by the darkness of the night, Seonghwa and Wooyoung bursted completely unannounced into your room; the faint lights of the candles in your room immediately underlined the tense frown on their delicate features as Wooyoung carried an empty leather bag along with him, immediately heading towards your closet.
«Come on, Princess, itâs time to pack.» Seonghwa urged, as his friend was carefully placing few change of clothes in the bag he had placed on a nearby chair, doing his best in trying to act calm and composed although everything in his body screamed that he was in a hurry.Â
«What? What happened?»  you asked them, dumbfounded, as you immediately walked behind the fancy separé few steps from your bed, in order to dress as fast as you could.
Neither Seonghwa nor Wooyoung answered your question, and you grew increasingly worried: were you in danger? Did a war break out without notice? Were there some intruders in the castle? You fastened a dagger against your thigh, before walking towards Wooyoung, which was done packing.Â
«Hongjoong wonât get any better, little one,» Wooyoung explained, running a hand through his black hair out of frustration, «and neither will we.» you couldnât do anything but look at him with your eyes as wide as the moon, and he gently squeezed your shoulder with an apologetic smile.Â
«You do realize that he attacked you because of those stones, right?» Wooyoung questioned, and you nodded without hesitation; of course you had noticed that they were the source of his corruption, after all, he hasnât been the same since he had found the first one when -
«San is waiting for you, heâll lead you through the forest.» Seonghwa added, interrupting your thoughts; they both hugged you as tightly as they could, gently kissing your hairline before letting you go. Your emotions were a confused whirlwind of feelings, and you couldnât pinpoint which one was prevailing; what were you going to do? Why were they sending you away? Would you see them again?
Seonghwa walked back into your bedroom few moments after you were gone, just to find Wooyoung sitting on your bed, his hands on his lap and his gaze locked on them as if they were the most interesting sight in the world.
«I think she has all the rights to know the truth.» Seonghwa mumbled, and Wooyoung simply hummed.
«She will,» Wooyoung eventually answered, although his voice was uncertain, «we will find a way to tell her, I promise.»
Seonghwa sighed, his footstep leading him to sit next to his long-time friend, «Do you think Changbin will help her?»
«Technically, he owes us his life,» Wooyoung immediately answered, hinting to what happened many years earlier at the Serendia Shrine, «but weâre his enemies, now, soâŠÂ» he drifted off, his words dying on the tip of his tongue, before turning his head towards Seonghwa and completely changing the topic, «Howâs it going for you?»
Seonghwa answered with a smile that didnât reach his eyes, while lifting his left hand in mid air and generating a small sphere of water, gesture which made Wooyoung immediately sigh in deject; Seonghwaâs eyes â once turning a bright shade of blue anytime he used magic, were now a threatening shade of black, and the water generating in his hand was as dark as the deepest point of the sea.
Seonghwa was about to lose himself to darkness, Wooyoung realized, and without you constantly being around them, it would have probably happened for both him and San as well, sooner than they had originally planned.
San has been guiding you through the forest, paying meticulous attention not to leave any kind of trace behind the two of you; he knew that him, Wooyoung and Seonghwa couldnât hide the fact that you had escaped for long, but he was determined to buy you as more time as he could.
Sometimes, he had to admit that the fact he had been working as an assassin for years definitely came in hand: thanks to his lead, the both of you moved as silent shadows, favored by the natural hiding place provided by the trees.
«This is as far as I can go,» San gently spoke as he spotted your horse behind an oak tree â of course, sent there as a farewell present from Jongho, «Go to Heidel, look for Changbin.»Â
«Why are you sending me away, did I do something wrong?» you asked, tears suddenly forming in your eyes and panic tightly gripping your heart as you realized that you were about to leave for real; Sanâs eyes softened, and he immediately reached out to wrap his arms around you in a comforting hug.Â
«Of course you didnât, you could never.» he honestly answered, and you felt your throat burn with the desire to stop yourself from trying not to cry.Â
«What do I do now?» you questioned, with a shaky voice, «Iâve always been with you.» you added, gripping on his cape.
«Keeping yourself out of trouble could be an excellent start, Princess.» even though you could hear a smile in Sanâs voice, you understood he was reluctant to let you go by the firm hold he still had on you. Truth be told, deep in your heart, you already knew the reason why they were doing this, but you didnât want to acknowledge the fact that you were about to lose to darkness the people you loved the most.Â
Eventually, you reluctantly detached yourself from Sanâs comforting embrace, and he helped you fix your small luggage on your horse, before helping you up on the saddle as well.
«Will I see you again?» sniffling quietly, you questioned him almost timidly, looking at him as you were tightly holding the reigns with shaky hands.
San gave you a small smile, before placing his right hand on his heart, and faintly reach out towards you, in a gesture Hongjoong and the others were used to do whether someone among them were to leave for a journey.Â
âMy heart will be with you, wherever you go.â it meant.Â
«You will,» San gave you a reassuring smile and you nodded briefly, urging your horse to move forward; he narrowed his eyes, and refused to move until he couldnât see your shape completely engrossed by the darkness of the night, «will you?» he whispered his question in the void of the night, before making his way back towards the Castle.
The sensation of sunlight on your skin was something you havenât been feeling in years, and the fact that you couldnât share this experience with the people you loved was extremely dejecting.
Traveling on your own not only was exhausting, but it was definitely not a pleasant experience; first of all, you had no one to talk to â beside your horse but sadly she couldnât answer to your rambling, and most importantly, you had to constantly force yourself not to fall asleep anytime you stopped for the night. It definitely wasnât rare for you to tie the reigns of your horse to a tree and then climb on one of its largest branches just to take a quick nap, and anytime you woke up you were a little more stressed than you were before falling asleep.
Accordingly to the map that Wooyoung sneaked in your bag when he was packing your luggage â along to a huge quantity of gold, Heidel was still very far away from were you were; the city was at least two weeks of constant travel from the Cursed Kingdom, and you were determined to reach Changbinâs house as soon as you could, but you couldnât mistreat your horse.
One week had passed, and you wondered if Hongjoong found out that you had ran away, and how he consequentially reacted; chewing on a small ratio of bread, you scoffed at the naivety of your own thoughts.
âHe probably forgot about me,â you thought instinctively, your fingertips blindly reaching for your earring while gently moving and twisting the silver feather attached to the small loop; âI wonder if thereâs a way to destroy those stones.â you sighed, your thoughts running wild as you were enjoying your lunch while sitting next to a small river.
The fact that you were tired led you to naturally commit a huge mistake; being lost in your thoughts with your shoulders facing the woods meant that you definitely didnât realize someone sneaking up on you, until a short blade was pressed against your throat.
«I wonder what someone from the cursed kingdom is doing around here.» a boy spat with a harsh tone; judging by his voice, he seemed to be around your age, and a thick accent was accentuating any word he spoke.
Carefully balancing what was remaining of your small loaf of bread between your teeth, you immediately reached out to wrap your hand around the strangerâs bare forearm: your eyes became bright red as you used your powers, burning his skin so that he was forced to either move away or give up his hold on the dagger.
However, the stranger proven out to be a little more reckless than you originally planned, because he did let you go, but with a quick movement of his other hand, he had vigorously pushed against your shoulder, consequentially making your back unceremoniously hit the soft grass.
«Were you raised by barbarians?!» you instinctively spat, annoyed with the fact that in the process, the loaf of bread you were eating was now on the floor, «I was eating, you idiot.»
Slightly surprised with the fact that you seemed to be more angry with him interrupting your lunch rather than him threatening to kill you, the stranger momentarily loosened his grip on you, and you took advantage of that faint second in order to quickly counterattack.
Long years spent being trained by Hongjoong and the others meant that you were a skilled fighter, even thought no one of them had ever let you go to war. With a quick movement, you managed to roll the two over, so that now you were sitting on his abdomen and tightly holding his wrist, preventing him from using his dagger again.
Something in the strangerâs appearance, however, made you momentarily froze in your place. There was nothing particularly outstanding in his clothes, beside the fact that he seemed to wear a cloak made of fur â which was neatly attached to the fabric on his left shoulder; the boy was undoubtedly handsome, his hair was short and black, and his features were as nice as if they had been sculpted in marble.
However, as if a spell had been casted on you, you couldnât drift your gaze from his: not only he had huge scar on his left eye â reaching from mid forehead to the middle of his cheek, but his eyes were mismatched.
Instinctively, you swallowed nervously: not only his eyes were the obvious proof that the boy had died and been sent back by his godly parent, but, judging by the bright blue color of his left eye, he was a child of Water.
«I canât believe my fucking luck.» you muttered to yourself, before tightening your grip on the strangerâs wrists before abruptly letting them go; as quickly as you could, you dashed towards your horse, hastily climbing on the saddle. Â
As for the stranger, you had used once again an old trick that Hongjoong had taught you when you were still young: a thick rope made of fire burned bright around his wrists, and as soon as you saw him effortlessly neutralize your spell summoning water, you realized you had to flee.Â
Fighting with a son of Water meant that you were in obvious disadvantage, especially if fighting near a source of water, but it didnât mean you could outsmart him, after all, you took alchemy lessons from Yeosang, whose talent was well known and envied in the most important cities; before leaving, you casted a spell on the helm of his dagger, before throwing it towards him, making it purposely land between the two of you.Â
As you noticed that his blue eye seemed to shine brighter, you realized that he was silently summoning a spell, and therefore you took advantage of the now enchanted dagger; you threw a small sphere made of fire towards it, and as the ground began to burn, you realized that the steel had completely melted. From there, you could control the direction of the fire as you pleased, and a line of flames was burning in front of the stranger, separating the two of you and allowing you to escape.
-
It was a windy evening when you arrived in Heidel, and although someone glanced at you in a suspicious manner, no one actually had tried to stop you to know your whereabouts; you were walking through the city while gently tugging on the reigns, as your horse followed obediently behind you. Â
Changbinâs and Leaâs house was in the west side of the city, and since youâve spent a lot of time with them when you were younger, you recognized it immediately; the more steps you took towards it, the more anxious you felt.Â
What if they didnât want to see you?Â
âThereâs only a way to find out.â you took a big breath, before knocking once, twice, three times on the wooden front door.
«I donât know, I wasnât expecting anymore people!» you heard Changbinâs muffled voice getting closer, before the door opened just to reveal a very confused Changbin; as if he was struck by lightning, a smile erupted on his lips as recognition danced on his features and mumbled your name, and you nodded with a shy smile.Â
Changbin invited you in, but before closing the front door behind the two of you, he carefully glanced around the streets, just to be sure that no one had followed you.
«Lix, could you get her horse to my stable?» Changbin gently asked to a boy which had walked out of the kitchen as the two of you were approaching, but you didnât pay much attention to him, since you were too focused on trying to recognize the voice coming from the room Changbin was leading you to.
«I swear, Lea,» the male voice spoke with a thick accent, «she fled, just like that!» you instinctively furrowed your eyebrows, because the voice definitely sounded familiar, and you hoped for your instinct to be proven wrong.Â
As you stepped into Changbinâs cozy kitchen, Lea immediately let go of the fabric rag she was using to clean the wooden counter of the kitchen, just to come and greet you with a warm hug, but your eyes widened as soon as your gaze met the boy comfortably sitting on a wooden chair, with his arm placed on the table.
«Hello, fireball,» the boy spoke with a smug smile, the light of the fireplace dancing in his bright blue eye, «what a coincidence, I was talking about you, just now.»
«I canât believe my fucking luck.» you muttered to yourself, letting go of the leather handles of your bag, letting it falling on the floor, as you returned Leaâs warm embrace.
CHAPTER II
«I have never done such things!» you hastily denied, covering your mouth with the back of your hand, ignoring every single rule of etiquette which imposed you not to speak with your mouth full of food; your gaze briefly met Chrisâ â the child of Water you had recently met, and it didnât take a particular wild guess to acknowledge the fact he was listening to everything Lea was saying just to have many more things to tease you with.
Lea, however, was looking at you with a beaming and fond smile, recognizing the fact that you did remember, and proceeded with talking about every interesting anecdotes about your childhood she could remember.
«One time, Changbin let her hit him with one of the fake swords they used, and actually pretended to be hurt and well, she started crying! Ah, she was so cute back then.»
«Am I not anymore?» you immediately questioned arching your bow, and Lea immediately shook her head.
«Of course you are, you look exactly like your mother â speaking of which, have you already been to Velia?» Â
Although Leaâs question was harmless, for some reason, it was enough for the appetite you had felt to completely vanish; you shook your head, simply answering that you were going to, within the following days.
«Velia? The port city?» Chris curiously questioned, and you wordlessly nodded; acknowledging your silence, Changbin briefly explained that Velia is where you used to live as a child, before eventually, your mother died and Hongjoong and the others left, taking you with them.
«Well, I didnât know this part of the story.» Chris mumbled to himself, and the boy sitting next to him â Felix, sighed heavily.
«There would be an infinite things youâd know if you werenât so quick on jumping to conclusion.» Felix spoke, and Chris simply shrugged, agreeing with him.
From what you learnt in the two weeks you had spent at Changbinâs and Leaâs house, both Chris and Felix came from Ilya Island, which was few days away from Velia. Apparently, they had come both to visit Changbin â an old time friend, and both to assure the Capital that the Island would have helped in case the Cursed Kingdom decided to declare war.
Moreover, if you werenât surprised about Felix being the Prince of Ilya Island â not only everything in his behaviour seemed to scream âroyaltyâ but also the golden and thin tiara he  always wore actually resembled some sort of crown, you were definitely surprised to learn that Chris was not only the head of their Kingdomâs whole army, but also Felixâs most trusted counsellor.
How did a boy so annoying and reckless manage to get such an important title, was a mystery to you.
«Oi, fireball, I was meaning to ask-»
«Donât call me that,» you immediately cut Chrisâ sentence, definitely not liking how his full and plump lips framed a perfect smile.
«Okay, sweetheart,» he corrected himself, pronouncing the new nickname almost in a rivalry tone, «how did you control two elements at once?»
It took you few seconds to remember what he was actually talking about, but in the moment you did, your face seemed to brighten up with pride; you placed the small chalice you were drinking from back on the table, before lifting your right hand in mid-air, slightly moving it around.
«I actually canât, I am a child of Fire,» you clarified, «Yeosang came up with this. There are few alchemy symbols embroided inside it, which allow us to use alchemy however and whenever we want, without the processing part.» you explained, as the othersâ gaze was fixed on the fingerless glove hugging your hand as if it was a second skin. Although the fabric looked like leather, the consistency was far from it; unlike leather, the fabric was more elastic, flexible and waterproof, and â most importantly, it did not hinder any movement of your hand.
«What symbols?» Felix asked with fake nonchalance, and you instinctively scoffed.
âAs if I would tell you,â you thought.
«As if I knew,» you answered instead, «Yeosang came up with them.»
«He created them?» Chris questioned; everyone was aware about Yeosangâs brilliance when it came to alchemy, but said stories always came from people which had been defeated by one of his inventions, reason why hearing what he was capable of from one of his friends and not one of his foes was actually even more fascinating.
«He also managed to hid them, so that if we ever get defeated, no one would find out.» you added, lying about not knowing which symbols he had used.
Ever since Yeosang had successfully refined the new weapon, he had insisted for you and the others to carefully learn which symbols he had meticulously created.
«So you wonât come running to me if you need a new one.» Yeosang had simply explained back then, although he was pretty clear that the fingerless gloves he had created were a very precious gift meant only for the nine of you.
«That doesnât surprise me.» Changbin chimed in, before he eventually start rambling random praises about how Yeosang, Yunho and Mingi managed to help him building his house basically almost using alchemy alone, and it was a shame that they ended up becoming a public enemy.
However, that was where you stopped listening.
Although you had spent two weeks showered with actual affection and not feeling like an outcast that had run away from the Cursed Kingdom, you started to miss home; what started as an almost imperceptible sensation, like a gentle movement of a butterflyâs wings, suddenly evolved into a pang in your heart.
Were you allowed to spend your days like this? After all, you had witnessed first-hand the people you loved losing themselves to darkness; how long that vain and fragile lie would last, you wondered, realizing that you have been hiding yourself behind a small lie shaped into a thin curtain separating you from what you knew you were supposed to do?
When the moon was shining high and lonely in the sky, you had the sensation of your thoughts gradually being cleared; you wanted â you needed, to find a way to help Hongjoong and the others, but how?
For sure, you couldnât ask Changbinâs help and risking to put him in such an unquantifiable danger; it was as if it was you, and the whole world standing mysteriously against you â who was, moreover, running out of time.
The following morning, you barely finished breakfast before announcing you were going to visit your motherâs tombstone.
«Donât talk to strangers,» Lea spoke, closing your cape a little tighter around your frame «your clothes still stand out so muchâŠÂ» she faintly mumbled, and you smiled sadly at her; even though you knew that keeping the clothes you and Wooyoung bought in the Cursed Kingdom were still too characteristic and unique, you didnât want to give up on your identity, yet. Â
«I will be home before dinner.» you answered, before climbing on your horse and urging her to move on the path to Velia, which luckily, wasnât too far from Heidel; as you shielded your eyes from the rising sun, you smiled to yourself, remembering Chrisâ utterly offended expression seeing you waving goodbye to everyone except him.
Unbeknownst to you, Felix and Chris were the only one who remained on the porch, watching as your retreating figure seemed to vanish into the sun; Lea and Changbin had quickly went back to their busy daily routine.
«Please, donât,» Felix sighed, almost as if he could hear the train of thoughts of his long-time friend, «weâre supposed to go to the Capital and sign some boring alliance documents today.» Chris nodded wordlessly, but Felix realized he was definitely not listening to a word he had said.
«Letâs keep an eye on her first.» Chris spoke few seconds later, before storming back inside the house and lively calling for Lea, asking if she had some tasks for them at Velia.
«Take a deep breath, Lix,» the Prince said to himself, «and try not to whoop his ass with some nettle branches.»
Everything seemed so incredibly wrong and disconnected at the Harpiesâ Ridge, Karanda noticed. Although the harpies had been restlessly working in order to rebuild everything Hongjoong had destroyed years earlier, it was as if her Kingdom was just not the same. Harpies were now almost reluctant and afraid to be reborn into a human form, since they didnât want to risk being corrupted and absorbed into the Cursed Kingdom, joining Hongjoongâs army just like any other pawn.
This had been the main reason why, during the last ten years, only two children of Air were born into the human world, harpies that had willingly reincarnated themselves in the vain hope to be helpful to Karanda in some sort of way. Even so, Karanda still decided to delete their memories from their past life, wanting them to enjoy the brevity and fleeting emotions of their human existence.
Karanda suddenly shrieked, and the sky seemed to tremble adjusting to her restless soul; few seconds later, answering to her call, a harpy graciously landed in front of her throne, immediately kneeling in a sign of utter respect towards her Queen.
«We have been fighting together for a long time, my friend,» she spoke, as a gracious smile erupted on her otherworldly features, «however, Iâm afraid I have to ask you for a favour that only you can do.» furrowing her delicate brows, the harpy dared to look at her Queen, asking her to explain herself.
«As you know, everything that happens within the Cursed Kingdomâs territories is beyond my sight; however, I can see Hongjoongâs daughter now, meaning that she isnât roaming the cursed lands, anymore. My foresight is not absolute, but I can see that she will soon start walking towards her fate, and I need you to keep an eye on her.»
«You want me to⊠spy on her?» the harpy questioned with a doubtful shriek, and Karanda briefly nodded.
«I want you to earn her trust, find any sort of useful information you can find, and protect her â as much as you can.» Karanda added; as the harpy was about to question her what was supposed to be difficult in this task, the Goddess spoke again, letting the question dying in her throat, «I want you to descend into the human world as a boy.» Â
Karanda saw the harpyâs shoulders fell, before she eventually sat on the ground in deject; «Why canât I do it while being a girl? Donât we hate men? Am I supposed to hate myself all the time, Karanda?» the harpy rambled with the intimacy that only a friend could muster.
Karanda patiently listened to her, smiling at some of her weird questions, and the harpy momentarily smiled; although she had been serving Karanda since centuries â purposely choosing to never reincarnate into her human form, she had never seen the Queen look so tense over something related to the human world, thatâs why even a small smile made her feel slightly better.
«Do I have to pee like a boy as well?» she whispered yet another question, her eyes as wide as the moon as her clawed fingers hovered above her lips, and Karanda nodded.
«You will only keep your memories.» the Queen spoke, avoiding her question.
«I will only keep my memoriesâŠÂ» the harpy echoed, before falling silent for few minutes; «Fine, but Iâll better be handsome.»
Karanda thanked her, before she effortlessly tore a feather from her forearm, blowing a small whiff of air into the palm of her hand; the feather seemed to dance in the wind as it surpassed the Queenâs clawed fingers, and as soon as it touched the harpyâs forehead, a white and almost blinding light enveloped her completely.
It lasted as a quick blink of an eye, and standing in front of Karanda, now was a young boy with perfect features. He was tall, he had long and slim legs and his arms looked strong; his hair was as black as coal and it reached his shoulders, and his eyes were both as black as a starless night.
«Hyunjin,» Karanda spoke, «this will be your name for your human life.»
«Am I handsome?» Hyunjin spoke immediately, instinctively touching his face, pleased to feel that his nose seemed to be just the perfect size.
«You are.» Karanda answered, amused.
«Better than Garmoth?» Hyunjin suddenly teased, enjoying how the Queen suddenly seemed to be taken back by the sudden question, «Ah, I guess not.» Hyunjin added with a pout, not giving Karanda enough time to answer him, for he said goodbye and started walking away.
After all, he was a man on a mission, now; he had to find Hongjoongâs daughter and do who knows what, right? Â
«Hyunjin, one more thing,» Karanda spoke, and the boy stopped, tilting his head to the side, signalling he was listening, «donât meddle yourself with human affairs too much, for you are not one of them.» with a court nod, Hyunjin started walking again, waving goodbye without turning back.
In complete truth, you suspected you would have never made it home before dinner, since the Sun signalled it was way past mid-day and you still had to made it to Velia; as much as you hated to break a promise, you had to admit that you wouldnât have been late if only you werenât being followed.
What was only a brief suspicion probably dictated by paranoia had met a sad confirmation few hours after you decided to carefully hide your horse â taking your weapons with you and leave the small bag attached to her side empty, before climbing on a nearby oak tree. Safely hidden by its branches, you safened the two daggers you used to fight to the harnesses on your thighs, and waited.
Now, you knew you probably looked dumb for spending hours crouched on a branch, but San had always taught you to follow your survival instinct, and you had always believed that there was a reason if that was the first thing he â a former assassin, had decided to teach you.
However, the more time passed, the more you deduced you really were a fool, and no one was following you; you were about to climb down from your hiding place, when a voice made you freeze in your place.
«Have you ever thought about it? The Kingâs daughter is basically all alone, now.» immediately, you glanced below the branch you were standing on, faintly noticing two people stopping right underneath it.
«Poor thing, I guess she must be scared now.» the other man retorted, and a relieved smile erupted on your lips, since you could recognize those uniforms anywhere and everywhere; but what were soldiers from the Cursed Kingdom doing in the outskirt of a small port town?
Completely aware about the fact that no one was allowed to roam outside of the Kingdomâs territories without Hongjoongâs order, you decided not to trust the initial instinct, which had suggested you to ask them for any kind of help. For all you knew, they could be the ones following you.
Not really wanting them to see you since they had stopped under the tree in order to shield themselves from the Sun, you climbed a little higher, carefully analysing the situation: there were only two of them, and from what you could see, they didnât seem to be heavily armed. If you were lucky enough, you could use surprise effect to kill one of them, and then directly fight the other.
Tightly gripping the helm of your dagger in your left hand, you adjusted your position on the branch, ready to jump and land on one of the soldierâs shoulders, when you felt yourself being snatched back; as a hand on your mouth prevented you from screaming, your shoulders landed against someoneâs firm chest, and soft fur gently tickled your left cheek.
«Itâs okay, itâs me and Lix.» Chrisâ voice mumbled against your ear, and you nodded, silently implying that you werenât going to scream, and that he could let go; however, he only moved the hand from your mouth in order to place it on your waist.
As you were about to move it away, Chris quickly manoeuvred the two of you so that he was crouching down with his back against the oak tree, and you were safely nestled in his hold.
âSafelyâ, you thought, âwhat in the world am I even thinking?â
As you quickly fastened your dagger against your thigh once again, you noticed a large amount of branches suddenly silently grow out of nowhere, further hiding your presence whether the soldiers decided to look up; instinctively, you glanced at Felix, which simply gave you a small and gentle smile.
Felix stood on the branch right next to yours, his arms crossed in front of his chest and his left shoulder leaning against the tree; for the whole time the branches were growing, his eyes had turned a bright shade of green, meaning that he was a child of Earth.
For some reason, it didnât surprise you.
«We found her horse! She must not be far from here!» someone said, and suddenly, your attention was once again completely focused on the soldiers beneath you; judging by the voices, there were at least five more of them.
Chris and Felix shared a brief and worried glance behind your shoulders, but your attention didnât waver from what was happening right below you.
«Thereâs an excellent bounty on her head, now that Hongjoong has banished the Princess.» you heard one of them add, and instinctively you started to tremble.
Not only Hongjoong had made it clear that he had forgotten about you, he also made it clear that he didnât want you back â at least not alive; you were considered just as any other traitor.
Instinctively, you covered your mouth with the back of your hand, praying to yourself not to start to cry now, since it would have been highly unfortunate; feeling your distress, Chrisâ arms held your waist a little gentler, placing his chin on your left shoulder.
«Weâll make it home.» he whispered, and you had to take a deep breath in order not to let out a broken sob.
âHomeâ, Chris said; too bad, you didnât have one, not anymore.
-
«Need a ride?» Chris questioned you, comfortably sitting on the saddle of his horse, Felix silently riding next to him.
Even though the soldiers had left few minutes later unknowingly announcing you that you were banished, the three of you had waited few more hours before eventually, climbing down the oak tree and walking to where Felix had carefully hid his and Chrisâ horses with a simple spell.
Dinner time was long gone, for the moon was now shining in the sky, and you wondered how Changbin and Lea must have been worrying for the three of you.
«No, Iâm fine.» you answered, walking as fast as you could just to keep up with the horseâs slow pace.
Although you heard Chris scoffing as a silent answer, you didnât expect him to act up; it only took few seconds to him to lean down, quickly placing his hands under your armpits and hoist you up on the saddle of his horse, making you sitting sideways in front of him.
«Really, Chris?» you questioned, immediately trying to climb back down but noticing that his arms didnât waver the slightest.
«Weâll be home sooner like this.» Felix chimed in, and you silently wondered why you didnât find his accent annoying â which was your main though anytime Chris was opening his mouth.
«Why couldnât I ride with you?» you questioned him, and Felix shrugged, simply answering that Chris and his horse were closer to you than he was.
Of course, Changbin and Lea were worried; they were waiting right outside the front door, hoping that nothing had happened; they immediately guided the three of you to the kitchen, giving you at least something to eat, despite it was already late at night.
Changbin studied your features with alarmed eyes as soon as you referred them that you were banished from your Kingdom, and the more you spoke, the more you realized that staying there meant putting everyone else in danger.
«We received this, this afternoon,» Changbin spoke once you had finished speaking; he placed a paper envelope on the table, and you immediately glanced at the familiar sealing wax stamp, «it was both cute and creepy, you know? A crow bursted into my office through the window, leaving the envelope on my desk, and flying away without sparing me a glance.» he added, and you immediately reached out, effortlessly breaking the wax and opening the letter.
âThe Gobblingâs Tavern, Wednesday, at midnight. Ask for an umbrella. W.â
Although you would have been able to recognize that handwriting among a thousand, it was the request you should have made that remove all the trace of doubts; Wooyoung had the habit of combining his and Sanâs name together, saying that the result meant âumbrellaâ. Therefore, you were certain about the fact that he sent you the letter but, why did he suddenly want to see you?
«Itâs tomorrow.» you spoke, deadpanned.
«I hope youâre not thinking of going, young lady.» Lea spoke sternly, crossing her arms in front of her chest; even though you explained her that the letter was sent from Wooyoung, her opinion didnât waver, but neither did yours.
Apparently, Changbin had managed to persuade his wife with the promise that he would have gone with you and of course, Chris and Felix werenât going to stay home and wait.
«Are you sure this is the best thing to do?» Lea questioned Changbin the following afternoon, and he gently kissed her forehead, before climbing on his horse.
«Weâre four children of Nature, Lea. Iâm sure weâll manage.» he had said, before heading towards Velia followed by you, Chris and Felix; since Changbin didnât have another horse, you were riding behind Felix, carefully gripping on his slim waist and trying not to fall.
Just as planned, you arrived to Velia just in time; however, as soon as you saw the low cobbled cityâs walls, you tensed up.
«Relax,» Felix gently spoke, noticing how the grip around his waist had slightly tightened, «if things get bad, weâll sacrifice Chris and run away.» you sighed a breathless laugh, appreciating how the boy was trying to console you although no one knew what exactly was waiting for you.
«What? Câmon mate, why me?» Chris questioned, looking utterly offended.
«I wonder whatâs gonna happen if you die twice,» Felix murmured, ignoring his friendâs question, «youâd probably get some common sense from Vell.» he added, referring to the God of Water. Â
«Iâm gonna kick you down your horse, Lix.» Chrisâ threatened; however, his voice was filled with fondness towards the other boy.
It was something you had easily noticed during the time you spent together: Chris and Felix teased each other on a daily basis, but if you were to question the nature of their bond, theyâd simply answer that they were like siblings.
«If you kick her down as well, you will be meeting Vell sooner than expected.» Changbin added, and for few seconds, the anxiety you were feeling seemed to alleviate just a little.
Next to the port and with an excellent view of the open sea, the Gobblerâs Tavern definitely had a bad reputation; frequented by all kinds of sailors, mercenaries and prostitutes, you spent your short journey wondering why Wooyoung had chosen that place.
The first thing you noticed was the predominantly dark environment, some lanterns hanging on the wall dimly lit peopleâs faces, making them partially unrecognizable thanks to that play of lights.
The second thing you noticed was a boy; as he sat on the counter, his features were clearly recognizable, a stark difference from the rest of those in the room. He held a small lyre balanced on one thigh, and as he played it, his voice sang a sweet melody in an unknown language.
Chrisâ elbow roughly nudged against yours, and that was your clue to know that probably, you were staring a bit too much; your gaze briefly met his, and he nodded towards a waiter, who was cleaning one of the tables near the counter.
âWhat if itâs a trap?â you suddenly thought as your heart was hammering in your chest in an uneven pace; however, you slowly approached him, knowing that the others were right behind you, even if you didnât turn around to verify it.
«I⊠I need an umbrella.» you quietly spoke as soon as the man straightened up and asked whether he could help you. Although you felt ridiculous to actually voice that bizarre request, the waiterâs expression immediately changed; he studied your features, as if he was trying to compare you to some description, before his eyes quickly darted behind your shoulders.
«Are those men with you?» was his only question; in the moment you nodded, he made a small motion with his head, silently signalling you to follow him. He quickly led you through the back doors, towards one of the room that could eventually be rented for the night; the man stopped in front of a wooden door, knocking once, waiting few seconds and then knocking three times a little quicker.
In the moment you heard the door being unlocked, the waiter nodded a silent goodbye at your group, and silently made his way towards the front of the Tavern.
If you had to be honest, what you expected to see inside the room were both Wooyoung and San waiting for you, and probably give you few advices on what to do next.
What you did not expect to see was Wooyoung leaning against the wall with a restless expression, his gaze lost in the fireplace burning in front of him.
«Wooyoung?» you asked, somehow afraid to interrupt his thoughts; however, as soon as Wooyoungâs eyes met yours, a gentle smile bloomed on his features, and you quickly step forward towards him â ignoring Changbinâs advice to pay attention, in order to throw yourself into Wooyoungâs arms. Wooyoung held you close, as if to verify that you were still alive, that nothing had happened to you, and you hugged him just as tight.
«Iâm really happy you came.» Wooyoung told you, thanking Changbin for taking care of you and greeting both Chris and Felix.
It took at least half an hour for Changbin, Felix and Chris to partially let their guard down enough to take a seat in the small and cosy room, and it was all thanks to how Wooyoung was behaving towards you.
Although everyone had heard the most various tales about the Seven Generals from the Underworld, in that moment, Wooyoung did not fit any of those descriptions.
Instead of a ruthless and cruel man which never hesitated to take a life under his Kingâs command, stood a boy which was gently smiling at you, analysing your features and questioning how could you have scratched your cheek like that, before questioning Changbin âhow can she already be hurt when she has been away for barely three weeksâ; the child of Water, eventually, realized that the Wooyoung standing in front of him was just the same he had met years ago and therefore, he decided to trust him.
As for Chris and Felix, they were both incredibly wary and both incredibly curious about Wooyoungâs presence; although people from Ilya Island had fought many wars, no one of them had ever engaged a single battle with the Cursed Kingdom and therefore, once again, the opportunity to know the enemy is not something they were willing to pass up.
Over the years, you learned to recognize the most various changes in your uncles behaviour, and you realized that Wooyoung was definitely not doing fine; there were dark circles around his eyes, and â despite his beauty remained untouched, he definitely seemed to have lost weight.
It didnât take a particular wild guess for you to understand that something must have happened to San, and you decided to stop ignoring the elephant in the room; as much as you were enjoying your unexpected rendez-vous, you knew that there was a reason for that meeting.
«How is San?» you quietly asked, and Wooyoungâs smile disappeared in less than a second; he tightly closed his eyes, before taking a deep breath.
«He⊠forgot,» Wooyoung spoke, and your shoulders slouched in deject, «thereâs only me left, now.» he added, and you reached out, tightly holding his hand in your trembling ones.
The fact that San and Wooyoung had been in love every single day was well engraved in your memories, and you couldnât bring yourself to even imagine how Wooyoung could feel, to look at your own husband and knowing that he didnât remember who you are. Of course, you had felt somehow the same thing since Hongjoong started to forget about you, but as similar as the situation seemed, it couldnât be any more different.
«Why did you want to meet her?» Changbin questioned, «Donât you know that Hongjoong had banished her? Thereâs a bounty on her head, Wooyoung.»
«Hongjoong can no longer recognize a friend from a foe,» Wooyoung immediately retorted, meeting Changbinâs sharp glare with an equal strong gaze, «not even his own kin.» he added, and as he glanced at you, his tone momentarily softened.
Unbeknownst to your small group, another secret yet important meeting was taking place within the tavernâs bedrooms.
A woman with otherworldly features slowly made her way through the corridors, and even though there were no windows and the doors were tightly closed, her clothes seemed to move thanks to a gentle breeze; her hair was as white as snow, neatly braided into a complicated hairstyle, while her skin was as white as porcelain.
Her steps carried her towards a room not much distant than the one you and Wooyoung were in, and her left securely hovered above the handle before stepping inside.
«Weâre the rulers of the sky,» she said, closing the wooden door behind her shoulders with another flick of her hand, her voice greeting a man which was patiently waiting for her, «and yet, you ask me to meet you in a tavern?»
The man chuckled, slightly turning around, «You canât say you didnât miss it, Karanda.»
«For sure, I did not, Garmoth.» she immediately retorted; her dislike towards human was well known to the dragon, which on the other hand, seemed  to be  fascinated by them since humans started to roam around the world.
Garmoth simply chuckled at her words, and Karanda sighed briefly, noticing that once again, nothing had changed on his distant loverâs features; he was tall, and his honey coloured skin empathized the bright red colour of his eyes. His hair was slightly longer, she noticed, untameable dark red strands of hair now reached past his collarbones, and for a moment, she wondered if he liked to braid his hair as he used to, long time ago.
«Weâre here because your son couldnât keep calm.» she spoke, walking towards the balcony and standing next to him, keeping a reasonable distance.
«Weâre here because your daughter couldnât stay alive; moreover, you could simply have told Hongjoong the truth.» Garmoth shrugged, and Karanda immediately scoffed, annoyed.
«Itâs impossible to be reasonable with a son of Fire.» she immediately spat, hiding her feelings behind a wall of resentment.
«You never had any problems before.» Garmoth turned around, his back pressed against the railing; he tilted his head towards Karanda, but as expected, she dodged the topic, instead voicing her doubt about the God of Corruption being woken up.
«We sealed him away long time ago,» Garmoth shook his head, «but I do believe Hongjoong had found some crumbles of Kzarkaâs aura.»
Even though the words Wooyoung were speaking were being pronounced nowhere near the balcony, the words you shared were carried by a gentle breeze towards the room Karanda and Garmoth were patiently staying in, so that they could hear everything as if they were right beside you.
Wooyoung had never stopped talking since he had admitted he wanted to meet you because he owed you an explanation; according to his words, him, San and Seonghwa were firmly convinced that there was something you needed to know, something which maybe, would have made you hate your father a little less.
«I donât hate him â » you tried to say, but Wooyoung simply shook his head, ignoring you.
Apparently, Hongjoong was aware that there was something wrong with your motherâs illness, and it all started since some people from your hometown had found a strange glowing stone, and decided to entrust it to your parents â having both of them met a God once.
«Hongjoong knew he was slowly changing, he often told us how that stone seemed to cloud his senses,» Wooyoung spoke, his gaze meeting both yours and your friendsâ, «he⊠was afraid to hurt people, and to hurt you. We all freely decided to follow him, although he kept saying that we needed to go back and take care of you â I know you probably wonât like me saying this, but Hongjoong to us has always been a brother, and a reliable leader. Our love for him had influenced every single one of our choices, including the one to be corrupted in your place.»
«What do you mean?» you mumbled with a trembling voice, even though you werenât sure your voice could actually be audible to anyone in the room in the first place; you felt like you have been suddenly showered with frozen water in the middle of a snowstorm.
«I mean,» Wooyoung took a breath, caressing your fingers in a vain attempt to console you, «that it wasnât supposed to end like this; we were supposed to leave Velia, and to find a solution together, but â Hongjoong found another stone in the Castleâs ruins, and⊠you know the rest.»
Of course, you knew; the moment Hongjoong found the second stone was the day his once bright red eye had turned as black as a starless night.
«What Iâm trying to say, is that Hongjoong tried to protect you, in a very messy way, but me and the others promised to tell you, sooner or later.» Wooyoung chuckled without humour, before adding that originally, San was supposed to come with him that night.
«What can we do to help?» Chris spoke, interrupting what seemed a fraction of eternity made of tense silence, and you suddenly remembered that you werenât alone with Wooyoung, but your friends had decided to come with you as well.
To be honest, you were incredibly curious about his sudden change of heart, since you knew that the only task Chris and Felix had, was to confirm to the Capital that in case of war, they would have fought against Hongjoong without hesitation; you thought that Chrisâ question was actually something he didnât mean, but Felixâs expression confirmed that he wasnât going to deny his friendâs proposal.
«Yeosang found out that someone managed to summon Garmoth,» Wooyoung explained, «I want you to summon him before Hongjoong does, and do whatever he says.»
«Thatâs unreasonable!» you spoke a little louder than you meant to, with a trembling voice, «You know what Hongjoongâs goal is; what if he tells me to kill all of you?»
«Then you will do as he says.» Wooyoung gently answered, brushing a strand of hair behind your left ear, shortly caressing the feather earring you always wore.
«I canât â I donât â »
«Sunshine,» Wooyoung interrupted your sentence, and you realized that few tears had gathered on the corner of his eyes as well, «we havenât been alive for a while.»
«She will try to find you,» Karanda commented, «will you help her?» even though her eyes already saw part of their encounter thanks to her innate gift of foresight, she still questioned him.
«Hongjoongâs plans affect the four of us; Vell and Offin had made it clear that they donât want to meddle with the human worldâŠÂ» even though Garmothâs resentment towards the other two divinities was probably as deep as the ocean itself, he couldnât ignore what was happening.
Even though he lost the count of how many years had passed since the Battle of the Dawn of Times â where Kzarka had been sealed away, he couldnât deny that the possibility of Hongjoongâs power being fuelled by the God of Corruptionâs latent aura was something too dangerous to ignore. «I will help her.» Garmoth finally confirmed.
«So,» Karanda sighed, «weâre the only ones remaining.»
«We are the only ones remaining.» he echoed her words.
Eventually, few hours after your meeting with Wooyoung had finished, Karanda let Garmoth undress her, and for a night they pretended they were back in the days - millenniums ago, where the most different kind of gods and goddesses crowded the world and they could freely enjoy the beaming joy and tumultuous passions of their love; for a night, they pretended they werenât two of the last divinities carefully keeping the world into balance.
Whether that night the wind seemed to blow a little gentler, whether that morning the sun seemed to burn even brighter as it rose in the sky, that was for the two of them to know.
When the morning came, they kissed each other goodbye; Karanda vanished in a whiff of wind, and Garmoth gently blowed on the remaining traces of a lonely candle, vanishing in the same moment the candleâs flame had died.
Contrary to your expectations, your motherâs tombstone was well cared for, and there were fresh flowers at its feet; although you wondered whether Lea and Changbin were the only ones taking care of it or someone from the village was silently helping them as well, you didnât bring yourself to voice your question.
As the sun was slowly rising in the sky and the village was awakening, you sat in the small cemetery with your gaze unfocused, trying to process everything that Wooyoung had told you few hours earlier as silent tears were streaming on your face.
«Please, mom, what do I have to do?» you murmured, your question engulfed by a sudden gentle breeze, «If you were in my place, you would have known.» you hugged your knees to your chest, pressing your forehead against them, and allowed yourself to cry.
Absorbed in your thoughts, you hadnât noticed the sound of grinding gravel under someoneâs approaching footsteps, before you felt something being gently draped around your shoulders.
«It gets cold in the morning.» Chris spoke, unsure about how to approach you; judging by the proximity of his voice, he was crouching next to you.
«Children of Fire donât get cold.» you croaked, slightly lifting your head, «but thanks.» you faintly added, aware that him â along with Changbin and Felix had been patiently waiting for you at the cemeteryâs gates.
«Letâs go back, shall we?» although Chrisâ question was gentle, you understood the sense of urgency he was somehow trying to hide. You nodded at him, realizing that since there was a bounty on your head, you couldnât spend your time having a breakdown out in the open for everyone to see; after all, you didnât even notice Chris approaching you, and that made you an extremely easy target.
Chris stood up, offering you his hand, and you took it, sealing a secret and still unknown deal that would have intertwined your destinies for good.
Unbeknownst to you, Hyunjin comfortably sat on a branch of one of the cedar trees near the cemetery; his position was relaxed, his right leg was bent on the wood while the left one was dangling from it, as he studied you and your companions, with an unreadable expression.
«Looks like weâre gonna meet sooner than I expected.» he murmured to himself, as you and Chris were quickly walking towards the others.
CHAPTER III
After securing on your shoulders the backpack Wooyoung and Seonghwa gifted you and taking deep breath, you opened the window and swoon your leg over the railing of the small balcony attached to your room. Escaping from the first floor definitely was not a difficult task, but sneaking out in the middle of the night was all about being as silent as the snow falling on the ground.
âCareful, now, Iâm almost doneâŠâ you calmly encouraged yourself as you successfully landed on the soft grass; after all, by now, you were quite the expert of running away in the middle of the night.
Although you didnât have a precise destination in mind, you still felt as if leaving Changbin and the others behind was the best solution you could have came up with. After the meeting with Wooyoung, you felt like you had completely changed; not only you barely walked out of your room â consequentially making Changbin, Lea and your new friends incredibly worry about you, but you started to drastically overthink things as well, which definitely was a habit you never had. Even if you were glad about the fact that no one tried to forcefully snap you out of your self isolation, letâs just say that if only you could have seen a glimpse of the future, you would have appreciated a little bit more Chrisâ insistence on trying to make a conversation every time he brought you something to eat.
Sighing in deject because â for obvious reasons, you couldnât borrow one of the horses from the stable, you let your feet and your instinct hastily walk you towards an indefinite destination as you tightly gripped on your backpack, knowing that as soon as morning came, your friends would have started looking for you.
The sun started to rise in the sky once you were walking through Heidelâs unfamiliar outskirts. It was not excessively difficult to orient yourself â after all, it was a simple beaten road lined with maple trees; but when you realized that the sun was about to be high in the sky and you didnât have quick and secure places to hide yourself in case of need, you realized that probably, you should have planned your escape a little better.
«I canât believe our luck.» an unfamiliar voice made you abruptly stop, making your head snap to your left; when you noticed a small group of men definitely coming from the Cursed Kingdom, you realized that definitely, you should have planned your escape a little better.
Even if you were clearly outnumbered you immediately excluded the option of running away, since there was no way you could outrun five horses; the only option you had was to fight against them, and so, you took a deep breath and tightly gripped on the daggers you had secured on your thighs.
âWeâre from the same Kingdom,but I highly doubt Hongjoong and the others personally taught them how to fightâ, you encouraged yourself once again, feeling a little more secure about your fighting skills.
«Come on Princess, the bounty is higher if we return with a corpse.» one of them spat, making the others laugh and instinctively making your skin crawl; taking advance of the surprise effect, you launched forward, successively stabbing the man closer to you in his abdomen.
However, when the men realized that you were definitely not willing to go back home without fighting for your life, they immediately started to counter attack, and for the first time since you left the Cursed Kingdom, you wished you werenât fighting alone.
The sun was high in the sky, and there wasnât a single cloud on sight; you were tired, and there was definitely blood trickling down your arm from a bad looking cut on your right shoulder. Although you managed to put a safe distance between you and the men â now three of them, you were forced to admit that you were in worrying disadvantage; your daggers were both scattered on the floor too far from where you stood, and your opponents were way too skilled for you to face without a weapon.
Ignoring the pain you felt as you tried to lift your right arm, you lifted your shaking hand in mid air, ready to use magic, even if â since you were surrounded by trees, it wasnât the wisest choice.
However, what you definitely did not expect to happen, was for someone to appear out of thin air, placing their left hand right above your right one, making your head snap towards the new arrived.
«The bard?!», you questioned â louder than you meant to, as you recognized the tall boy standing next to you as the boy who was playing the lyre in the tavern where you met Wooyoung few days ago.
Instinctively, you tried to yank your hand out his firm hold in the vain attempt to put some distance between the two of you, but he didnât let you.
«Hyunjin,» he gently answered, offering his name as if you had all the time in the world and werenât in the middle of a fight, «when you feel me close my hand, cast the most powerful spell you know.»
The fact that Hyunjin didnât wait for an answer and immediately started to slowly close his hand in a fist, made you quickly snap out of your thoughts and realize that you needed to hurry; your eyes were glowing bright red, and you made sure to follow Hyunjinâs instruction to cast the strongest spell that Hongjoong taught you, but what you saw made your concentration drastically waver.
There was no way in the world that you couldnât recognize the spell that has just been casted, since you have heard about it since you were a little girl, eagerly asking your uncles to tell you about that time your mother defeated basically the whole Cult of Serendiaâs Disciples by herself.
Hyunjinâs long fingers easily intertwined with yours, and the bounty hunters simultaneously fell lifeless on the ground while gripping their throat.
«Internal carbonization, huh? Itâs been a while.» you heard Hyunjin mutter â mostly to himself, and you turned towards him, a whirlwind of questions in your head that he probably never would have answered.
Hyunjin had just used one of the forbidden spells, so why he didnât look fatigued? You knew that it took a lot of energy, so how could a simple human -
«Who are you?» you asked, removing your hand from Hyunjinâs hold and bringing it towards your chest; your heart picked up pace, and you honestly hoped you didnât have to fight him as well, because you highly doubted you could have won.
Hyunjin simply shrugged, before offering you a wide and dazzling smile, «Letâs just say that Iâm not a foe.» he stated, and your eyebrows furrowed in doubt.
However, every possibility to prolong your conversation with him vanished as soon as you heard your name being called.
«Finally, Prince Charming made it to the rescue,» he mumbled again, placing a hand on his hip while glancing towards his left, but before you could question his words, his fingertips gently hovered above the cut on your shoulder, and you felt the sting caused from your wound immediately vanish, «I didnât completely heal it, but at least, it wonât get infected; make sure to take care of it.»
«Wait-» you called out as he walked past you.
«Until next time!» he waved his hand in mid air with a cheerful voice, before vanishing in a gust of wind, making you wonder if you had imagined your encounter in the first place.
Everything about Chris riding a horse was solemn; from his posture to his incredibly angry expression.
«What the hell happened to you?» Chris quickly dismounted from his horse, his cape made of fur obediently following his movements as he close the distance between the two of you with hasty steps.
He slowly took in your appearance, and immediately reached out to inspect the wound on your shoulder; obviously, you couldnât notice the relief erupting on his features as soon as he noticed that you already seemed to have taken care of it, because as soon as he approached, you instinctively lowered your gaze.Â
Chris glanced around the two of you, noticing the corpses of your attackers, and silently cursed himself for being too late to help you.
«Everyone is worried sick, come on, letâs head back.» he added, but as soon as he wrapped his hand around your wrist, you forcefully yanked it from his hold.
«No.» you simply answered, heading to collect your daggers from the floor, cleaning the blades with part of the fabric of your opponentâs cape before sheathing them against your thighs.
«No?!» he echoed, incredulous, following you as if he was a determined not to let you run away again.
«No.» you repeated, spinning on your heels just to find Chris standing closer than you imagined, «I wonât go back â I canât.»
Chris simply raised one of his eyebrows, placing his hands on his hips as if he was silently urging you to go on and explain yourself; only then, you allowed yourself to take in the appearance of the boy standing in front of you.
There were undeniable dark circles under his eyes, and you deduced that he must have come back recently from his trip to the Capital, only for the awareness that Chris and Felix came back from the Capital at least four days ago to sink in; there was a wild thought running through your brain, a small doubt saying that Chris was genuinely worried for you, but you blatantly decided to ignore it.
«If I stay, youâll be in danger. Changbin, Lea â I canât possibly do this to them.» you explained, and he wordlessly looked around the two of you, running a hand through his dark hair out of frustration.
«And you can do this to yourself?» he questioned, making your remark melt on your throat; you answered with a brief nod, and Chris sighed in exasperation.
«Listen-»
«Thereâs a bounty on my head, Chris, not on yours. I canât spend my days taking advantage of Changbinâs hospitality and then expect to protect them as soon as bounty hunters show up. I want them to live a peaceful and quiet life, as far away from trouble as possible.» you had to admit that talking about what you have silently been thinking about for weeks was like getting rid of an enormous weight on your soul, but you definitely didnât expect for Chris to reach out and gently envelope you into a hug; you closed your eyes, timidly placing your hands on his hips, and let him place his chin on top of your head.
«I believe youâre missing few essential points,» he gently spoke, «when you showed up at Changbinâs, did you ask for help or you simply appeared out of nowhere?» you tensed up, his words neatly contrasting the gentle movements of his hand threading through your hair, «but most importantly, when you decided to see Wooyoung, did you ask me and Lix to come, or did we simply tag along?» Â
«What Iâm trying to say,» it was as if Chris could feel your eyebrows furrow in doubt, because he explained himself further, «I honestly doubt that you faced every problem on your own back home, right? So⊠donât be afraid to ask for help, because there are people who genuinely want to help you. Arenât we friends?»
«We are not,» you clarified on the verge of tears, «I want to strangle you every time you open your stupid mouth.» you admitted, and Chris huffed a laugh in response, slightly tightening his arms around you.
«You sure do have suggestive fantasies, Princess.» he mumbled with a shrug, making you snort in reflex.
Eventually, Chris let go of your frame, wiping few tears from your cheek using his thumb; by now, you were used to his snarky and competitive comments and therefore, his gentle and sincere gaze took you off guard.
«Do you want to come home, so that we can figure something out?» Chris questioned, and you instinctively nodded; whether you did it because you could still hear his fast heartbeat from when he hugged you, or whether you did it because you felt strangely safe in that moment, you decided not to think too much about it.
It was hard to explain the utter relief erupting on Changbinâs and Leaâs faces as soon as you and Chris rode back home. Felix, on the other hand, simply sat on the porch with a satisfied smile and his eyes bright green; as soon as you noticed the leaves slowly floating above the palms of his joined hands disappear, you understood that he must have used magic in order to locate you.
Exactly two days after you tried to escape, you decided to tell the others why you choose to run away in the first place; you settled for being as honest as possible, only hiding about what happened in the woods and therefore, about Hyunjinâs mysterious appearance.
Everyone patiently listened to you, while trying to come up with an efficient solution.
Even though she cared for you just as if you were her daughter, Lea â and half of the servants, didnât know how to fight and therefore, since the probability of bounty hunters finding out your hiding location was high, the most clever solution was for you to constantly be on the run.
«If I remember correctly, Wooyoung said that someone in Duvencrune managed to summon Garmoth.» Changbin spoke, claiming everyoneâs attention.
«Did he? But⊠Isnât that almost impossible?» Lea voiced her doubt; although she didnât have any magical power, it was safe to say that everyone knew that the most known way to meet a God was to die.
âI wonder why Seonghwa and Jongho managed to meet themâ, you thought, aware that your doubts would remain unanswered forever.
«I donât want to doubt his intentions, but we might be lured into a trap.» Felix added, smiling apologetically at you, making you nod your head in a silent answer; you didnât want to doubt Wooyoung either, since after all he took a huge risk while coming to see you, butâŠ
«The only way to find out, is to check it out ourselves.» Chris spoke, as if he could hear your train of thoughts and decided to finish it for you.
«You really enjoy risking your life, donât you?» Felix sighed, but didnât try to oppose his friendâs decision, which simply answered with a confident shrug, followed by a «scared, your Highness?»
«Please, no! I donât want to disturb you further than this.» you spoke, but Lea promptly lifted her hand in mid air, silencing you.
«Nonsense, your mother was my best friend, and this is the least I can do.» Lea dismissively said, before pointing her index finger towards her husband, «Youâll go with them.»
«Me?» Changbin questioned, pointing to himself.
«Who else? Do I look like a child of Nature?»
Thatâs how, on a Sunday morning, you, Chris, Felix and Changbin started to pack your belongings, headed towards the rocky city of Duvencrune, expertly carved in the side of a mountain and silently watching over Garmothâs nest since generation.
The road was clear ahead of your quartet, but even so, Felix seemed restless; you saw him mumble something to Chris, which briefly nodded at him before directing his horse behind yours and Changbinâs; you watched Chris with furrowed brows, waiting for an explanation, but he simply winked at you in a confident way, before locking his gaze on his long time friend.
Felix, on the other hand, was busy examinating some leaves peacefully floating on the palm of his hand; it was the same spell he used to locate you when you ran away, you deduced, but who was he trying to locate this time?
It couldnât possibly be someone from the Cursed Kingdom, you thought; they generally moved either in couples or in small groups, so there was not a high possibility for them to be already tailing you â moreover you were sure that Felix would have noticed them.
All of a sudden, the leaves seemed to start floating more aggressively, almost moving in a fast spiral, only for Felix to tighten his fist with a quick move, making the spell disappear at once.
«I wonder how long youâre planning to follow us.» Felix spoke, and few seconds later, a familiar boy jumped from one of the maple branches above your head, just to effortlessly step on Felixâs horses, sitting right behind him, with his back against his.
«I tend to forget children of Earth can chit-chat with trees.» Hyunjin teased; even if Changbin and Chris instinctively started riding closer to you, the fact that no one tried to attack him was probably because Felix was silently stating that Hyunjin was not a threat.
âItâs quite strange,â you thought; Hyunjin was acting as if him and Felix were long time friends, and on the other hand, everything about Felixâs posture seems to be at ease with Hyunjinâs presence.
âEither Felix is really strong or they know each other,â you simply stated, deciding to let the others decide what to do; after all, Hyunjin saved your life.
If Felix didnât seem to mind about the bardâs presence, Changbin and Chris definitely had a different opinion on the matter; they both rode close to you, and you noticed how both of them seemed to be ready to start fighting at any moment.
«Where are we going?» Hyunjin asked few moments later with a big content sigh, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
«We?» Chris echoed with a scoff, but eventually refrained from speaking sarcastic remarks as he saw Felix shaking his head towards him.
«Iâm a bard,» Hyunjin stated, as if he was putting an effort into answering him, «I sing about new adventures, and not to mention your Princess owes me one.»
At once, three pair of eyes were on you; Hyunjin chuckled, obviously amused about the fact that apparently, you had decided to keep your encounter a secret.
«When the hunters attacked me, he helped me fight them, heâs a child of Air.» you simply explained, avoiding to mention the forbidden spell part.
«And he casually happened to walk by?» Changbin questioned, and you simply shrugged; although everything regarding Hyunjinâs presence was suspicious, it was undeniable that you wouldnât be alive if he didnât intervene and therefore, your group agreed to keep him around.
That night, when you stopped in order to get few hours of sleep, Felix quickly mumbled something to Chris, whose eyes were locked on Hyunjinâs figure, eagerly talking to you and Changbin next to a small fireplace.
«You still havenât told me where our adventure will take us.» the bard questioned later, interrupting Chrisâ attempt to start a conversation with you.
«Duvencrune,» Changbin answered, «weâre looking for someone.»
«Oh, interesting.» Hyunjin hummed, before resuming his previous action of playing his small lyre.
«Itâs gonna take less time if we avoid passing through the villages,» Changbin explained, «if we head west from here, the vegetation wonât be too rich, and the weather will increasingly be dryer; it will take less, but we will be an easy target.»
Even so, with you having lived within the Cursed Kingdomâs territories for the majority of your life, Felix and Chris not knowing anything about where you were and Hyunjin simply nodding at Changbinâs proposal, the only thing you could do was to trust him.
«Sulien, thatâs the woman youâre looking for.» Hyunjin spoke out of the blue, as his eyes seemed to glow in a menacing dark shade of greyish colour â definitely different from your motherâs.
«How do you know?» you immediately questioned him; however, Hyunjin never gave you a proper answer.
«Doesnât the wind know everything, Princess?» were the only words he spoke for the whole day.
The trip to Duvencrune lasted eight days, definitely less than you originally had expected.
Hyunjin kept close to you half of the time, and the other half was spent riding Felixâs horse while sitting in random positions; although Hyunjin was doing his best, you didnât miss to notice how he would sometimes look at your friends with disgusted faces, just to give you a dazzling smile as soon as he noticed that your eyes were on him.
Changbin meticulously checked his compass and the position of the Sun, leaving to Felix the task to check your surroundings while using magic. Chris was in charge of setting and undoing the small camps every time you decided to stop in order to take few hours of rest, without forgetting to beat the ground and scatter some leaves above your temporary camps, so that it wouldnât have been too easy to follow you.
The hunt was a coordinated act among you, Felix and Chris; to be honest, the Prince and his long time friend could have done everything by themselves but still, you were desperate to learn something useful.
So, thatâs how you went from placing your hand flat on the ground next to Felixâs, curiously glancing at this bright green eyes staring unfocused at the ground in front of him, trying to locate a possible prey; needless to say, being a daughter of Fire, you couldnât feel anything.
Therefore, after recognizing Chrisâ talent in archery anytime Felix lured a prey close to where he was, your main goal was to learn how to hunt; of course you knew the basics of archery, but even so, shooting to a still target was definitely different to shoot to a moving one.
«Your stance still says that youâre not expecting for the prey to flee, fireball, and thatâs gonna make you starve.» Chris spoke, and your grip on the bow loosened, bringing it closer to your hips.
«I really donât get the whole âfollow the lineâ thing.» you admitted, referring to one of his previous suggestion, expecting another sarcastic remark. Instead, Chris thoughtfully nodded at you, glancing around the opening where you were resting; he snapped his fingers, and not that far from you, few small floating balls made of water started to move in different directions.
Chris walked right behind you, and if he decided to hold the bow with a tight grip right above your hand, he did the opposite thing for the arrow; this time, your fingers ghosted above his, and you felt as if after all, you never learned how to properly shoot.
It would have been nice for you to be able to concentrate, however, with Chrisâ arms firmly caging you and his gentle voice explaining everything about how to properly hunt made it impossible for you to register more than few words he said. Once again, you decided not to think too much about it, saying that it was probably because beside Wooyoung and Seonghwa, you havenât been held definitely in a while.
«The secret is to predict the opponentâs movement, and aim just a little ahead of them,» Chris spoke dangerously close to your ear, as he was focused on not to miss on his shot; you did your best to keep your breathing synchronized to his, and in the moment the two of you were exhaling, Chrisâ fingers loosened around the arrow, and few seconds later, the small ball of water crashed on the ground under the form of a faint and localized rain pour.
«Thatâs it, you want to try again?» he questioned, and whether you immediately nodded because you really needed more practice or you instinctively felt the need to keep him close to you, you decided not to think too much about it.
«Uh, are they a thing?» Hyunjin questioned, his eyes following both you and Chris with interest and a hint of amusement.
«Not yet.» Felix retorted immediately without feeling the need to check what the two of you were doing, laying with his eyes closed as he quietly rested under the sunlight.
«I say theyâd look cute together.» Changbin nodded, with a wide smile on his face.
-
As obvious as it sounded, your only task was to keep the fire alive anytime you stopped in order to rest: bright enough to keep them warm and properly cook your food but not bright enough to be spotted by eventual enemies.
However, thanks to Yeosangâs enchanted glove, the task was as easy as kidâs play. The ability to use alchemy whenever you wanted meant that you definitely didnât need wood in order to create a fireplace; Felix easily provided you few strand of dried bushes, which would have burned around the handle of your enchanted sword, effectively creating a fireplace but not leaving traces of warm and burnt wood behind you.
Keeping the fire alive meant that you could sleep for most of the morning, but you had to stay awake for most of the night, willingly keeping watch and gladly accepting whether someone decided to stay awake with you. Of course, you definitely didnât miss to notice the fact that Chrisâ company was almost a constant throughout your sleepless nights.
Although the two of you sat at a reasonable distance at first, sharing stories about your past and your hometowns, said distance eventually ended up disappearing, and eventually, you and Chris sat next to each other, your knees brushing anytime one of you decided to adjust their position.
«Iâm telling you, that night Felix was three sheet to the wind,» Chris whispered animatedly, glancing fondly at his friend who was asleep.
«He was three sheet what?» you echoed; you werenât sure whether it was your mutual exhaustion or the fact that Chris had so many unusual figures of speech but you found yourself giggling, and the boy curiously glanced at you.
«It means being drunk,» he explained, scratching his nape, «you probably donât use it here.» when you shook your head, he nodded once, and if only you werenât so tired and it wasnât the middle of the night, you would have noticed a faint blush colouring his cheeks.
«You stopped, why?» you gently nudged his elbow, «I want to know more.»
«About?» Chris asked, immediately trying to recall some other fun fact to tell you.
«You.» you immediately retorted without thinking, only to realize it as soon as Chrisâ head snapped towards you, the fireplaceâs colours dancing in his blue left eye, «I mean, more about your life.»
âThatâs even worse, great jobâ, you thought, blaming the fact that you were tired for the fact that you were embarrassing yourself like that.
«Oh, sink me.» you heard Chris mumble, and immediately you were thrown in another fit of giggles, which definitely didnât went unnoticed by the boy.
«You seriously need to stop making fun of me, fireball.» Chris said while hiding a smile.
He quickly snaked his arm around your neck, just to effortlessly pull you against his chest; the boy started scratching your head while using his knuckles â not actually hurting you, making you laugh even more while trying to reach out to escape from his grasp.
«Whoâs gonna fucking tell them?» Hyunjin mouthed to Felix, which was laying on the ground facing the bard.
«Not me, for sure.» he mouthed back, quickly glancing at Changbin, wondering how could he sleep through all this shameless flirting attempts.
-
Riding a horse for the most part of the day right under the sun, with an increasingly arid climate and surrounded by uncultivated land was definitely tougher that you thought. Even though everyone kept asking you how you were feeling, whether you wanted to take a break, you didnât want to furthermore slow your group.
«Weâll be at the feet of the mountain by noon,» Changbin explained, «from there, the road will constantly be uphill but â if I remember correctly, there are some trees along the way.»
«How do you know so much? Weâre pretty far from Heidel, did you travel a lot?» you questioned, and Changbin nodded, keeping his gaze ahead of himself.
«I used to travel a lot when I was younger, but I married Lea and I eventually stopped. She doesnât like it much.» he briefly explained, and you nodded at him with a smile.
Changbinâs adoration for his wife was the trait that reminded him about Hongjoong the most; when you were a child and still lived in Velia, it was an extremely known fact that Hongjoong was absolutely whipped for your mother.
With a silent sigh, you realized that Changbin stopped travelling because he didnât want to force Lea to do something she didnât like, and you found yourself wondering if you would ever meet a partner like that.
âWhy am I even going there?â you immediately interrupted your fantasies with a short intake of breath, mostly because you were scared about where your brain would have wandered next.
Evening was about to set on the fourth day of your trip, and everything was going unexpectedly smoothly, maybe, a little bit too much. Although you refused to voice your thought because you believed being blinded by paranoia, you felt like being watched; the fact that you kept sneaking glances around yourselves definitely didnât go unnoticed by Hyunjin, who, even thought was aware about the fact that you were about to be attacked, couldnât do anything to prevent it.
«Donât meddle yourself with human affairs too much, for you are not one of them.» Karanda had told him, and he was determined to follow the orders he had received; even so, he found himself hoping that Felix could manage to locate and identify your attackers just in time.
However, Felix noticed them a little too late; an arrow emitted from the luxuriant leaves of one of the nearby trees, painfully sinking in your right thigh. Needless to say, your horse went wild as soon as he heard the hiss of the arrow right next to his ear, and immediately stood on his hind legs, effortlessly throwing you off the saddle; Hyunjin, however, quickly prevented you from unceremoniously fall to the gravel ground and hit your head by making you float for few seconds, gradually accompanying you to a sitting position.
With a pained groan, your hand flew on your thigh, and you felt the colour drain from your face as you took notice of the feathers adorning the end of the arrow.
âItâs from the Cursed Kingdom,â you noticed, âitâs poisoned for sureâ.
If both Chris and Changbin were immediately at your side, Felix was effortlessly casting a spell â now helped by Hyunjin, in order to capture your attackers.
Changbin quickly climbed down from his horse â quickly nodding at Chris and telling him to help the others, and you watched with trembling hands as your friend easily snapped the arrow in two.
«I think itâs â Changbin, it may be poisoned.» you warned him, and Changbin glanced to his left, just in time to see your attackers being dragged on the ground while being tightly wrapped up in ropes.
Gradually, you started to feel your head spin and your world started to fade to black, and the only words you could register after Chrisâ anxiously calling for your name, was one of your attackers â the oldest among the two, confidently say: «Ever heard of poison? Guess what? Give it an hour.»
«If she doesnât wake up within a minute, consider yourselves food for the wolves.» you heard Chris spat with a rough and unfriendly tone, definitely not what you were used to; with a weak groan, you opened your eyes, immediately noticing that the wound on your leg didnât hurt as much as it did earlier.
«Take it easy,» Changbinâs arms were quick to sustain your attempt to sit up, and you willingly let him place himself behind you, so that you could easily stay in a sitting position. «how are you feeling?»
«Sleepy and tired, what happened to the poison?» you mumbled back; if you learned something from Changbinâs teaching, was that the position of the sun signalled that it was afternoon, meaning that at least twelve hours had passed since the ambush.
«Well, Prince Charming tortured the bounty hunters until he found the antidote.» Hyunjin chimed in, nodding towards two boys who were still tied up; they were about your age, you noticed, both with raven black hair and a stoic face.
«Did you hurt them that badly?» you croaked, questioning Chris and Felix, which respectively shook their head and shrugged.
«Theyâre harmless; Seungmin and Jeongin, bounty hunters from the Cursed Kingdom.» Chris explained, and only then, you noticed that his hand didnât waver for a second from gently holding your wrist, his index finger right above your pulse point.
It took you few hours to effectively regain your strength, and although your friends admonished your attempt to excuse yourself from being poisoned like a fool while constantly saying that it wasnât your fault, you still felt guilty.
The group unanimously agreed to keep both Seungmin and Jeongin with you, so that you could keep an eye on them.
«After all, they willingly gave us the antidote.» Felix said.
«Did you see how scary Chris was? Of course they willingly gave it up.» Changbin immediately retorted, and even thought Seungmin and Jeongin were tied up most of the times, you and the others still gave them water and something to eat every time you stopped to camp.
However, after two days both Seungmin and Jeongin completely gave up their decision to capture you in order to bring you back to Hongjoong; whether it happened because Chris had pinned Seungmin to the ground with his dagger pressed against his throat, threatening to tear both of them apart if they ever tried to hurt you again, thatâs something that â in Chrisâ opinion, you didnât need to know.
-
Duvencruneâs citizens were extremely welcoming towards foreigners, always asking everyone who stopped by about their hometowns.
Situated at the feet of the mountain, Garmothâs nest resembled the threatening claws of a dragon; four huge and curved spikes made of rock erupted from the ground â so high they seemed to graze at the sky, and eventually, people from Duvencrune decided to build four altars at the base of every claw.
Although no one had ever seen the dragon roaming in the huge nest, citizens still held rituals in order to pray for the Godâs benevolence.
«I wonder if weâll manage to see the altar! Apparently, outsiders canât personally get too close to it.» Felix excitedly spoke as your group was roaming the city trying to gather informations.
«I wonder why youâre trying to get informations about that cursed thing.» Seungmin said, just for his sentence to end with a pained groan.
It was obvious that you couldnât walk around the city with Seungmin and Jeongin being tied up without catching attention, and therefore, Hyunjin provided to create an elemental and invisible rope made out of thin air; no one would have been able to see anything, but Seungmin and Jeongin would have felt an incredible pressure on their chest anytime they misbehaved.
«Cursed?» the child of Air nonchalantly echoed.
«Our King said that - » Jeongin started, however, his words were cut short.
«If thatâs something Hongjoong said, then Iâm not interested in those foul lies.» Hyunjin finished, and the bounty hunters didnât utter a word for the rest of the day.
«Are you sure youâre okay?» Chris gently questioned you, noticing the fact that you were limping; you weakly nodded at him, but didnât refuse his offer to link your arm with his.
Although you wanted to rest, although your leg begged you to take it easy, you didnât want to waste any more time, and eventually ended up spending your day roaming through the city.
Few days later, not only your leg was almost completely healed thanks to some local weird looking herb, but you could effectively walk for hours without limping.
«Whatâs the plan for today?» Chris asked with a yawn as you were having breakfast in one of the inns of the city.
«At this point, we should directly ask around about Sulien,» you answered, referring to the fact that you didnât manage to learn anything useful during the time you already spent in the city.
«I could go to the townâs market,» Felix eagerly said, and judging by the excitement in his eyes, you knew that gathering informations wasnât his main goal; nevertheless, you nodded at him with a smile.
«Seungmin and Jeongin will come with us,» Hyunjin added, gesturing to himself and Felix, and you nodded, as your eyes stopped on the two bounty hunters occasionally joke to themselves every now and then while listening to you; although you didnât know what exactly happened when you passed out, you still decided not to inquire on the reason why they were silently following your group without trying to escape once.
Changbin â who had been focused on sheepishly eating his breakfast, suddenly groaned in pain, as if he had been kicked right under the table by a smiling Felix, «Yeah, uh, I â I think Iâll check the townâs market as well.» he simply said, leaving you and Chris to investigate on your own.
Although the city of Duvencrune was on top of a mountain and therefore constantly under the sun, the constant and gentle breeze made the days not too hot; you had to admit, it would have been considered romantic, even, the fact that you and Chris found a way to chat and laugh together while keeping close to each other, and the fact that you were sometimes exchanged for a couple definitely didnât help your attempts to stop your imagination from roaming free.
For your sake, you decided to ignore the fact that Chris had stopped denying the fact, even though the small spark of hope about Chris liking you as well seemed to be already ignited in your soul.
«Okay, matey, the next person around our age we see itâs gonna be our target.» Chris sighed, probably as tired as you were about hearing that apparently, no one knew about Sulienâs whereabouts; you nodded at him, glad about the fact that apparently, luck was on your side, since as soon as you turned into an alley, a boy around your age walked right out of it, almost bumping into the two of you in the process.
Even thought both you and Chris apologized, the boy didnât say anything, and simply nodded once in recognition without uttering a single word.
«Excuse me,» you added, taking advantage of the fact that he was still standing there, «weâre looking for Sulien, do you -» however, before you could finish your sentence, the boyâs eyes widened, and he quickly walked away from both you and Chris.
«Well, at least that wasnât a âI donât know herâ.» Chris commented, and you could only nod in exasperation, mumbling a weak «oh, sink me,» which immediately made Chris laugh.
The two of you decided to spend the next few hours strolling around the city, your mission to ask about Sulien to people long forgotten, and hoping that your friends managed to have more luck than you did.
As the two of you were walking in front a residential area, however, Chris stopped you by a firm but gentle hold on your elbow, silently signalling you to look towards your left as soon as you locked your eyes with his.
In the middle of the alleyway, you noticed the boy you ran into few hours earlier now talking with another boy who must have been the same age as him, before eventually; they noticed you as well.
«Do we run away?» you quickly whispered to Chris, as you noticed that they were now walking towards you, easily closing the distance that separated you.
«Of course not, fireball.» he confidently whispered back, just in time for the two boys to stop in front of you.
«My brother told me an interesting story,» one of them started, «why would you look for Sulien?» he inquired, standing almost protectively in front of the boy you met few hours earlier; however, before you could answer, the latter mumbled something at the otherâs ear, and his expression immediately softened.
«Youâre right, Jisung.» he gently spoke, before addressing you in his usual harsh way. «Come with us.»
Chris followed them without the hint of hesitation, and instinctively, you reached out to hold his hand; whether you did it to silently tell him to be more careful, whether you did it because you needed a little bit of comfort in front of that strange and unpredictable situation, definitely wasnât important, since Chris wordlessly and immediately intertwined his fingers with yours, while keeping his proud gaze up ahead.
Jisung and his brother â which eventually introduced as Minho, led you through a series of empty alleyways, just to stop to arrive at what appeared to be an abandoned shed; there werenât proper doors or windows, just few parts of a rotten wall which seemed to magically sustain a rooftop.
Chris was standing right next to you, your silent anxiety mirrored by his tense posture.
«No one will overhear our conversation, now.» Minho spoke as he blankly stared at you, as if he was waiting for you to answer to his previous question.
«Someone told us Sulien managed to meet Garmoth.» you explained with a weak voice, cautiously glancing around as if you expected to fall in another ambush.
«And that âsomeoneâ is Kim Hongjoong?» he spat back, making your knees feel weak.
The fact that Minho knew about Hongjoong could only mean one thing: you were late.
«Thatâs not something you need to know.» Chris quickly spoke in your defence, but Minho sneered, taking a confident step in front of his brother.
«I believe you are forgetting that we are the one with the informations you need.» he smirked triumphally, pointing to himself and Jisung with his index finger.
Tightening your hold around Chrisâ hand, you realized that at that point, there wasnât much you could do; the fact that Minho and Jisung seemed to know about Hongjoongâs plan meant that the only thing you could do was to be as honest as you could.
«I am Hongjoongâs daughter,» you admitted, ignoring Chrisâ grip tightening on your hand, «however, the informations donât come directly from him; you can verify yourself that thereâs a â that Hongjoong is looking for me, but we donât⊠exactly work together.» you quickly glanced to your right, satisfied with Chrisâ quick nod of approval at your explanation.
Once again, you saw Jisung leaning towards Minho, mumbling something to his hear; Minho seemed to be lost in thoughts for few seconds, before he eventually nodded.
«We can help you,» Minho spoke, crossing his arms in front of his chest «but at one condition: take us with you.»
CHAPTER IV
«Donât get me wrong, but - did we really need to pick up more strays?» as you and your friends sat in Minho and Jisungâs small kitchen, Seungmin questioned the decision to bring both of them along with you.
«Arenât you one as well, Seungmin?» you immediately retorted, effortlessly making the assassin stop talking.
Minho and Jisung both welcomed you and the others in their house, calmly explaining to you that Sulien â the woman you were desperately looking for during the past days, had passed away many years before your arrival.
«I hope this is the part where you tell us that you still have her notes or whatever she used to summon Garmoth.» Chrisâ tone hid a hint of exasperation as his mismatched eyes were locked on Minho, who simply answered with a brief nod.
«We will help you, but we need a proof that youâll take us with you.» Minho repeated himself, and you furrowed your brows.
«Why would you want to leave that badly? This place seems pretty safe.» Hyunjin absently questioned, not really paying attention to the answer, since he didnât get one in the first place.
«Itâs⊠personal.» Minho said, and you understood that both him and Jisung werenât going to trust neither you nor the others that easily â not that you could blame them.
«Here, take this.» with a quick movement, you unclasped one of your daggers from the leather harness around your left thigh; the sheath was embroided with the same golden pattern of the hilt.
«Wait,» Changbin jolted on his chair, but you easily stopped him while briefly shaking your head.
«It was my motherâs,» you explained, pushing the dagger towards Minho and Jisung by making it slide on the table, «thatâs the only thing I can use to prove our good intentions.»
Once again, Jisung reached out to mumble something against Minhoâs ear, who listened patiently; the latter briefly nodded at him, before reaching out to grab your dagger.
«Wait, I got distracted, who cooked dinner?» Changbin questioned, quickly preventing you from eating a mouthful of delicious looking stew by gently holding your wrist.
«It was me!» Jeongin innocently replied, and Changbinâs eyebrows furrowed; as if the young assassin understood what the child of Water was implying, he quickly rummaged through the pockets of his jacket, proudly placing a small sealed bottle on the table.
«Itâs not poisoned! See? The bottle is sealed!» Jeongin spoke with a big smile, and Seungmin hid his face in his hands with a groan; although the two assassins had made it clear that they suddenly didnât want to kill you anymore, Changbin was still extremely wary of them, often hanging around with the assassins just to keep an eye on them.
«Should I test it for poison?» Seungmin innocently questioned, and Changbin snorted in disbelief.
«No, itâs too risky - you might not die. Iâll do it.» still faintly holding your wrist with one hand, Changbin hesitantly tasted the stew, just to confirm that â indeed, it was not poisoned.
Both Minho and Jisung were looking at each of you â each of your reactions to what just happened, with curious and incredulous faces; however, since by now, it was completely normal to you, you didnât pay too much attention to it.
«If youâll come with us, youâll find out that nothing goes according to plan with this group.» Hyunjin addressed them with his usual tone laced with amusement.
«Because youâre there, right Hyunjin?» Felix immediately questioned, and the bard silently answered with a playful wink.
With a heavy sigh, you did your best to focus on the happiness you felt about eating a traditional recipe from the Cursed Kingdom, not thinking about how stressful the trip ahead of you was going to be.
The plan was rather simple: you would have taken advantage of the monthly local festival in order to sneak into Garmothâs nest.
«People will be focused on lightning up lanterns, and if everything goes according to plan, no one will pay attention to us.» Minho explained; of course, in order to reach the altars in the first place, you definitely couldnât use the main route.
The downhill towards Garmothâs nest was a wide path which started from the city; it was full of twists and turns, not to mention that the natural location of the town made said path very easy to watch over â making people driven by their own curiosity easily refrain in fear of a possible sanction.
«Thereâs a passage,» Minho explained, as he unfolded on the wooden table a rough sketch of what seemed to be a map of Duvencrune, «itâs wide enough for us to walk without obstacles and impediments, and most importantly, no one uses it anymore.»
«Arenât there any guards?» Jeongin curiously questioned him, and both Minho and Jisung shook their heads.
«Duvencruneâs citizens are deeply devoted, and consider everything regarding Garmoth as holy; no one would sneak in.» as Minho spoke, your eyes were focused on him, trying to guess why would both him and Jisung help a group of perfect strangers.
«What if we get caught?» Felix asked, and Minho simply gave him a mischievous smile.
-
«Despite the fact that for centuries the city had been devoted to the God of Fire, this city was designed by thieves - thereâs always an escape route.»
The following days were divided into strolling around the city and spending your time safely nestled in Minhoâs house, carefully plotting on what you had to do.
«Travellers are taught that there are a total of four altars at Garmothâs nest, which is in fact, a lie,» Minho explained one windy evening, immediately claiming your attention as he placed on the coffee table a small box filled with strange looking bright red flowers; «thereâs another altar â the one actually used for rituals, which you canât see from up here.»
«And the flowers?» Felix questioned, and Hyunjin nonchalantly stood up from his chair and reached out to grab one of the flowers, just to walk towards the opposite way of the room, right in front of the open window.
«They are called fire silk flowers,» Minho explained once again, «these flowers and these notes are everything Sulien has left us.»
Out the corner of your eye, you could see Hyunjin scoff while hiding a smug smile, but you did not pay too much attention to it.
«Sulien⊠Fire silk flowers, huh?» the bard quietly mumbled to himself, as he peeled off a bright red petal from the flower in his hands, «I say you havenât lost your touch with your beloved illusions, Dragon.» Hyunjin pretended to run a hand through his hair, but instead, he tossed the petal out of the window, entrusting the wind to make it fly all the way to Karanda.
As a moonless night was draped over the sky, your group had once again returned at the inn. Lying on the soft mattress of your room, you admitted to yourself that the company that had come to be created was as bizarre as much as it was pleasant.
Changbin was by now basically part of your family, and you often seeked for his words of advice; you found comforting how he had the habit to keep an eye on you, even if just to silently ask you if you were okay. It was clear that his deep and great esteem for Hongjoong was the main reason for his resentment; however, whenever the matter was mentioned, Changbin always did his best to speak only of the positive events that came to his memory.
Felix and Chris were definitely fun to be around; although sometimes you couldnât understand what they were exactly talking about due the uniqueness of Iliyaâs dialect, they provided to lighten up the mood quite often.
Felixâs personality was as gentle and soothing as moonlight, and you could easily figure out that he must have been a respected and beloved Prince; although he has only been nice and friendly to you, sometimes, you could notice him looking at the horizon with an extremely lone gaze, and â you reluctantly had to admit, it made you feel lonely as well.
Chris was not only the stark opposite of his friend, but his behaviour kept confusing you to no end; his teasing remarks alternated with gentle and soft gazes and sometimes, you suspected for his rivalry tone to be just a facade.
Not to mention, you realized that you didnât feel attracted to Chris just because he was extremely handsome, but for his whole personality as well; it wasnât difficult to realize that sometimes, the others purposely let the two of you spend some time alone, and you didnât fail to notice how you started to look forward to those moments.
The realization that eventually, both Chris and Felix would have returned to Iliya Island while you didnât even know if you would manage to survive striked in, making you realize that feelings that you started developing for the boy who was taking a hold of your heart as slowly and as steadily as a high tide at noon were probably fleeting and meaningless.
Hyunjin was, essentially, an enigma. He made it clear more than once that he loathed men with every inch of his soul, statement which always made you giggle because: «arenât you one as well?»
Sometimes, you had the feeling that Hyunjin was not completely human; he would sing about lost tales and lost battles that seemed to have happened centuries ago, and still, from the way he talked about those events, it seemed like he had been a direct witness.
Moreover, there was the part where Hyunjin used one of the forbidden spell without being affected by it.
Seungmin and Jeongin were probably the biggest surprise: they went from trying to forcefully drag you back to the Cursed Kingdom to run errands under Changbinâs order. More than once, they stated that they wanted to help you due to a change of heart.
«We are not children of Nature, but our parents are.» Seungmin explained, «as you know, only children of Nature are corrupted by Hongjoongâs power, we just blindly follow the ideals of our loved ones.»
Minho and Jisung were groupâs new entry, and you wondered if you would have managed to get along. Minho was a child of Fire, just like you, and he seemed really determined.
Jisung wasnât a child of Nature; you wondered if the fact that he only seemed to talk with Minho was selective mutism or he was just really shy, but you found yourself hoping that one day, he would trust you and the others enough to let you hear his voice.
âWhy am I looking so forward to the future?â you questioned yourself with a silent scoff as you tossed and turned in bed yet another time.
To say that the future was uncertain was a euphemism, and even thought you tried not to let anyone else notice, you were terrified of it.
As you were busy tossing and turning in bed, Hyunjin was quietly strolling through the innâs dim lit hallways, busy caressing with his fingertips the texture of the fire silk petal that the wind carried back to him not too long ago. Â
âLet their fate do its course,â the message Karanda sent him was simple; however, the lack of further explanations didnât seem to please him.
«What did you see, Karanda, and why donât you want to tell me?» Hyunjin breathed softly, his words - barely above a whisper, unable to reach his long time friend.
Too lost in thought, Hyunjin didnât notice that the door on his left was suddenly opening before he found himself being roughly yanked inside a room and his back harshly pressed against the sturdy wall.
Felix was looking at him, and angry scowl painted on his graceful features, and Hyunjin furrowed his eyes in doubt, since he had never seen such emotions portrayed on his face; quickly glancing around the room, he noticed that Felix was indeed alone.
«You know, if you wanted a midnight tryst with me you could have asked.» Hyunjin hissed, a hint of irritation hidden in his usual tone, as he quickly brushed away the firm grip the Prince still had on his shoulders.
Felix scoffed, «You sound a little too confident, for someone who has been found out.» he spoke, happy about the fact that for a second, Hyunjinâs composed and stoic face didnât seem to be able to hide his surprise. «The trees I can chit-chat with just told me an interesting story, wanna hear it?» Felix went on, his usual patient and gentle behaviour suddenly nowhere to be seen as his eyes were a bright shade of green â as he was probably still trying to communicate with nature.
«What do you know?» it was clear to Hyunjin that at this point, he couldnât deny to be sent by Karanda herself, he just hoped for Felix not to be the kind of person that kisses and tell.
«Everything.» Felix immediately answered while crossing his arms in front of his chest, making the bard hiss a frustrated sigh. «But actually⊠I think I have something to talk you about.»
The Prince sat on his bed, tilting his head towards his left and silently inviting Hyunjin to sit next to him; needless to say, the bard complied, curiosity having the best of him.
Apparently, Felix had received a curious order from Offin herself.
«Did she talk to you?» Hyunjinâs eyebrows lifted in surprise; for all he knew, the Goddess of Earth had refused to meet her children since Jonghoâs mind had been corrupted, could she have changed her mind all of a sudden?
However, Felix shook his head, «The trees carried her words; apparently, I should âhelp the disguised harpyâ.» he added, his tone suddenly sounding gentler, as his eyes returned to their original warm colour.
«That would be me.» Hyunjin softly mumbled.
«I know, Iâve heard so many things in so little time, I thought I was about to go insane,» Felix whined, placing his elbows on his knees in order to hide his face in his hands; «the thing is, the Goddess of Earth gave the both of us an order.»
Although you were certain that sooner or later, everyone managed to fall asleep, you still felt awake as ever; you stretched your limbs with a soft sigh, before eventually sitting up with a groan, all the chances to get a good night sleep forgotten as you walked towards the wall hanger just to wear â over your nightdress, the linen robe that the innkeeper had provided you with.
As you quietly walked through the small corridor attached to the rooms, the faint light coming from the cosy living room situated downstairs was the only signal that someone else was awake; hesitantly leaning in, you noticed that Chris was sitting in front of the fireplace, silently carving something in a small piece of wood while seeming lost in thoughts.
Secretly smiling to yourself, you walked down the stairs, wondering why the boy seemed not to have noticed you, yet.
Approaching from his left side, you stopped right behind one of the wooden chairs.
«Canât sleep?» you gently questioned, making your presence known and therefore, making Chris jolt his head towards you; could he have been so lost in thoughts that he actually didnât notice you?
Chris briefly shook his head, «How about you?» he questioned back immediately, «the moon isnât out tonight, but I guess itâs still pretty late.»
«Changbin snores, he⊠woke me up.» you lied, making Chris scoff with an amused smile; although it was easy to figure out that you were lying, the boy still respected your silence.
«He doesnât snore loud enough to be heard next door, but keep your secrets, fireball.» he joked.
The only sound beside your soft breaths was Chrisâs carving knife skilfully moving over the small birch fragment, and curiously enough, it seemed to work as a strange lullaby for you; although Chris didnât try to make conversation, he openly moved his chair so that he could face you directly.
«Where did you learn?» you curiously asked him, trying to avoid the sudden temptation to go back to sleep.
«Itâs just an old habit,» he said, «Felix is actually better than me, you know, heâs naturally predisposed to it.» he admitted with a brief chuckle; you decided to move from where you were, just to sit on the chair right next to his, so that you could take a closer look to what he was doing
Once again, he adjusted his position in order to satisfy your curiosity.
«I was thinking about the future, thatâs why I couldnât sleep.» you quietly admitted after few more minutes of comfortable silence, ignoring the fact that sharing your thoughts with the boy seemed to be incredibly easy, and Chris gave you an encouraging nod, which made you keep talking, «and Iâm terrified, because I donât know what will happen â what if the whole ritual turns out to be a failure?»
«Thereâs a possibility,» Chris stopped his motions altogether, placing the carving knife on the coffee table; «but weâll be there as well, weâll figure something out.» he gently spoke. With soft sigh, you nodded at him, biting the inside of your cheek as you felt your eyes swell up with tears; at the same moment, Chrisâ eyes widened, a faint trace of panic flashing into his eyes.
«Oh, sink me â donât cry, fireball, that really places me in a bad position.» he nervously rubbed his neck as he tried to joke, and you instinctively laughed breathlessly.
«Why would that put you in a bad position?» you inquired, missing how the hint of a blush was starting to colour his cheeks.
«I really donât know how to console you when you cry.» he admitted while shyly scratching his nape, and you forcefully held back a smile, remembering the day when he offered you his cloak as you cried your eyes out on your motherâs grave.
«When it happens, you can simply do this.» taking advantage of a little outburst of courage, you adjusted your position on the chair; you gradually leaned towards Chris, until your forehead touched his shoulder. The fact that you immediately felt him tense up made you smile to yourself, now more aware than ever that his teasing behaviour was definitely only a facade.
Although the position you were in was uncomfortable, you felt relieved as soon as Chris started to relax; you felt gentle and hesitant scratches against your nape, and you started to relax as well.
At some point of the night, both you and Chris decided to sit on the carpet, your knees touching, as you asked him to tell you more of the adventures he and Felix had.
«Iâve been really curious about something,» you used your index finger to quickly tap twice under your left eye, «does it hurt?» you shyly questioned him, and Chris simply shook his head.
«Not really, you can touch it if you want to.» he offered, and you shyly nodded at him; your hand hesitantly inched closer to his face, with the intention to brush your fingertips against his scar as gently as you could.
As your hand gradually got closer to his face, Chris patiently sat without moving, as if he was waiting for you to realize something; only when your fingertips were almost touching his soft eyelashes and still, Chris didnât blink nor react, you realized.
«It doesnât see anything, not anymore.» Chris spoke, his tone unreadable; you leaned towards him, unable to focus on anything else beside the boy in front of you.
In that moment, some little things you havenât really been paying attention to seemed to be so obvious. Felix would generally stand at Chrisâ left side; if at the beginning you thought it was just a habit, you realized that it was because Chris was entrusting his sight to Felix, which seemed to naturally act accordingly.
«Of course, I can do the little trick that children of Water do,» Chris tilted his head, giving you a smug smile, «but after few minutes, it gets quite uncomfortable, you know - your eyes keep seeing different things.» he admitted, and you adverted your gaze, realizing that it was probably the reason why Chris lost so easily to you the first time you met.
«When did it happen? Why didnât Vell heal you?» you questioned, incredulous; by your familyâs tales, you were convinced that the Gods were kind and understanding. The fact that Chris has mismatched eyes was the clear proof that he had died already, so why didnât he get his sight back?
«Uh, two months before meeting you, I think?» Chris vaguely explained with his eyebrows furrowed, as if he couldnât exactly pinpoint the day he lost part of his sight, «Vell doesnât really like humans, especially since⊠Well, the whole Hongjoong issue,» he explained further, «he simply told me one of his sons has strayed to the wrong path, and I had to â get rid of him.»
Despite the whirlwind of thoughts running through your brain, a faint «Oh.» was everything you found yourself able to say.
«Iâm sorry-»
«Itâs okay,» you said, trying your best to come up with a convincing smile, «that means, what I have to do itâs pretty intuitive, isnât it?»
«There has to be another way, sweetheart, Iâm sure weâll find it.» Chris didnât directly answer your question, settling for tightly hold your hand.
Around the middle of the morning, Hyunjin knocked twice at your door.
«Come on, Princess, itâs time to go.» he called out; however, as he still didnât hear any sign of an answer from you, he simply rolled his eyes in annoyance.
He simply brushed his fingertips in front of the keyhole, only for a loud and sharp âclickâ to be heard; the bard walked into your room, sighing with his hands on his hips at the sight of you being still asleep.
«Itâs almost lunchtime, did you sneak out to attend a ball overnight?» he teased, giggling at the groan you answered with. «Wake up, sleepy head,» Hyunjin whispered while sitting on the edge of the mattress and gently shaking your shoulder; on the other hand, you simply groaned again, turning towards the other side.
«Five more minutes, Seonghwa.» you mumbled back out of habitude, unconsciously trying to swat away Hyunjinâs hand.
As you moved, you unconsciously brushed few strands of hair from your face, making it now fall back on the soft pillow; Hyunjin shortly widened his eyes in surprise, and his fingertips moved a strand of hair behind your ear.
«Now, this is interesting.» he smirked while holding between his fingertips the silver feather dangling from your earring. Hyunjin smiled at himself, remembering the day where Karanda gave such a prestigious gift to your mother; of course, he had wondered if Hongjoong had kept it with him, but he was surprised not to have noticed that the feather has been with you for all this time.
«Troublesome child of Fire,» he whispered, his eyes briefly flashing a dark shade of grey, «although the wind canât guide you, it can guide me to you.»
«Weâll shortly split the group in two,» Minho announced as soon as you and the others arrived in front of his door, «Jisung, Jeongin and Changbin will secure the horses right out of the nest; once weâre done weâll need to run away really quickly, but if we all leave now towards the same direction, weâre just claim more unwanted attention.» Â
«Iâll go with them as well,» Felix announced out of the blue, «I can easily hide our presence or hide our traces â I mean they can do that as well, but it would take them much more time.»
Minho and Jisung shortly glanced at each other, before nodding at the Princeâs offer.
As soon as the others started following Jisung, Minho headed the opposite way, followed by you, Chris and Hyunjin; the young boy expertly walked you through the crowd who was constantly facing the opposite direction, busy gazing at the numerous lanterns lightning up the sky.
Once again, you were grateful about the fact that somewhere during your stroll, Chrisâ hand tightly enveloped yours and didnât let go.
«Uh, wanna hold mine?» Seungmin whispered to Hyunjin, holding his hand out as a joke, eventually gotten used to yours and Chrisâ behaviour.
«Please, hold my hand so I canât make them forcefully kiss.» Hyunjin hissed back, and the assassin let out a breathless laugh, as he placed both his hands against his nape.
Minho definitely wasnât joking when he said that there was a somewhat secret path leading to Garmothâs nest which was not used anymore. Turning right after the building containing a small pharmacy, you could see easy access to steep stairs carved into the side of the mountain; said steps, as well as being steep, had been naturally eroded by time, making them even smoother and more dangerous.
Needless to say, you could easily figure out why no one was using that path in the first place.
«Say, youâre trying to kills us?» Seungmin questioned Minho, as your small group was forced to proceed in line, both hands gripping the rope attached to the side of the mountain as you descended with crossed steps.
«I wouldnât dream of it,» Minho replied, «it would be useless, knowing that Hyunjin could easily save you.»
«Speaking of which, couldnât you give us a lift?» Chris questioned, only for Hyunjin to scoff, clearly offended by the boyâs proposal.
«Did you take me for one of those domesticated gryphons?» he retorted, referring to the fact that some merchants transported their goods from a city to another through the sky.
It was as if you had been descending steps for hours, and still, your path looked never-ending.
«Are the others going to follow the same route?» Chris questioned, and Minho shook his head.
«Theyâll take the other path, they will probably arrive before us.»
In the end, Minhoâs words turned out to be the truth. Jisungâs group was patiently waiting for you while comfortably sitting in front of the entrance of a narrow tunnel, collectively raising their eyebrows at the fact that as soon as you touched solid ground, you, Seungmin and Chris knelt on it while mumbling random âthank youâsâ towards it.
«I really donât want to experience something like that anymore.» you spoke, both Seungmin and Chris quickly agreeing with you.
«Quit being dramatic, it wasnât that bad.» Hyunjin simply shrugged, making Felix silently sneer.
The tunnel in which you had to pass was not particularly long; in fact, as soon as you entered, you could already see its end. A few drops of water occasionally fell from the rocky ceiling, echoing in the small puddles located in the uneven mixture of gravel and mud you were walking over.
Although you expected that Garmothâs nest would look like a lot of things, you definitely did not expect that you wouldnât have been able to see almost anything due to a dense fog obstructing your sight.
Minho and Jisung â followed by the others, stopped right in front a wide altar which seemed to be made out of marble, before placing the box containing the fire silk flowers on top of it.
«This is the fifth altar; we have to place the flowers, and then light the candles.» Minho explained, before tilting his head towards the sky; «you canât see anything due to the fog, but Duvencrune is right there.
No one would be able to see this altar, due to its position.» following his gaze and wrapping your head around what you had learned about the cityâs geography during the past days, you deduced he was right.
Absently nodding at his words, you did your best to ignore the fact that your heart was racing due to the anxiety you were feeling; with secure steps, you closed the small distance between you and the altar, waving your hand towards the lone candle on top of it in order to set it alight.
«Should we start?» you nervously questioned, reaching out to grab the box of flowers.
«I think itâs not wise for all of us to walk in there,» Hyunjin hurriedly spoke, as he saw how everyone was ready to follow you.
«Yeah, what if Garmoth thinks Hongjoong sent us?» Jeongin quickly added, and as much you hated to think about it, you had to admit to yourself that it was the truth.
«You canât possibly think to go by yourself.» Chris questioned you with his voice laced with worry, breathing an exasperated sigh as you answered with a court nod.
«Probably we should calm down and think about a better solution?» Felix proposed, and you shook your head.
«But I am calm, really. Donât I look calm?» you nervously spoke, trying to hide the tremor of your hands while holding the flower box a little tighter, «My decision to walk in there alone is a calm, rational and reasonable decision -»
«Iâll go with her,» Minho stated, interrupting your nervous blabbering and quickly claiming everyoneâs attention, «weâre both children of Fire, weâll be fine.»
As strange as it sounded, the fog seemed to dissipate the more you and Minho ventured towards the center of the nest.
«Is it usually this foggy down here?» you questioned him, scattering few flowers on one of the altar as Minho effortlessly lightened up the candle.
«Itâs⊠not.» he truthfully answered, making you feel as if your throat just tightened out of nervousness.
If Garmothâs nest looked incredibly vast from above, now that you were walking through it, it never seemed to end; the soil had not been cleared, and there were small areas where with wild grass was growing right next to clearly burnt soil. The four altars were very far from each other, and if from the top of the mountain â the city of Duvencrune, the spikes of rock clearly looked like a dragonâs claw, seen from below it was impossible to deduce it, as no matter how far you could look up, it was impossible to see their end.
Although the others were nervously trying to spot both you and Minho through the thick layer of fog, Hyunjin sat on the marble altar with crossed legs, his chin delicately placed on his palm, as he wore an amused expression.
Of course, his sight was definitely better than the sight of a humanâs, reason why he had no trouble keeping an eye on the two of you.
Not to mention, he definitely had no trouble to notice how Garmoth was casually sitting on top a ledge erupting from one of the rocky spikes, watching over you and Minho with a pleased smile.
Hyunjin sighed, tempted to create a barrier wide enough to prevent everyone â beside your group, to notice the dragon that would have soon made his entrance, however, Garmoth seemed to already have thought of it; sharpening his gaze, Hyunjin noticed a faint but constant movement of air, as if it couldnât move freely, and the bard smiled to himself.
Garmoth really seemed to already have thought about everything.
«Thatâs the last one.» Minho announced as he lightened up the fifth candle, and at once, the flowers caught fire as well. Instinctively, you took Minhoâs hand out of fear, and he held yours just as tightly; although he never doubted Sulienâs words, he was still kind of doubtful about the simplicity that apparently was needed in order to summon a God.
«What now?» you nervously questioned as the two of you hesitantly started to make your way back towards the center of the nest.
âPlease, donât say something like âwe have to do a blood sacrificeâ or some other creepy thingsâ, you mentally added.
«The notes donât say anything else.» Minho hastily answered, but before he could even think about voicing any other thought, a sudden loud and menacing roar seemed to shake the sky, and the fog dissipated as if it was absorbed into the ground. Garmoth made its regal appearance; he flew over your heads in a predatory way before landing, the impact of his arrival against the ground was enough to make you and Minho jolt back from inertia.
«Lixie,» Hyunjin gently called out, and Chris shortly furrowed his eyebrows, puzzled at the unusual nickname suddenly used for his friend. Although Felix didnât verbally answer him, he created a barrier out of vines and climbing plants, âshielding them from the Dragonâs sightâ â as if earlier Garmoth didnât eagerly wave at Hyunjin who blatantly ignored him, but leaving enough gaps so that they could still see you and Minho. Â
Garmoth was huge, and no matter how far you looked, you couldnât see the end of his tail; in that moment, Hongjoongâs tales about meeting the Dragon came to your mind, and you silently cursed yourself for saying that he was âdefinitely exaggerating how big a dragon could beâ. The dragonâs scales were faint red and definitely looked impossible to graze; his pointed claws dug deep furrows in the ground as he slowly approached you and Minho, who still kept holding hands as if your life depended of it. Garmothâs eyes were wary, and his eye colour kept changing, making it seem like you were gazing to a burning fire.
With a loud gulp, Minho let go of your hand, slowly positioning himself behind you, as to use you as a shield if something went wrong; the thing was, you did just the same. Both you and Minho kept walking backwards, hiding one behind the other, as an amused dragon, who was clearly having the time of his life, slowly chased you.
«Why are my children cowering in fear?» Garmoth spoke, and although he didnât actually voice any of his words, Minhoâs shaky fingertips immediately intertwining with yours were a way to let you understand that the both of you were able to hear him through your thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, you quickly glanced at Minho, before looking at Garmoth once again: «We are incredibly honoured and utterly blessed to gaze up-»
«-at your magnificentâŠÂ magnificence, oh Garmoth⊠the magnificent.» Minho somewhat finished your sentence, as the Dragon was now slowly pacing around the two of you with slow and menacing step.
Judging by the gentle sway of his tail, Garmoth was definitely having the time of his life by seeing you shaking like leaves in the wind â Hyunjin knew that.
«You flatter me, young flames. However,» Garmothâs powerful voice roared again within your head, and you instinctively closed your eyes because Hongjoong never said it would have been this unpleasant, «all this unnecessary flattery makes me think you came here to steal something from me.»
«No!» you and Minho simultaneously exclaimed, «No, no, no! We - we wouldnât!»
«I came here â we came here, to seek for advice, and to warn you! Hongjoong is trying to-» you tried explain the situation, but Garmothâs sudden annoyed huff of smoke made you froze mid-sentence. Â
Could it be that you offended him somehow?
âMaybe I shouldnât have said we came to warn him, heâs a God⊠He probably knew,â you thought.
However, Garmoth rightfully interpreted your silence as being scared, and even though he loved humans and enjoyed meeting them in his dragon dorm every once a while, he realized that the matter you were to discuss was too important for you to face it while being that scared.
The Dragon lifted his face to the sky, and another powerful roar echoed within the nest; you and Minho instinctively shrieked, your hands melting together at this point â consider your hold on each other, as you instinctively closed your eyes in fear.
Garmothâs body seemed to vanish in a whirlwind of fire, leaving some scattered dust on the soil, and as you and Minho opened your eyes once again, you were faced with the same fog you had seen right before lightening up the altars.
«So, that was it?» you weakly questioned, «we didnât accomplish anything?» tears of frustration were gathering at the corner of your eyes, but before Minho could say something to console you, Garmothâs voice spoke from behind you.
«Donât be that sad! We have a lot to talk about, and very little time to do it.» at once, both you and Minho snapped your head behind yourself as quickly as you could, surprised at the unfamiliar man now looking at you with a proud and yet amused smile.
«Itâs still me, I figured you would feel less threatened about my human form!» Garmoth gave the both of you a dazzling smile, before reaching out in order to loop his arms around your neck; you stood at his right side, while Minho on his left. It was probably a secret thought that the both of you shared, but you were glad about the fact that the Dragonâs voice wasnât echoing through your head anymore.
At that point, you werenât sure that what was happening was real; a man, who claimed to be Garmoth and who had insanely handsome features, was patiently listening to everything you knew about Hongjoong and his corruption.
Of course, you definitely couldnât doubt about his words, since his looks clearly gave away the fact that he was not human. Everything from his bright red eyes â which still kept burning as a lively flame, to the warmth spreaded from his honey coloured skin, to the small horns erupting from the sides of his forehead told you that he was â in fact, the God of Fire himself.
«His behaviour definitely must be Kzarkaâs fault.» Garmoth, concluded, after few long minutes of silence.
«The God of Corruption?» Minho questioned, «Wasnât he sealed away?»
«By my heel, he still is!» Garmoth exclaimed, his authoritative and powerful voice roaring even in his human form. «However, me and the Goddess of Air deduced that fragments of his aura are scattered in this world, and sadly Hongjoong found not just one, but two of them.»
«Is it that bad?» Minho curiously questioned him, as you stood there, unable to voice any of your question because you were too afraid of the answer.
«It is.» Garmoth simply nodded, «If a human were to find one fragment of his soul, he would die on the spot; when I brought him back to life, I gave Hongjoong part of my power, making him even stronger than any average children of Nature⊠Thatâs probably why he managed to create his Kingdom of puppets. Kzarka must have sealed away his soul, but not his powers.»
«How can I help him? There has to be a way for me to save him! Not only him, but Seonghwa, Wooyoung and -»
«You shouldnât linger where there is no hope, young flame.» Garmoth interrupted your sentence, his gentle and soothing voice making the words die in your throat.
«What do you mean?» again, tears gathered at the corner of your eyes, and the Dragon easily collected them on the tip of his fingertips as he brushed your cheekbones almost in an affectionate manner.
«Anything Kzarka touches and corrupts is doomed to wither; it pains me to tell you but, all is left about your family is nothing but empty shells.» it was as if someone had just slapped you with a bucket of ice; as Garmoth noticed that both you and Minho seemed to refuse to speak, he went on. «I am sure someone is way better than me at singing old tales,» he chuckled to himself as he glanced towards where Hyunjin and the others were safely hidden, «but, when we faced Kzarka, many years ago, the cost to defeat him had been great â even unimaginable for someone as young and small as the two of you. We spent time, love and dedication to create humanity, just for a single God to corrupt half of it, and even though Kzarka managed to destroy almost every God that roamed this world, the four who survived are - weâre still facing the consequences of his powers after centuries  - no, probably much more than that.» Â
«Your task is very simple, however, I am sure it would create further turmoil within your soul.» Garmoth took a confident step in front of the two of you, turning around to face you once again; he faintly outstretched the palm of his hand, and closed it around what seemed to be one of his own scales. Fire started erupting from his hand following a precise shape, and after few seconds, a sword materialized from the burning fire.
Garmoth handed it over to you, «Use this to stab Hongjoong. If youâre lucky, youâll see him one last time, before heâll be consumed by his own power â burning from flames to dust, returning to me and therefore facing my judgement.»
As if someone else was moving your body instead of your own will, you emotionlessly reached out to grab at the helm and the sheath of the sword, clutching it against your chest. Chrisâ words about his duty being to get rid of Seonghwa rather gave you a hint about what Garmoth would have told you to do, but still, you couldnât believe it.
Most importantly, would you be able to do it? Â
«I am afraid our time is up, young flames.» Garmoth smiled, ruffling Minhoâs hair in an affectionate manner, «I saw few humans do it to their young kiddos, itâs not that bad indeed!» he chuckled to himself.
«I canât really tell you anything about your future, but â well, Minho, take care of your sister for me as well; and believe me, youâre going to love your found family.» Garmoth told him, tilting his head towards you as to signal that of course, you had just been appointed as Minhoâs relative.
«And you - tell me, how are things with the Prince?» Garmoth questioned, and as if you had been woken up from a strange dream, you furrowed your eyebrows just to stare back at him quizzically, «Your soulmate, of course!» Garmoth added with his signature dazzling smile.
Minhoâs wide eyes, matching your incredulity locked with yours.
Felix was your soulmate?
«Thinking about it, Iâm sure youâll be fine. Heâs a considerate man â all children of Water are.» he added, and if possible, you were sure that both yours and Minhoâs eyes widened even more.
If the Prince was your soulmate, but the Prince was a son of Water, it could only mean that -
«Chris is your soulmate?!» Minho questioned, utterly uncredulous, and you simply stared back at him with your eyes as wide as the moon.
«Yeah, I believe thatâs his name for this life.» the Dragon replied with furrowed eyebrows, not understanding why the two of you could be so shocked about the Prince being a son of Water; after all, Karanda had told him that you were indeed travelling together!
Far from where you and Minho stood, however, Hyunjin definitely couldnât believe his ears; Garmoth really walked in the place revealing things he definitely shouldnât have revealed. Â
«Fool of a Dragon.» he spat under his breath, hiding his face into his hands.
After you and Minho bid farewell to Garmoth, and he disappeared in a sudden flash of burning flames, Minho gently took a hold of your hand, leading the two of you towards the others once again.
Despite the fact that you were wordlessly following Minho as if you were in a trance while holding against your chest the enchanted sword, despite the fact that as soon as your friends spotted you, they ran towards the two of you while asking a lot of questions, the only thing you found yourself able to do was to walk towards Chris.
Wordlessly and without making eye contact, you placed your head in the crook of his neck, and he immediately held you, quietly asking what happened, worried about the fact that you had started crying; Chris locked his eyes with Minho, unable to decipher his gaze.
«Weâll explain everything as soon as weâll be far enough from here; right now we have to flee.» Although everyone was curious about what could have happened to make you react like that, they knew that Minho was right, and the most difficult part of the plan was about to start.
«Do you want to ride with me?» Chris quietly questioned you as he reluctantly let go of you, and you nodded at him; although you just found out that Chris had been lying about his identity, you suspected there was a valid reason for it.
Moreover, most importantly, you didnât want to be alone.
Few hours later, a more than reassuring distance was between your group and the city of Duvencrune, and as you were camping right under a blanket of stars, you and Minho explained what Garmoth told you â without mentioning about the part where Chris was your soulmate.
Actually, if you were to be honest, Minho explained to the others what happened during your meeting, because since you left the nest, you barely spoke.
«You donât seem surprised to hear any of that, could it be that you already knew?» Felix quietly questioned Hyunjin, after he made sure that no one else could hear them; Hyunjin simply nodded, his heart tightening at the sight of you politely refusing to eat yet again.
«Donât meddle yourself with humans affairs too much, for you are not one of them.» Karanda had clearly told him back then, and he was a fool for ignoring her suggestion so blatantly.
«I should have known better.» he melodramatically sighed loudly, ignoring Felixâs questioning gaze; Hyunjin started walking towards you, his hands confidently placed behind his nape.
«Shoo, away from my princess.» he joked, quickly moving his hands to ironically signalling Changbin to move out the way; he took the bowl the man was previously holding before sitting in front of you.
«You have two options, either you eat this by yourself, or Iâll feed you myself,» he heard Chris  say, and he forcefully hid an amused smile; he had never seen the Prince trying to make you do anything against your will until now.
Letâs just say that, considered the kind of day you just had, and the fact that it was late night and the last time you ate was probably earlier that morning, he kind of approved Chris trying to make you eat something; for sure, no one among them wanted to see you collapse out of exhaustion.
«I second that!» Hyunjin intervened, nodding at Chrisâ thankful gaze, «but if I have to feed you, Iâll make the same stupid noises people have to do while feeding a baby.»
Although Hyunjinâs incredibly serious gaze met your emotionless one, you managed to scoff out of incredulity.
«How can you wait for me to finish eating - arenât you usually the most famished among all of us?» you weakly questioned back.
However, the perspective of Hyunjin mimicking a horseâs noise as he brought the spoon from the bowl to your mouth definitely did not seem appealing, reason why you reached out, hesitantly taking a hold of the bowl full of stew.
«You seemed to like it last time, I thought it could⊠cheer you up.» Jeongin hesitantly spoke from the other side of the fireplace, and you found yourself smiling at him.
«So, whatâs the plan?» Seungmin questioned the following day.
«Although itâs clear where we have to go, I think we should properly prepare ourselves,» Felix reasonably proposed, «there are nine of us â and Jisung and Minho canât fight, we definitely canât barge into the Cursed Kingdom expecting to succeed.»
At Felixâs words, Seungminâs and Jeonginâs ears perked up; immediately, their attention was locked on both Minho and Jisung.
Needless to say, if they already swore that their hostility towards you had disappeared, now it was undeniable; their attention completely shifted on teaching both Minho and Jisung how to properly fight, because «What do you mean that at Duvencrune, people are raised to devote themselves to Garmoth? Oh, you mean you were raised to die young?»
That said, Changbin suggested to not move until the following morning; «Itâs a shielded place, no one would see us anyway; as long as we start moving at dawnâs light, weâll be okay.» he said, and once again, being he the most expert when it came to travelling, you followed his lead.
Although you spent the day mostly laying on the grass and doing absolutely nothing, you were glad about the fact that Chris decided to do the same thing.
«Can I stay with you, or do you want to be alone?» he had questioned, crouching down next to you, and you answered that of course, you didnât want to be alone.
As the others spend the unexpected day off someone training and someone rearranging the provisions, Chris had patiently sat next to you, listening as you mindlessly emptied the contents of your heart. Â
Once again, you carefully avoided to mention about the fact that you and him were soulmates and most importantly, you avoided to mention about the fact that â somewhere along your endless talk, your fingers naturally intertwined.
«I know what Garmoth said, I will never have my father and the others back, but⊠a tiny part of me believes I can.» you said, aware that you probably sounded like an idiot.
However, Chris hummed, gently playing with your fingers.
«I donât think you sound like an idiot,» he shrugged, and for a second you questioned whether you spoke out loud, «they are people you love, itâs only fair for you to want to save them. However⊠Probably, thatâs the best solution, not only for â well, literally the whole known land since weâre constantly on the verge of war, but for them as well?»
Chris noticed that you were glancing at him with a puzzled expression, and so he explained himself; «I am not you, therefore, I will never know the full story like you do, but, when we met Wooyoung, he said that your mother had suffered from an illness after she came in contact with one of the stones. And, if I heard Minho correctly, Garmoth said that their soul is corrupted, or most definitely sealed away. Could it be that maybe, Hongjoong and the others have been suffering for years?»
In the moment your gaze locked with Chrisâ mismatched eyes, you definitely felt like an idiot. The fact that they all suffered was undeniable; Hongjoong lost not only his wife â his soulmate, but his own daughter as well.
Wooyoungâs face as he told you that San has lost himself to darkness â therefore forgetting everything about the long years they have been married, was something you definitely could not forget, as well.
Each one of your loved ones had lost something that they loved â whether it was a person or just their passion towards their work or hobbies, and still, you felt in the rightful to want to bring them back to you.
Especially, after Wooyoung had explicitly told you that everyone of them had willingly decided to be corrupted in your place, just to give you enough time to grow up and become fully independent. Suddenly, the never-ending training sessions you had to stand for years finally made sense, now that you were looking at your past from another perspective.
âIâm really lucky youâre my soulmate,â you secretly thought, hoping that one day, you would have been able to speak those words as well.
«Princess, can we talk to you?» Minho hesitantly spoke as Jisung was standing next to him, shyly adverting his gaze, as no one really wanted to interrupt the small bubble you and Chris seemed to be trapped in. Â
Wanting for the three of you to be alone, Minho and Jisung walked to the other side of the small camp, their backs turned towards the others so that no one could see what they were about to do.
«Me and Jisung came to an agreement,» Minho announced, handing your dagger towards you, «weâre returning it.»
«Youâre⊠leaving? But weâre far from any village, at least let us travel together until-»
«Let me explain, please,» Minho quickly added, his voice much more softer than it was the day you first met him, and you noticed how Jisung had lifted his hands as well, signalling you to let his brother explain, «we didnât know about who you were and the wholeâŠÂ thing you have to face. We simply saw your group as a free ride to leave Duvencrune, however â on our part, things have changed. We are returning the dagger because â if you allow us, we plan to help you and to stay by your side because weâre willing to, not because weâre bound by a trade.»
«Ah,» you sighed, as once again you felt tears gathering at the corner of your eyes; instinctively, you reached out to hug the both of them, mumbling a soft, «I donât usually cry that much, you just took me by surprise.»
Minho laughed, but most importantly, as faintly as a whisper carried by the wind, you thought you heard Jisung mumble an almost inaudible: «Itâs okay.»
Later that night, Felix was the first to keep watch, silently guarding the camp as you and the others were fast asleep.
«You look a little bit too relaxed, you already forgot about our task?» Hyunjin questioned, as he sat next to Felix.
«Of course I didnât! Weâre going to walk straight into Hongjoongâs trap as if itâs not even there.» Felix answered faking enthusiasm, making the bard roll his eyes at him. «Although Iâm trying to have faith in them, I canât help to be worried.» the son of Earth reluctantly admitted, and the bard agreed with him.
«The thought of something happening to Chris once again is enough to give me collywobbles.» Felix added, his eyes unfocused.
«The what?» Hyunjin questioned, and Felix sighed in an exasperated way.
«Iâm scared!!» he whisper-yelled, emphasizing the concept.
âLet their fate do its courseâ, but what could it mean? Moreover, why did Hyunjin had the feeling that Karanda was hiding something from him?
Felix was silent once again, and he didnât want to disturb him; for a moment, he wondered why Offin decided to burden a mortal boy with such a request.
âNot like I need assistance,â Hyunjin thought, âunless something else came up.â
Few days had passed since you met Garmoth, and you felt strangely tense; although you didnât want to mention about your feelings to the others because you didnât want to burden them with your emotions, you settled for being more wary towards your surroundings.
Felix and Changbin were once again leading the group towards a village â which was at least four more days of uncomfortable travel, and you couldnât wait to sleep on a real bed once more.
Although the vegetation was thick once again, and consequently the dry and arid climate of Duvencrune was definitely behind you, you were still roaming through the mountains â even if of a lower altitude.
Roaming through the mountains meant that you had to think twice about the direction you were to take because, as Changbin repeated quite often, âdamn cliffs are damn everywhere on this damn landâ.
However, no one expected both Felix to take the wrong path and â most importantly, Yunho to be there.
«Well well, thatâs unexpected,» Yunhoâs attention was claimed by the sound of the horsesâ hooves. He was expecting to see some travellers who got lost, but he was rather surprised to find you of all people among them, «tired of your stupid game of cat and mouse?» he questioned with a smug grin. Yunhoâs eyes turned completely black, he snapped his fingers, making a small group of at least ten soldiers seemed to appear out of darkness itself.
âIâm sure that he couldnât do this last time I saw him, what in the world happened?â you thought, cowering in fear and glad about the fact that Changbin instinctively placed his horse between the two of you in an attempt to shield you.
«Quit it, Yunho.» Changbin spoke; however, as Yunhoâs eyes landed on his long-time friend, there was no sign of recognition in them. Yunho furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head, almost about to question to Changbin why he was daring referring to him so confidentially.
«I feel generous today,» Yunhoâs authoritative voice spoke, silently dismissing Changbinâs topic, «Iâll let you dismount from your horses before throwing you down this cliff.»
«Leave the horses problem to me.» Felix quickly said, making you dismount from your rides at once; hiding someoneâs presence was something common among children of Earth, youâve seen Jongho creating paths out of nowhere plenty of times to know that Felix was probably about to do the same.
Although you were certain that the horses were going to be fine, you definitely couldnât say the same about you.
«I want the girl alive, kill everyone else.» Yunhoâs authoritative tone ordered as he wore a stoic and blank expression; as if they had just been woken up from a dream, the soldiers â who have been completely unmoving until then, charged towards your direction.
It was obvious that you were outnumbered, and it was obvious that you couldnât win.
Felix was momentarily nowhere to be seen, and therefore, out of instinct you moved towards Chrisâ left side, as the boy was busy covering Minhoâs back as well.
«What if we flee?» Changbin questioned with a scream, making sure you could hear him above the loud clashes of the swords. In the same moment, next to you, Chris managed to disarm one of Yunhoâs soldiers with a quick and swift movement of his sword, just to grab at the enemyâs throat; water circled his neck, and as you saw him falling to the floor painfully coughing even more water, you realized you didnât want to know what kind of fighting techniques were used at Iliyaâs Island.
«It would be useless,» Seungmin, screamed back, «they wonât die unless theyâve fulfilled the order they received!»
Exactly as your friend said, Yunhoâs soldier sat back on the ground, slowly getting up after recovering his sword, ready to charge at him once again.
«Thatâs not possible!» Chrisâ incredulous voice as he dodged yet another attack caught your attention, but you already knew what he was referring to. There was a black cloud of constantly moving black smoke around said soldierâs throat, and you didnât have to glance at Yunho to confirm your suspicions.
As easily as that, Yunho neutralized Chrisâ spell.
The only spells who seemed to work longer than the others were Hyunjinâs; he was effortlessly and continuously neutralizing your enemies for a little longer than anyone else managed to. However, at this rate, it was impossible for anyone to take a break from continuously fighting in order to defend yourself.
It was definitely Yunhoâs strategy; make you tired enough so that he could snatch you away without wasting too much of his energy.
Hyunjin was the only one continuously attacking, thanks to his ability to move as quick as the wind; the rest of you were collaborating as best as you could, trying to deliver powerful spells only if someone else was parrying the opponentâs attack.
«Itâs getting boring in here.» Yunho exclaimed, startling you judging from how close he got in the blink of an eye; he forcefully gripped your shoulder, yanking you towards the direction of the cliff.
«Letâs see if you were worth the wait.» Yunhoâs voice spat, and once again, as your eyes locked, there was no sign of recognition in his eyes; as if the girl he had loved like his own daughter was now a complete stranger to him. «Since itâs your fault it took me so long to corrupt these souls, can you believe?» as his voice gradually got louder and â if possibly, angrier, he twirled the hilt of the sword on the back of his hand, only to grab it firmly once again and attack harshly towards the ground.
Although Yunho couldnât remember, he was the one who - many years ago, had insisted that you constantly worked on having quick reflexes; itâs probably thanks to these lessons that his swords didnât sink into your thigh.
«All is left about your family is nothing but empty shells,» Garmoth had said, and the words Yunho just spoke were the confirmation you needed.
Although one of the men you loved the most in the world was right in front of you, there was no trace of his kind and understanding soul any longer.
The thought of your family suffering only for you to be safe, for some reason, fuelled you with unexplainable anger; you quickly got on your feet, wielding the sword Garmothâs created for you and launched forward.
«Whatâs that toy?» Yunho chuckled, easily parrying every one of your attacks; the fact that he wasnât using his powers was a clear signal that he was playing with you, «Did the Dragon and his wench thought a human could kill me?» he laughed, kicking you in the stomach with enough force to make you fall on the ground once again. Yunho was towering over you, looking at you as if you were an annoying nuisance â you definitely were in his eyes, and as he approached your retreating form, he expertly twirled his sword in his hand.
«Watch out!» an unfamiliar rough voice shouted, and if only you were in such a situation, you would have been incredibly happy about the fact that Jisung had spoken out loud for the first time â of course, although youâd preferred for it to be a more peaceful moment.
As you dragged yourself back a little more, your left hand met the void; quickly glancing back, you realized with pure horror that not only you were literally at the edge of the cliff, but that Yunho was about to attack you once more and the only way to avoid it was to take the leap.
He drove his sword towards you once again, however, before you realized, a familiar weight crashed against yours, and you noticed too late that Chrisâ arm had been stabbed by Yunhoâs sword.
«No!» you exclaimed, as Yunhoâs wicked laughter filled your ears; you pushed Chrisâ back against your chest, and he clutched at the painful fresh wound. There was a faint aura of black smoke erupting from your soulmateâs skin, and you realized with horror that Yunhoâs sword must have been either poisoned or enchanted.
«That alchemist is really something.» Yunho nodded to himself approvingly, as to praise Yeosangâs skill because - of course, no one else but him could have come up with something like that.
«Thinking about it, I changed my mind, youâll die here.» Yunhoâs wicked grin was back on his lips, as he closed his right hand in a tight fist; a small cloud of menacing darkness was erupting from it. «Hongjoong sends his regards.» he spat with an ironic tone, before the land under yours and Chrisâ feet crumbled.
Before you realized what was happening, you and Chris were falling off the cliff at dangerous speed; although there was a river right underneath it, you sincerely doubted it was deep enough not to hurt the both of you. Moreover, the fall was dangerously high, meaning that you and your soulmate were most definitely doomed.
Suddenly, you felt Chris move his left arm right behind your waist, quickly yanking you against his chest. Ignoring the pain he was feeling, Chris used his powers, both eyes turning blue as the river quickly rose from its bed towards your direction, just to welcome you as a soft and inconsistent mattress, gently accompanying your fall and making you safely land on the river bank.
«Iâll leave the rest to you now.» Chris roughly panted, groaning in pain as he tried to do his best not to lose his senses.
Back on the cliff, Yunho and his soldiers had vanished in a cloud of black smoke in the same moment they saw you and Chris fall off the cliff.
«We have to find a way down, and quickly!» Minho urged, getting as close as the cliff as he could.
«Itâs pretty high from here, they could be-»
«Seungmin, finish that sentence and I will personally cut your tongue.» Changbinâs rough and distressed voice spoke, as he tried to focus enough to summon his power just to see things from the riverâs perspective.
However, as strange as it was, he could not.
«I canât see⊠anything?» he opened his eyes, quizzically looking at Hyunjin and Felix. As the two of them tried to do the same, Changbinâs words were sadly confirmed.
Hyunjin had enchanted your earring so that he could be able to find you anywhere and everywhere, so why couldnât he?
âLet their fate do its course.â Karanda had said, but was this what she meant?
Most importantly, what had he and Felix done to their friends?
Given the fact that a cloak of stars was draped over the sky, you admitted to yourself that you had completely lost track of time. Despite his attempts not to faint, Chris effectively lost his senses as soon as the two of you touched the wet soil of the riverbank, leaving you the task to both look for a sheltered place and somehow dragging him there.
Unexpectedly, you managed to find a recess, not deep enough to be considered a cave, but large and deep enough to allow you to hide inside undetected. Considering the fact that Chris was in a constant state where he kept fainting and gaining consciousness and you didnât know whether Yunho was still looking for you, you decided that it was enough of a shelter for the night.
Carefully, you helped Chris sat against the sturdy wall of the recess, immediately creating a small fireplace right next to him; trying to make as little noise as you could, you took off both his fur cloak and yours instantly drying them with your powers, just to cover your soulmateâs shaking form.
However, Chrisâ teeth didnât stop clattering, and your worry only increased; you quickly moved to sit next to him, sneaking under a small fraction of his makeshift blanket so that your bodies were effectively touching, so that you could share your natural body heat with him.
Instinctively, Chris moved, leaning against your warmth barely above a whisper, he faintly mumbled your name, before leaning his against your shoulder; not wanting for him to move, you slowly moved your arm so that you could link yours with his, hugging it close to your chest.
Although he warmed up pretty quickly after you sat next to him, Chrisâ pained whimpers were enough for you to not to manage to sleep; during the night, you tried to use healing magic on his wound, just to notice that it didnât work in the least. The wound looked painful, but not extremely deep; despite the fact that there wasnât any more black smoke erupting from it, the flash around said wound was concerning shades of a purplish colour.
Rubbing your eyes with distressed movement as if to get rid of your tiredness, you kept trying to heal him, aware that - if Chris was like that, it was completely your fault.
Under the same blanket of stars, your friends had collapsed due to exhaustion, as they had spent what remained of the day trying to find you.
«Guide me to her,» Hyunjin faintly mumbled to the wind, his eyes turning grey; however, never ending seconds passed, only for the bard to realize that Karanda herself was probably preventing him to find you. Hyunjin tightly clenched his fist, and turned his head towards Felix, who was once again keeping watch.
«If they wake up, cover for me.» the bard said, and before his friend could say anything else, he vanished in a gust of wind.
«You are shielding my sight.» Hyunjin advanced with secure steps through the Harpiesâ Ridge. It wasnât clear to him why he was so worked up about the issue; but he dismissed his thoughts with the shallow thought that he was just trying to follow her orders.
«And here I thought you came back because you missed your sisters.» Karanda addressed him, as always quietly sitting on her throne.
Hyunjin would have never thought that the day where he could be so angry towards his Queen would come, and yet, there he was.
«Youâre shielding my sight, Karanda. Iâve been by your side for enough years for you to know that I hate when you do it.»
The Goddess, however, shook her head, completely aware about why the harpy was behaving like that, «Itâs not my fault this time, but Kzarkaâs.» meeting Hyunjinâs silence, she explained further, «I believe part of his corrupted power is dangerously close to her.»
Hyunjinâs heart felt a little less restless; although he was happy Karanda didnât betray him, he was still worried about his friends.
The bard furrowed his eyebrows, could it be that while they were fighting, Yunho managed to hurt one of them? No one saw what happened, since the cursed soldiers were keeping them busy enough to prevent it.
«They are alive, Hyunjin. Their souls havenât returned to the Gods.» she added, and the bard nodded at her, although he didnât manage to hide his concern.
At dawnâs first light, you felt a gentle hold around your wrist; snapping your head up, you realized with horror that somewhere along your attempts to heal Chris, you fell asleep. As you sat between his bent legs, your head had naturally fell on the crook of his neck, as apparently, your hands remained on his chest; you didnât know if you felt more sore due to the uncomfortable position you slept in or if you felt more embarrassed about it.
However, Chris was looking at you, his eyes partially unfocused, before quietly glancing around just to take in your surroundings.
«How do you feel?» you cautiously asked, your heart feeling heavy as you noticed that he was still flinching and whimpering due to the pain he was feeling, but he was doing his best in trying to hide it from you. Chris didnât trust his voice to verbally answer, and therefore he simply nodded, leaning his head back against the wall and closing his eyes.
«Iâm sorry,» you admitted as you felt your eyes sting from the tears threatening to fall, «itâs my fault, Iâm sorry.» you repeated, lowering your head so that you were staring at your lap.
«Cut the bullshit, itâs not your fault.» Chrisâ husky and soft voice broke the silence, and he gently lifted your chin by placing his index finger under it, «I got hurt because I wanted to protect you, and itâs on me, not you.» you shook your head weakly, and he weakly scoffed.
Somewhere between your small talk, his hand slid from your wrist to your hand, intertwining your fingers in a gesture that despite everything, managed to comfort you.
Although he admitted that he wanted to protect you, you still wondered why; the feeling that he could return your feelings with the same intensity was a small yet bright hope in your heart, and you found yourself hesitantly tracing the scar on his face with trembling fingertips and a gentle touch.
Chrisâ mismatched eyes were locked on you, and the kindness and affection that they showed were enough for you to realize that you didnât want to lose him.
It was as if time stopped, just for you to inch closer to each other; as your lips met halfway, you wondered who had been the first one to lean in.
Chrisâ lips were gently and yet passionate against yours, just like his whole personality. He weakly lifted his left hand just to caress your cheek, moving your head just enough to deepen the kiss and you let him - you would have let him do so much more, but Chris sudden pained his broke the small bubble the both of you had lived in for few second.
Chris leaned his head in the crook of your neck, whimpering and shivering in pain, leaving you sitting between his legs and staring at the rocky wall; your heart was hammering in your chest, and you knew your soulmate could hear it loud and clear.
«Why did you kiss me?» you weakly questioned, unsure about the fact that your voice even came out in the first place.
«Iâm sorry, sweetheart,» you heard him fatiguely speak, «I always show up too late when itâs time to save you.» he answered.
As you were about to retort, you noticed that your soulmate leaned his head back once again, his face shortly contorting in pain; taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the fact that you were effectively crying, you decided not to speak, repeating your ministration in trying to heal him.
«Theyâre here!» you heard Seungminâs voice shout, and as you snapped your head to your right, you felt as if you have woken up from a nightmare.
It must have been somewhere around the middle of the afternoon; and you were still at Chrisâ side, who had now completely lost his senses. Although his heart was beating and he was breathing weakly, he had passed out few hours after you kissed, and still hadnât woken up.
«Seungmin!» you weakly called out, relief washing over you as one by one, the others ran to where he was standing.
«Youâre alive, I was about to have a heart-attack» Changbin mumbled as he hugged you as tight as he could; however, despite the relief about the group being reunited, you still had a big problem to solve.
«Whatâs wrong with him?» Felix hurriedly ran to Chrisâ side, kneeling next to his unconscious form and wiping few strands of black hair away from his forehead.
«Yunho stabbed his shoulder, I â I canât heal him.» you nervously explained, not noticing how Hyunjinâs head snapped towards you, as he listened to your words with wide and incredulous eyes.
When Karanda hypothesized that part of Kzarkaâs corrupted power was dangerously near you, he definitely didnât consider the eventuality of Chris being hurt.
«Troublesome child of Water,» he faintly mumbled, as he closed the distance between him and your soulmate with quick steps. Hyunjin leaned in, examining Chrisâ wound as the boy was still looking peacefully asleep; the bardâs fingertips faintly hovered over the boyâs injury, and his eyebrows furrowed.
Hyunjin clenched his jaw, the memories of many of friends succumbing to darkness due to the same wound immediately resurfacing; he had seen it happen countless times in the past, but still, he had hoped to never witness something like that again.
The God of Corruptionâs aura was easily perceptible from Chrisâ shoulder, and Hyunjin knew that it was just a matter of time for your soulmate to wake up as another one of Kzarkaâs puppets.
The bard didnât need to make up his mind in order to decide to save him: although Karanda had told him not to meddle with humans, he had realized long ago that he had blatantly disobeyed her order.
Hyunjin faintly smiled, thinking about the paradox of his situation: the harpy who always refused to reincarnate into a human because of her hatred towards the species was now trying so desperately to save the friends she made as she reincarnated into a human boy.
«Stay back, all of you.» Hyunjin spoke, and his sudden and unusual authoritative tone made you immediately comply; Felix stood up as well, walking to your side.
«Letâs see if I remember how itâs done.» the bard mumbled to himself, as he placed the palm of his hand above Chrisâ wound.
Hyunjinâs eyes flashed a dark shade of grey, action which made you furrow your eyebrows; you were taught that healing or basic magic made your eyes turn golden, so why did he use his elemental magic to heal?
«Healing spells donât work.» you faintly spoke; however, the words died in your throat as soon as Hyunjin began to speak; his words were incomprehensible, almost if he was talking an ancient and forgotten language.
As Hyunjin kept reciting his spell, a faint white glow seemed to be emitted from his body, and everyone noticed as well how his eyes gradually started to change colour: if his elemental magic made his eyes look like the darkest of clouds, now, his orbs were almost white.
Again, Hyunjin kept talking and Chrisâs face started to contort in pain; there were few droplets of sweat on the bardâs forehead, and despite his hand was trembling every now and then, he refused to stop.
Suddenly, looking at Hyunjin, you seemed to recall one of Seonghwaâs tales about your mother: it lasted probably a fraction of a second, but at some point, you were sure you could see pure white feathers erupting from Hyunjinâs forearms, and in that moment you realized, the bard must have been blessed by the Goddess of Air herself.
For few seconds, everyone was so speechless about what happened, that no one noticed that Chrisâ wound had completely been healed. Â
«After all this time, Iâm still the best healer around.» Hyunjin vainly announced as he stood up once again, brushing the dust off his knees.
However, no one dared to say anything.
«Oh, come on.» he sighed, «youâre not even going to say âthank you?â»
Later that day, it was safe to say that no one on the way to the next village spoke about what happened; in fact, for hours, no one dared to utter a word.
Whether you were tired or you were still astonishingly processing what Hyunjin had done few hours earlier, everyone had their different reason.
-
«Now that I think about it, I forgot my lyre in one of the bags of Felixâs horse,» Hyunjin said, wrapping both his hands around your right one, «Could you get it for me?» you furrowed your eyebrows, glancing at Changbin who simply shrugged.
«Canât you materialize it?» Jeongin asked curiously, and you glanced at the younger boy, consequentially missing how Hyunjin glared daggers towards him.
«Iâm still recovering from healing Chris.» the bard lied, but you nodded at him, not asking for further explanations.
«Iâll see you at the inn, then.» you mumbled nervously, glancing towards Minho, who was effortlessly carrying a still unconscious Chris on his back.
As soon as you were out of sight, Hyunjinâs expression darkened, suddenly looking exhausted.
«I know you are still shocked, but I mean no harm. However, we are gathered here today to fight our common enemy.» he spoke, making Felix scoff while hiding a smile; after all, riding a horse together meant that they had plenty of time to gossip.
«Enemy?» Minho questioned.
«Another one?» Seungmin echoed.
«Damn, you really are that naiveâŠÂ» Changbin joked, but Hyunjin quickly silenced the group while raising his index finger.
«I definitely havenât been sent here to play the God of Love, but those two are literally making me go crazy.» Hyunjin glanced at Chris â who was about to wake up, and hoped that he wouldnât hear any part of this conversation.
«Heâs saying,» Felix chimed in, «we need a valid excuse for them to solve whatever they have going on.»
«Brainstorming, thatâs cool.» Changbin mumbled.
«We could get them drunk-» Seungmin offered, just to be harshly silenced by Hyunjin.
«Theyâll forget and weâre gonna have the same problem, next one.»
«We could-»
«Jeongin, youâre a child, you shouldnât even been listening to this conversation.» Hyunjin interrupted him, pressing his thumb and index finger against the bridge of his nose.
«We could room together and make them do the same.» Jisung timidly spoke, still not used to speak in front of someone who wasnât Minho; Hyunjinâs eyes, however, seemed to sparkle with interest.
«Heâs right,» Minho chimed in, «letâs pay the inn-keeper more just to make them believe there arenât more room available.»
Felix and Hyunjin glanced at each other, and as easily as that, they decided that Jisung and Minho would share a room, making it impossible for either you or Chris to want to switch; Seungmin, Jeongin and Changbin would share another one, using the excuse to âkeep an eye on themâ.
«As for us, she might suggest to switch rooms, but Chris is- well, kinda jealous of Hyunjin, so he would never agree.» Felix explained.
Therefore, thatâs basically how, once you arrived at the inn while holding Hyunjinâs lyre, Jisung announced you about your roommateâs condition.
Chris had woken up, and he was now sitting on the bed that the two of you were supposed to sleep on.
However, your soulmate wasnât alone, because apparently, everyone else had decided to intrude your shared room; some were sitting on the bed, some on the floor, because Changbin had purposely saved one of the chairs for you to sit on.
Not to mention, each of them had brought few plates full of food as well, meaning that it was just like when you were sitting in Minhoâs kitchen, but the feelings each one of you held were completely different from then.
«Why donât we face the elephant in the room?» Seungmin suggested, noticing how everyone was suddenly looking nervous.
«And that should be me?» Hyunjin questioned, chewing on his food.
«Yeah, of course,» Seungmin eagerly nodded, «Chris is okay, the least you could do is to tell us what happened.» Instinctively, you glanced at Chris, who simply gave you a small smile before adverting his gaze.
«Long story short, I am a spy from Karanda.» Hyunjin announced; enjoying how everyoneâs eyes widened dramatically wide â except for Felixâs.
Although the bard never expected for the day where the told the truth about his mission to come, he also never expected him to feel relieved after doing it.
Little by little, he explained everything: Karandaâs worries, his mission and â of course, the fact that he had to do everything as a human boy.
Eventually, everyone had their fair share of doubts regarding Hyunjinâs identity, but no one ever brought up the topic; however, you had to admit that it was both funny and heart-warming that everyone was perfectly okay with it.
«A Goddess sent someone to watch over the Princess, thatâs something I would never have dreamed of.» Changbin chuckled to himself, adding that he couldnât wait to get back home in order to tell Lea about it.
«Youâre technically a woman?» Jeongin was the first one to speak, his eyes wide in disbelief, Hyunjin nodded briefly, and the assassinâs questions seemed to bloom on the tip of his tongue, «Thatâs cool! Can you effectively transform?»
«Sadly, I canât go back being an harpy,» Hyunjin sighed, «unless Karanda undoes her spell, I will live my human life looking like this.»
«At least, youâre good looking.» Seungmin unexpectedly commented next to you, and for a second, your hand froze in mid air as you were about to take a sip from your chalice; Minhoâs gentle kick against your feet and your accomplice smile, however, misleaded you into thinking that he heard Seungminâs words as well.
As the child of Fireâs eyes mischievously landed on Chris, you realized what he was about to do, and your heart picked up pace.
«Now that youâre okay, something interesting happened at Garmothâs nest.» Minho hid a smug smile behind a small chalice, ignoring the fact that you were looking at him as to beg him to shut up.
«Is it about Garmoth?» Jisung excitedly asked him, hoping to hear interesting stories about the Dragon, and Minho nodded at him.
«Apparently, our Princess has a soulmate.» he spoke, and the collective gasp that filled the room made you desire for the ground to swallow you whole.
«Who is it? Did anyone win the bet?» Seungmin questioned, making you rise an eyebrow at him.
«The bet?» you quizzically asked, but no one answered you, to engrossed with Minhoâs storytelling.
«Her soulmate is our beloved Prince.» he said, and among shocked faces, only Felix and Chris remained stoic.
«Felix?!» Changbin asked incredulous, making you shake your head at him.
«About that-» Felix started to speak, but was immediately cut off by Minho.
«The Prince, a child of Water,» Minho clarified, «which is really weird, because Lix is a child of Earth.»
Chrisâ eyes met yours, and you silently apologetically smiled at him; for a split second, you hoped for him not to be against the idea of being your soulmate, however, you realized that the silence that followed Minhoâs words meant that everyone was waiting for an explanation.
«Weâre quite used to swap titles when we leave Iliya Island, especially since the assassination,» Chris spoke, nervously scratching his nape, «I guess we got caught up. Iâm sorry.»
«The assassination?!» you instinctively questioned, memories of the conversation you had with Chris resurfacing; following what he had told you, he had been assassinated two months before your first meeting, so how could he look so relaxed about everything?
Both Felix and Chris explained that there were some nobles not completely happy about the fact that the crowned Prince was an illegitimate child, and therefore tried to get rid of him. However, things definitely changed as soon as they saw Chris effortlessly resurfacing from the ocean he had been thrown to after being stabbed, looking very much alive and enraged.
«It really feels like one of those games I used to play when I was younger: you either had to tell the truth about something or do what you were told to,» Changbin explained as he drank a sip of wine, «Minho, Jisung? I believe itâs your turn.» Jisung and Minho looked at each other, before shrugging.
«Itâs really not that deep,» Minho answered truthfully, «once you are born in Duvencrune, you canât live. Basically, we didnât want to die in there. If you are born as a Duvencrune citizen, you can't leave, no matter what.»
Although you didnât realize when, but at some point of the night, you had to share your part of truth as well; you quickly glanced around the room, taking in your friendâs faces as they laughed and teased each other, and you wondered if â when she met Hongjoong, your mother had felt the same feeling of belonging as you do.
Seungmin had returned Garmothâs sword to you, saying that he had found it as he was descending part of the cliff while they were looking to you, and that was your clue to explain yourself.
Again, you told them about what the Dragon had told you to do, but you eventually explained about how you had lived your life as well.
Hongjoong - along with his wife and his friends, had spent part of his life living in Velia, also known as the town of freedom. There, your father and your mother lived peacefully and madly in love with each other, showering you with love from the day you were born; the three of you lived a happy life, along with his friends â your family.
Everything seemed to be perfect; you were growing up cultivating your talent as a daughter of Fire, Hongjoong had patiently and carefully spent part of his days teaching you how to use your powers without hurting yourself in the process.
You admired your mother dearly, and her tales about the days where she met your father and they fought together were probably your favourite. Somehow, you wanted to be just like her: selfless, brave, caring. To anyone who asked you, your mother was a warrior, and it would have been a blessing to be able to resemble her, even if just a little bit.
However, after a mysterious stone had been found â which now you knew it was filled with Kzarkaâs power, your mother fell ill and passed away in few weeks, causing the indescribable despair of Hongjoong.
Everything seemed to be okay at the beginning; the two of you would visit her tombstone just outside of town, until you eventually noticed that your father spent excessively much time in front of it. Slowly, you noticed how he had started to change; it was as if his sanity was slowly slipping away, and your concern for him would only grow stronger.
Unbeknownst to him, you started secretly following him, just to see that he spent most of his days in silently weeping while sitting in front of your motherâs grave.
«We were soulmates, how could it happen?» he would mumble occasionally, and although you had lost your own mother, you realized that you couldnât ever imagine how could he have felt.
Days turned into months, and months turned into years, until your father gently kissed your forehead on a rainy Tuesday morning, whispering a quiet «I love you.» before heading out without coming back home.
Needless to say, you were scared, worried, and you felt inconsolable; not even your beloved uncles managed to calm you down, although they were trying their best not to let you realize that they felt the same distress you felt.
Once again, days turned into months, and your father came back on a windy evening; there was a strange light in his eyes, as his body partially covered with blood, and a brand new cape â made with black feathers, was carefully draped over his shoulders. He affectionately caressed your cheek while apologizing for being away, and you leaned into his familiar and comforting warmth with a small nod, forgiving him.
«I missed you, donât go away anymore.» you mumbled weakly, trying to ignore the small harpyâs skull carefully placed on his shoulder.
«I promise.» he gently smiled at you.
That was the last night you saw your fatherâs heterochromatic eyes.
Years went by, and the fact that his soul was slowly changing was more and more evident; he had abandoned his generous and bright spirit in order to hug a darker and unknown side of him, a side that no one â not even him, had ever known nor seen.
Eventually, your father and his friends decided to move towards the East, taking shield in an abandoned Castle outside the Reignâs territories, both not wanting to leave their friend alone, both wanting to keep an eye on him. Of course, driven by your sense of worry towards the person you loved the most, you followed them.
From there, as soon as Hongjoong found another one of those mysterious stones, things rapidly went downhill; eventually, your father had completely lost his soul to darkness, his only goal becoming the one to tear down the four divinities, which were silently watching over their children.
The Kingâs once bright red eye was now pitch black, as if it was a bottomless hole void of any kind of emotion; his power also drastically changed as well. Of course, he could still control fire, but if once the flames erupting from his hands were warm, bright, red and comforting, now they were as black as a starless sky, and the once burning flames he could control, now almost seemed as cold as ice.
With extreme discouragement, you noticed that your father started to lose his memories to darkness as well.
To you, it was heart wrecking to see your uncles losing themselves to darkness as well, especially because you have never been able to do anything to help them.
Everything that happened recently, from the encounter with Garmoth, the talk you had with Chris and the fight you had with Yunho were enough for you to see things from another perspective: the Dragon was right.
It was crystal clear that Kzarka had consumed the soul of the people you loved, using their bodies as powerful vessels, and you were determined to do whatever it took to bring them peace.
«I know it sounds really weird,» Hyunjin hesitantly spoke after you had finished your story, «but I can testify everything she said.»
There were a countless of Gods and Goddesses during the Dawn of Time, not only four; they spent their days in bliss, shaping every part of the land that you were now walking on. They decided to create humanity out of kindness, just to gift them said land they had carefully created; children of Nature would have been rare, but they would have had elemental powers, unlike other human beings.
However, Kzarka - according to the harpyâs word, was the only God that managed to create himself out of humanityâs bad intentions; made from envy, greed and malevolence, Kzarka quickly convinced whoever was not a child of Nature to follow him, promising them power and everything anyone could have dreamed of.
Needless to say, the battle against Kzarka and the corrupted humans lasted for centuries, and sadly, Kzarka grew stronger as much as humansâ negative feelings increased: the effort to seal him had been unimaginable, and only four divinities were left.
«Many had lost their soulmates, and this is why some of us refused to be reborn in a human form.» Hyunjin confessed; back then, he had a soulmate as well, of course.
A wild and tomboyish daughter of Storm, as unpredictable as the weather; he had befriended her back then, finding amusing the fact that she was incredibly shocked â and yet happy, to have a harpy as a friend.
However, back then Hyunjin failed to protect her, and the imagine of the lively and bright eyes of the daughter of Storm being clouded with darkness were sometimes still haunting his sleep.
«Nevertheless, the two of you better not try to ditch us to do stupid things.» Felix spoke, his gaze switching from yours to Hyunjin.
«We wonât, right princess?» the bard confirmed him.
«I know weâll be facing an impossible task, but I would appreciate for you to come with me.» you truthfully said; the thought of facing Hongjoong alone was absolutely inconsiderable.
Moreover, although you had made up your mind, you were still scared.
«Itâs not like anyone of us had changed their mind.» Jisung unexpectedly spoke with a friendly smile, and the others agreed with him.
Eventually, you and Chris were left alone in your shared room, and now that your soulmate had excused himself to take a shower, you had the chance to glance around your surroundings, faintly illuminated by candles. Â
A wooden bed and a wooden table stood in your shared room - which was big enough for the two of you to walk around without feeling suffocated; there was a small balcony as well, giving you a perfect yet bittersweet view on the city.
Chris was still taking a shower, since he left you go in earlier; «ladies first!» he said with his usual generous smile, and you eagerly took the opportunity to finally shower after days of constant travel.
Although you didnât have a change of clothes for the night, you were glad about the fact that this was one of those inn that offered warm robes to the costumers, especially because you didnât want to wear your usual clothes to go to sleep.
Leaning against the doorframe that led the room to the balcony, and gradually lost yourself in your thoughts, as your gaze was lost in the landscape of the sleeping village.
«Oh.» Chrisâ surprised voice instinctively made your head turn towards him; he was wearing his robe as well, his hair still wet from the shower, and his clothes neatly folded in his arms. Chris was looking at you with a slightly surprised expression, of course not used to see you like this.
«You look-»
«Well, you didnât expect me to sleep with my everyday clothes.» you immediately cut him off, a mixture between feeling flustered and not wanting to hear that you looked âdifferentâ.
«-stunning. You look stunning.» Chris clarified, and if he was annoyed about you cutting him off, he didnât show it. Immediately, you felt your cheeks heathen in a sudden and unexpected warmth.
«How are you feeling?» you questioned him as he walked over where you were, after placing his folded clothes next to yours.
Since Chris wore his robe really loose, you could see not only the scar from Yunhoâs swords, but you could glimpse other scars as well; instinctively, your mind wondered about how Chrisâ naked body would look.
âI mean, Iâm thinking about his scarsâ, you clarified to yourself, as if preventing your thoughts from straying to dangerous places.
«Definitely good,» he reassured you with a smile, «Hyunjin told me that I was basically about to die and â oh, were you there already when Lix punched me out of worry?» he questioned and you failed to hide your incredulous giggle.
«He was like âI told you not to make me worry like that anymore, you shark bait!â and punched me square in the jaw.» Chris laughed, tapping twice on the right side of his face.
«He did the right thing, you shouldnât have done that.» you answered, and Chris simply sighed.
The Prince â still leaning against the doorframe, placed his hand around your forearm, gently pulling you towards him; you let yourself be embraced by him, not wanting to resist his ministrations. Although your hands were still crossed in front of your chest, Chris was now loosely hugging your waist, pressing your body against his; you were sure that, if not for your arms preventing it, Chris could easily feel how fast your heartbeat was.
«Why did you kiss me?» you mumbled, unconsciously glancing at his lips.
«Yeah, why did I?» Chrisâ teasing behaviour was back, and you had to admit that if it usually got on your nerves, in that moment you managed to find it somehow alluring.
One of Chrisâ hands travelled from your waist to your shoulder, and his touch seemed to set your skin alight that for a second, you wondered who the child of Fire really was; your soulmate had his eyes closed, as his lips were millimetres from yours.
«I love you,» he whispered, your faces so close that you could feel his lips gently brush against yours as he spoke; «I am utterly in love with you, soulmates or not.» he confessed, and you found yourself closing the little distance that remained within the two of you.
Unlike your first kiss, your lips were roughly moving against each other, your right hand loosely gripping the otherâs hair and your left arm thrown around his neck, making you stand on your tiptoes in the process. Chris was firmly holding you against his chest with his right arm - helping you keeping your balance, while his left hand was sprawled on the side of your neck, occasionally tilting your head to deepen the kiss, as your mouth was occasionally swallowing his whimpers.
Somewhere along bold touches and heartfelt confession, the two of you had messily kissed your path to the bed, your robes easily discarded in the process.
Chris was laying under you on the soft mattress, and you were sitting on his lap; as he intertwined your fingers, he brought both of your hands over his head, making you lean over him due to inertia.
«Iâm really new to this,» Chrisâ hoarse voice confessed, «donât go easy on me.» he mumbled, before he claimed your lips again.
His words hit you like a thunder out of the clear blue sky; you had your fair share of fun and intercourses when you were still living in the Cursed Kingdom, but you had never expected Chris to be still a virgin, especially when he was looking like that.
As if he could hear the metal gear spin in your brain, Chris chuckled against your lips. «Iliya Island is mainly populated by men;» he explained, «moreover, my first time being with my soulmate makes me by and large happier than finding a hidden treasure lost in the sea.» you instinctively scoffed at his words, just to hide the fact that your heart seemed to swell as his mismatched eyes were fondly gazing at you.
As your bodies connected, Chrisâ left hand was constantly intertwined with your right one, and as your bodies moved together, you realized that no one else than your soulmate could have made you feel such intense pleasure. His caresses and touches were disconnected paths on your skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps everywhere he decided to touch you.
Chris was just like the sea, an addictive balance of unpredictable storms and calm tide pools; Chris was just like the sea, and you loved him.
Although your friends had different and weird habits, you definitely didnât understand why they were laughing among themselves while throwing what looked like few leather pouches filled with money.
«What are they doing?» you questioned Chris, which was looking at them with an amused smile.
The two of you walked towards their table, happy that they had already ordered enough breakfast for the two of you as well.
«We had a bet few months ago.» he simply said, taking a seat next to Felix.
«A bet?» you asked, mirroring his action and sitting between your soulmate and Seungmin, surprised that they had enough time to think about bets, «what was it about?»
«Us being soulmates.»
Needless to say, you were glad about the fact that you were already sitting and not still walking, because you would have stopped in your tracks; Chris was looking at you with a mischievous smile and still, you noticed how it gradually grew fond as much as you were getting flustered.
«What did you bet on?» you found yourself asking as you felt your cheeks heathen.
However, before he could answer, Minho loudly called his name, before throwing him pouch full of money.
Chris winked at you, wordlessly giving you the answer you were looking for, and you shook your head, hiding your embarrassment behind an exasperated sigh.
CHAPTER V
«Weâll get caught.» you whispered without any intention to stop Chris as his lips hungrily moved against yours, his hands found their way on your hips, caging you against the kitchen table; instinctively, you put your hands on his shoulders, letting him easily hoist you up on the wooden surface. Chrisâ breath faltered as you eventually started to bite a path on his neck, making you smile to yourself.
«Oh, for the love of the Gods,» Hyunjinâs exasperated voice made you and Chris slowly separate from each other while hiding an amused laughter.
«What is it?» Seungmin shouted from the other room.
«You burned the stew?» Changbin echoed.
«We have to sanitize the kitchen, again,» the bard shouted back, «I almost miss the days where you acted like shy virgins.» you heard him mumble to himself, making both you and your soulmate erupt with laughter.
After you and your friends decided to stay together and complete the mission Garmoth had gave you, you also decided that instead of staying at an inn and pay for different rooms, the wisest solution was to rent a house for the months you needed to come up with an efficient plan â months during which Seungmin and Jeongin managed to turn Jisung and Minho into skilled fighters.
-
«What are you doing?» Jisung knocked to the open wooden door, catching your attention; you lifted your head from your hands, finally stopping burning holes into the alchemy book in front of you.
«Trying to come up with a solution,» you sighed, «I donât think we can walk into the Cursed Kingdom with our weapons on sight.»
Jisung pouted, lost in thoughts; he had an idea, but he was still hesitant to voice it out to you.
«Hannie, you canât use magic, right?» you questioned him as soon as he took a seat in front of you, opening one of the books on the desk; he shook his head, saying that he could only do some basic healing spell, but nothing else.
Driven by hope, you lent him the enchanted glove Yeosang had made, just to write with ink the same symbol on the top of your hand; using magic, you created a small fireball, before locking your gaze with you friendâs.
«We could use alchemy to share our powers,» you explained that since you had the same symbol on your skin, he could try to summon it in the same moment you decided to lend your powers to him, however, despite multiple attempts, it didnât work.
Eventually, during the days, Seungmin and Changbin joined the two of you, trying to come up with useful solutions.
«There is something we could try,» Jisung hesitantly spoke, playing with the hem of his shirt; your eyes â along with your friendsâ, were now locked on him, who seemed to shrink due to the unexpected attention.
With a deep breath, Jisung took enough courage to reach out for a blank paper and draw an alchemy symbol on it; it was exactly like the one Yeosang had created, however, it had few more lines. Aware about the fact that in alchemy, each symbol and each line position had a meaning, you felt colour drain from your face.
«Well, well.» Seungmin chuckled, incredulous.
«Did you come up with it?» you questioned him, but Jisung shook his head.
«Minho did,» he explained, «however, in Duvencrune itâs forbidden.»
«What does it mean?» Changbin curiously asked.
«Sharing oneâs power.» Jisung dismissed.
«In life and in death,» Seungmin added immediately, «Letâs suppose I could use Hyunjinâs power; I could have some real fun, but if I use too much, he could die.» Changbin whistled at the explanation, commenting it that it was indeed risky.
«Thereâs a way to make it less â less lethal.» Jisung stuttered, adding yet another line to the drawing he made; only then, he unbuttoned the top of his shirt, just to reveal the same drawing engraved on his skin.
Instinctively, the three of you tensed up in front of him; it was easy to figure out that Minho was the other one to have the same drawing engraved on his skin, even without asking.
«Thereâs a limit of the magic the other can summon.» Jisung explained.
«Did you ever use it?» Seungmin asked, unsure, and Jisung nodded immediately.
«Twice.» he clarified; since Jisung didnât explain further, the three of you silently decided not to peer into his past more than needed.
The following day, Jisungâs proposal had been explained to the others, who surprisingly enough took it as a good news.
«I think thatâs the wisest solution, since I believe weâll be forced to give up our weapons.» Chris spoke, and Felix agreed with him.
«What if someone of us gets, you know â possessed?» Minho questioned, but Felix simply waved his head as if to dismiss his friendâs question.
«In that case, just trust Hyunjin.» he said, without explaining himself.
«I donât think I understood how we plan to get into the Cursed Kingdom in the first place.» Jeongin innocently spoke, and you gently smiled at him.
«Jeongin,» you sighed, «arenât you and Seungmin bounty hunters from the Cursed Kingdom?»
«Yes!» he immediately answered, «Oh-» he added after few seconds of silence.
To be honest, everything in the plan you and the others had come up with was risky, but it was the only way to enter the Kingdom through the front door without dying before reaching the front gate.
«The key is, we have to trust each other; always.» Minho explained.
On a windy morning, you and the others found yourself skinning thin lines resembling an alchemy symbol on the top of each otherâs hand, pouring few droplets of your mixed blood over it.
«Do we have to make one of those embarrassing oaths or something?» Seungmin questioned, and Minho simply rolled his eyes in a silent answer.
From that moment, everyone trained meticulously to master few magic spells without letting the children of Nature among you feel any fatigue. It was actually kind of fun, you had to admit to yourself, since not only you could create your own elemental weapon out of thin air, but you could combine the elements as well.
In less than two weeks, you could swear that Jisung, Seungmin and Jeongin looked like real children of Nature.
Now that everyone had learnt how to use the technique you and Jisung came up with, there was only one problem; your eyes glanced at the sword that Garmoth gave you, leaning against the wall next to your friendsâ weapons.
Of course, you couldnât carry any weapon with you, so, how could you complete your very dangerous mission?
A sigh from your left caught your attention; Hyunjin was intensely looking at you with his hands placed on his waist and somehow, you had the impression he could read your thoughts.
«He didnât tell you?» of course, Hyunjin didnât need your answer to know, since he had eavesdropped the whole conversation you and Minho had with the dragon.
As you were about to ask for a clarification, Hyunjin walked towards the enchanted sword, before carrying it towards you; he unsheathed just a small part of it, the black obsidian blade emitting a faint glow.
«Give me your hand.» Hyunjin ordered, taking a hold of your index finger as soon as you outstretched your hand towards him; he firmly pressed your fingertip towards the blade, and you didnât need to see it to realize that there were few droplets of your blood on it.
Hyunjin sheathed the sword with a satisfied smile, before placing it in its original place.
«Call for it,» he instructed; furrowing your eyebrows in confusion, you tilted your head to the side, and he instinctively giggled at your expression, «think about wielding it, come on.»
Unsurely, you tried to do it; closing your eyes, you pictured the sword in your hand - however, nothing happened. As you opened your eyes, Hyunjinâs encouraging expression suggested you to try again, and you did.
It took few attempts and more concentration than you expected to, but in the end, you found your clenched fist adjusting to the perception of the hilt of the enchanted sword appearing out of nowhere in the palm of your hand.
«We should practice tonight as well,» Chris offered, glancing at the clear sky.
«Absolutely not,» Seungmin scoffed, «a storm is coming up tonight.»
«Whatever.» your soulmate answered, thinking about the fact that he was simply making up few excuses.
Even if no one payed attention to Seungminâs words, Hyunjinâs head snapped towards him; how could the human sense a change in the weather before him?
Hyunjinâs gaze lost itself in the glass of water in front of him, distant memories of a wild tomboy predicting storms slightly resurfacing.
«Changbin, I have a question but I donât want to ruin your dinner.» Felix claimed the older manâs attention, who incredulously furred his eyebrows.
«If you doubt you can ruin it, you most definitely already did,» Changbin sighed, before allowing his friend to go on.
«You have a wife, but sheâs not a children of Nature, am I right?» Felix questioned almost shyly, and Changbinâs face made it clear that he understood where Felixâs question was going.
«My relationship with Lea is definitely far from perfect,» Changbin sighed, «we have been together for so long â we fought a lot, we still fight sometimes over trivial things, and we mostly will fight in the future.»
«However,» he added before any of you had a chance to question him, «I donât want this âsoulmateâ thing unless itâs with her. Iâd rather spend the rest of my days listening to her nagging at me because I forget to do the laundry instead of having a peaceful life with someone made just for me, but someone who is not Lea.»
Hyunjin felt shortly struck by those words, and his eyes unconsciously found Seungminâs gaze, who was already looking at him; Changbin loved someone because he chose to, Hyunjin realized, meaning that Changbin was infinitely less of a coward than he was.
Seungmin imperceptibly tilted his head to the side, silently questioning if he was okay, and Hyunjin hesitantly nodded at him in a silent answer.
âLoving someone who is not your soulmate, huh?â Hyunjin spoke; as he chewed on a small bite of food, he promised himself that if your group managed to come back alive from the Cursed Kingdom, he would have given it a try.
-
The trip to the Cursed Kingdom was way much longer and way more silent than you expected, and it wasnât difficult to realize that everyone must have been incredibly nervous.
«I believe in you.», were the last words Chris spoke to you before as planned, Seungmin and Jeongin had tied up everyone right before stepping into the woods right outside the Kingdom, but what no one expected, was to find the city deserted.
The Kingdomâs gates had opened by themselves, and the path from the gates to the Castleâs entrance was completely clear.
«Itâs probably an illusion,» Hyunjinâs nervous voice suggested, «be careful.»
What your group didnât know was that Hyunjin was right; Kzarka had waited for you to show up, and therefore, as soon as he felt the presence of you and your group walking the woods, he decided to make you reach the Castle as soon as he could, since he couldnât wait to get rid of you.
«I suppose these are useless, now.» Seungmin spoke, untying your wrists as you were in front of the throne room.
Before anyone could answer, the doors opened by themselves, revealing Hongjoong sitting on his throne while the others were standing still at his side.
«Finally, the prodigal daughter is back!» Hongjoong announced, sitting up from his throne; you didnât answer, simply clenching your fists.
«Letâs just finish this quickly.» the King spat, and only then, Seonghwa and the others seemed to come to life.
One by one, your friends met their opponent. Â
Seonghwa stood proud in front of Hyunjin, while Wooyoung arrogantly faced Felix. San had his sword thrown over his shoulders, and he confidently walked in front of Changbin, while Yunho did the same thing with Seungmin.
Yeosang quickly walked towards Jisung, and since he was the weaker out of the group, Chris immediately walked at his friendâs side. Jongho and Mingi respectively walked in front of Minho and Jeongin, leaving you to face Hongjoong by yourself.
With a deep sigh, you imagined yourself wielding Garmothâs sword, and it immediately appeared in your hand.
«Trying to face me again with that useless toy?» Hongjoong cooed, before charging at you.
The fact that Hongjoong had always been an excellent fighter clearly turned out to be a problem, especially now that Kzarka made him even more powerful.
His movements were fast and unpredictable, making it impossible for you to come up with actual moves in order to counter attack him; moreover, everyone pretty much had their hands full and therefore, you definitely couldnât ask your friends for help.
«You shouldnât get distracted, Princess.» Hongjoong spat in a mocking tone, before moving your crossed swords to his left, only to effortlessly wave his right hand in mid-air, creating flying arrows of fire directed towards you.
Instinctively, you closed your eyes, summoning a little of Felixâs power to create a shield right to protect yourself with: thin and flexible branches materialized in front of you, letting the fiery arrows only half pass, consequently preventing them from hurting you - and unfortunately hiding Hongjoongâs amazed gaze from your sight as well.
Through the eyes of your father, Kzarka immediately realized that you and your friends must have come up with some sort of forbidden technique that let you and your friends share your magic, and therefore, his plans immediately changed. If he had spent years waiting for the perfect moment to get rid of you, now he found himself thinking that maybe, you could have been more useful than Hongjoong himself.
Since then, your fight with Hongjoong drastically changed. If at the beginning you were desperately trying to block and counter attack charged attacks, now you had to dodge as well; you didnât know yet, but all Kzarka needed was a little droplet of your blood for his plan to work.
A loud noise followed by your friendsâ screaming voices caught your attention, and you immediately turned around fearing that something had happened to Chris.
However, Hongjoongâs pitch black eyes were locked on you, as the blade of his sword was pressed against your neck.
«How stupid must you be to get distracted?» the stinging sensation right where the blade was pressed made you wince, but in that moment, you didnât ask yourself why Hongjoong didnât take advantage of that moment but let you move his sword with yours, preventing it from hurting you even further.
Although you had been tightly gripping the helm of Garmothâs sword, you highly doubted you could fulfil his order; Hongjoongâs attack made it clear for you that it was impossible to counter attack him, unless you could outwit him.
However, how could you outwit the God of Corruption?
The shouts of your friends fighting restlessly made it quite difficult for you to focus, however, you were the only one who could solve the situation.
Rubbing the sleeve of your shirt against the fresh wound against your neck in the vain attempt to get rid of the itching sensation, you summoned once again a bit of Felixâs magic, creating a circular shield made of teak tree â thanks to the younger boy you learnt that it was a very resistant type of wood.
Since then, you kept parrying Hongjoong with newfound determination, waiting for the perfect moment to strike; however, Hongjoongâs stamina never wavered, and since you summoned just a little amount of your friendâs magic, your shield was far from indestructible.
With your breath uneven and ragged, you were now kneeling in front of Hongjoong, feeling exhausted; glancing at what remained of your shield â now a thin and short column attached to your arm, you opened both your arms, surrendering.
The King raised an eyebrow, only to smile victoriously as you threw Garmothâs sword away from where you were kneeling, the clinging and metallic sound somehow calling for your friendâs attention.
Through the eyes of your father, however, Kzarka had already seen through your actions, and decided to act accordingly.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, Hongjoongâs sword was raised in the air, and as soon as he was about to attack you, you abruptly stood up, hitting him in the stomach while using your shield.
The King, however, had already deliberately let his sword fall on the ground, letting himself being stabbed by the enchanted sword you had materialized out of thin air.
When Hongjoong regained his consciousness, he felt as if he had been sleeping for years, and most importantly, he felt like he couldnât remember anything about the dream he just had. There was a woman in front of him, her eyes filled with tears and her expression incredibly sorrowful, but what caught Hongjoongâs attention was the fact that her features looked incredibly familiar. It took him a second to realize that you were the stark copy of your mother, and therefore, you couldnât be anyone else but his daughter.
Glancing towards the burning sensation coming from his chest, he noticed that there was a sword planted in his heart, meaning that his plan had failed; glancing around the unfamiliar room, he noticed that even if there were few boys standing far from his long time friends, they were standing still as well, imitating his stance while clutching at their own heart. Â
«I know your face,» Hongjoong mumbled, the gentle whisper of your name making your thoughts dissipate in thin air; it was as the time had stopped all around you, and Hongjoong was looking as you as hesitantly as the day he had held you for the first time the day you were born. Quickly, you nodded your head at him, tears ungraciously falling from your eyes when he smiled, his eyes gradually returning to their original colour.
«No, I-» you whispered nonsense words, gripping the helm of the sword in order to extract it with shaky hands; however, Hongjoong leaned against you with a shaky breath and placed a hand above yours, blocking your movement.
«Donât,» he croaked, «you did well, it was my fault.» he slightly leaned back, his gradually unfocused eyes meeting your crying gaze.
«Donât cry, you did the right thing,» Hongjoong fatiguely whispered, his fingers gently wiping the tears falling from your eyes, «Iâm proud of you - we all are.» as your gaze bore into his, your realized that you finally had everything you have ever wanted; you freed your father from his curse, but he couldnât stay with you.
«Donât leave me again.» you weakly pleaded, gripping at the fabric of his cloak that was draped on his shoulders, unsure that your whisper could reach his ears.
«Iâm really sorry, I- letâs meet again in another life, okay?» Hongjoong breathed, pronouncing every word with extreme difficulty as he was losing consciousness. Before his weight completely leaned against you, he managed to bring his right hand in front of his own heart, before extending his hand â now soaked with blood, towards yours in a very familiar gesture you had hoped to see again. «You, me and mom, we - letâs do this âfamily thingâ right the next time we- we meet.»
Before you could answer, however, the sword started to glow brighter, forcing you to detach yourself from Hongjoongâs embrace due to the increasing warmth it was emitting. Within few seconds, Hongjoong vanished in a cloud of thin black dust, and the others simultaneously met the same end, their love for Hongjoong and their will to protect you being the last thing keeping them grounded to this life.
Judging by the deafening silence, it was clear that your friends had stopped fighting, however, no one dared to utter a word; whether it was out of empathy for your suffering, whether it was due to incredulity, each one of them had their reason.
With a shaky breath, you kneeled on the floor as tears clouded your gaze, deject and sadness filling your senses; Chris had slowly started to make his way towards you, wanting nothing else to console you but however, Hyunjinâs hold on his arm prevented him from walking further.
«Stay away from her.» Hyunjinâs grip on the Princeâs arm tightened in a threating manner, and as the boys briefly exchanged a glance, Hyunjin pointed towards the two red glowing stones embedded on top of the throne, now glowing even brighter than before.
«The plan is not to hurt her, but buy ourselves time.» Hyunjin spoke loud enough for only Chris and the others to hear.
«Why should we hurt her in the first place?» Chris questioned the harpy with a confused frown.
«Why should we buy ourselves time?» Minho echoed, nervously glancing around himself, briefly meeting Jisungâs tense gaze.
As always, Hyunjin didnât bother to answer his friends; he saw it happen countless times in the past, and therefore he already knew that Kzarka was about to possess your body.
If he were to be honest, Hyunjin had understood Kzarkaâs plan in the same moment he noticed him cutting your skin after you summoned Felixâs magic; in that moment, Hyunjin used his powers to reach Karanda in order to ask for help.
Before any of your friends could elaborate another question to ask Hyunjin, a familiar cloud of familiar black smoke seemed to appear out of nowhere, shortly surrounding you and completely hiding you from their sight.
Instinctively, you gripped your throat since you felt like you couldnât breathe properly; it was an indescribable feeling of distress, and everything in your body started to hurt and feel unfamiliar. It was as if Kzarkaâs powers were being absorbed in your body through the wound he had previously gave you, and although you wanted to frantically grab your head to make Kzarkaâs obnoxious voice disappear, you couldnât move a finger.
«Iâll crush the soulmate first.» were the last words you heard Kzarka whisper through your mouth, before your world faded to black.
Chris and the others watched with horror as you stood up and stretched your arms in the air, as if you felt unfamiliar with your own body.
«Let me rephrase my previous question,» Minho quickly walked towards Hyunjin, his eyes still focused on your movements, «buy ourselves time for who?»
«I know itâs hard to believe me, but thereâs a chance for us to defeat him.» Hyunjin hastily whispered, «Kzarka canât shatter her soul in so little time, as for the rest, just trust me and let the wind lead.»
«Are you done?» you bitterly questioned from where you stood; you lifted the palm of your hand, noticing that the flames you could summon were already almost black â much to Hyunjinâs surprise.
Although he had witnessed countless times this moment, what Hyunjin didnât know was that Kzarka had taken advantage of a perfect moment to possess your body; during your last farewell with Hongjoong, your soul was extremely vulnerable, making you the perfect target.
«Thereâs this thing Iâm really curious about,» you spoke again, and through your body, Kzarka tried to summon your friendsâ powers; sadly, he couldnât summon all of them at once, and therefore he realized that you must have meticulously thought about this.
However, he could still have fun with it.
«Iâll start with you, soulmate.» you spat, theatrically pointing the sword Hongjoong had thrown to the ground towards Chris, who was watching you with a wary expression.
The fact that Chris was partially blind was a secret that only you, Chris and Felix were sharing, meaning that now that someone else could deliberately read your thoughts, your soulmate was in danger.
Not wasting any more time in useless chatter, you attacked your friends, who were having quite some troubles to defend themselves, since you were much more powerful than you usually were. Moreover, Kzarkaâs attention was deliberately focused on hurting Chrisâ, with the only purpose to shatter your soul even more and to quicken the process to seal it away for good.
Busy fighting you back while protecting the Prince, your friends still did their best to listen to Hyunjinâs words and not to hurt you; sadly, the fact that you were sharing your powers could be very dangerous, especially when someone else was using too much of it.
Through your body, Kzarka alternately used your friendsâ power to the point they were exhausted, kneeling on the floor in the vain attempt to catch their breath and trying not to faint. Since the children of Nature were not a problem anymore, Jisung, Seungmin and Jeongin clearly didnât represent a threat.
Summoning Chrisâ magic, Kzarka used the same cursed spell that your soulmate had used against his soldiers few weeks earlier; there was water around Chrisâ neck, and judging by his restless coughing it seemed to get tighter as seconds went by.
However, before Kzarka could actually finish his work, unfamiliar fingertips clouded his view, and your back found itself firmly pressed against someoneâs firm chest.
«You should really learn when to give up.» Garmothâs voice authoritatively spoke from behind you, and even if Kzarka tried to peel himself from the Godâs firm hold, your body was too weak compared to his, and therefore, few seconds later, Kzarkaâs consciousness faded to black, making yours resurface. Â
«You really took your time to get here!» Hyunjin scolded the dragon as he quickly placed his fingertips against Chrisâ neck, breathing a sigh of relief in the same moment he heard a weak pulse beat against his skin.
«You already know Kzarkaâs power can shield my sight.» Karanda answered him, as she gracefully appeared out of nowhere.
Garmoth â who had been erasing the traces of corruption from your soul, gently took his fingertips from your eyes in favour to hold your waist, gently shaking you a bit.
«Wake up, young flame.» he spoke, and you immediately reacted to his gentle words; you opened your eyes with a groan, your eyes quickly glancing around the room only to lock on Chrisâ frame.
Hyunjin had a hand pressed against your soulmateâs chest, meaning that he was healing him, but what happened? Did you hurt him?
As to read your thoughts, Garmoth quickly explained to you what happened, reassuring you about the fact that Chris was still alive.
«Whatâs going to happen to Hongjoong?» you weakly questioned.
«Nothing,» Garmoth sighed, and you could hear him smile through his words, «Iâll scold him for not trying to ask for help, but I promised Karanda to let him meet her daughter right away.» he explained.
The Dragon let you go, tapping your back twice to give you the hint that he didnât have anything to add, and you quickly closed the distance between you and Chris, kneeling next to him with a worried expression.
With a sad smile, Garmothâs eyes momentary fell on Karanda, who was uninterestedly glancing at your friends; this scene was incredibly familiar to him, and the fact that everyone in your group managed to survive without getting hurt could be called a miracle. Karandaâs gaze locked with his lover, and she gave him a small smile, as to hint that she was thinking about the same thing as well.
Hyunjin was now smiling, amused at the fact that both the God of Fire and the Goddess of Air were standing in the room, and still, your only thought was to make your soulmate was okay.
Like a fairytale, Chrisâ eyes opened in the same moment you touched his face; despite Hyunjin had told you repeatedly that he was okay, you couldnât do anything but anxiously gnaw at your lower lip.
«Iâm sorry,» you hastily apologized as soon as he made eye contact with you; Chrisâ simply answered with a reassuring smile, and you apologized again, your eyes burning with tears.
Shaking his head, your soulmate simply lifted his hand in the air, gently placed it on your nape in order to lead your head in the crook of his neck.
«Itâs okay,» Chris whispered, «I knew it wasnât you.» at his words, you silently let yourself cry against his chest.
«Weâll be taking these.» Karanda spoke, claiming both yours and your friendsâ attention â who were now standing around Chris, after helping him get up again.
Two precious looking caskets appeared in Karandaâs and Garmothâs hands, and thanks to divine magic, the two glowing red stones embedded in Hongjoongâs thrones had been sealed. The two Gods simultaneously flicked the hand that wasnât holding the casket, and it disappeared in thin air.
As soon as Karanda and Garmoth turned to praise yours and your friends work, you shortly found yourself without words.
If both you and Minho had secretly commented about Garmoth looking handsome, you knew that the next topic would have been that he was nothing compared to Karanda.
Everything in her appearance looked ethereal, from her white hair perfectly braided in a complicate hairstyle, to her white dress who seemed to be constantly swayed by a gentle breeze. Only then, you remembered Hyunjinâs words, and how he told you that Garmoth loved to spend his time among humans and therefore, thatâs why he looked more like one.
«Before we go, thereâs something we have to do!» Garmothâs dazzling smile was back on his lips, as he cleared his voice, «The Cursed Kingdom has fallen, and the King has died.» he announced, his authoritative and booming voice echoing through the empty throne room.
Garmoth walked towards where you stood, before kneeling in front of you, «Long live to the Queen.»
«No, I -» you tried to retort, trying to saying that you didnât feel like you deserved the title, but your friends immediately eagerly imitated Garmothâs action. Quickly looked around yourself, your friends â and your soulmate, had their head lowered towards the ground, while Karanda stood still, and simply hinting a nod with her head as soon as your gaze met.
«Kzarkaâs curse doesnât exist anymore, meaning that not everyone will remain here,» the Goddess spoke, «there will be much work to do, but I believe you have faced much more threatening dangers.» she hinted a smile, and you heard Hyunjin snort from his kneeling position.
Of course, unlike you, Hyunjin knew that Karanda could see few glimpses of the future, meaning that her words simply meant something along the lines of âyour Kingdom will be great! good luck with this, kiddo!â, but he thought that you were lucky because it could have been worse, she could have spoken in riddles.
With the last blessing of erasing completely the traces of Kzarkaâs corruption, Karanda and Garmoth used divine magic in order to renew both the Castle and the Kingdom in a blink of an eye; now made of white marble instead of black lava stone, it was as if a new era was about to begin.
Of course, as you and your friends were having a private chat with the Gods, within the streets of the Kingdom everyoneâs eyes were locked both on the sudden change of the Castle, but also on the strong yet gentle breeze that easily dissipated the thick layer of clouds that had prevented everyone from seeing the Sun from so many years.
After saying your farewells, Karanda and Garmoth headed towards the huge balcony adjacent to the throne room.
«Hyunjin, come.» Karanda spoke without looking back, but Hyunjin clenched his fist, his eyes locked on the floor.
«Karanda, IâŠÂ» he tried, his voice barely above a whisper; immediately, your eyes fell on him, since you werenât used to see Hyunjin like this. Karanda stopped, and briefly turned around; she attentively scrutinised Hyunjinâs face, before her lips erupted into a small, sad smile.
«I believe you remember your oath,» she spoke, her body now completely turned towards him, «unlike them, you wonât grow old, is this what you want?»
Hyunjin nodded, wordlessly, and Karanda sighed heavily; as if Garmoth was reading her mind, he chuckled briefly, but stopped as soon as the Goddess glanced at him.
Karanda then sighed again, before closing the space between her and Hyunjin; she cupped his cheek, and since she was taller than him, she easily kissed his forehead. In the same moment Karandaâs lips brushed against Hyunjinâs skin, you saw it again; for a brief second, pure white feathers seemed to erupt from Hyunjinâs forearms, just as it happened when he used ancient spells to heal Chris.
«Enjoy your life as a human, my friend.» Karanda spoke soothingly, and Hyunjin reached out with trembling fingers to hold her hands, which here still gently holding his face, «when the moment comes, Iâll undo the spell.»
Although Hyunjin gave her a secure nod, his eyes were filled with tears; since his soulmate died, he never imagined that he would have sincerely wanted to live as a human - back then he even accepted the mission to watch over you without completely wanting to, and yet, there he was.
Hyunjin had found friends he genuinely cared about, and the thought to leave them behind made him extremely sad and lonely.
Garmoth smiled at Karanda as if she was the most beautiful entity he had ever seen, and immediately threw his arm over her shoulder in a gentle way, «Youâre growing soft, my love.»
«Shut up.» she weakly mumbled, aware that only her lover could hear the faint tremor in her voice.
Karanda and Garmoth glanced at you and your friends one last time, and in the blink of an eye, both of them were gone.
Few days later, the light of the morning sun fell on Chrisâ naked chest, as the two of you were cuddling in bed in your bedroom in the Castle; a blanket was draped over your naked bodies, covering your waists.
Chris was absently stroking your arms, his eyes lost somewhere on the ceiling; you sighed, recalling the past days events.
The Kingdom was a complete mess to begin with: as expected, many people had left as soon as Kzarkaâs curse had vanished, and most importantly, the Kingdomâs reputation was terrible in all the known lands.
How could you fix everything?
«Whatâs wrong?» Chris questioned you as if he could hear the gears in your brain spinning restlessly; with another sigh, you sat up, not having the courage to look at him in the eyes as you uttered your next words.
«I think you should return to Iliya island.» you hesitantly spoke.
«Oh.» was everything Chris said, his tone laced with sadness made it impossible for you to think you could face him; sadly enough, unlike the previous night, you had completely forgotten about the huge mirror standing in front of your bed, Chrisâ gaze locked on your eyes through the mirror with a completely different expression compared to your previous nightsâ activities.
«Donât get me wrong,» you immediately added, afraid that he could take your words in the worst way, «I love you, and I would definitely love to spend the rest of my life with you, but - I feel like it would be wrong to be happy when the people living here probably are not, andâŠÂ» Â
«I think I understand where youâre going,» Chris sat up as well, quickly positioning himself sitting behind you so that he could cage your body and make you feel safe, «this is why, Iâm telling you to think about your Kingdom - I probably would have said the same if I were in your place. Iâll wait for you.»
Finally, you met Chrisâs gaze through the mirror, and once again, what you found in it were absolute affection and sincerity.
«What if you get tired of waiting?» you furrowed your eyebrows, holding his hand a little tighter.
«Sweetheart, weâre soulmates,» he gently chuckled, placing a gentle kiss on your shoulder, «I could and I would never turn my back on you, nor I will get tired of waiting. However, your citizens probably will.» you listened to his words, glad about the fact that not only he understood what you meant but he was also trying to give you some useful advice as he had previously done.
«Although I really pains me to part from you, I want you to be with me because you feel ready for it; moreover, leading a country is not easy. Nevertheless, Iâm sure youâll make this country so prosperous it will rival the Capital.»
«Thank you.» you breathed out.
«No need to thank me, sweetheart.» Chris hummed again your skin, placing another kiss on the crook of your neck.
«Hey, Chris?» you called out again, and you felt your soulmate place his chin on your shoulder, tilting his head, «Iâm not sure I told you yet, but I really - I love you.»
Through the mirror, you could see Chris blush from his cheeks to the tip of his ears.
«I canât believe you confessed before me!» he shyly hid his face behind your nape, before eventually adjusting your positions in bed so that you were now laying down and he was partially hovering above you.
«I love you too, my Queen.» he murmured against your lips, before capturing them in a heated kiss.
EPILOGUE
There was a Castle that stood tall at the worldâs end: made of white marble and golden amber, its authoritative appearance was enough to make people admire everything about who lived in it and within its increasing territories.
The dark and thick layer of clouds that for decades has hovered on top of the Kingdom had dissipated completely, and the citizensâ tales spoke about how the Queen was blessed by the Goddess of Air and the God of Fire to the point that occasionally, clouds only generated above fields just to enable crops and livestock to flourish.
Strolling from town to town, Garmoth proudly overheard people talking about his daughterâs work. The Cursed Kingdom had been in ruin for years, and its conservative nature had made it self-sufficient; however, since the Fallen Kingâs daughter has inherited the throne, it took her four years to make her Kingdom bloom so prosperously to rival the others.
Of course, you didnât do everything on your own; when Chris and Felix decided to return to Iliya Island, Jeongin and Seungmin decided to go with them, while Hyunjin, Jisung, Minho and Changbin â and therefore Lea, moved in the Castle with you.
Although no one among you had the right knowledge about what could be needed to rule a Kingdom, you managed to figure out a way to do it out of spite.
«Think about the nobles in the Capital gossiping about us,» Lea giggled as she helped you dress up, «I swear, Iâd open a brothel just to have a detailed description of what their incredulity looks like as they say that weâre even richer than they are.» she chanted to herself, and you refrained from the instinct to laugh with her, since she was tying up the laces of your corset.
Most importantly, you were definitely too nervous to laugh, since today was a day so important you swore could even outshine the day of your coronation.
«What if he doesnât like me anymore?» you whispered to yourself, however, Lea abruptly stopping her movements meant that she heard you.
«Sweetie, we donât do that here,» she turned you around, before cupping your jaw, «moreover, youâve exchanged letters for four years, I bet he loves you to the Sun and back.»
Of course, few hours later, you found out that Lea was indeed right â as always.
The moment of your reunion, your eyes were locked on Chris so intensely that you almost choked on your water when Minho asked you if you saw Seungmin and Hyunjin peck each other's lips.
-
Standing on the balcony attached to your room, you were leaning against the railing as Chrisâ arms were caging your body as his hands were leaning over it; you wrapped your arms around his waist, realizing that you incredibly missed his touch during these years.
If possible, Chris looked even more handsome, his jet black hair was longer, naturally curling itself in soft waves you loved to run your fingers through. «Chris, I-» you hesitantly spoke, losing yourself in the affection that his eyes showed you; you gently lifted your hand, your fingertips brushing against his cheeks ever so lightly.
Taking a deep breath, every sign of hesitancy seemed to disappear from your soul, as Chris encouragingly smiled at you, silently telling you that he was listening
That was it, you thought, that was the life you could finally feel worthy to live.
«Chris, will you marry me?» you asked, however, Chrisâ smile completely fell, making your heart sink.
All of a sudden, Chrisâ face erupted into an incredulous smile, accompanied by an incredulous chuckle; he easily entangled himself from your arms, just to gently wrap his right arm around your neck, tugging you towards him.
«Again? I canât believe you proposed first, as well!» he gently rubbed at your head, like he had done few times during your travel, «I was trying to build up my courage to propose to you so hard that Felix threatened to throw me overboard!» you found yourself laughing along him, your heart finally at ease.
-
«Iâm getting married,» you timidly admitted to your parentsâ tombstones, «and I wish you were here with me.».
All of a sudden, a gentle breeze disheveled your hair, and a weird sensation of warmth seemed to cover your cheek for a little while; it lasted for few seconds, just for everything to vanish as nothing happened.
The trip to Velia was something Chris had predicted, since he knew that your motherâs tombstone was in your home-town, and the fact that you had buried one of Hongjoongâs sword and his favourite armor next to her was something that he found out thanks to the letters you exchanged.
Chrisâ steps echoed on the gravel, before he kneeled next to you; it was just like that time, many years ago, when Chris offered you his coat in the clumsy attempt to console you.
This time, Chris was looking at you with a serene and happy expression - matching yours; he tilted his head quizzically, and you nodded at him before getting up, brushing the dust from your clothes.
«Letâs go,» you sighed, «I promised Felix he could choose the flowers.»
«Oh,» Chris giggled, «good luck with finding your way to the altar.» he joked.
«No need,» you immediately retorted with a chanting tone, earning a questioning look from your partner, «weâll find our way together.»
Chris gaze softened, and he reached out to intertwine his fingers with yours as the two of you were walking to the carriage waiting for you.
«Of course,» he echoed, «weâll find our way together.»
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories. I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.
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[22.22]
âpairing : Wooyoung x Fem!Reader
âgenre : smut
âword count:Â 1.166
â content warnings : cockwarming ; estabilished relationship , unprotected sex
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
«I found something really interesting we should try.» Wooyoungâs voice called out from the living room. You walked towards him and sat next to him on the couch, feeling happy and refreshed after the long hot shower you just had after a long and stressful day at work.
«What is it?» You questioned your boyfriend, taking advantage of him being distracted by his phone to take the remote from him and absently switching between TV channels.
«Cockwarming.» he answered, looking at your profile with a smug grin.
«Oh, please.» you scoffed, still not paying attention to him. «You can barely stay still for few seconds.»
«Wanna bet?» he confidentially raised an eyebrow at you.
And so, this is how you and your boyfriend quickly moved to the bedroom, both discarding your trousers and underwear on the bedroomâs floor and only wearing your sweaters.
Wooyoung comfortably sat with his back pressed against the headboard, pulling you on his lap. You didnât hesitate to kiss him, lowering yourself on his lap and feeling that â unexpectedly, he was already hard, pressed against your heat. As much as you loved the dominant side that came out anytime you were having sex, both of you still tried to keep both the kissing session and your actions as gentle and as chaste as possible. Wooyoung groaned against your lips as you slowly grinded against his length, reaching out with your hand to guide his member towards your entrance as soon as you felt you were wet enough. You carefully lowered yourself on him, a soft moan leaving your lips as you felt so perfectly stretched and so perfectly full. Wooyoung squeezed your thighs, moaning and tightly shutting his eyes as you unconsciously clenched around him.
Usually, this would have been the part where heâd grind his hips in circles waiting for you to accommodate to the stretch, before starting to ruin you, knowing how you both had a slight preference when he thrusted into you with slow and hard strokes, a hand firmly gripped around your throat and making out with you to muffle both your moans.
You sighed, focusing on the new feeling of intimacy, nestling your head against Wooyoungâs neck as you found a comfortable position, your boyfriend occasionally caressing your hair or kissing your face. You both felt close to each other on a whole new level, but you had to admit to yourself that cockwarming was easier to be said than done; anytime you felt Wooyoungâs member twitch inside you, or anytime he shifted his position, you had to remind yourself that you were supposed to cuddle, and not to mindlessly bounce on his dick â just like youâd beg for.
Judging from Wooyoungâs occasional frustrated groans, you knew it was the same for him, too.
Tentatively, you shifted your position, taking in your boyfriendâs appearance: Wooyoung had his head thrown back against the headboard with his eyes still closed, his cheek deliciously flushed red and his lips slightly parted.
«Donât do that.» he raised his head to hotly whispered against your ear after you clenched around him for the umpteenth time.
«I didnât do anything.» you mumbled faking innocence, tying not to give away your frustration.
«Of course you didnât.» Wooyoung scoffed, smirking at you before connecting his lips with your neck, widening the collar of your sweater with his right hand in order to leave a small trail of bruises and kisses along the way from your collarbone to your ear. Your hand flew on top of his left hand as you felt his thumb hovering on your clit.
«Thatâs not fair, Wooyoung.» you held back a moan as his right hand harshly grabbed your wrist and moved it behind your back to keep you in place, and started to gently and slowly drawing differently shaped circles against your clit. «Not fair? But babygirl,» he teased, humming against your neck «Technically, we are not moving.» he started leaving open mouthed kisses and mumbling sweet nothings as his thumb changed pace anytime your needy whimpers became more frequent, to keep you on edge. You closed your eyes lost in bliss, the hand which wasnât trapped in Wooyoungâs grip reached out to tangle in his hair, earning a moan from your boyfriend as you harshly tug on it, feeling him twitch inside you. Unconsciously, you started to squirm, occasionally grinding on his length to follow the pattern his thumb was drawing on your sensitive bud.
«Not so fast, kitten.» his thumb stilled on your clit. With a whine, you tried to move your hips, but he harshly tightened his grip around your wrist, signalling you to be good for him.
You complied, aware that his punishments anytime you disobeyed him would mean you didnât get to come.
«Now, what do we say?» Wooyoung mumbled with a smug smile, your eyes travelled back and forth from his swollen lips and his eyes blown with lust. He had you wrapped around his finger, exactly as he wanted to. He urged you to answer by clicking his tongue and pressing on your clit, a mixture of a whimper and moan which vaguely resembled a weak âPleaseâ leaving your lips.
«Please, let me come.» you tried again, mumbling and burying your head in his neck.
«Then stop moving.» Wooyoung spat with a harsh voice and resumed his actions as soon as you nodded, roughly circling your clit while the other hand let go of your wrist to slowly travel around your throat, letting out luscious moans as he was getting closer to his own release as well.
With a light pressure around your neck, he forced you to move your head in order to look at him, needy whimpers leaving your lips as your hand reached out on top of his to keep it there. He bit his swollen lip, before crashing against yours in a needy kiss. Even if you felt that familiar sensation of warmth pooling in your lower abdomen, you still did your best to not rut your hips against his or bounce on his length as you desperately wanted to do.
With his name on your lips, you clenched tight around him as you came â he came right after you, and his fingers didnât stop until you both rode out your orgasms.
«Always so good for me, kitten.» Wooyoung smiled sweetly, his arms snaking around your waist as he softly kissed any part of your face he could reach, still buried inside you.
You giggled, reciprocating some of his kisses before affectionately rubbing your noses together.
«Well, that was..»
«Interesting.» he finished for you, hugging you closed to his chest.
«We should go wash up.» you mumbled, reaching out to lovingly caress his hair. Wooyoung hummed, and then quickly rolled you around so that he was laying on top of you.
He slightly wiggled his hips, resuming his actions of leaving open mouthed kissed on your neck.
«Later,» he mumbled between kisses, «Now, I want to fuck you properly.»
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories.
I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.
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[20.18]
â pairing : Jeongin x fem! reader
â content warnings : wolf AU, reader is a witch, soulmates, medieval settings as always, fluff
â word count : 2.354
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
đșđź WOLVES! STRAY KIDS SERIES
Chris part one | part two // Changbin // Jisung // Hyunjin // Seungmin // Minho part one | part two // Felix // Jeongin
It was a full moon tonight; Jeongin and the others were on a hunt, their souls at ease and their wolves roaming free among their territory happily howling at the moon. Jeongin was the younger in their pack; therefore, he was less used to these nights, and super excited about it. He loved being in his wolf form: feel one with nature for him â and the others, was a priceless feeling, their senses were heightened, and the moon seemed to protectively watch over them during the hunt.
Jeonginâs run was suddenly interrupted by a strong and undoubtedly delicious scent. He kept running, wondering why no one else was showing any sign of having smelled it as well, when the scent was distracting him so much it slowly became an unbearable tempting feeling and he started slowing down, taking big sniffs at the air in order to individuate where the delicious scent which started to cloud his senses came from.
Noticing his actions, the pack slowed down as well, gathering in front of him. Thanks to their bond, Jeongin did not have to turn back human in order to question his friends about it, but unfortunately, they all told him that they could not smell nothing out of the ordinary.
Chris, in his majestic grey wolf form, reached out to nuzzle at him, urging him to follow his instincts.
«Itâs okay,» he heard the alphaâs voice in his head, «Go look for your mate, weâll see you at home!» his words were accompanied by the others which happily agreed with him, and with that, they went separate ways.
The pack and their loud howls turned left, while Jeongin turned right, carefully heading out of the woods.
Jeongin quickly hid behind a large tree as he identified the source of the scent: it came from a lonely cottage not too far from the village, where a girl â which quickly understood being a witch, was busy cooking something in the garden while quietly humming to a song he didnât recognize.
âWho does even cook this late at night?â he ingenuously thought, carefully and curiously walking closer, hidden by the shadows of the night.
âAnd most importantly, what is she cooking? Why does it smell so delicious?â
It was a full moon tonight, and therefore, your favourite moment to cook all the potions people requested you. You embraced the title of witch of the village few weeks after people the initial scepticism the villagers showed slowly turned into interest and somehow, awe.
People would come for you asking for any kind of things, spacing from asking you to make their crop grow faster, to various illness remedies, youth elixirs, soreness remedies⊠and of course, love potions. Initially, you were surprised about how many people could possibly ask for them, but you could never bring yourself to say no. After all, they all paid you and you made a living out of it and therefore, tonight you were cooking love potions since the moon appeared in the dark sky.
«I wonder whatâs with them wanting to know at any cost who their soulmate is,» you mumbled, adding some sky blue flowerâs petals to the small cauldron hovering above the fireplace in your garden.
«Donât you agree?» you slightly turned your head to the left, questioning the presence that slowly had made its way to hide in the bushed next to the wooden fence next to you.
«You can show yourself, you know?» you asked few moments later with a small chuckle, still busy with your potions. With attentive eyes, you saw a ginger wolf slowly making his way out of the bushes and walking his way next to you. His eyes were a light shade of blue, almost white, and his eyes were big and curious, yet wary. His eyes kept shifting from you to the table next to the cauldron, where you neatly organized your small flasks â some already full with the faint azure potions and some still empty.
The wolf wasnât the only one to be wary, in fact, you were ready to cast a spell as soon as he tried a move you didnât like since, after all, there was a full moon in the sky, and you knew that wolves risked to easily lose control. However, a strange aura settled between the two of you, and you found yourself cooking with a wolf carefully studying every move you made, while still staying at a reasonable distance from you. You did not mind company, and so you kept humming to the song you heard from some villagers few days earlier, occasionally interrupted by the faint howls of what you deduced was the pack of the wolf sitting next to you.
Cooking potions never took too much time, and so you quickly find yourself to cast a spell for the fireplace to extinguish by itself.
«Well, my friend.» you said, collecting all the flask full of potion. «I wish you a good night, and a nice hunt!» you smiled at the wolf, who looked back at you with wide eyes. Turning around, you walked back into your house, closing the wooden door behind you.
What you definitely didnât expect the next morning when you opened your front door, was to find a hareâs tail neatly cleaned up and arranged as a small keychain on the ground.
Of course, as soon as you met up with a friend, you couldnât help telling him everything about what happened.
«Iâm serious, Minho.» you said, placing the small hareâs tail on the innâs table. «Look at this.» Minhoâs eyes widened in realization, before a smug knowing smile was suddenly plastered on his lips. Minho was indeed a mysterious boy. You became his friend through your brother, now working as a warlock somewhere in the capital, and you knew that he was not a simple commoner since the first moment you saw him. Minho eventually became one of your friendâs boyfriend, and you found out he was indeed a wolf.
«Whoever he is,» he said, leaning over the table, as if leaning closer to you, «Heâs officially courting you.»
«Whoever he is?» You groaned, brushing a hand through your hair, «Minho, heâs from your pack, thereâs no doubt!» you whined, and then spent your time together asking for clues about the boyâs identity. Minho would smile every time, shrugging, as he kept playing dumb.
«Jeongin!» Minho said, plopping on the youngerâs bed with a mischievous expression. «You need some advice on courting witches, donât you?» he asked, a wide smile appearing on his lips as he saw Jeonginâs eyes widen comically wide.
«I donât know what youâre talking about.» he answered, his cheeks red in embarrassment.
Minho hummed, «How about flowers?» he proceeded, capturing the younger boyâs interest. «Witches use flowers and herbs for their potions, so it could be useful!» Jeongin nodded, hesitantly. «For any other thing, donât hesitate to ask me, okay?» Minho ruffled his friendâs hair, before changing the topic.
The two following weeks had been rather interesting; youâd find any kind of herbs and flower neatly arranged in a small bouquet sealed with a red string right in front of your front door, and you couldnât help but smile, looking around if you saw any hints of the ginger wolf  which was carefully hiding in the woods to look at your reactions.
âI bet Minho is behind this,â you thought about the change of style your gifts had, and gladly accepting them while wondering about the identity of the mysterious boy. Even if you felt dejected because he didnât show up neither in his human or his wolf form, you still waited.
The topic of Jeongin courting his mate had become the official and most interesting talk among the pack. First of all, his friendâs mates â which strangely enough were all witches, helped him picking up and arranging the bouquets of flowers and herbs so that each of them would look beautiful, while his friends, well⊠They would spend their days both helping him, both affectionately making fun of him.
«Our baby is all grown up, now.» Changbin said one day, locking him in a tight hug. Jeongin furrowed his brows, secretly loving the other showing affection but also, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Of course, Jeongin officially found his mate, but would his mate accept him?
There was only one person that could know your answer in advance.
«Are you going to accept the bond?» Minho asked once again, his glass hanging mid-air. You and Minho were basically having a staring contest, at this point. He kept asking you that same question, and you kept refusing to answer, choosing instead to keep eating the delicious food the local inn offered. Minhoâs eyes glanced at the hareâs tail securely hanging from your leather belt, and your eyes widened.
«Well, heâs my mate.» you shrugged, answering his silent question, «And I must admit I appreciate all the presents, so yeah, I will.»
What you did not realize, was that there were seven boys overhearing the conversations from few tables from yours, which eventually erupted in silent cheers at your positive response.
«You have no choice,» Hyunjin kindly told Jeongin, «you have to meet her soon.» Jeongin nodded, nervousness having the best of him. Since the first night he saw you, he was somehow too shy to meet you again.
You halted your movement with wide eyes, the spoon hanging in mid-air few millimetres from your lips. Minho gave you a questioning look, and you carefully put your spoon back into the bowl; the reason you stopped eating was that you felt a suspicious wave of nervousness wash over you, which definitely did not come from you.
Therefore, this could only mean one thing.
«He must be close,» you said, not noticing Jeongin and his friends abruptly halt their movements and snap their head to look at you. «I can feel his emotions.» you said, looking around the tables, locking your eyes for a moment with a young boy with black hair and gentle eyes, which offered you a small smile before lowering his gaze.
lowly, you turned towards Minho with a pleased smirk. «I might have found him.» you said, and Minho answered with a wink. Now, you knew that you were basically surrounded by wolves, meaning that not only they overheard the conversation you and Minho just had, but they were also going to hear what you were about to say. Your eyes flashed golden as a small paper appeared out of thin air, and carefully flew in front of Minho.
âIf you read this out loud Iâll kill you, but heâs cute!â the paper said, and Minho erupted into a loud laugh.
You had to wait two more weeks for Jeongin to finally show up at your door in his human form, and his cuteness was enough to make you blush as well. Relief and happiness were all you felt as you spent the afternoon sitting in your veranda, bonding and talking about random topics. Jeongin was also a funny boy, you noticed, pleased about the fact that apparently, your mate had all the right cards to be considered your ideal type. You knew that you both felt incredibly enamoured and attracted to each other due to the fact you were mates, but you both realized that, with time, the bond wouldnât be the only reason behind the emotional and physical pull you felt towards to each other.
«Iâm happy you liked my present!» Jeonginâs eyes lightened up as he spotted the hareâs tail you wore on your belt. «I catched it as you wished me good luck!» you couldnât help but share your mate enthusiasm with a soft smile.
«It was a⊠singular choice, for a gift.» you smiled, and Jeonginâs shoulders fell for a moment, his lips momentarily falling into a small pout, «But I appreciated it.» as Jeongin smiled at you, you decided that youâd do anything in your power to always see his happy and blissed out expression.
Afternoon quickly turned into evening, and you said goodbye to Jeongin with a kiss on his cheek, biting the inner of your own cheek in order not to smile at the blush that covered his face.
Within the next week, Jeongin basically spent more time at your house rather than at his; you didnât mind it, instead, you found adorable how he would sometimes doze off to sleep as you were finishing to cook poisons for the villagers. You would simply settle for waking him up just enough to lead him to the bedroom without having to carry him using magic, and you would snuggle your way on the bed next to him, so that the both of you slept while spooning, Jeonginâs arms loosely draped around your waist. Other times, he would help you, handing you the herbs you needed, or handing you empty flasks for you to fill them. Spending time with Jeongin was great, and made you feel complete.
«That night, the scent you followed⊠It was the love potion, wasnât it?» you curiously asked your mate, as you were once again busy with commissions.
«At first, I thought that too.» Jeongin shook his head, handing you one of the empty flasks in order to help you, his eyes locked on the white smoke erupting from the cauldron. «But the mesmerizing scent was⊠yours.»
«Oh!» you smiled, carefully taking the flask from Jeonginâs hands in order to fill it with the potion, «And how would you describe my scent?» you asked, with a smile, curious about what was so special about you to interfere with his hunt.
«Home.» Jeongin simply answered, the sincerity you saw in his eyes was disarming. You slowly adverted your gaze, a faint blush on your cheeks; you glanced at Jeongin, which was exactly in your situation, cheeks covered by a slightly brighter blush while toying with another empty flask in his hands. With a wide smile, you leaned over, and kissed Jeonginâs lips in a quick kiss.
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories.
I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.
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[14.20]
â pairing : Felix x fem! reader
â content warnings : wolf au, reader is a witch, soulmates, medieval settings as always, unprotected sex (wrap it up yâall), fantasy au
â word count : 4.055
â notes : âNeveâ means âsnowâ in italian // Iâm obsessed with this game, Black Desert Online, so the lore of the game inspired the Black Spiritâs part.
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
đșđź WOLVES! STRAY KIDS SERIES
Chris part one | part two // Changbin // Jisung // Hyunjin // Seungmin // Minho part one | part two // Felix // Jeongin
An incredibly strong headache caused you to wake clutching your head with a loud, strained groan. You carefully sat back up, and briefly taking in your surroundings, you noticed that you were in the small cave where you and Neve recently took shield. A sudden movement caught your attention, and the sight of the big wolf with fur as white as snow and concerned deep blue eyes gracefully made his way towards you, sitting between your parted legs.
«Hi, Neve.» you mumbled, reaching out to gently caress the wolf behind his ears, and he closed his eyes in reflex, leaning into your touch. «I must have scared you, huh?» you asked, and his eyes shortly glared at you, making you giggle.
Despite the sweet smile on your face as you kept petting the white wolf, your brows slightly furrowed in a silent wonder if he could actually understand you.
You rescued Neve from a group of hunters few months ago, and since then, he has been following you around all the time. You eventually decided to give him a name, and your imagination couldnât think about anything better than to call him literally âsnowâ. He did not seem to mind.
Moreover him becoming your familiar and helping you on your tasks was something you definitely did not expect, but he never left you alone, not even once.
Another thing you did not expect was for Neve to see your black spirit, the mysterious entity that accompanied you during your continuous travels. You did not know anything about it, only that it gave you an illimitate source of power and that somehow, it randomly showed up to give you tasks about the most various things in order to become stronger. Your first meeting with said spirit was a blur in your memories, you remember finding an amulet laying in the middle of the grass during a walk, when as soon as you tried to touch it, thick black fog erupted from it.
«Your memories⊠They are useless⊠We are now one, and the same.» a faint voice whispered, speaking a language that seemed too ancient, and you were not sure about how you understood those strange words in the first place. You woke up what seemed like hours later, a small ball of black fog with two small and bright red eyes staring at you as it floated around the air.
«Whatâs with that look?» it said, commenting your confused state «Donât tell me you donât remember me! You promised you would! Well, that wonât be too much of a problem anyways; your memories will come back soon enough.» you tried to understand what he was implying, when you noticed that your memories were completely gone. You tried hard to remember where you came from, what was your village like, your parentsâ faces, but nothing came into your mind. You only knew your own name, and that thanks to the spirit, you were going to become a powerful witch, and nothing more.
«Youâre the only one who can see me!» it added, and you knew it was saying the truth, since few times it showed up in crowded places and no one acknowledged its presence.
However, for some strange odds, Neve was able to see it. You didnât know why, and the spirit always told you he didnât know either, but within the months you spent together, they somehow grew in a silent routine. Neve stopped growling at the black spirit, and the black spirit stopped inching closer to you, until all you could see was black fog occupying your line of sight, as it kept mumbling quiet «Donât listen to the dog!»
Neve interrupted your thoughts by gently booping his wet nose against yours, the action making you flinch with a giggle.
«I would love to ask you what happened, and how did you carry me back there,» you mumbled, as you tentatively stood up on wobbly legs. «but sadly, youâre not human, arenât you?» Neve settled for tilting his head and look at you with his bright and mesmerizing eyes.
Summoning the black spirit, you noticed how he seemed to have changed his appearance, now looking more of a consistent entity, rather than a ball of black smoke.
«What happened to you?» you asked it, ruffling Neveâs head which immediately had walked next to you.
«Every time we grew stronger, I change my appearance.» it answered, as he danced in the air around you. «Hopefully, I can go back looking as I did many years ago.» you nodded, now completely used to its presence and somehow having grown to appreciate it. Whether you liked it or not, you knew that your soul was deeply linked with the mysterious entity. «Thereâs a city not far away from here⊠I heard the chief is hiring some mercenaries⊠We should go and talk to himâŠÂ» you sighed, and nodded.
Therefore, another adventure begun.
You never stayed into a city for too long, but you couldnât help noticing how interesting and funny rumours about you started to spread out; with a plastered smile on your face you rushed home on an autumn evening, eager to tell your wolf friend about it.
«Neve, youâre not going to believe this.» you said, rushing inside the small house you rented until you finished the task the black spirit assigned you. You took off your dark cape, draping it over one of the chairs in the living room, and quickly started to prepare dinner for both of you. «There are rumours about us, weâre famous! Like, âofficially a threatâ kind of famous!» your eyes flashed golden as you helped yourself using magic to finish your tasks. Neve was sending you spare glances as he chewed from the raw meat he stole from the table. «They say that I walk around surrounded by shadows, and that my companion is a handsome boy which can turn into a wolf!» you lied about the last part, but your eyes sparkled with interest as you saw Neve momentarily halt his movements with a panicked stare.
Truth was, you spent part of the afternoon in the cityâs library, trying to get as much knowledge as you could, when a book talking about wolves caught your interest, and you started doubting Neveâs appearance.
For sure, he was a wolf, but was he a human as well?
«Yeah, I know,» you added, satisfied with his reaction for now, «There are some crazy people out there.» with that, you both returned to your peaceful dinner.
Weeks had passed since last time you fainted, and the black spirit had grew so strong that his appearance completely changed. The small and cute ball of black smoke you saw as soon as you woke up had completely disappeared, and in its place, there was a tall, more menacing entity. It stood taller than you did, and it was entirely made by dark energy, except for the horned bone mask he wore on his face. Along with his powers, yours grew as well. Thanks to it, you were probably more powerful than anyone was, but you still had to understand the nature of your bond with it.
The dark spirit would materialize randomly and ask you to kill different people or run in different cities just to talk with some people, in order to potentiate and enchant your weapons, but it was also patient enough not to urge you if you wanted to spend your week gathering herbs or lazing around with Neve.
The only thing you were sure about it was that the black spirit had possessed your body, locked away your memories, and completely focused on strengthening you, holding your memories as ransom.
Another thing that you did not understand was your relationship with Neve. He was your familiar, he unconditionally obeyed your orders and loyally stayed at your side every day, but sometimes you could feel waves of emotions, which were definitely not yours.
Sometimes, in the middle of the night you would feel a wave of longing pervading your soul, and coincidentally, Neve would be staring at the moon.
Did he miss home? Did he miss his family?
As if Neve felt your concern as well, he would look back at you every time with apologizing eyes, gracefully making his way next to you, so that you could sleep cuddling to his white fur.
«Thereâs a famous blacksmith not too far from here,» the black spirit said, his voice deep and menacing. «We should let him check your sword.» and without waiting for an answer, he disappeared.
It was the middle of winter, Neveâs fur so pure that you were sure that if he laid in the snow, no one would have been able to spot him.
«Oi, Neve,» you said, carefully brushing from your shoulder the excess of snow falling from the sky and gathering on your shoulders, your footsteps creating a path behind you. «Will you ever let me see your human form?» Neve emitted a low growl in answer, vigorously scrolling the snow from his fur, and you giggled at him, kneeling to gather some snow to throw back at him. In no time, Neve had you gently pinned on the floor, before licking at your nose before moving away. With an outraged sigh, you threw some snow at him once again, and that was how you spent the afternoon, sharing the same happiness.
The village, which the black spirit told you about, was indeed beautiful. It was not too big and did not have too many citizen, but the way the villagers acted made you somehow feel at ease. You wouldnât mind spending your life there, if only you could. Thick woods surrounded the village, and sometimes, you saw Neve curiously gaze toward it.
«You can go check whatâs out there,» you kneeled in front of the wolf, gently rubbing behind his ears, «come back whenever you like, weâre gonna stay here for a while, anyways.» Neve tilted his head, looking at you almost unsure, before nuzzling his head into your chest in what you knew was his way of saying âThank youâ.
You watched Neve walk away all the way out from the village, until you couldnât distinguish him among the snow anymore.
Turns out, the black spirit gave you many things to do, and as you were busy finishing every task, two days quickly went by, the snow had completely melted. Despite the fact that you were continuous checking out of the window of the small apartment you were renting, Neve still was nowhere to be seen, dejection and worry making their way into your heart.
You felt it in the middle of the afternoon, while waiting for the blacksmith to finish repairing your sword. It was a deep feeling of happiness and belonging, which definitely didnât come from within you. You clutched at your chest, right on top of your heart, the sensation of being so happy you were about to cry clouding every other emotion, and you understood.
«Looks like the dog has found his pack.» the menacing voice of the black spirit vocalized your thoughts, as it materialized out of nowhere, sitting on the blacksmithâs work desk. You sighed with the hint of a nod, knowing better not to talk with it since no one else could see it. «Donât forget our deal.» it simply added with nonchalance, leaving you no room for doubting what you had to do, arms crossed in front of its chest before dissolving in a thick black fog.
It has been a total of five days, and judging by his emotions, Neve was still with his newfound pack. You quickly gathered your things, a sad smile adorning your face. He was your familiar, but you felt no right to ask him to come with you once again; he found his home, and you probably never will. You silently wondered that since you could feel his emotions, he could feel yours as well, and suddenly you felt guilty since all the emotions you have ever felt since you lost your memories were rage, and loneliness; as cliché as it was, you only felt genuinely happy anytime Neve was with you.
You took another glance at the now empty streets, illuminated by the lamps that adorned the walls, and using the black spiritâs powers, you vanished in a thin cloud of smoke in the middle of the night.
Living without Neve proven itself to be lonelier than you thought; you grew attached to him and considered him a fundamental part of your life, but you decided his happiness was worth much more than yours.
ou knew the black spirit wasnât bad, you had countless conversations with it, but you missed Neveâs bright blue eyes and white fur cuddling to you in the middle of the night.
«What if youâre his mate?» the black spirit suggested. It probably felt your loneliness, since he had been walking next to you since you left the village.
«I canât believe an idiot possessed my soul.» you scoffed, shaking your head. «Neve doesnât even have a human form.»
«I canât believe I possessed the soul of an idiot.» it spat back, immediately. «All wolves have one.» you halted your steps, looking at the spirit with wide eyes.
«What if Iâm his mate?» you mumbled, «Could you tell me anything about my past?» you saw the spirit shook his head no, shadows dancing around its form like flames, and you pleaded «Just, is there something - anything related to him?»
The black spirit started walking again in silence, the shadows mimicking you to follow, and you eventually did.
«The first time you saw him was when we saved him.» it said, and your head snapped towards its direction, and you immediately thanked it. You didnât remember anything from your past, but at least, you were glad you werenât forgetting anything fundamental.
You and the black spirit eventually arrived in the Capital, and the King immediately welcomed you, recognizing your strength and acknowledging all the things youâve done in the few past months, asking you for help to neutralize a group of rebels which had started to cause problems in the capital. Apparently, you had to individuate their base and completely destroy it.
«The King is letting us lead part of his army?» the black spirit said, now sitting on one of the handles of the Kingâs throne. «He must be pretty desperate.» he spat, his boned mask grazing the unaware Kingâs face. A small smirk adorned your lips, as you tried not to say anything about the black spiritâs behaviour.
«I canât see your rumoured companion.» the Kingâs gentle voice offered. Your eyes widened at the sudden and unexpected mention of Neve, but you were quick to answer.
«Heâll join me in due time.» you politely replied, and the King nodded, quickly going back to his explanation of the situation.
«I donât want to know your ways, witch.» the Kingâs old but firm voice said, «I want you to bring justice.»
«We accept. Donât we?» the black spirit said, now appearing next to you. You nodded, both at him and at the King.
You had a week to prepare for your task; the King insisted for you to stay in the castle as a guest, with people satisfying any and each of your needs. Some of the maids insisted to braid your hair before you left, so that youâd be more comfortable in battle, and you nodded with a blush, definitely not used to the feeling of people gently taking care of you.
Your thoughts kept going back to Neve, wondering if he was okay since you couldnât feel his emotions anymore â probably due to the distance between you, but the consciousness of the importance of being focused for your mission slowly occupied your thoughts.
Following the black spiritâs suggestion, you sneaked out of the castle in order to quietly spy on your opponents, materializing behind a tree, right in front of their small central quarterâs gates. Using magic, you vanished in order to reappear on top of a branch, and quietly studied the situation.
They didnât look particularly strong, but there were a lot of them; a lot of people who couldnât fight somehow provided to be as much of a threat as a well-organized army, especially if the rebels were double the size of the unit sent to neutralize said rebellion.
«Theyâre armed to the teeth,» the spirit said, sat on the branch next to you, shadows dancing in the air and wrapping themselves around few smaller branches. «Itâs gonna a childâs play.» you scoffed as an answer, knowing that once again, the spirit was right.
You attacked the following morning, charging as soon as the rebels changed the guard at the front gates. It was amusing to you, how a single witch was a challenge to them, but as soon as the thought appeared in your head, it vanished. You managed to neutralize half of their army by yourself, the dark spiritâs powers erupting from your body as black shadows danced around your frame and loyally obeyed any and each of your orders, empowering your magic.
A sudden whine caught your attention, and your head snapped towards the direction of the noise. The shadows around your body seemed to become even more, as you saw a rebel sticking his sword in pure, white fur, now partially covered in blood, as the wolfâs body fell on the floor.
«Neve!» you screamed, tears forming in your eyes, not recognizing your voice as your own. You felt impetuous rage bubble up in your chest, until it completely clouded your senses. With another scream, you and let the rage take over you, before everything went black.
An incredibly strong headache caused you to wake clutching your head with a loud, strained groan as a sense of deja-vu made you sigh. You carefully looked around, the familiar decor of the room you occupied in the castle meeting your confused eyes.
«Wakey wakey, buttercup.» a deep, beautiful voice said from your right, and your head quickly turned.
A young and handsome boy was looking at you with a soft smile on his lips, as he sat on the chair of the desk in the corner of the room. He had deep blue eyes, and his hair was white.
As he inched closer, you could notice that his long eyelashes were white as well. «It was about time.» he added, sitting next to you on the bed. You furrowed your brows in confusion, endless questions popping into your head.
«Donât you dare scare me like that, anymore!» the boy suddenly said, flicking your forehead as his expression turned serious. You blushed heavily, realizing that he was your wolf friend as soon as a wave of concern pervaded your emotions.
«Neve?» you tried with an unsure mumble.
«Actually, my name is Felix,» he smiled at you, before gently brushing few strands of hair from your face, «but âNeveâ is pretty cute, too.»
You didnât think too much about it, so you jumped into his arms, hugging Felix as close as you could, loosening a bit the tight hold of your arms as he groaned a strained «Careful, there.» explaining that wolves heal faster indeed, but he still had a cut in his side. You convinced him to re-arrange your positions so that you were both sitting on the bed with your backs against the comfortable and fluffy pillows, and he gently intertwined his fingers with yours as he answered your question about what happened.
«Long story short, you went berserk.» Felix said, tracing your knuckles. «The man hurting me triggered it, and⊠Darkness literally had the best of you. I could feel your powers, they were unlimited â you gave me quite a scare back there, you didnât act like yourself anymore.» you furrowed your brows, apologizing, explaining that the last thing you remember seeing was him falling on the floor. «Yeah, everything went downhill from there.» he chuckled, «The King is pleased with your job, by the way. The rebels were neutralized and Iâm positive no signs of living will grow in the place their headquarter was for at least, the next fifty years. Not even a strand of grass.»
You were about to answer, when the black spirit appeared in front of the two of you â now actually cuddling, and you jolted up as you saw that he was back to the first state: a cute fluff ball of black smoke with bright red eyes.
«What happened to you?!» you asked, and the spirit danced around the air, almost shy.
«You used all the power we collected!» it said, hiding behind Felixâs shoulder which was still chuckling.
âSince when theyâre friends? What did I miss?â you thought.
«You wonât ditch me, right?» the black spirit asked, quietly inching closer. «You still need me, right? Weâre going to live in the woods together!» you furrowed your brows, confusion evident on your face once again, as your eyes met Felixâs.
«Back there, the pack asked me to live with them,» he said, intertwining your fingers together once again.
«Oh, thatâs amazing-»
«And to bring my mate along.» Felix added, cutting you off.
«Oh.» your cheeks flamed red once again, and the black spirit flew on top of your intertwined hands.
«I told you!» it chanted, making you and Felix giggle. «Weâre still friends, right?» it immediately asked, and you nodded. With a small, happy chant, the black spirit quickly disappeared.
«Youâre really okay with living with me?» Felixâs concerned voice asked you, while he was still busy playing with your fingers as if they were the most entertaining thing in the universe.
«After what happened, I donât think Iâll ever want to leave your side anymore.» you said, nudging his shoulder, happy to be reunited with him. You never realized how complete Felix made you feel until now; he had always made your soul feel at ease and complete, you were simply too focused on occupying your thoughts with countless task in order to fill the void you believed you still felt. Void, which eventually materialized once again as soon as you parted ways. You smiled, genuine happiness spreading in your heart, as the realization that you and Felix not having to part anymore finally settled in.
«Good, because I strictly forbid you to do that.» Felixâs deep voice made you shiver; you both silently inched closer, your noses barely touching.
«A familiar canât order his witch around.» you mumbled, almost feeling the smirk adorning his lips right against yours.
«But a mate can do that.» Felix murmured, before connecting your lips in a gentle and soft first kiss. A familiar wave of happiness washed over you, and you close your eyes to deepen the kiss as you felt his tongue running along your lower lip. You spent seconds, minutes, probably a whole hour like that: sitting on the bed with your fingers interlocked and with your free hand shyly yet gently caressing each otherâs cheek as you savoured each otherâs lips.
With a content sigh, you smiled against Felixâs lips, absolutely sure that now, Felixâs emotions dancing with yours offering nothing but love, were completely reciprocated.
«I honestly hope youâre okay with officially being my mate.» Felix said few hours later, holding your body close and tapping your thigh over the blankets. You immediately lifted the covers with a groan, not ready for other surprises, and noticed a bandage around your thigh, just above your knee. Felix quietly explained that it was his bite-mark, and you wholeheartedly told him that you were happy to be his.
«It was the only way to stop you,» he explained. «You were about to burn part of the woods as well, think about all the fairies living thereâŠÂ»Â Felix sighed, dramatically.
«Felix, fairies donât even exist.» you mumbled with a chuckle, running your hand in his soft white hair as you glanced up to meet his blue eyes.
«I can turn into a wolf,» Felix scoffed, «and you walk around with a spirit. Trust me, fairies do exist.» you giggled at his answer, losing yourself in Felixâs secure embrace once again.
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories.
I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.
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[3.42]
â pairing : Yunho x Fem! Reader
â genre : fluff + smut
â content warnings: grease! au - therefore it's the 50's, Yunho smokes weed and has a motorbike, mentions of a car accident but itâs superficial and no one of the main characters is involved, thigh riding, unprotected sex, idk how to describe it?? acrobatic sex??? idk youâll read it, kinkshaming will not be allowed, inspo for that came from an italian song' MV
â word count : 7.830
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
«I swear, if I hear that song another time, Iâm gonna scream bloody murder.» you addressed your colleague with an annoyed groan as you both were busy cleaning one of the now empty tables of the Frosty Palace, the local diner where you worked. She sighed in silent agreement, both of you wondering why your boss decided to let customers choose what to play from the jukebox even during Saturday nights, when the diner was really busy and crowded with people.
«Here comes trouble,» she announced with an amused smile on her face, as she took the plates you were busy balancing on your forearm, before nodding towards a group of guys which just arrived, busy taking their seats. «theyâre all yours.» she chanted, quickly leading back into the kitchen with an amused smile.
«That traitor.» you mumbled, before taking your small notebook from your apronâs pocket and taking a deep sigh.
Of course you perfectly knew the loud group that just arrived, since youâve had a crush on Seonghwa since you could remember. His dark and mysterious aura always charmed you, and you could not help but to grow interested in him.Â
However, your motherâs advice not to get involved with bad guys always resonated in your head anytime you caught a glimpse of them and their leather jacket or motorbikes, and therefore, youâve never tried to approach any of them beside work related matters. Their table was incredibly loud but also incredibly polite to you, and if you were to be honest, they probably were the best and most polite customers of the entire evening. Your only interaction with Seonghwa consisted of your eyes briefly meeting, before eventually, you went back to your previous working hurried pace. Low-key, you were glad that you couldnât stay at their table for more than the essential time needed to take their orders, because you knew that you probably looked like a mess: youâve been working for nine hours straight, your hair was a mess â even if tied up in a ponytail, and you were sure you had bags under your eyes due to how tired you were.
You just wanted to go home and sleep.
«Are you coming to Jisungâs party?» your colleague â and friend, asked you, handing you a glass of water as you were both spending your first shift break leaning against the counter â few steps away from Seonghwaâs table. You quickly hummed, shaking your head while swallowing the water, silently wondering if that was how godâs nectar tasted like.Â
«When is it? Iâll probably have to work.» you asked her, unaware that your small talk had caught the attention of both the boy you had a crush on and one of his friendsâ.
«Next Friday!» she enthusiastically said, her eyes glancing at the dinerâs entrance door every now and then in order to check up if some new customers arrived, while yours kept glancing across the room, to see if anyone needed anything else. «Please, come with me! I promise Iâll cover your shifts anytime you want!» she quickly added, as if she managed to read in your mind the fact that you were once again about to say no.Â
Perhaps, you agreed because you were extremely tired.
Perhaps, you agreed because as your eyes were quickly scanning the room, you shortly locked your gaze with the boy with faded pink hair that was casually sitting next to Seonghwa, with his back leaned against the wall and his black leather jacket draped over his wide shoulders as he uninterestedly rolled a cigarette while occasionally glancing at you.Â
«Donât look at their table, but,» you lowered the tone of your voice, getting closer to your friend and pretending she had something in her hair. «whoâs the one sitting next to Seonghwa?»
«Yunho.» she immediately whispered back, without blinking or thinking about it. Then, with a surprised gasp, she simply stared at you with wide amused eyes and her mouth slightly open, the sudden action making you giggle. «I canât believe youâre not asking about Seonghwa!» she whispered, and just like that, new customers arrived and both of you went immediately back to work.
Seonghwa and his friends left around midnight, and as you were cleaning their table, the bright green bill neatly placed under Yunhoâs coaster caught your attention; your eyes widened slightly and you immediately looked around just in case it was a joke, but nothing seemed out of place. You folded the banknote, placing it in your apronâs pocket, and as you were collecting the dishes, you saw Seonghwa and his friends talking right outside the dinerâs windows, illuminated by the street lamps.
Surprisingly enough, instead of focusing on Seonghwa, your eyes were curiously looking at Yunho, the tall boy that earlier was looking at you; he was quietly chuckling at something his friends said while casually sitting on top of his motorbike, the cigarette he previously rolled was carefully balanced between his lips as he looked for a lighter in his leather jacketâs right pocket. You felt strangely hypnotized by the small action of him lighting up his cigarette before blowing out a puff of smoke while his head was thrown back, but you quickly snapped out of it as soon as one of your colleagues called your name, asking for help.
The walk back home was quick and mostly made by inertia, due to how tired you were feeling; you mindlessly unlocked the door and closed it with a yawn, before taking off your shoes and collapsing on the couch â since your bed was too far away.
«Come on,» you weakly encouraged yourself, trying to ignore the numb feeling of exhaustion spreading from your legs all the way to your body. «take a shower and then go to sleep.» you mumbled, «In five minutesâŠÂ» you were about to drift off, when Yunhoâs piercing gaze flashed behind your closed eyelids; your eyes snapped open, and you immediately reached in the back pocked of your jeans, taking out the 10 bucks tip.
A small smile unexpectedly made way on your lips, wondering if he left the tip because he saw you working your ass off or because he had other reasons to do so.Â
Funny how a banknote helped waking you up, but you placed it on the coffee table in front of your couch, and headed towards the shower.Â
Of course, your colleague knew about your crush on Seonghwa and of course, she wouldnât shut up about Yunho for the most part of the week.Â
«I canât blame you,» she said, cleaning the counter as you were about to close the diner. «Heâs hot. And he seems so strong, I bet he can fuck you against-» your colleagueâs â and friend, words were immediately stopped by your hand on her mouth, reducing the remaining of her sentence into an inaudible mess of muffled words.Â
«Not a word, or I wonât come to the party.» you said, blushing about the intrusive thoughts that thanks to her, were now vivid and oh, so realistic in your head.Â
«Are you a virgin?» she whispered, even if no one else beside the two of you were in there; you shook your head, explaining her that beside your first boyfriend in high school, youâve never had any other experience, nor romantically, nor sexually.Â
«I just completely focused on studying, and now here I am: the best waitress in town.» you joked with a sad smile, mentally going through all the future life plans you had which you eventually had to reconsider, and she immediately let go of the glass she was cleaning in order to walk towards you.
«Come on!» she cooed, «Itâs the 50âs, love. Fall in love, live a little.» she smiled, her slim arms snaking around your waist.Â
«Itâs not like-» as you were about to retort that you werenât that interested in romance since all you managed to have crushes on were obviously bad boys who carried a concerning amount of red flags everywhere they went, she was quick to silence you, once again.
«I bet weâre gonna have fun, trust me, Iâm the expert here.» she winked at you, and you nodded with an amused, exasperated sigh.
Jisungâs party was chaotic, and you deduced that it couldnât be otherwise since he was the most popular and richest kid in town; he spent the evening next to his girlfriend, and you wondered if you would ever be as lucky as her since, judging by Jisungâs looks, he seemed pretty much head over heels for her.
An elbow delicately nudging against yours quickly made you turn your attention back to your friend, which had her head tilted towards the backdoor and she was pointing towards it with her eyes; she looked quite funny, but as soon as you saw what she was desperately trying to point at, you felt your knees go weak.
Seonghwa was standing with his friends, looking as good as always but once again, you felt your eyes naturally drift towards Yunhoâs figure, casually leaning against the wall with a red plastic cup probably filled with punch as he was talking with one of his friends â a little shorter with raven black hair. You honestly tried to prevent your eyes from scanning his body from his chest, to his long legs - which looked sinful in high waisted skinny jeans, and as your gazes met, you quickly looked away as quickly as a wild flame has just burnt you. You felt a blush creeping on your cheeks, your heart picking up speed in embarrassment by the fact that Yunho had basically caught you ogling at him, but also secretly turned on by the sudden smirk that he had plastered on his face.
From there, the night went by rather quickly. Surprisingly enough, you managed to have fun, even if it was probably thanks to the few cups of alcohol you drank during the night; you were tipsy â drunk enough to laugh about almost everything but sober enough to still stand without falling on your face, and so thatâs how you found yourself in Jisungâs wide garden, sitting next to your friend, listening to two random boys blabbering and flirting with the two of you.
Despite the fact that you were sitting in front of your friendâs crush with the promise of somehow help her out, you never tried to hide the fact that you were absolutely uninterested in his friendâs obnoxious advances, and your eyes kept glancing at Yunho, which much to your shame, caught you the most of times.
Yunho was incredibly beautiful, and he absolutely had no reason to affect you like that; especially, he had absolutely no reason to look so hot as his lips closed on the filter of the joint that him and his friends were passing around. As they were laughing together, you figured that you probably would have wanted to try it, too.
«Itâs your turn.» the boy in front of you said, and your eyes immediately fell on the joint that he was carefully handing to you, the filter pointed towards you and the smell of weed invading your nostrils. You politely shook your head, refusing the offer, aware that there was only one particular person that you wanted to try smoking weed with.
You knew Yunho was approaching you, even if you were not looking at him anymore. You could feel his gaze on you since the moment you excused yourself from the conversation you were having with your friend, and all you could feel was anticipation. If you were to be honest, you didnât do it in order to get his attention â not entirely, but you really needed a break from hearing your friend and her crush flirting with each other and his friend obnoxiously trying his luck with you; so this is why you walked past Yunho and his friends heading to the backyard, where a significant less number of people were chatting.
With a sigh, you closed your eyes, your back and your head delicately pressed against the wall as you waited; you waited both for your incoming headache not to ruin the little party time you had left, and both for something â anything, to happen right before you had to go back home. Your silent wishes must have been heard from some kind of celestial entity, since few minutes later, Yunho was casually standing in front of you, one hand placed on the wall next to your head, and the other still holding what remained of the joint that him and his friends were previously smoking.
«Youâre not very subtle at stealing glances.» Yunho smirked, and you felt your knees go weak since it was the first time you were hearing his voice, and you definitely didnât expect for it to be so deep and melodic.
«Maybe I didnât want to be.» you answered, your voice coming out weaker than you wanted, and the alcohol mixed to the weed you breathed made you act a little bolder than you really were. Yunhoâs smirk was all you could think about, the cologne he wore still managed to intoxicate your senses even if he was holding a joint between your bodies; everything you wanted was to kiss him, to feel his skin against yours even if deep down, you knew that boys like him inevitably lead to a heartbreak.
Yunho looked like everything you were not, and at the same time, he looked like everything you wanted.
«So, angel face,» Yunho said, his voice a little bit deeper than before, he slowly raised the jointâs filter few centimetres in front of your lips, while his eyes hungrily and repeatedly glanced from your eyes to your lips, «do you want to try this,» he added, nodding to the joint before leaning a bit closer, so that your noses were almost touching and you could feel his soft breath against your skin as he spoke, «or do you want to try me?» your breath hitched at that final question and Yunho probably noticed but, being the gentleman he actually is, he settled for not saying anything and just wait for your answer, a smug smirk plastered on his lips as he made you feel almost naked under his gaze; you had to restrain yourself in order not to grab his leather jacket and close the small distance between you, and you wondered what was wrong with you.
âAm I really that drunk or am I just incredibly horny?â you thought, licking your lips and feeling almost suffocated by the tension that was surrounding both your bodies as the two of you were in your own small bubble.
«Mommy said boys like you are bad news.» you answered with a quiet mumble, knowing he would have heard nonetheless, thanks to the almost non-existent space between you.
«Oh, really?» Yunho cooed, tilting his head, action that you slightly mirrored in the opposite direction while waiting â hoping, for him to kiss you. «Why donât you find out if thatâs the truth?»  you were about to kiss him, you desperately wanted to kiss him, to feel his lips against yours and for him to completely push you against the wall while making out and feel his body pressed flush against yours but of course, your friend had to unintentionally ruin the moment by calling for you, but despite your name being called, neither you nor Yunho looked away.
Yunho grabbed your chin in his hand in a gentle but firm action, the filter of the cigarette pressing against your cheek, and you swore your heart was about to climb its way out of your body as Yunho hinted the action of bringing your face closer to his, but eventually stopped as your lips were few millimetres apart.
«Feel free to come looking for me, when you have an answer.» he mumbled, and you were sure that your lips brushed against each other few times, the faint sensation lingering on your lips from the same moment when Yunho detached himself from you, winking at you while taking a step back and innocently smiling as if he wasnât about to kiss you in the backyard of Han Jisungâs mansion during one of his parties. You walked towards your friend with a hammering heart, and occasionally touching your lips in order to quench the lust you were feeling; you spent your way back home wondering if you could get drunk on another personâs cologne, because all your senses were focused on the feeling of throbbing desire you felt towards Yunho.
Despite your efforts of avoiding thinking about the party and completely focus on work, you still found your thoughts wildly wandering towards that night every time you had a break.
Although your friend kept encouraging you to go talk to him, you always said no, hiding yourself behind the most stupid excuses, hinting that obviously, someone like Yunho could never like - let alone desire, someone like you.
«Iâm too inexperienced for him.» you told your friend, which simply scoffed, looking at you like you just randomly grew another head.
«I donât even know where to start in order to explain how dumb that statement is.» she muttered, going back into the kitchen while she kept mumbling other unintelligible things.
The dinerâs entrance bells rang loudly, echoing in the almost empty room on a Wednesday night, and you shortly panicked as soon as you recognized Yunho casually walking towards the counter.
It was the first time youâve seen him since the party, and you didnât know both how to react and how to greet him; did you have to pretend nothing happened?
«Hi, angel.» Yunhoâs endearing smile most definitely caused your heart to skip a beat, and you timidly greeted him back with a smile.
«Are you by yourself, tonight?» you dared to ask, in the attempt of making a small conversation as you were busy preparing his coffee while he sat directly behind you on one of the red leather stools in front of the counter.
«I am. Were you waiting for someone else?» even if you werenât looking at him, you could hear the smug grin that was dancing on his lips; you immediately shook your head, your eyes locked on the coffee machine in front of you, and you heard Yunho hum, as if he was pleased with your answer.
Contrarily to your expectations, you and Yunho fell into a peaceful and relaxing small talk, and he also listened to you blabbering about how rude and unkind customers have been lately without complaining about you talking too much. Even if he had finished his coffee long ago, he settled for keeping the conversation going, finding you insanely entertaining and attractive to just walk away.
Gradually, you loosened yourself a bit, thanks to Yunhoâs natural kindness and his way of talking which made you feel at ease; you slightly leaned on the counter while talking, as Yunho rolled a cigarette in the desperate attempt to keep his mind busy and prevent intrusive thoughts about all the ways he wanted to ruin you from popping up in his mind and suggest things you both might have regretted. As much as you thought that Yunho was a charming and interesting boy, he thought the same about you and so, for the first time in his life, he settled for making things right, following your pace.
«I guess youâre on closing shift,» Yunho said, licking along a stripe that would seal his cigarette, and you nodded as you were busy following the action. «Are you walking home by yourself?»
«No, Iâm-»
«Yes! She is!» your friend immediately chimed in, and you suddenly remembered that you were not alone with Yunho, and she probably had to stand there and suffer from second hand embarrassment since who knows when. Yunho clearly understood that your friend cancelled on you last minute in order to leave the two of you alone and quietly chuckled at your small interaction, the cigarette he had previously rolled now placed behind his left ear.
«I can walk you home, if you want.» he said, his gaze never faltering from yours.
Few hours later, you were both sitting on a bench at the now deserted skater park, the full moon watching over you as a pleasing spring breeze occasionally dishevelled both your hair.
«I still have to thank you for the tip you left me.» you said, focusing your attention on your hands, and Yunho simply shrugged.
Of course, the both of you engaged a conversation composed by the most infinite number of topics and of course, you ended up asking him about smoking and Yunho simply looked back at you, rising an eyebrow in surprise by the fact that the request escaped your lips out of nowhere, but also secretly pleased with the fact that you were not acting as if nothing happened few days earlier.
Yunho patiently taught you how to smoke without feeling like you were suffocating, occasionally rubbing your back as he waited for you to stop coughing.
«I canât die like this, not before I get my monthly salary.» you cleared your voice, wiping the lone tear that escaped your eyes, and Yunho chuckled, his hand moving your hair from your face, so that now your neck was completely exposed to him, like a white canvas that he couldnât wait to draw on. In order to stop coughing, you tried to focus about the fact that at this point, you and Yunho indirectly kissed through the filter of the cigarette, but it never really helped you, leaving you a bit flustered than you were before.
Somehow, you managed to learn the trick, and as you felt your body relaxing, you also felt becoming incredibly giggly; you knew that you were stupidly giggling at some jokes Yunho said while looking at him with rosy cheeks and a wide smile, but you couldnât help yourself.
A large quantitative of praises towards Yunho were about to escape your lips but you managed to stop yourself just in time, losing yourself in the boyâs magnetic gaze which made you want more, aware that you wouldnât even be able to quantify how much was that.
Once again, the thought about boys like him ending up breaking your heart popped up in your mind, but you ignored it.
âItâs the 50âs, love. Fall in love, live a little,â your friend had said, and you decided that, at least for tonight, you could have ignored the part of you which was always and only thinking about work.
Only when the bell tower signalled it was almost three in the morning, Yunho decided it was probably time to go back home.
«But we were having fun!» you whined, taking Yunhoâs outstretched hand, which both helped you standing up but also pulled you flush against his body in a swift movement.
«Now,» Yunho smiled, and you had to beg your brain in order to stop the instinct that wanted for you to nuzzle against his chest and breathe in his alluring scent. «but youâre gonna hate me tomorrow, if you donât get enough sleep.» even if you whined once again, you agreed with him and you both started to walk towards your apartmentâs direction.
«Yes!» you giggled, quickly walking towards Yunhoâs motorbike. «Weâre gonna ride it?» you asked him, stopping next to his bike in order to tilt your head to look at him. Yunho thought that there was no way someone could look so cute after smoking weed for an hour, but yet, there you were, looking at him like you were the most innocent girl on the planet.
«No, angel face.» he said, affectionately ruffling your hair and making you pout. «I donât have a spare helmet.»
«Next time?» you immediately asked, lifting your pinky finger in the air in an instinctive manner, and the hand which was furrowing your hair a moment earlier, was now lifting your chin while Yunhoâs face came dangerously closer to yours.
«Are you sure thatâs the only thing youâre gonna ride?» Yunhoâs words seemed to spark the fuel that was smeared on your soul, since you were sure that the blush covering your cheeks could be seen from space. As you embarrassedly stuttered while coming up with an answer, Yunho laughed loudly â the sound making your heart do somersaults in your chest, while his long pinky finger gently intertwined with yours, sealing your promise.
The both of you managed to arrive at your apartment while you kept giggling about the most random things, occasionally pouting about the fact that Yunho had been smoking too, but he completely seemed unaffected by it.
«Experience.» he simply answered as you unlocked your apartmentâs door, immediately turning on the lights and heading for the couch while loudly calling for him to get in as well. Yunho followed you into your small living room, and sighed loudly at the sight of you laying down on the couch, with your arms thrown over your head while the shirt you were wearing was now showing part of your stomach. Â
«Yunho.» you called for him in a serious voice, quickly sitting up and waiting for him to crouch down between your legs while sitting on the coffee table. You quickly shook your head as he asked you if you werenât feeling okay while he carefully brushed  your hair out of your face, and you quietly gripped his jacket, looking at him in the eyes with the most serious expression you could muster. Yunho tilted his head, confused but your action but also intrigued about what you had up in your sleeve, when you definitely managed to surprise him another time.
«Iâm so hungry.» you whispered as you were confessing a sin, and Yunho had to cover his mouth with his hand not to laugh too loudly. «But itâs almost four in the morning.»
«What do you want to eat?» Yunho asked back in a whisper, playing along, as if he was implying that your secrets were safe with him.
«I want a cheeseburger,» you smiled, counting on your fingers as you started to list a concerning amount of junk food, «and then, milk and cereal, and thenâŠÂ»Â Yunho let you finish while looking at you with an incredulous smile, before meticulously asking if you had any cereal in your house.
Less than five minutes later, you were happily munching to your night snack, trying to quench your chemical hunger. You didnât expect for weed to have such a disastrous effect on you, but you managed to drift off â only after successfully feeding Yunho a couple of times, and eventually, hecarried you to your bedroom and left, not sure whether youâd like to see him first thing in the morning.
Later that night, you woke up with a headache and a bitter taste in your mouth; the fact that you were still wearing yesterdayâs clothes was the proof that you did not have a fever dream and last night really happened. Your cheeks flared up in embarrassment, and you rubbed your temples before making up your mind and heading towards the kitchen  to drink some water and have some breakfast.
âI made a fool out of myself,â you thought, completely sure that youâve blown off all the chances you had to get to know him better, âHeâll never want to see me again.â As you mindlessly grabbed a bowl from your cupboard, you noticed a small yellow paper neatly placed on your kitchen table.
âHope you slept well, call me.â the paper said, and unexpectedly, there was Yunhoâs phone number.
The note with Yunhoâs number written on it was carefully taped on your fridge, but you still didnât call him; four days quickly went by, and you still couldnât find enough courage to dial his phone number and talk to him. At this point, you had the sensation that, in the back of your mind, the small yellow paper started to lighten up anytime you walked in front of it, only to become more evident and making you feel even guiltier.Â
Yunho didnât show up at the diner, and you took it as his personal way of letting you know that he was respecting your pace, a thing you were glad for.
An almost deafening noise of tires braking on the asphalt and a sudden crash noise made you immediately wake up clutching your chest in fear, sitting up straight in your bed as you tried to understand what just happened. Your heart was hammering in your chest due to the sudden fright, and you scanned the dark room in the desperate attempt to individuate any other noises which could help you identify what happened; as you walked to your bedroomâs window, you also heard the sound of multiple sirens approaching, and your eyes locked with the two cars that crashed against each other almost in front of your condominium. Both the police and an ambulance were quick to show up and take one of the two man back to the hospital, but even if the situation had calmed down and only the police remained with the other man to investigate the dynamics of the car crash, you couldnât bring yourself to calm down. Work had been particularly busy those days, and the fact that you were stressed was undeniable. Â
Perhaps, you were too zoned out to realize what you were doing; perhaps, your brain acknowledged the fact that in that moment, there was only one voice that you wanted to hear in order to feel better.
Therefore, you turned on the lights of your apartment all the way to the kitchen in order to collect that yellow post-it and listen to your brain which, at the moment, was suggesting to do the best thing.
«Hello?» Yunho's raspy voice mumbled from the other line; for a split second, you wondered how cute he looked with his hair messy and pointing in every direction due to sleep.
«Hey.» you mumbled, your voice a little more unstable than you originally planned, wondering if he would have been able to recognize you, and wondering if he would have got angry at you, since you were basically calling him in the middle of the night.
As your eyes glanced to the clock nailed to the wall right on top of your landline, you mentally cursed yourself, since it was literally 3.42 in the morning.
«Hey, angel.» Yunho mumbled again, the sound now a little muffled since he was probably rubbing the palm of his hand on his face in order to somehow get rid of all remaining traces of sleep. «Did anything happen?»
Although you wanted to tell him the truth, that you were okay but a car crash woke you up and you just wanted to hear his voice, you didn't; you spent few more seconds in silence, wondering how could you phrase all the waves of emotions you were feeling.
«Can you come over?» you finally whispered, aware that for sure he didn't manage to hear you, for your voice was almost inaudible; you quickly cleared your voice, ready to repeat your sentence a little louder when Yunho's voice made you close your mouth once again.
«Okay,» you heard him sigh, «I'll be there.» Yunho hung up and still, you stood there, listening to the robotic and redundant sound of the other line being hung up, while staring at the wall as if it was the most entertaining thing ever.
Yunho arrived more or less twenty minutes after your call, the loud rumble of his motorbike announcing his arrival.
«I don't know why, but they're not letting anyone in, unless they live here,» Yunho's groggy voice greeted you as he closed the front door behind himself. «If the police officers come and ask, we're living together.» As if you were in autopilot, you quickly walked towards him, snaking your arms around his waist and trying to calm yourself down with his presence. You knew you were acting like an idiot for being scared like that but you couldn't help yourself, the pent up stress made you overreact and you were glad that Yunho still decided to show up after you basically ghosted him because you decided to shy up and act like a coward.
«Come on, let's go back to sleep.» Yunho was taller than you, therefore he easily towered over your frame and so, as he gently hugged you close to his body while placing his chin on the top of your hand, you felt safe.
It was funny how you were standing in your apartment in the middle of the night, clinging to the stereotypical boy your mom always warned you about, as if he was the only way you had to feel better. Inexplicably, Yunho's strong arms made you feel like you wanted to build a home in there; like those wooden houses built on trees some little kids had, where they hid when they wanted to have their personal space and live safely in their own world for some time.
Secretly, you wished you could stop time in order to live this moment for eternity, but deep down, you couldn't help but wish for these moments to become your new, daily routine.
Obviously, you didn't know yet, but Yunho wanted pretty much the same as you did. In his eyes, in that very moment, you looked so small and helpless that he felt the desire of protecting you from everything.
Yunho hanged his leather jacket before the two of you eventually ended up cuddling on your bed, facing each other while laying on your sides; Yunho's right leg was slightly between yours while your left leg was resting over his thigh, your naked skin pressed against the rough fabric of Yunho's denim jeans while his fingertips gently caressed the expanse of your exposed thigh.
Before he arrived, you wondered if the perspective of sleeping with a boy while being so underdressed â a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, was the right choice but you didn't really want to change your pyjamas.
Now, Yunho's warm hands made you want to completely feel his natural warm skin against yours.
«Thank you.» you whispered some time later, a faint and tranquil murmur into the comfortable silence you were sharing.
«It's okay, angel.» Yunho sighed, holding you a little closer to his chest. «Anytime you need me, you holler, and I'll appear.» his words were nothing but sweet, and of course, you believed him.
«Don't go away this time.» you mumbled right against Yunho's collarbone, your breath ticking the skin that the wide collar of his shirt exposed.
Yunho's answer came in the form of kissing your forehead, and you slowly drifted off to sleep, lulled by the other's slow rhythmic breathing and the feeling of his warm body enveloping yours.
The sound of your alarm woke up the both of you in the middle of the morning. Yunho â now almost completely laying under you, groaned in protest before effortlessly turning the both of you around in a swift and quick movement.
«Five more minutes.» he whined, his voice unexpectedly deep and hoarse. As much as you wanted to chuckle since that action was incredibly cute, you stayed there, almost petrified, as Yunho was now laying with his head on your chest and his legs between yours; he manhandled you so easily you had to close your eyes in order not to give in to the sensation of the heat that was pooling into your panties and consequently to the thought of searching for relief on his firm thigh.
«Why is your heart beating so fast?» Yunho asked, rubbing his eyes as he propped himself on his elbow, now almost completely awake.
If you thought that Yunho looked handsome on a daily basis, now you were completely sure that he just earned the status of "breathtaking": his lips were plump and rosy because of sleep, and his cheeks were painted by a faint blush, his hair were dishevelled and looked pretty much untameable. You were used to seeing him surrounded by the "bad boy" aura, you'd never expect to find him so cute you'd want to squish his cheeks.
«Do I make you nervous?» he asked, a mischievous grin on his lips as his cheek was now placed on the palm of his hand while he kept hovering above you.
«Well, yes.» you admitted, your glance quickly drifting away from his. «You're... you.» at this point, not only you lost all the ability to think properly, but you were also sure that Yunho thought you were completely dumb.
However, he simply hummed, his long fingertips hovering above your lips which naturally parted; as you unconsciously licked your lips, the fact that Yunho was following the action didn't go unnoticed.
«You'd probably want to be careful, angel.» Yunho's voice made you imperceptibly close your legs around his thigh. «Just because I like you doesn't mean you should try your luck.» his fingers were now under your chin, the feeling of the cold ring he wore on his index finger making your head spin with different scenarios which ended up in the same sinful way. «Otherwise, I won't hold back.» Yunho's words were all it took for you to tangle your hand in the front of his shirt; you weren't pulling him closer nor away from you, you just needed another conformation that this was happening for real. Yunho just admitted he liked you, feeling which definitely was reciprocated; anticipation was clouding your senses, and Yunho prevented you from daydreaming any further by purposely tensing up the muscle of his thigh just to tease you, but it simply ended up in you trying to suppress a needy whine.
«Then don't.» your voice trembled as your eyes locked with his, happy and relieved about the fact that the lust and the passion you found there were matching yours.
«Remember, angel,» Yunho shook his head with an amused grin. «That you asked for it.» you didn't have time to question his words, since his lips immediately found yours in a needy, passionate kiss. You completely submitted to him; you didn't dare to try and take control, you didn't want to. All you wanted to do was to lose yourself on the feeling of Yunho's lips moulding with yours, his teeth nibbling your lower lip and his tongue moving with yours in a messy and passionate pace. You felt the mattress dip under his knee as he balanced his weight on his arms, action which made his thigh press a little more roughly against your heat; instinctively, you groaned, arching your back in the desperate attempt to press yourself even more against the rough fabric of his denim jeans.
That action wasn't nor casual, nor innocent, and you felt Yunho's smug smile against your lips, before he leaned down to kiss your jaw and eventually, leave a trail of kisses for as much as the collar of your shirt allowed. Your mind has already flown on cloud nine long ago; during these years you never really missed sexual contact nor you ever felt the need for a relationship but there was something unexplainable about Yunho's touch that made you feel like you wanted to make up for all the time you lost.
And of course, you wanted to do it with him.
«Yunho,» your voice was somewhere in-between from a whine and a surprised squeal as his right hand roughly pulled your waist upwards and towards him; he simply hummed, lost in the feeling of enjoying all the reactions your sensitive body had.
Despite you were most definitely loving how good Yunho was making you feel, you felt the desire of making him feel good as well and so, your fingers gradually loosened from the grip they had on Yunho's hair and gradually lowered until the palm of your hand was completely placed on his half hard length. A wave of pride washed over you as he instinctively jerked his hips forward in your hand, burying for a moment his head in the crook of your neck with a loud groan â which worked wonders for the situation in your now completely wet panties.
«You'll have plenty of time to make me feel good,» Yunho eventually swatted your hand away, pinning it against the mattress. «Today is about you.» he added, proving his point by digging his knee against the mattress so that the friction between your legs would increase. Yunho's sentence somehow boosted your confidence and if his right hand were guiding the movement of your hips for a brief fraction of time, now it settled for hoisting your thigh a little higher, his nails sinking in your soft skin as you grinded against his thigh while your lips were occasionally moulding against each other. Your shorts now completely exposed your inner thighs and the sensation of the rough fabric of Yunho's jeans made your skin almost feel sore, but anytime he tensed the muscle of his thigh, you stopped thinking about it, since the sensation of your orgasm building up thanks to someone else and not your own fingers were all you could focus on.
Yunho, on the other hand, was focusing as much as he could in order not to come at the sight of you falling apart so rapidly under him and because of him. It would have been embarrassing for him to come untouched, but the way you were repeatedly whining against his lips while frantically gripping at his shirt or his hair just to anchor yourself at something made him want you even more.
Yunho's thoughts got interrupted by a sinful loud moan escaping your lips and your body tensing up before relaxing once again, collapsing on the bed with your eyes closed while you were trying to focus on slowing down your breath. As you came, your thighs squeezed Yunho's in a brief but tight hold, brushing against his length in the process, and Yunho was sure that precome was now staining his boxers.
Feeling your heart hammering in your chest for two completely different reasons, you reached out to peck Yunho's lips in a silent and affectionate âthank youâ, and he smiled before repeating the gesture.
«Are you sure you-»
«Yes,» Yunho answered with a small nod. «I could use the bathroom, and then we could cook breakfast?» Yunho somehow answered in a questioning tone, unsure whether you wanted to spend more time with him. You simply nodded, checking the watch on your nightstand before giggling.
«More like lunch.»
«Brunch?» Yunho answered as, following your gaze, noticed what time it was.
«Just so you know,» Yunho casually addressed you, pointing at you with his index finger as he was still holding his glass of water. «I bought a spare helmet, so I might just let you ride with me.» You nodded, eagerly, happy that Yunho wasn't backing down on the pinky promise you made.
Few days later, you told everything to your friend, which had to stop drinking because she was somehow managing to squeal while doing so.
«Yunho has never let anyone ride his bike,» she said in an excited voice, «not even his friends.»
Not only Yunho took you on an insane amount of dates but also, every time his work shifts allowed him to, he'd pick you up from work because he didn't want to let you walk back by yourself. Spending your free days together had become a habit and so, three months later, there was a little corner in your wardrobe only for Yunho's spare clothes.
Yunho managed to make you feel the happiest girl in the world, to make you feel desired and loved, and the night Yunho confessed you that his feelings were the same as yours, you felt do happy you swore you could become the sun of a whole new solar system.
Yunho also confirmed your friendâs words: you were indeed the first one he ever let on his bike, and you both loved this privilege but most importantly, you loved to cling to his back to your heartâs contents and enjoyed the little forms of affections he still managed to show.
Anytime you were waiting for the traffic lights to turn green once again, heâd mindlessly caress your leg, all the way from your ankle to your thigh; sometimes heâd just trace with his thumb over the top of your hands which were intertwined on his abdomen.
You never thought â probably not even in your wildest fantasies, that one day, youâd be sitting right in front of Yunho on top of his Harley Davidson â your back pressed against the fuel tank and your legs around his waist, as his length rhythmically disappeared inside you.Â
Obviously, you never suspected he could hide some kinky meaning behind the sentence: âprobably youâd be more comfortable wearing a skirtâ, but still, there you were, trusting Yunho and letting him fuck you on top of his motorbike while both your helmets were safely placed on the floor and you had the perfect view of the sun setting in the sky due to being on a non particularly popular hill and therefore, completely alone.
«What if someone sees us?» you whined, the sensation of Yunho filling you up so perfectly and roughly â even if his pace was slow and teasing, momentarily clouding your senses and making you think that you probably wouldnât have actually cared, not when you were so close to your release and Yunho looked like Apollo himself as the lights of the setting sun were dancing behind his back.
«Why, would you care?» Yunho asked back with a groan, a smug smile on his lips and his hands tightly gripping your waist under your high-waisted skirt; the chuckle you wanted to answer with died in your throat as he changed pace in the same moment you decided to sit up a little bit straighter, holding his shoulders to balance yourself.
It was undoubtedly messy, and the fact that Yunho was strong enough to effortlessly fuck you in those circumstances made the warm sensation of an approaching orgasm pool even faster in your lower stomach.Â
Both you and Yunho managed to almost come together, between breathless chuckles â due to the fact that you were more than willing to try new things as long as you were together, strained moans and passionate kisses.Â
«My legs are numb.» you breathed, leaning once again your back on the fuel tank as Yunho was looking at you as you were a work of art, «I canât get down.» you added, smiling before randomly erupting into a series of giggles, toying with the sleeves of Yunhoâs leather jacket.Â
«Thatâs my favourite thing to hear, angel.» Yunho smiled at you with a mischievous wink as he was gently running his fingertips on the expanse of your thighs.
Yunho loved how willing you were to be bad for him, just as much as you loved how willing he was to be good for you.
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories.
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[17.59]
â pairing : Jeongin x fem! reader
â content warnings : angst with a happy ending, royals au, reader is an assassin, Jeongin is the cutest Crown Prince, no but really heâs super precious, medieval settings
â word count : 3k
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
đ ROYALS! STRAY KIDS SERIES
Chris // Changbin // Jisung // Hyunjin // Seungmin // Minho // Felix part one | part two // Jeongin
Contrarily to the expectations you had when you first joined the assassins guild, you became quite good at climbing walls; actually, it was only because you learnt pretty quickly that it was a fundamental requirement, unless you wanted to be hanged as a direct consequence to your actions.
However, this time, you had the authorization to walk in and then walk out directly through the front door of the Crown Princeâs fancy summer estate. At the beginning, the singular request surprised you but Seonghwa â the town guildâs boss, quickly explained you that it was pretty common for nobles, especially the Royal family, to try and kill each other.
«Youâre becoming the best assassin I have,» he explained back then, «So, get used to it: more money they have, more money we get.» you nodded, happy with the unexpected praise, and without questioning any further detail, you started studying the maps of the residence, even if it was a pure formality.Â
You have been an assassin for at least ten years, thanks to the guild recruiting kids in order to think about smaller crimes without the fear of being caught; orphans were the most common recruits, and with the promise of gaining a good wealth and never starve yourself again, you accepted without thinking further, mostly blinded by your hunger.
Even in your childhood days, you have never been particularly emotional, a quality that definitely helped you the more years passed. During all your missions, you always killed men much older than you, all of them begging for sympathy or mercy but, needless to say, their pleads never shook your soul, since the money you were promised once you completed the mission was much more valuable. This time, your target was the Crown Prince â the illegal son of the King, and you thought out he would have been added to the list of ugly, semi bald men that begged you to spare their lives.
Even if you were authorized by the Queen herself, you thought that hiding your as soon as you were close enough to the mansionâs gates would have been a wiser thing to do; after carefully hiding him behind a large oak tree thanks to the natural shield the night provided, the guards let you in as soon as you showed them the letter you received, and with careful steps you walked in, your identity safely hidden under your hood.
The fact that literally everyone in the mansion was aware of your mission made you furrow your brows; was the Prince so evil for everyone to want him dead? For sure, there must have been a further reason beside him being an illegitimate son, right? You shook your head, adjusting your cape as you quickly walked through the corridors; you were an assassin, therefore, you werenât paid to question peopleâs morality.
By now, you knew by heart the path you had to take in order to reach the Princeâs private chambers; your hold tightened around the knifeâs helm as you unlocked the door right before closing it behind your back without making any noise. The moonlight was illuminating the bed, and by the silence and laboured breathing, you figured that Prince Jeongin must have been asleep, making your work even easier.
«Youâre here, finally,» a young and sweet voice startled you as you were now standing at the feet of the bed; the Prince slowly uncovered himself, just to stand up next to it with a quick move.
âHeâs still dressed formally,â you thought, quickly examination his figure, âdid he know?â
«Where do you want to do it?» the innocence and resignation the boyâs voice held made your blood ran cold, and for the first time in your life, you hesitated. The boy was young, he was around his twenties - you could have been the same age, his hair was black and it reached his shoulders. You knew the people who hired you wanted him dead, but he was just a boy.
Unexpectedly, your heart picked up speed at the realization; you have never killed anyone so young.
«Please?» the Prince interrupted your train of thoughts, opening his arms wide and tilting his neck so that you could choose where to stab him and with a rapid and swift movement, you lowered your knife in horror, looking around in order to see if it was some sort of trap.
«What are you doing?» you asked, dumbfounded, not even bothering to force your voice to come out a little rougher so that it would have been less recognizable.
«Oh,» Jeongin looked at you once again with his brows furrowed, his arms falling on his sides, «you were doing so well!» with rapid steps, he inched towards you, grabbing your wrist, «Itâs just a stab, I promise!»
To say that you were shocked was an understatement; your heart started to hammer in your chest and you threw your knife on the bed; with a quick movement of your arm, you reversed your positions, shifting behind Jeongin while keeping his arm behind his back.
It was paradoxical; you - an assassin, forcing Jeongin â the Crown Prince, to confess why he was yearning for his own death.
«I was waiting for it,» Jeongin explained with a small and resigned voice, «how can a bastard be the heir to the throne?» he said, and the way he spat those words made you quickly understood that probably, he had been hearing these words his whole life.
A wave of pure concern washed over you, and you kept hesitating on what to do; aware that the more you hesitated and talked with your target, the more you were screwed.
Talking led to emotions, and emotions led to hesitation: a feeling which you clearly didnât need. Assassins werenât paid to have emotions, and even less, to have conversations.
«Okay, listen to me,» you set free Jeongin from your grasp, and he obediently sat on the bed hearing your harsh tone; his big eyes looked at you carefully, and you momentarily felt your heart clench at the sadness you saw in them. Truth was, you werenât sure on what to do, but you were driven by the instinct of keeping him safe; you never felt like this, you never felt anything while doing your job but this time it was just⊠Different, in a way you could not understand.
The only thing you could make out from the whirlwind of thoughts in your head was that Jeongin had the same empty, dejected eyes you had when you met Seonghwa, before you both joined the guild. «Iâm going to take you out of here, and youâre gonna be fucking silent until I say so,» you said, before reaching for your knife and sheathe it back.
Jeongin was puzzled with your actions â and you were too, but nonetheless obeyed as you instructed him to get up, only for trying to lift him over your shoulder. Thanks to your constant physical activity, you were more built than the girls around your age, but even so, you didnât have super powers and Jeongin was definitely a bit too much light weighted for your taste. With another quick movement, you put him back on the floor, looking at him in the eyes with a serious and inquisitive gaze.
«Unbutton your jacket.» you ordered, aware that the sentence didnât came out in the way you wanted because Jeongin blushed furiously and started stuttering on his words, before complying with trembling hands. Truth was, despite the fact that the Prince was so incredibly innocent and attractive, the first things your hands checked as he opened his expensive blue and silver jacket were his sides; with innocent and confident touches, your hands caressed his waist, his chest, and your eyes flew into his once again.
«Jeongin,» you said, not minding about formalities with the boy you were supposed to kill but most of all, worried about the fact that you could easily count his ribs under your gloved fingertips, «Do you even eat?»
«I-» Jeongin adverted his gaze, unsure what to answer, «Sometimes I⊠forget.»
âLies,â you thought, and your instinct had the best of you; quickly, you buttoned his shirt once again, before mimicking him to stay silent. Jeongin nodded, and you lifted him over your shoulders, keeping him in place with one hand on the back of his thighs.
The walk back to your horse was quick â you mentally praised yourself for having hidden your horse and utterly felt disgusted with the people that complimented your job on your way out.
«Finally, the real Prince can claim the throne,» one of them said, and you had to refrain from throwing the poisoned blade â originally destined to Jeongin, to his throat.
The realization that you didnât know what to do hit you full face as soon as Jeongin was standing next to your horse, looking at you with a lost expression; he was playing with his own fingers, looking around as if he had rarely seen the world outside his mansionâs walls.
Jeongin was alive, and therefore, you had failed your mission; in ten years this was definitely the first mission youâve ever failed, but deep down, you knew you had done the right thing. With a quick movement, Jeongin covered his rumbling stomach, hoping that you didnât hear the fact that he was still hungry at a such unholy hour of the night.
The moment your eyes locked with his and all you could see was sadness and utter innocence, you knew what you had to do.
«Come, Iâll take you to a safe place,» you said as soon as you climbed on your horse, offering him your hand so that he could climb up as well, sitting in front of you.
Jeongin was unsure whether to trust you, but after all, you just saved his life; he thought that it probably couldnât get worse than one of his usual days, and so, he took your hand with all the strength he had before helping himself up on his horse.
That night, you took Jeongin back to your small apartment, cooked for him, and let him sleep on your bed, aware that as paradoxical as it sounded, Prince Jeongin was safer in the company of an assassin rather than his entire guardhouse.
The fact that you created a scandal among the assassins guild of your town was a euphemism.
«What did you mean you couldnât do it?» Seonghwa almost shouted in disbelief, and thatâs how you spent a solid hour of your day: in utter silence, with your eyes locked on the floor. You patiently listened to Seonghwaâs outburst, knowing that he was right; you werenât paid to have emotions.
«I sent you on the job because I knew I could trust you, and what do you do?» Seonghwa ran a hand through his hair, somehow relieved that, at least, you decided to get rid of any evidence of him being alive.
«Iâm sorry,» you tried, your voice weak and your heart full of sadness due to the fact that you disappointed him; Seonghwa was few years older than you, and he always saw you as a little sister, helping you out with your training when you were still a rookie on the job.
As soon as Seonghwa was chosen to be the new leader of your cityâs guild, you were happy, since you firmly believed that no one could be better than him. «He was so scared, I saw myself when I first joined.» you confessed at last, and Seonghwaâs eyes somehow softened.
Seonghwa sat on his chair, his head thrown back and his hands massaging his scalp, thinking about what he could do to resolve this mess; you couldnât stay in town, and neither could the Prince.
«Iâll write a letter to Chris,» he said, few interminable minutes later, his words muffled by his hands still on his face, «Heâll hire you for sure.» he explained that Chris was the leader of another assassins guild in another realm.
«Pack your things, you have to leave tonight.» you nodded at his words, and for the first time in ten years, you received actual affection in the form of Seonghwa gently hugging you close to his body, whispering a soft, «I promise Iâll come and visit.» for a moment, you let yourself go, sighing against his chest and hugging him just as close, as you felt some tears at the corners of your eyes.
«Iâm sorry.» you admitted, the fact that you had to definitely leave the city where youâve always lived in finally started to sink in.
«Itâs okay, little monkey.» Seonghwa caressed your hair, and you smiled at the nickname he gave you when you were still kids, learning how to climb on the cityâs walls without getting hurt.
«Innie, where did my cape disappear?» you called from the bedroom, before hearing a quick shuffle of steps walking towards where you were. Immediately, you smiled at the sight of Jeongin â which now lived under the name of âInnieâ, walking towards you with a cute pout.
«Itâs still drying under the sun,» he mumbled, his arms snaking around your waist and his chin delicately resting on your shoulder.
«What am I supposed to wear now?» you sighed, faking annoyance and looking at the boy while tilting your head, watching as he giggled at your reaction.
Two long years has passed since the night you saved Jeongin, and he seemed a completely different person; his hair were now shorter and he wasnât as thin anymore. Jeongin grew taller, his body looked way more toned and healthier, the innocence in his eyes was the same, but the sadness was now completely replaced by kindness and happiness.
Jeongin had so much love to give it was unbelievable, and he addressed all of it towards you- his best friend, and your group of friends â the Ă©lite members of Chrisâ guild.
For the first time in your life, you werenât scared of having emotions, and it was all thanks to Jeonginâs natural talent of bringing people together.
«You could always use mine!» Jeongin smiled, and you shook your head.
«Weâre meat to go together.» you reminded him, but he still insisted for you to wear his cape instead of him.
Despite the fact that both you and Jeongindefinitely felt more than simple and chaste affection towards each other was kinda obvious â especially to your friends, but youâd always find a way to avoid the topic. Both you and Jeongin had just started a brand new life together, the least thing you both wanted to do was to ruin an opportunity to be happy.
You were sure that eventually, one day you and him would become a couple, but you didnât wanted to rush it.
Things as delicate as love need time, after all.
The meeting was informal, you and the others were meant to meet at Chrisâ house and eventually talk about business after you all had dinner; evenings like this were definitely not rare, and you realized that that night, sparing Jeonginâs life was the best decision youâve ever made. You were most definitely happy; you had friends, you had someone who loved you and always waited for your return anytime you went on your missions.
Technically, Jeongin worked in the guild as well, but effectively, Chris accepted your plead to keep him in the shadows, leaving everything regarding the accountability to him.
At first, Chris was confused but accepted nonetheless, only to find why you were so worried about him going around and killing people. Jeongin was the most innocent, clumsiest boy youâve ever met, and slowly, both you and your group of friends started not to trust him around anything which was too sharp or looked threatening.
«What do you mean there are blades that come out of your sleeve?!» Seungmin chimed in the conversation you were having with Jisung, Minho and Hyunjin, and you immediately referred him about a new creation that Seonghwa told you about in one of his letters.Â
«Oh, cool,» you heard Jeongin say, noticing in the corner of your eyes that he was leaning towards Changbin in order to hold one of the knives he had placed on the table as he was talking to Chris and Felix. Â
«Jeongin, no!» eight different voices echoed in perfect synchrony, startling the poor boy which petrified with his eyes wide and a knife hanging in mid-air. Jeongin put the knife back on the table with a pout, quickly going back to sit on his original place next to you.Â
Jeongin spent half of the night cutely glaring at everyone with an adorable pout â his chin on your shoulder, until eventually your fingers interlocked on your lap. Â
It was a mid-summer afternoon, the sun was burning bright in the sky and you were quietly humming to a song youâve heard at the tavern few nights earlier as you were washing the dishes in the small house you were living in with Jeongin.
It happened naturally, one moment you were focused on cleaning a spoon, and the other you felt Jeonginâs fingertips tilting your head towards the left just to place a quiet and chaste kiss on your lips, mumbling a soft, «I like you a lot.»
At first, you stared at him as if you have been struck by lightning, wondering who turned your cute and innocent Innie into a smooth and sneaky boy â it was probably Hyunjin, but then, you acknowledged your constantly growing feelings for him.
«I like you, too.» you admitted, and immediately Jeongin walked behind you in order to hug you while you finished your chores.
«Wait,» you tensed up, moving just enough to side-eye him, «Wasnât it your turn to wash the dishes today?»
«I⊠forgot⊠I have to talk to Chris about very important matter!» Jeongin chanted, and you watched with an incredulous amused expression your boyfriend running away from his own duties.Â
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories.
I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.
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| your love is holy |
âpairing : Childe x Lumine
âgenre : fluff
âword count:Â 1.679
â summary : they kiss, that's it that's the fic
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
Lumine hissed in pain, ungraciously falling on the ground as cold droplets of rain kept falling over her body, making her enemyâs attacks even more powerful and effective.
«Over here!» the mageâs lively and arrogant voice spoke, as she appeared right behind Lumine before casting yet another spell aimed at her; Lumine planted her sword into the soft and wet ground, gritting her teeth and clenching her hand around the helm of the blade, in the almost vain attempt to get on her feet and effectively trying to counter attack the electro mage.
âPaimon will never let me hear the end of it if I fail such a simple task,â Lumine said to herself, as if the image of her small floating friend could give her enough strength to fight back.
With a strained groan, Lumine gripped her sword with both hands and rapidly stood up, managing to hurt the mage and consequentially interrupting her spell. However, Lumineâs relief was short lived, since the mage caught the opportunity to lean towards her, brushing a fingertip over her naked and wet shoulder, only to cast another quicker spell; if it were a sunny afternoon, Lumine would not have felt anything, but the rainstorm currently happening was making everything unbearable for her.
Lumine felt her grip around the sword loosen, and gradually, her world started turning black.
The last thing Lumine felt were strong arms preventing her to fall on the wet ground.
«AetherâŠÂ» she mumbled, feeling safe, as she let darkness absorb her.
«If Iâm not mistaken,» Childe spat as he effortlessly picked up an unconscious Lumine in a bridal style, «these were not the orders.»
«Iâm sorry,» the mage immediately spoke lowering her head, kneeling on the ground as her voice filled with worry; as much as she was enjoying the fact that she was about to kill the so rumoured Traveller, she knew better not to anger one of the Harbingers, «I-»
«I donât want to hear it,» Childe harshly interrupted her, quickly moving his head in order to brush off the ginger strands of hair falling in front of his bright blue eyes, «disappear from my sight, Iâll deal with you later.» the mage wordlessly nodded, before disappearing into thin air at once, and Childe let out a frustrated groan.
Immediately, he inched closer to Lumineâs features, relief washing over him at the fact that she was still breathing; he instinctively tightened his grip on her, as he made his way under the rain towards the nearest teleport waypoint.
«Aether,» he mumbled to himself as he made sure Lumineâs face was safely nestled in the crook of his neck, preventing too much rain falling into her face, «who is that, now?» he wondered with a sigh, trying to ignore the feeling of jealousy making his way through his soul.
With a weak and pained whine, Lumine slightly twitched in Childeâs arms â probably unconsciously still feeling like being electrified, and the young boy snapped out of his thoughts; he could have questioned himself about the nature of his feelings for Lumine another time, even if he already knew the answer. Now, he needed to return to to Liyue, and ask some doctors to treat her, or â judging by the girlâs pale and pained features, he could have teleported to the nearest Statue of the Geo Archon and let her heal in a much faster way.
Not wanting to let her go, Childe pressed his shoulder against the teleport waypoint, and the two of them disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Much to Childeâs relief, the weather was sunny and warm over Qingyun Peak, meaning that their clothes would have dried quickly; even if Childe didnât completely understand the purpose of a statue on top of a floating platform, but it definitely came in handy during moment like these.
Moreover, Qingyun Peak was one of his favourite places â not to mention the floating house in the sky almost on top of said statue; truth was, Childe always visited those places whenever he needed time to think. As much as he loved battlefields and challenging his enemies, he loved the sensation of his gaze losing in the landscape, as silence surrounded him and he could feel like he could hear the silence between his thoughts.
Of course, once again, he had refused to let Lumine go and thatâs how he found himself sitting on the stone platform under the Archonâs sitting statue as Lumine was slowly recovering, partially sitting on his thighs and securely framed by his arms.
«You should wear something more functional for battle,» Childe sighed with a smile, his gloved hand gently brushing the skin of her thigh as the statueâs blessing kept healing her.
Lumine woke up with a groan, confusion written all over her face; instinctively, she rubbed her temple in the vain attempt to make her headache disappear.
«Hi, girlie.» Childe welcomed her with a bright smile on his lips; although Lumine was confused about how she got there and why the boyâs delicate features were so close to hers, she fought back the instinct to smile back at him.
«What happened?» she asked, noticing the sudden change of location; only then Lumine noticed the position they were in, and quickly moved in order to stand up and sit next to the young Harbinger. Although Childeâs first instinct was to tug on her wrists and let her stay on his lap â already missing her comforting warmth, he brushed that feeling off, trying to ignore his own emotions once again.
With a smug smile Childe leaned back, balancing his weight on his hands, simply saying that he was passing by in the right moment â of course, he wasnât spying on her, wasnât he?
Lumine didnât completely believe in his words but nevertheless, she nodded at him.
«Thank you, then.» she offered, a sincere and polite smile on her features; Childe was momentarily taken aback, since he was definitely not used to the sight of Lumine smiling â except anytime she was in front of some delicious dish. Â
«I didnât fight one of mine for a âthank youâ in return,» Childe lied with a scoff, then quickly placed a finger to his cheek as if he was deep in thoughts, «how about a reward?» his gaze locked with Lumineâs, and the mischief flashing in his blue eyes definitely didnât go unnoticed.
«Reward? Youâre the rich one, I have nothing much to give you, beside some flowers.» Lumine furrowed her eyebrows, adverting her gaze in the vain attempt to hide how nervous she was, since Childe was as reliable as he was unpredictable.
«How about a kiss?» Childe asked, and Lumine petrified, her eyes as wide as the moon.
Of course Lumine had a crush on her enemy, but did he find out about it?
âHe canât know about it, I havenât told anyone!â Lumine thought, as the possibility of Childe liking her as well slowly made way into her heart, only to disappear in a blink of an eye; Lumine was strictly convinced that the young Harbinger could have never returned her feelings, and so she had tried her best to lock them away.
However, if she only had paid a bit more attention, she would have understood that her feelings were required with the same intensity and passion.
«A⊠kiss?» she asked, a faint embarrassed blush covering her cheeks.
«Of course!» Childe tilted his head towards her, as his gaze rapidly travelled from her eyes to her lips, «Although I donât want to overstep any boundaries, you know, boyfriend or secret lover or ⊠anything.» he added, hoping for her to fall into his trap.
«Boundaries?» Lumine asked, confused; she had been travelling since the day she woke up in Teyvat, how could she have had time to get a lover?
«Yeah, for exampleâŠÂ» Childe trailed off, wondering if Lumine was honestly oblivious of what he was implying or she had something to hide; with a sigh, he decided that it was all or nothing, «whoâs Aether?»
«What?» Lumineâs head snapped towards him, and she immediately caught a hold of the boyâs slim yet toned arm, «Did you see him?»
Childe looked at her with furrowed brows; who could that boy be for her to have such a reaction? Of course, there was only one way to know, wasnât it?
«It doesnât work like that, pretty lady,» he chuckled, his gaze darkening, «I asked first.»
Lumine sighed, and slowly detached herself from the young boy; of course, she could have told him, but would her secret be safe with him?
Although he had always proven to be somehow trustworthy, he was still a member of the FatuiâŠ
Lumineâs gaze was lost somewhere in the landscape in front of her as she made up her mind; after all, everyone knew she was looking for Aether, and his identity could have been an easy information to get.
«Heâs my twin brother.» Lumine said, and if only her gaze wasnât unfocused in an unspecified spot in front of her, she would have seen Childeâs relieved expression.
«We used to travel together,» Lumine went on, as the wind gently moved her short hair, «He got-we got separated.»
Childe hummed, «Want me to look into it?»
«I donât want to be affiliated with the Fatui.» Lumine scoffed, but still politely thanked him.
«You wound me, girlie! Iâm one of the Harbingers, I could always happen to⊠overhear some informations⊠and casually throw them your wayâŠÂ» he said, gradually leaning closer to Lumine.
Lumineâs gaze shifted to Childeâs eyes to his lips, and she gladly noticed that the boy was doing the same.
«Iâm sure youâll ask for something in return.» she tried, barely above a whisper, and Childe was sure that if they werenât this close, her whisper would have been carried away by the gentle wind.
«Thatâs true,» Childeâs eyes were unwavering from her lips, «that one kiss has just doubled.»
Lumine hinted a nod, «That can be arranged.» she mumbled again, before leaning in and meeting Childeâs lips halfway.
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories.
I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.
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«it's high tide, baby.»
â pairing : Minho x fem!Reader
â content warnings : fantasy au, pirate au, angst with a happy ending, enemies to friends to lovers, soulmates (I know you saw it coming), isekai, LOTS of pop culture references (two aldo giovanni and giacomoâs references italian readers this is for you), magic au,  mention of murder, mention of drowning, unprotected sex (wrap it up yâall), fantasy auÂ
â word count : 24k
â notes : I sure do hope youâve read Chrisâ merman fic because Iâm feeding on my own lore // Ananke is meant as the greek goddess of fate // extra kudos to Black Desert for having an amazing map and kudos to me for using the videogame aesthetic because I donât have enough creativity in me to come up with a fantasy world // I have one (1) fear and that's I'll keep adding more and more everytime I read this story because it's just so dear and precious to me // yes, yes "The Bitter Dahlia" is exactly the one mentioned in «Protect Me, My Aurora.»
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
â summary :Â
«I think Iâve never missed Cleo so much.» you quietly sniffled.
«Your lover?» Minho questioned immediately.
«My cat.» you clarified without hesitation.
â«Everything is over, now.» the Captain spoke in a confident voice, «I wonât let anyone else hurt you.» he added, before capturing his loverâs lip in a gentle kiss.â
«Oh, holy fuck,» you blurted out as soon as you read that sentence, closing the book out of instinct, «holy shit, finally!» you added to yourself, almost closing the book out of excitement, completely aware about the fact that you were smiling like an idiot at no one but the now finished book in your lap but well, you couldnât help yourself.
It was a book youâve randomly found in the book-store next to your workplace, its cover had nothing special that immediately jumped to the eye: it was relegated in leather, some golden details that recalled the title written in beautiful handwriting.
Actually, if you had to be completely honest, the detail that convinced you to buy it was the small golden stone embedded right under the title, instead of the actual plot â plot that in the end you came to adore.
«You are really lucky, this is the only copy that has been sent to us.» had said the old lady working there, making you furtherly curious and giving you another reason to buy it.
It was a love story, but it contained just the right amount of adventure as well. Christopher, a young, handsome and fearless pirate, was not only the Captain of the Golden Fleece â who was capable of intimidating anyone who saw its sails in the distance, but he had become the head of the entire commercial network that passed through all the known seas. Chris had at least 200 fleets under his command, each of them committing various raids in the name of their Captain - or some might say "the King of Pirates", and now was able to sail wherever he wanted without getting his hands dirty as he had done in the past.
During his adventures, he eventually fell in love with a girl â Leana, who was originally engaged with a navyâs soldier; after an awful lot of vicissitudes and obstacles in the path of their happiness, Christopher eventually stole her away â heâs a pirate after all, making her a member of his crew and finally allowing each other to live their so craved love story.
Of course, the Captain would have never made it alone; his seven long time friends had always been more than ready to help him and support him in every case of need.
Among his crew, you definitely had a personal favourite: Lee Minho, a young former bounty hunter enamoured with the feeling of freedom he felt while sailing that definitely made your heart race more than once. Not only he was described as handsome, with black raven hair that would almost always be tied up because he "hated the feeling of having hair in his face while being on deck" - but also not wanting to cut it short, a captivating and hypnotic gaze that let you wonder if you could reach the bottom of the sea if you ever took a dive into them, but he was also straightforward and sarcastic, a reason why Christopher found himself asking for Minhoâs advice the most; despite his strong personality, he truly cared for his friends, and he considered them like a family. Chapter by chapter, you found yourself admiring his character so much that you anticipated every one of his appearances, eager to read more about him.
«Oh, Cleo, can you imagine a love like this?» you sighed dreamily, absently running your fingers through your catâs thick fur, Cleo simply mewled at you, a faint noise that you interpreted as a proper answer, «or a life like this.» you added, your voice suddenly turning a little more hesitant, a little more lonelier. During the last few months, your life had fallen into an incredibly boring and obnoxious loop: go to work, finish your shift with an incredible amount of stress spreading through your body just to stop in order to buy groceries on your way home, see some friends once in a while, take care of your cat and repeat, repeat, repeat.
Of course, you would have felt a lot lonelier if it werenât for Cleo: you found her sitting in front of your apartment complex on a random day two years ago and since then she started living with you, as if she had been expressively been waiting for you to find her that day.
«You always look angry, donât you?» you cooed at her, hoisting her into your lap as to cuddle her a little closer. «Just like your mom.» you referred to yourself, shortly drowning your face in her soft fur, loudly smooching her a few times while adding some incomprehensible praises; Cleo mewled, as if she was exasperated at your behaviour and you quietly giggled, your soft laughter shifting into a sigh as your eyes fell on the book once again.
âI was really lucky to get the only copy of this,â you definitely had loved everything about the story, to the point to start fantasizing and wondering what could their next adventure be now that the crew gained a new very special member.
Did Chris and Leana got married in an actual chapel or did they ask someone in their crew to randomly marry them just like Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner did?
At the same time, what if they ended up recruiting more women? The thought of a stereotypical girls night on a pirate ship made you snort, but at least, Leana wouldn't have felt lonely, since living among men must have been boring at some point.
Engrossed in your thoughts, you didnât realize that you ended up drifting off on your couch â still uncomfortably wearing your jeans, and therefore, you definitely could not notice about the strange events occurring as soon as sleep overcame your senses.
The book you were holding in your hand seemed to be woken up by a curious kind of magic, as the golden stone began to glow in a faint light; the book opened by itself just as if it possessed personal will, and its pages quickly turned back and forth by themselves, as if it was deciding which page to read first.
The bookâs golden glow gradually seemed to shine brighter and brighter, and it eventually woke you up.
«What the-» you mumbled, confused, when you felt as if someone or something was harshly tugging at your soul and all of a sudden, you felt like you couldnât breathe anymore.
The book had closed once again, politely placing itself on your coffee table; the glowing had completely disappeared, and the golden stone returned to its original plain looking appearance.
However, in what has always been your home, all traces of your presence seemed to have vanished altogether.
Suddenly drowning was definitely not something you expected to happen on a Thursday evening, moreover, how could you be drowning when youâve been reading on your couch until few seconds ago?
At first you thought of it as an extremely vivid dream, but as soon as you tried to breathe and water started to fill your lungs, you realized that your only priority was to get to the surface as soon as you could; thankfully, you were barely beneath the surface, so you managed to get your head out of the water soon enough, while finally breathing and coughing due to the salt water you had unintentionally swallowed.
«What the fuck?!» you shouted in disbelief, quickly glancing around yourself; first of all, judging by the sun burning up in the sky, it was the middle of the day, and moreover,  everywhere you turned, you couldnât see anything but water, except for an enormous galleon blocking part of your sight.
«Man at sea!» you heard many voices shout from its deck, and soon enough, a rope was thrown in your direction.
âWhat kind of rescue is this, where is the coast guard?â you thought to yourself as you swam towards the rope which was peacefully floating above the surface, unsure about how you were supposed to climb up there in the first place.
However, the answer to your thoughts came pretty fast, in the form of a boy dressed in typical piratesque clothes, urging you to grab his hand; you quickly pondered your options, and between dying from hypothermia caused by the cold water or probably being abducted and eventually killed by a boy with a strange taste in clothing, you considered the latter to be the safest.
«Everythingâs fine now, donât worry.» the boy reassured you with an unexpected friendly tone, and as soon as you locked eyes with him, your heart seemed to stop; his eyes were a deep shade of blue, while his hair, eyebrows and his eyelashes were as white as fresh snow.
Although you were completely certain that youâve never met him before, you couldnât help but wonder why his appearance was extremely familiar to you.
«Are you okay?»
«How did you end up so far from land?»
«Sheâs trembling like a leaf, poor soul.»
«Letâs just throw her back in.»
«Shut up, Minho, go fetch a blanket before she freezes to death.»
«Canât you see she looks shocked? Let her breathe!»
«What in the bloody hell is she wearing?»
The various voices overlapped in the exact moment in which you and the snow white boy had safely climbed on deck; however, everything you could do was to look around yourself in complete astonishment.
A large group of men was working on the ship, while only seven of them and a young girl were paying attention to your arrival; your eyes quickly took in both the strangers and your surroundings, and you definitely noticed that not only they were all dressed like pirates, but the ship seemed to be built exactly like one of those you generally saw in movies, historical re-enactments or museums.
«Oh no, roleplayers.» you whined in complete deject; they exchanged a confused glance among themselves, but eventually, only one of them spoke.
«I believe youâre confused, weâre pirates.» he clarified, and once again, his features seemed to be incredibly familiar, «Iâm Chris, the Captain. She is Leana, my wife, and these are my friends.» you watched with dismay as Chris ended up naming his friends just like the characters of the novel you have been reading all afternoon.
«Oh holy shit, itâs even worse, cosplayers.» you nervously rubbed your eyes, shivering every now and then because of the wind mercilessly blowing on your soaked clothes.
«Poor thing, look at her!» Leana suddenly cooed, immediately rushing at your side and taking her jacket off in order to place it on your shoulders, «Sheâs freezing, letâs save the introductions for later, huh?»
«What if sheâs a spy?» Jisung questioned, but his option was immediately silenced by Leanaâs glare.
«In the middle of the ocean, Han?» she quickly retorted with sarcasm dripping from her tone, «What if it was mutiny?» she scoffed, gently pushing you to what seemed to be the Captainâs quarter, just to quickly make you sit in front of the small wood burning stove.
The following events seemed to happen in a confusing haze, you vividly remembered Leana commenting about her unfamiliarity with both the style and the fabric of your clothes as you allowed her both to undress you and to dress you up in fresh, warm clothes that belonged to her.
Of course, now you were dressed like a pirate as well.
«What do you mean, youâre from Europe?» Chris had calmly repeated your words, «What kind of place is that?» you felt like crying out of frustration at his words.
Under the Captainâs request Leanahad brought you into the shipâs interrogation room, and now you were sitting there, the whole room definitely smelling like blood â the strong scent more than enough to give you a headache, with nine pairs of eyes studying every single one of your moves.
«I donât really feel like joking right now, I really want to go back home.» you repeated with a tired voice, not really understanding what was happening; it was like you had casually walked in the set of a movie, however, a terrifying feeling of dread creeping in your soul was suggesting you that there was definitely more to it.
What if these people were real, and you had managed to shift inside the book you loved so much?
No, that definitely couldnât be the case, right?
«I donât really feel like joking either, little lady,» in an impatient tone, Minho spoke out of the blue and quickly walked next to Chris, who was sitting in front of you at the other side of the table. If your heart picked up pace in happiness at the sight of your favourite character, it started hammering in your chest in pure dread as soon as Minho harshly planted his dagger in the wooden table, right in front of your folded hands. «next up is your tongue.»
«Nice work on terrifying her, Min Min.» Felix sarcastically commented his friendâs action, noticing how you started trembling once again, but this time everyone could easily figure out that it wasnât because of the cold any longer.
«You cut her tongue, she can't talk, it's not that hard,» someone added, and if you weren't mistaken, he must have been Hyunjin, «see why I'm the one that usually handles the interrogation part?» he added with a sinister yet smug smile, and you had to force yourself to swallow that little bit of saliva you felt in your mouth, trying to avoid eye contact with both the pirates who were so casually talking about torture and interrogations.
«What if she drank too much sea water?» Seungmin chimed in, after he had been studying your behaviour with concern, «You know, in my medical books there are plenty of examples of people suffering from amnesia due to a huge amount of shock.» he suggested, and everyone seemed to consider that it could have been your case, with the only exception for Minho, who was staring at you with a look that you could swear that had probably killed someone at some point.
«We are currently sailing the Margoria Sea,» Chris spoke again, his voice a little kinder now that he had considered Seungminâs suggestion, «and youâre on our pirate ship, the Golden Fleece.»
âMargoria,â you thought, âof course, in this universe, she's the goddess of the wavesâ you bit the inside of your cheek in frustration as you tried to convince yourself not to cry, recalling the exact moment the same goddess had been mentioned in the novel.
The more you thought about it, the more the surreal possibility of you shifting inside a book seemed to be the only possible answer to your list of infinite questions, especially because if those people really were cosplayers or actors, they would have eventually broken their act due to seeing you in the verge of having a panic attack.
Moreover, the author had always been extremely descriptive in every single detail of the story, Â and therefore you found it a little bit too much of a strange coincidence for these people to naturally have the same somatic traits as the characters you had just finished reading about.
It was undeniable that the people standing in front of you were the stark copy of the ones described in the book.
Few hours later, Chrisâ authoritative voice filled the Captainâs quarters, and your eyes eagerly wandered through the room; youâve read about this moment a lot of times, Chris would summon his long time friends in his quarters and theyâd discuss what to do because he valued their opinion as if it was his own.
«Just, what is she doing there?» Minho spoke suddenly, clearly referring to your presence in the quarters; due to your first meeting, you were extremely wary about meeting his gaze, let alone the possibility of crossing his path by accident.
Actually, itâs not like destiny was working in your favour, since you were nervously standing in front of the wooden wall and next to Minho. Everything about your body language exposed how nervous you were about it: your arms were crossed in front of your chest, and you kept your legs spread just a tiny bit â enough to have a slight chance to attempt to sprint away if he randomly started to chase you in order to throw you off the deck.
«I swear Chris entrusted her to me literally two seconds ago,» Felix replied, eagerly waving his hand as if it could make his point even clearer, «pay attention when the Captain is speaking!» he snapped his fingers, admonished his friend, and you found yourself exhale the faintest trace of the hint of a brief laughter through your nose.
However, much to your dismay, you quickly realized that Minhoâs hearing must have been otherworldly, since the barely audible noise you made did not go unnoticed by his ears, consequently making your face turn blank as soon as you felt his gaze burning into the side of your head. Hesitantly, you slowly turned your head to your right, confirming that Minho was most definitely staring at you; out of reflex, you immediately looked away, just to glance back at him for a short second.
Minho, who had been staring at you, secretly pleased about the fact that you seemed scared enough not to try some stupid tricks on them, shortly uncrossed his arms from the front of his chest, just to slightly lean towards you: he quickly mimicked the gesture of grabbing something with his hands, while mimicking a bite with his mouth at the same time. Instinctively, you rapidly tilted your head back as you followed your survival instinct, but you heavily slammed your head against the wooden wall behind you.
«Ow!» you winced in pain, grabbing the back of your head with both hands; you were certain that the impact you just felt was more than enough to give you a headache for days, and still, despite Leana immediately rushed at your side to see if you were okay, and despite the fact that you were crouching on the floor massaging your head, Minho kept his original position, staring in front of him as if nothing had happened. Â
Seungmin was right behind Leana, attentively cradling your head to see if you actually managed to hurt yourself; unbeknownst to you, Seungmin was actually holding back an amused laughter, since it has definitely been a while since he met someone as clumsy as you.
A couple of days later almost everyone seemed to have accepted you as a new entry of the crew; actually, you considered yourself lucky since most of the pirates on board seemed to not even notice your presence. Of course, you ended up going along with the amnesia excuse because the whole âyou look like you all popped up from a book Iâve been reading and Iâm trying to understand if Iâm having a very vivid dream or I ended up shifting on accident but I actually didnât really mean it and now I want to go back.â would have been definitely too troublesome to explain. Most importantly, you didnât feel ready to process what could have happened to you but also, you didnât want to face the realization that you had suddenly appeared in the middle of nowhere, without a real possibility to get back home safely.
Honestly you were pretty much useless on a pirate ship, and therefore you ended up in the kitchen, either helping Felix and the other cooks in their task of preparing the food or just cleaning and preparing the room where the pirates formed small groups and took turns to have their meals.
If the truth was that you really ended up in a novel, you had to admit that everyone beside Minho acted accordingly to their character.
Chris and Leana acted as two lovebirds, completely smitten with each other; you rarely saw them â letâs guess why, but they overall seemed to act friendly towards you. Leana had eagerly helped you decorate the room that had been assigned to you, it was a little small and right next to the storage room â the window was wide enough for you to escape just in case, but it was perfectly okay to you, since you were hoping that you wouldnât have to remain on the ship for too long.
Since Leana seemed to trust you, so did Chris; despite the fact that youâve interacted only a handful of times, he seemed as reliable as he had been portrayed in the novel.
Felix and Seungmin were definitely the ones youâve seen the most. Felix was literally acting as your keeper, paying attention to you as if he was a concerned older brother and not someone who you had met few days earlier.
Still, you could expect this from him, since he had always been described as the kindest one out of their group â beside Jeongin.
Seungmin had examined your head a concerning amount of times by now, if you were to ask him; actually, he had quickly realized that you were pretending to have headaches only when Minho was around, and he simply got along with it. He treated you with respect, even if he seemed to be a little wary of your presence.
«Letâs hope you can get your memories back soon,» he would say, «so that you can return home safely.» you never answered, his words always making your heart tighten as a reflexive answer.
Changbin, Jisung and Hyunjin were almost always nowhere to be seen; thanks to the author you knew that they had a gambling addiction, however, the only times you saw them they were joined by the hips, always joking around with each other â and Minho, always looking too busy to pay too much attention to you.
Jeongin was basically the miniature version of Chris: you knew that the Captain had saved him when he was still a little kid, and since then Jeongin had always followed Chrisâ lead. He was the one that seemed to respect you the most, he was also absolutely certain that you must have been a Princess of a faraway land.
«Iâm really no one.» you would answer every time with an apologetic smile, earning a sad pout from the younger boy.
Minho, however, was openly against the idea of keeping you on board, and often suggested to throw you off the deck as soon as you started being too annoying. You couldnât understand why he was so mean to you, and you werenât definitely the only one to notice; more than once, the others had admonished his behaviour, reiterating the fact that he should have been a little bit nicer to you, especially after what you have been through.
«Thatâs exactly the point, Chris, we donât know! She could be a siren or just a lunatic witch,» you overheard him argue with the Captain one day, «face it, if that were the case, no one would be immune to her spells, not even your beloved wife.» your hands instinctively clenched on the broomstick you were holding to sweep the floor of the corridors, and your gaze was lost somewhere in the wooden floor.
«She might as well be telling the truth,» you heard Chris answer in his usual calm tone, «I donât want to deny her a shelter just because she lost her memories, because that sure wasnât her fault.»
«What are we listening to?» Changbinâs voice right next to your ear almost made you jump out of your skin due to the sudden fright; his eyes widened in stupor as you almost dropped your hold on your broomstick â thing which would have definitely expose the fact that you were overhearing a very secret conversation. Luckily, Changbinâs reflexes were drastically quicker than yours, and so he collected the broomstick just in time, before handing it to you once again with an amused smirk. He placed his ear against the door, quickly connecting the animated argument to your sad expression and he gently smiled to you in an unexpected friendly manner.
«Don't worry too much about it, Ace, heâll come around.» Changbin briefly stated before walking away, heading back towards the deck at the end of the corridor without uttering another word; you shortly stood there, speechless, staring at his withering shoulders as his silhouette gradually disappeared in the light coming from outside.
âWhat the hell?â you thought, incredulous: Changbin had barely spoken to you and now he decided to give you a random and most definitely sarcastic nickname and offer you words of comfort, all of a sudden?
âSomething bad is definitely gonna happen,â you quickly deduced, going back to your original task; you were about to start sweeping the floor once again, before an ominous aura seemed to fill the packed space of the corridor.
âThere it is,â you announced to yourself, refusing to turn around to confirm the suspicion that Minho had left Chrisâ chambers, âoh, divine Xena, mighty princess forged in the heat of battle,please help me with this one,â you instinctively moved out of inertia, backing towards the nearest wall as Minho was walking towards your frame.
âHere we go, itâs him!â you dramatically thought, hugging the broomstick to your chest as if your life depended on it, the only shield between you and Minho, who was standing in front of you with his usual furious stare that magically seemed to disappear as soon as his eyes diverted from your general direction.
«I donât know what you did to have everyone wrapped around your little finger, but thatâs not gonna work with me, princess.» Minho spoke with a harsh tone, cornering you against the wall by placing his left hand next to your head; silence fell between the two of you, and you instinctively clenched your fists around the broomstick, just to be able to attempt to defend yourself in some kind of way.
Could you do self defence while using a broom? Of course.
Could you defend yourself against Minho, judging the sheer force he used to plant a dagger in a thick wooden table? Of course not.
Minho spent few seconds studying your face with incredible attention, as if, if he stared hard enough, you would transform into a whole different creature, confirming his theories about you. However, Minho momentarily seemed to have forgotten the concept of personal space, because his nose brushed against yours at least twice as you were doing your best to avoid his piercing gaze.
«Now that I take a closer look, youâre definitely not as pretty as a siren.» he suddenly stated with a sly grin while raising his eyebrow, before detaching from you altogether, just to walk towards the deckâs direction.
«And you had to almost kiss me to find out?» you yelled back a little louder than intended as soon as he was at a reasonable distance; to say that you were outraged was an understatement, you were furious.
To think Minho was your favourite character when you were reading the novel, what were you, crazy?
Despite the fact that you were genuinely doing your best to avoid meeting Minho, the pirate was clearly doing the opposite, neutralizing every single one of your good purposes as the two of you seemed to keep running into each other.
It didnât matter whether you were simply doing your assigned chores or you were peacefully chatting with one of the pirates, he always seemed to find something to do in order to get on your nerves; sometimes he would just accidentally knock random things off the table so that you had to pick them up and clean them again, other times he would interrupt a conversation just to be mean at you.
Minho was definitely getting on your nerves, but you did your best not to pay too much attention to him, since you definitely had more important things to think about. Inside your heart, the growing feeling of homesickness was constantly calling for your attention; you often found yourself on the verge of tears, but it was a side of you that you were determined not to show to anyone, thing that lead you to cry yourself to sleep more than once.
The part of the crew assigned to the kitchen, of course, always had their meal before the others did, and more than once it led to your small group of friend to join, and today was not exception. Walking out of the kitchen, you saw Minho, Jeongin, Chris, Jisung and Seungmin sitting at one of the long tables in the room while eating and loudly chatting, and now that Jeongin was hastily and eagerly waving his arm to let you know that you should have sat next to him to have your quick lunch, you realized that yet another time, you couldnât escape your fate of avoiding Minho as if he was the plague.
«May I, uh...» you walked next to Leana, who was walking towards their table as well; she immediately tilted her head towards you, listening, «May I approach the bitch?» she bursted out laughing really loudly, immediately understanding that you were talking about Minho; however, that happy and hilarious bubble of joy disappeared the same moment you heard Hyunjinâs voice right behind the both of you.
«What did you say?» never did the simple request to repeat something seem more dangerous; you swallowed, feeling your blood turn cold in the same moment the flashback of him mentioning his âinterrogation habitsâ popped into your mind.
However, the few weeks you spent living among pirates were teaching you how to build up your courage â or more like âfake it until you make itâ, as someone would say.
«I said âmay I approach the benchâ,» you answered, pretending to be annoyed with the useless repetition of your sentence, nodding towards the long benches that you were using instead of chairs, «what did you think I said?»
The crew was incredibly hungry that day, you could easily tell from the speed at which they ate and the various groups took turns, thing that didnât give you much occasion to chat with them as you often did; instead, you were frantically walking back and forth from the kitchen, helping two other pirates to deliver food to everyone.
âMaybe if I find a similar book I can get home,â you thought as you absently piled the dirty and empty plates on top of each other before carrying them to the kitchen, just to come back with clean ones, âwhere am I supposed to find a book in the open sea?â you sighed in deject, not liking the direction of your thoughts.
«I think you missed a spot, princess.» Minhoâs arrogant tone caught your attention, and you watched with total unbewildrement the pirate hit the side of one of the wooden jugs placed on the tables, knocking it to the ground and spilling the water on the floor.
As if you were under a magic spell, all the traces of sadness seemed to vanish from your soul, just to be replaced by sheer anger; you were beyond furious, how dare he?
He didnât trust you, and you could understand his point of view; it pained you to admit to yourself that if you were in his shoes, you would have probably done the same. However, you could endure the teasing, you could endure everything he was putting you through but you definitely drew the line at this kind of disrespect. You closed your fist so tightly that you were absolutely sure that your fingertips would feel momentarily numb as soon as you tried to open your hands, and you were certain that your nails were digging a half crescent moon shape in your skin.
However, you and Minho were not the only one left in the room; Hyunjin, Changbin, Chris and few other crew members were not finished eating and therefore, they saw all the scene unfolding.
«Hey, fuck face!» you loudly called out, claiming both Minho and the otherâs attention, «I get you feel powerful because you can swing a fucking sword, but you should learn to respect people who are working!» you stood your grounds, ignoring your heart wildly hammering in your chest and the nervousness you felt as soon as Minho stopped walking, just to turn towards you.
«Youâre that interested in losing your head, huh?» Minho replied with an undecipherable gaze, quickly walking back towards you.
If there was a god out there, you were certain that they must have glanced towards your direction in that same moment, because right before Minho could close the distance between the two of you, Changbinâs shoulders appeared in your field of view.
«Calm down, buddy,» Changbin was still peacefully chewing on his food as he stopped him, placing a hand on the pirateâs chest, who tilted his head just enough to keep furiously glance at you.
«If we were still home, I would have get you arrested!» you spat, your chest tightening at the thought of your home town but also incredibly thankful to Changbin.
«Again with those stories? You sure do have flowers growing in your head, princess!» Minho immediately answered, trying to walk around Changbin, who was still pushing against his chest.
However, what no one actually expected was for you to actually try to confront Minho from up close, attempting to walk around Changbin as well; honestly, you were too furious to notice that you were about to face a pirate while completely unarmed and not knowing how to fight.
«Easy there,» Hyunjin suddenly spoke with amusement from behind your shoulders, placing his arms under your armpits just to stop you and hold you back.
«Say that to him, not to me!» you tried to free yourself without success; Hyunjin was very strong despite his slim figure and therefore, even when you kicked both your legs in the air while urging him to let you go, he didnât move the slightest.
«Donât you think this is the kind of energy we need on board, Binnie?» Hyunjin laughed, eagerly chatting as he had no trouble holding you back; Changbin scoffed a laugh as well, since itâs been a while since he saw Minho getting riled up that easily.
«Thatâs enough,» Chrisâ authoritative voice seemed to be the only thing that could calm the atmosphere; «you, go back to your room.» he told you in a scolding tone.
«What?!» you whined, «I didnât do anything!» you added, trying to wiggle out of Hyunjinâs hold once again.
«Donât challenge my authority,» Chris shortly admonished you, his stern gaze not leaving any room to debate his decision, before turning his attention towards Minho, «youâre going to your room as well.»
«What?!» Minho asked in astonishment, not believing his Captainâs orders.
«I donât want to see the two of you on deck until at least tomorrow morning.» Chris added, and that was your call to understand that the argument was officially over.
Hyunjin had offered to accompany you to your room, and as soon as you were about to walk out the door, you slightly turned towards Minho: you placed your index finger on your lower eyelid, tugging on the skin as you shortly sticked out your tongue as well. Still, you immediately turned around, so that you couldnât see Changbin struggling not to laugh, reaching out to stop Minho once again, who was glancing at him with a murderous look.
âI want to go home,â you whined to yourself as soon as you were sitting on your bed once again; you laid down on your back, missing the sensation of Cleo immediately walking up and cuddle at your side. You wondered what happened back home, even though you were certain that your cat had found a way out of your apartment, since the window was still open when you had fallen asleep, however, what about your friends? Was someone worried about your sudden disappearance? Moreover, judging by the amount of days that had passed, you had most definitely lost your job.
«Ah, I hope they choose a nice pic of me if I made it to the news as a missing person.» you mumbled to yourself, your gaze lost in the wooden tiles of your ceiling.
âI could draw tiny lines on the wall to count the days Iâm spending on here,â the sudden idea popped up in your mind, only for you to abandon it as quickly as it came. First of all, you didnât have a knife â let alone a dagger or a sword, and therefore it would be impossible for you to engrave marks in the wall, most importantly, what if they found out and you had to repay for the things youâve damaged? Those were the basic things happening back home, and although you were unsure about various dynamics of the world you were in, you didnât want to try your luck. Chris looked scary while pissed off, and you read about how cruel he could be, you definitely needed him on your side.
âI could try to run away as soon as we reach the first port,â you wondered, but that option was discarded as well; although touching land was the only thing to confirm the shifting theory, you didnât know what could have happened if it was the truth.
Abduction and prostitution were sadly pretty much real in that world as well, and once again, you decided that the safest option was to stick around Chris and his crew; after all, what could harm you if he was in charge of basically everything and everyone sailing above the waterâs surface?
Minhoâs menacious glare appeared in your mind, and you reached out to grab the pillow from under your neck just to slam it against your face, âitâs not like I can throw a meteor at him, Iâm not Zhongli,â, you thought, before suddenly sitting up in bed.
«Whoâs going to do my daily commissions in Genshin Impact now?!» you mumbled to yourself, thinking about all the time youâve spent playing â time that of course had been wasted due to what happened.
Someone knocked on your door, and you genuinely wondered about pretending to be asleep in order to avoid giving explanation about what happened at dinner; nevertheless, you allowed the person in.
«Hi there,» Felix greeted with his usual cheerful tone, «I heard you caused quite a riot today.» he added, placing a small tray with a glass of water and a plate of stew on the small table next to your bed; you sighed, falling back to the bed and hoping that those blankets could swallow your frame and teleport you back home.
«I didnât do anything, Felix,» you clarified, «Minho just hates me for no reason.»
«Well..»
«Please, donât tell me this is the part where you say things like âhe hasnât always been like thisâ, or something.» you immediately added, preventing him from talking any further.
«Nah, heâs always been like this.» Felix quickly shook his head, sitting on the small mattress and next to your knees; he tapped your thigh twice, telling you to sit up so that you could eat dinner. «Keep up that attitude though, itâs funny to watch.» he chuckled, his face quietly shifting into a concerned frown as he noticed how you kept playing with your food instead of actually eating it.
Maybe from the outside your interactions with Minho were unusual enough to be considered funny, but to you they were incredibly stressful.
First of all, Minho had always been your favourite character, and you would have never imagined that he could despise your presence so much; most importantly, he had always been described as a whole different person, and you found yourself wondering why you wanted to be accepted by him so much.
You were aware that late at night the dining room became the meeting point where some pirates gathered to drink and gamble, both because you had read it in the novel and because some sleepless nights you had passed in front of its door as you were walking towards the deck, hearing the echo of thunderous laughter or the loud chatter of the ones who lost and were unhappy with the rules.
Sometimes the door wasnât even completely close, and as you peeked inside on your way through the corridor, you could see Minho joke around and laugh with the others, thing that always made you feel sad and somehow, lonely.
«Arenât you hungry?» Felix gently asked, noticing how you went silent all of a sudden.
«Itâs not that funny, though: he acts like Iâm going to annihilate everyone while you sleep and well â he basically adores you.» you ignored his question, instead referring to the fact that he was the only one he didnât threaten to kill anytime Lix called him âMin Minâ.
«Iâll tell you a super secret secret,» Felix started to whisper, and you shifted your gaze on his lips, making sure that you could effectively understand what he was about to say, «me and Minho are half brothers.»
«What?!» you immediately shrieked out of disbelief, that was never mentioned in the novel! You clearly recalled their background stories: Minho was a bounty hunter, while Felix was⊠Felix⊠Well, he wasâŠ
âNow that I think of it, Felixâs past hasnât been mentioned, not even once.â your questioning gaze met Felix, who eagerly nodded at the silent questions in your eyes.
«Our mother remarried,» he explained, before interrupting himself, «now that I think of it, mom and Minhoâs father werenât married â well, thatâs not important.» Felix dismissively waved his hand in front of himself, and for the next hour, you had eventually started eating as you listened to his stories about him and Minho; despite all the times you wanted to clarify that âyes, I already know this part,â you kept silent, smiling at Felixâs eagerness and at the affection towards his brother that you could feel through his words.
«Heâs really amazing,» he praised, «heâs always protected me since we were kids â you know, my⊠hair colour is a bit unusual.» he admitted, recalling the times when Minho would come home covered in bruises because he had protected Felix from being bullied.
«Itâs beautiful, though,» you immediately replied, making Felix widen his eyes in sudden surprise, «you look like you've walked out of a fairy tale... and really, it suits you.» you added, making the pirate smile with a sad smile.
«I often said I could dye it, but Minho was always against the idea.» he said, but your attention was focused elsewhere.
âSo, hair dye exist in this world as well?â the gears in your brain started to spin and twirl as you thought; once again, it had never been mentioned in the novel, but you thought that the author didnât need to, since the story revolved around Chrisâ point of view.
«Get some rest, princess,» Felix excused himself, collecting the now empty tray as he stood up; you nodded, the side of your lips curling into a small smile at how different the nickname sounded as it was spoken by the two brothers, «Iâll try to talk to him.» he reassured, and for a second, you decided to believe him.
Much to your dismay, nothing had changed after a week, leaving you to your usual routine; however, you had to admit that you barely saw Minho around, and when you did, you adverted your gaze before he could meet yours.
It was as if, unlike the first days, he was keeping his distance as well, and you were grateful to Felix for it.
âIf you canât defeat them, become their friend, some said!â you thought, âwell, I failed miserably.â
Felix was now basically what you could call your best friend, as he had declared more than once; he always insisted for you to sit next to him when you were eating, and once you were finished with your daily chores, he would explain the most random things to you. Actually, you were incredibly grateful to him because you were finally able to tie a knot on a rope, thing which would have come handy if you ever decided to escape.
Most importantly, you and Felix had something really particular in common, and that was your admiration towards Chrisâ and Leanaâs relationship.
The poor couple could have been simply standing in front of each other talking about the most random things and you would say something like «theyâre so pretty I could punch myself in the face,» immediately echoed by Felix that would reply «wait for it, heâs gonna move a strand of hair behind her ear because of the wind,» and the both of you would dreamily coo at them as Chris did exactly what Felix had predicted.
Seungmin was still visiting you every now and then â mostly when you pretended that your head hurt because you saw Minho appearing out of nowhere and he was definitely too close for comfort, but nonetheless he spent most of his days in his study.
Jeongin was mostly spending his time with Seungmin, now, the older pirate insisting that he needed an assistant because he was tired to everything on his own, and Jeongin eagerly following his orders.
Jisung, Changbin and Hyunjin were now seeing you in a whole different light: the day you fearlessly challenged Minho seemed to have made you earn their respect, and they often tried to lure you into joining a gamble match with them.
«Thanks, but I donât know the rules,» you dismissively answered every time, and as soon as one of them suggested they could teach you, you immediately added that you didnât have anything valuable you could gamble on.
Leana was more or less, an addiction to the piece of furniture in your small room; anytime she wasnât with Chris, she would keep you company, telling you about the most various and dangerous adventures they have lived while sailing. You eagerly listened to her, often interrupting her to ask for more details, thing that she never seemed to mind, answering your question with the same eagerness.
Leanaâs stories were a perfect indicator for you to deduce that between what happened in the book and your arrival on the ship, at least three years seemed to have passed; years in which Chrisâ domain on the sea had become even more clear.
«Itâs like being on of those cruise ships; no one dares attacking us and we can do whatever we want to, I love it.» she confessed, voicing her hopes about you liking being on board as well; you didnât trust yourself, and therefore you simply nodded.
«Come on, girls night,» Leana had announced one day as she sat on your bed, and you furrowed your eyebrows in obvious reluctance, familiar with the concept of her words; «has anyone caught your eye?» Leanaâs eyes seemed to glimmer in curiosity, and you found yourself sigh in deject.
«Yes, I mean, no.» you spoke, unclear, confusing yourself as well.
What were you supposed to say? Youâve never looked at anyone under that particular light, after all!
âWell, actuallyâŠâ you immediately stopped the train of your thoughts: Minho was undoubtedly charming and handsome, but he was behaving like a complete jerk towards you, and therefore you sighed, resigning yourself to your fate as you met Leanaâs curious gaze.
«Minho is cute, but donât tell him I said so, I particularly like my head attached to my neck.» you confessed, panicking as you saw her eyes widen in disbelief.
«I would have bet money on Felix!» she yelled, just to lower her voice mid-sentence, staring at you in complete astonishment.
«Felix is really cute, but everythingâs really veryâŠÂ platonic.» you explained, avoiding saying something she would have found too weird and incomprehensible like âheâs always nice andhe gives me really good vibes!â
However, Leana seemed to ponder your words about Minho, confessing that one morning, she saw Felix and Minho talking very animately, as if they were arguing about something.
«Now that I think about it, it was the morning after youâve been both confined to your room.» she added, and she confirmed as well the fact that the pirate seemed to been avoiding your presence as well.
Leana had soon returned to the Captainâs quarters, leaving you in the loneliness of your room; once again, you couldnât sleep and therefore, you found yourself headed towards the deck of the Golden Fleece.
The night sky was clear, the stars seemed a bright blanket that made you feel a tiny bit less lonelier; you tried to smile at the thought that in your life, you had never seen so many stars due to the industrialization and the fact that there was always a source of light around the city. On your way to the deck you ended up both carrying one of the blankets in your room and stealing an apple from the storage room, and in the end you were sitting alone in a dark corner of the ship, completely hidden from the helmsmanâs eyes and from the few pirates who were awake and in charge of taking care of the ship as long as the others were asleep â or gambling.
As your gaze lost itself in the darkness ahead of you, your thoughts inevitably wandered to dangerous places, and you found yourself silently crying because you missed home. Although in the past days you have done your best to avoid even the faintest traces of intrusive thoughts, it was probably time to face the truth; even though it seemed impossible, you ended up in a fantasy novel, and of course the historical period was completely different from the one you were living in, to the point of not having the comforts you were used to have in your everyday life. A phone, internet, a hairdryer, heating, a microwave⊠Despite the fact that you were slowly getting used to this kind of life, you madly wanted to go back home, and the thing that completely broke your heart was the fact that you highly doubted it would even be remotely possible.
After all, the lady at the bookshop had clearly said that you bought the only copy of the novel, copy which was currently still on your coffee table in another dimension.
Completely engrossed in your crying session, you didnât notice that someone had approached your trembling figure.
«See? I didnât lie when I said you were probably a thief.» Minhoâs voice shook you out of your train of thoughts, but you werenât in the right mind to answer to his constant teasing; you stared both at him and the apple in your hand â apple that you ended up biting only once, just to wordlessly focus your gaze once again on the darkness in front of the ship.
The moon was high up in the sky, and Minho could definitely see the fact that you were crying, especially because you werenât doing a good job to hide your occasional hiccups; he has never seen you so vulnerable, after all youâve been arguing like dog and cat since the day they had saved you, but yet, he breathed a long sigh, before eventually walking closer to you, crouching down so that you were more or less at the same eye-level.
«Are you okay?» Minho questioned, every trace of hostility suddenly disappearing from his voice, and he saw you simply shook your head because no, you were definitely not okay.
«Can I sit next to you?» he asked again, and waited for you to answer before he dared to move.
«Why, so you can throw me off deck as soon as I cry too loudly?» you spat with annoyance, and Minho scoffed as a silent answer. If he were to be honest, he wasnât doing it for you, but for Felix; his brother had constantly told him to give you a chance, but the pirate kept ignoring him; however, for some weird reason he didnât want to think about, the sight of you curled up against the wall just to cry your eyes out didnât please him as he originally thought.
«Yeah, something like that.» Minho shrugged, before sitting next to you.
A somewhat comfortable silence fell on the corner you had been secretly occupying, a silence made of you occasionally hiccuping trying to hide a sob just to wipe your tears with part of your blanket and Minho completely silence as his brain tried to come up with a reasonable question about why you seemed so unconsolable.
«Has something happened in the kitchen? Did Felix say something bad?» Minho gently tried, even if he doubted that was the case, since Felix was the first among the people who seemed to be completely smitten with your presence; confirming his thoughts, he saw you shook your head without voicing an actual answer.
«Have you been having nightmares?» he questioned again, his left hand hesitantly scratching his left thigh; «it happens a lot, especially the first times you sail.» again, you wordlessly shook your head, and silence fell once again.
It went on for minutes, Minho coming up with the most various questions and you simply shaking your head because he never got it right.
«I miss my hairdryer.» you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper.
«Your⊠your what?» Minho quietly echoed, confusion dripping from his voice.
«My hairdryer,» you repeated, moving your right hand in the air just to mimic a general shape of one, «itâs made like this, and we use it to blow hot hair on our hair to make it dry faster, it works with electric â oh, never mind, you already think Iâm a lunatic witch.» your voice trembled at the end of the sentence, and you ended up wiping more tears escaping the corner of your eyes, as Minho was staring at you with an indecipherable gaze.
«Tell me more,» he gently spoke â almost in a hesitant way, urging you to go on, «about your crazy stories, I want to hear more.»
«And give you extra reasons to make fun of me on a daily basis? No, thank you.» you bitterly answered, and Minhoâs gentle smile slowly vanished from his lips. The pirate kept studying your features, pensive, and few seconds later his right hand was hovering in front of your face, his pinky finger outstretched.
«I wonât, I promise. I call truce.» he said, and for the first time you turned your head to glance at him, unconsciously smiling at the sight of a pirate using pinky promises as a way to seal official promises; it was as if you could feel your heart tremble, the sight of the Minho you used to adore while reading your favourite book was suddenly not that unreachable anymore, and something in his determined gaze illuminated by the moon made you trust him.
Unbeknownst to you, while intertwining your pinky finger with his, a little part of your fate had changed forever.
«I think Iâve never missed Cleo so much.» you quietly sniffled.
«Your lover?» Minho questioned immediately.
«My cat.» you clarified without hesitation.
Eventually, you and Minho shortly ended up bonding over your mutual love for cats. You described her to him, explaining that to you, she was indeed unique and beautiful; her black fur was occasionally painted with ginger spots, and her eyes were a light shade of green.
«She always looked incredibly pissed off, just like me.» you scoffed a laugh, and you heard Minho chuckle softly at your words.
«To think you were going to face me without a weapon, you sure do have some guts,» he commented, and you answered with an exasperated sigh, «you could ask Jisung to teach you a trick or two.» your head immediately turned towards him at the unexpected suggestion. Minho simply shrugged, explaining that you would be more useful on deck if something were to happen.
«I used to have three cats before I choose to sail with Chris.» he admitted then, changing the topic of your conversation, smiling to himself.
«I know.» you answered without thinking about it too much; only when you felt Minhoâs inquisitive stare on your face, you panicked. Clearly you couldnât tell him that you knew a lot of details about his life before he started being a pirate because you read it in a novel, and therefore you simply settled for a simple white lie known as: «Felix told me about it.»
«I miss my hair conditioner as well,» you admitted, «I even got the special edition with keratin â you know with the golden plastic jar and everything, and never got to use it more than twice.» for at least half of the night, you ended up explaining Minho every detail of what life was like where you were living; skyscrapers, air conditioning, electricity, supermarkets, videogames and malls, along with every kind of food you ended up craving, Minho had patiently listened to your rambles, occasionally asking about few clarifications every now and then.
«You know, princess, I still think you have flowers growing in your head.» Minho spoke after the two of you eventually managed to finish conversation topics; your heart sank to your stomach at his words, and of course, you felt like crying again.
«HoweverâŠÂ»Â Minho spoke again, his tone a little more firmer than before, as if he understood that his words hurt you, «your stories are a bit too much filled with details to be completely made up.»
«So?» you questioned him, glancing at him while leaning your head against the wooden surface behind your shoulders.
«So,» Minho echoed, mirroring your actions, so that you were staring at each other, «I think that somewhere in that flower field, thereâs a little bit of truth.» a relieved smile erupted on your features, and you felt genuinely happy about the fact that finally Minho decided to take you seriously.
Despite the fact that you had managed to calm down, neither of you dared to move, and as you kept talking about your life, you ended up sharing your blanket with the pirate, whose hands were now as cold as ice.
Somewhere during the few hours remaining before dawn, you ended up falling asleep, unconsciously leaning against Minhoâs shoulders, who didnât move in order not to wake you up.
However, as soon as the pirate saw a small glimpse of light starting to illuminate the sky as a signal of a new day, he gently picked you up just to carry you to your bedroom.
«Fucking finally, Min Min,» Felixâs groggy whisper called out from Minhoâs shoulders; the younger had just woken up, and to be honest, he was convinced about being still asleep as the first thing he saw were his brother â who claimed to hate you, carrying you â who claimed to hate him, bridal style and soundly asleep towards your room.
«Not a word, Lix.» Minho had simply answered, not bothering to stop.
Few days later, everyone was aware about the drastic change of Minhoâs behaviour towards you, since the pirate went to completely ignore your presence to greet you occasionally. You found yourself smiling anytime it happened, your smile vanishing as soon as you could feel two different set of piercing gazes on your face; on one side, Leana was looking at you with pure excitement in her eyes, as to say «did you see it?» while on the other side, Felix was following the scene with a knowing smile, happy about his brotherâs eventual change of heart.
Moreover, you had to admit to yourself that your mood was significantly better since you didnât have to constantly watch your back, to the point where you found yourself thinking that if things kept going like this, you could have definitely got used to this new life.
To be completely honest, you could already picture yourself trying to introduce some of your modern technology into this world, becoming the cliché mad scientist holed up in her laboratory, shouting a loud «it could work!» followed by a manic laughter as soon as you managed to create something useful.
Taking a small break from your daily chores, you decided to take a stroll on deck, enjoying what seemed to be the last days of summer; the days had already begun to shorten and in the back of your mind, you wondered how cold could it get on a pirate ship during winter, but you werenât sure you wanted to know an actual answer, when out the corner of you eye, you saw them.
At first, you thought that either your mind was playing tricks on you or you were hallucinating, but once you turned your complete attention to the sea, you distinctly saw that there was a small group formed by seven girls not too far from where you were, casually sitting on some random pieces of wood â most definitely what remained of a sunken ship, while brushing their luscious hair; you narrowed your eyes as if trying to get a better view, because you could swear that all of them had a long fish tail.
âMermaids?â you wondered; after all, you didnât know how this world worked in the first place, and based on Minhoâs accusations to you, for all you knew, they could be more than a superstition.
«Sirens!» the loud shout from the crowâs nest seemed to alert everyone, confirming that you werenât hallucinating, but you werenât sure what you were supposed to do in this situation; you saw some pirates running back to their quarters, as if it was a desperate attempt not to be lured by their voices.
Few minutes later, the situation was definitely taking a drastic and terrifying turn: some pirates were throwing themselves off deck just to try their luck swimming towards the sirens and therefore swimming towards their death, while the others kept soundlessly walking toward the railing as if they were possessed, their eyes void of any emotion.
Quirking a brow you stared at the group of sirens once again, silently admiring their beauty and their pretty tail. However something wasnât adding up: you could clearly see their lips move, but you seemed to be the only one who couldnât hear their chant.
Leanaâs shoulder harshly bumping against yours was what made you wake up from your silent daze; like anyone else, her eyes were unfocused, and she had already thrown one leg over the railing.
«Wait, no!» yelling at her to stop, you covered her ears with your hands out of instinct, when the unthinkable happened: the fog that seemed to cloud Leanaâs gaze had vanished as soon as you touched her, and she looked at both herself and you with a puzzled expression.
«Whatâs happening?» she questioned, confused, «why canât I hear them?» at her question, it was as if your thoughts began to align, quickly forming a more or less clever answer; could it be that it was because you were from another dimension? You immediately tested your wild guess, wrapping around her wrist the hair tie you always kept on your wrist.
«Still nothing?» you asked, helping her safely climb back on deck, so that no one else could drag her in the water out of accident.
«I can see them singing, but I canât hear them,» she confirmed with astonishment, glancing at the small elastic band now adorning her wrist, «is this some sort of talisman?» she questioned again but you kept silent, not sure about what you should have answered.
âWait, if this managed to help her, this means thatâŠâ
«Leana, where are my clothes,? You know, the ones I was wearing when you found me in the sea?» you immediately questioned her: if things really were what they seemed, maybe you has a chance to save everyone.
«Come with me.» Leana immediately replied, and shortly after you both raced to the Captainâs quarters as if you were running against time.
«I have an idea, but that will make me sound like a lunatic witch» you quoted Minho, before explaining yourself, «we need to shred them in as many pieces we can and stick them inside the otherâs clothes.» you kept your jeans in your hands, handing her both the cotton t-shirts you were wearing at home; however, there was no sign of mock in her eyes.
«You already saved my life, I trust you, witch or not.» she encouraged, and after nodding and each other Leana grabbed two of Chrisâ daggers, and after handing one to you as well, you both ran back on deck.
âThis is so wrong,â you thought, âIâm about to act like a typical heroine and I donât have a catchphrase to say!â adrenaline was running trough your veins to the point of making you delirious, and you mentally tried to come up with an outstanding idea as fast as you could?
âHow about âfor Frodoâ?⊠No, that would be plagiarism,â you kept thinking as you and Leana closed the Captainâs quarters room behind your shoulders, âI got it, âGeronimo!â⊠Nah, too corny.â
«Iâll take the right side and you take the left side?» Leana urged, already cutting some fabric out of your t-shirt with her dagger; she snapped you out of your thoughts, and your eyes immediately went back on the scenery in front of you.
No more than thirty pirates were left â a quarter of the crew, and much to your dismay, you noticed from the corner of your eye how Chris, Seungmin and Changbin were already in the water.
«Hey Leana, you know what we say in Europe before doing things like this?» your heart was hammering in your chest to the point you were certain it was trying to escape your body.
«Uh... May Margoria have mercy on us?» she tried, as the both of you started walking in opposite directions.
«No, no, itâs even better,» you chuckled at your own thoughts, before encouraging the both of you with a short and simple: «itâs Britney, bitch.»
From that moment, you and Leana were running like two desperate women on a mission, and you tried to ignore the pain that your heart was feeling as you were repeatedly cutting your pair of favourite jeans.
âItâs for a fucking good cause,â you thought motivating yourself, urging your legs to move faster.
Actually, if you and Leana were feeling like two heroes out of an adventure novel, the sight from the outside looked really bizarre: the deck was completely silent as the pirates were walking like zombies, and the only noise was the one made from your heels as you frantically ran back and fort, not to mention that you were occasionally screaming «tag, youâre it!» before running towards the next pirate.
Moreover, as soon as someone of the crew managed to wake up, nor you nor Leana ever stopped to explain what was going on; you just pushed a few pieces of uncommon fabric against their chest just to shout an order for them to follow. Â
You could feel your lungs burn, and although you desperately wanted to stop and catch your breath, you saw that Minho was in the same position Leana had been in few minutes earlier and you quickly urged your legs to run faster, somehow.
âWhy the fuck I never did jogging while I was home?â you internally cursed yourself, but the most important thing was that you managed to stop Minho by a harsh grip on his strong bicep. Minhoâs eyes increasingly focused, and he looked at you with bewilderment; you didnât give him time to ask anything, because you thrusted the only piece of fabric you had left in his hand.
«See this? This was my favourite pair of jeans,» you spoke, your breath ragged due to the fact that you had been running without stopping for more time than you were used to, Minho was about to question why he couldnât hear the sirens anymore, when you interrupted him again, «let go of this damn denim fabric, and Iâll kill you.»
«Whatâs going on?» Minho finally questioned, swooning his leg over the railing so that he was once again safely on deck, but before you could answer, Leana had quickly walked towards you with Felix, Jisung, Hyunjin and few of the pirates who had managed to wake up, still clutching the piece of fabric as instructed.
By now, you had managed to save everyone who was still on deck, however, you still had a big problem: the majority of your crew â including the Captain, was still swimming towards the sirens.
«What now?» Leana questioned, her concerned eyes locked on her husband.
«I donât know.» your shoulders fell as you admitted disheartened, your trembling hands still desperately holding Minhoâs hands over what was left of your favourite pair of jeans.
«Arenât you still wearing that thing underneath your shirt?» Leana questioned, and your right hand reflexively touched your bra over your linen shirt.
âNot my Victoriaâs SecretâŠâ you thought, but Leana quickly dismissed her own idea.
«Itâs not like we can throw ourselves down there, weâll never reach them in time.» she added, and a nervous silence fell once again.
The pirates kept silent, not daring to interrupt your conversation with Leana; no one knew what was happening but for all they knew, they owed their life to the both of you.
However, the sirens have been focusing their attention on your presence for a while, and as you were considering some stupid and wild idea out of panic, the sirens had stopped singing; the pirates in the water woke up immediately from their daze, immediately yelling to each other to swim back to the Golden Fleece, and your head started to spin with confusion.
Apparently, for whatever reason, the sirens decided they werenât hungry anymore, and therefore decided to leave, disappearing under the surface of water.
Unbeknownst to you, those sirens knew about travelers like you, for it was not the first time that someone immune to their alluring voices had defeated them.
The pirates were now climbing on deck, and if it werenât for Minhoâs arms quickly wrapping around your waist, you would have fallen on your knees as the rush of adrenaline left your body altogether.
«What a week, huh?» you joked, your voice low enough only for the pirate to hear.
«Itâs monday morning, princess.» Minho absently replied, studying your exhausted features and actually concerned about the state you were in.
Needless to say, less than an hour later â as soon as everyone had changed out of their soaked clothes, you found yourself in the Captainâs quarters with nine pair of eyes studying you once again; however, this time, the atmosphere was completely different.
«Although we are grateful to you, I believe we need an explanation.» Chris simply questioned; even though his voice remained polite, you could easily notice that he was demanding the truth.
«Are you really a witch?» Hyunjin suggested curiously and without hostility; you shook your head no, and your gaze briefly locked with Minho, who gave you a short nod, as to encourage you to tell them what you had told him as well.
«Iâm not a witch, I.. » you sighed, what were you supposed to say? You definitely couldnât break out the news that they were characters from a novel, but you could definitely tell them part of the truth, «Iâm from another world. Or just another dimension, I donât know. The thing is, at home everything works very different from here and⊠I really donât know what to say. I ended up falling asleep in my house and waking up in the sea, right before you saved me.»
The room was silent for some seconds, before they eventually started discussing your explanation, but overall, everyone seemed to believe you.
«We are in your debt.» Chris announced, standing up from his chair, and you felt nervous all of a sudden; you loved his character and how reliable he was despite being a pirate, however, you always thought that he was a little bit too dramatic, especially in these kind of situations.
«No, no. Weâre good buddy, really.» you anxiously waved your hands in front of you, as if to shake away the thought of having a whole crew of pirates indebted to you, «besides, you saved me first, I returned the favor, weâre even.»
«At least, allow us to help you!» Leana insisted, reiterating the fact that if they were alive was exclusively because of you.
«Do you remember how you ended up here?» Seungmin added, agreeing with Leana.
«I bought a book â a very specific one, and somehow I ended up shifting.»you had shortly explained; the information sent them into another brief discussion among themselves.
«Maybe fate is really on your side,» Chris commented, «weâll be arriving to Oâdyllita in few days; the capital â Oâdraxxia is known for having the biggest and best-stocked library of all known land.» the Captain explained that you could try visit there, to see if you could find anything regarding shifting dimension.
«Of course, if you donât, youâll be welcome to stay with us!» Jeongin had quickly added, and you found yourself nodding at his eagerness, thanking everyone else as well.
«Another thing,» Leana suddenly spoke, as if a thought had suddenly came to her mind, «who is that âBritneyâ you mentioned earlier? Is she a goddess from your world?» she innocently questioned, but you couldnât help but find yourself laughing at the absurdity of the situation you got yourself in.
«More or less.» you admitted, and she seemed content with the answer.
The day had eventually fallen back into the same routine rather quickly, making you realize that this kind of situations werenât that uncommon; however, every now and then some of the pirates would greet you, thanking you for saving their life before going on with their day.
«Excuse me, princess,» an unfamiliar voice called out, and you immediately turned your head. One of the pirates was standing not so far from you; he was definitely older than you, even if despite his youthful appearance his beard and his hair was almost completely grey. He hesitantly outstretched his hand towards you, and you curiously examined the small necklace in the palm of his hand.
It was definitely plain looking, a thin looking chord with a too much familiar charm attached to it; without thinking, you took a step forward to take a better look.
Turns out â for the second time that day, that you werenât hallucinating things: the small charm was indeed a piece of fabric from your clothes, now neatly braided together as to form a tiny charm.
«My old man was a tailor, so I learned a thing or two from him,» you patiently glanced at him, waiting for him to explain himself further as you glanced back and forth from his face to his hand, «I ended up making a talisman for everyone out of the fabric you gave us, since the Captain and Leana explained to us what you did fpr us,» you kept silent, not understanding why he was handing one to you as well, «I know you donât need one, but we want you to have one as well.»
«âWeâ?» you echoed; glancing around, you noticed that few other pirates were definitely pretending to do their chores just to curiously overlook the situation, wondering what your reaction might have been.
«Itâs a way to tell you that youâre in the crew,» Leana excitedly spoke, appearing out of nowhere and hugging your shoulder, «you saved a whole lot of pirates, you know what it means? Youâre a pirate, love.»
«What?» you questioned, hesitantly reaching out to grab the necklace from the pirateâs outstretched hand, who thanked you for accepting his humble gift.
âHoly shit, Iâm the hero of the day,â you thought, trying to process the fact that a pirate had just thanked you for accepting a necklace made out of clothes from another dimension.
«For your information,» Felixâs sudden deep voice made you turn around in surprise, since the new information had made your head spin, «it was a unanimous decision.» he clarified; as you happened to lock gaze with Minho, he simply winked at you with a mischievous smile, and you could swear that for the first time, you felt the butterflies in your stomach do somersaults.
The secret escapades you occasionally had with Minho during the night ended up being a habit, and as the weather started to become colder, you eventually decided to move things to your room; more than once, you and Minho ended up falling asleep after nights spent talking about the most various topics and every time, Minho would wake up before dawn just to sneak back to his room.
«Do you still think Iâm a lunatic siren?» you quietly mumbled one night, quite scared of the possible affirmative answer. Minho was sitting opposite of you on your bed, your knees almost brushing against each otherâs.
«I donât.» Minho honestly answered after what seemed to be an eternal silence; he was still staring at you with an indecipherable gaze that made you feel extremely small, but it was significantly softer now. You were certain that something in your relationship with Minho had drastically changed since the night he found you crying alone, and somehow, even if you didnât want to be seen in such a vulnerable state, you were happy he was the one who found you nonetheless.
Above all â most importantly, since Minhoâs behaviour towards you had changed and gradually started to become softer, you could swear you felt your feelings drift towards him at a slow but steady speed. To state the obvious, he was handsome, and you often found yourself looking at him as he was talking with the others on deck, the wind blowing through his hair and his clothes making him look like a runaway Prince from a fairytale; he was also funny and an extremely good listener, and the more you spent time together, the more your heart would fill with feelings for him, just like a slow tide at noon.
«Do you believe me, then?» you mumbled, as if you were trying your luck; despite you told everyone that you came from another dimension, the topic of your conversations with Minho were a secret, and he was completely aware about that. Even though you desperately wanted him to believe your words, you couldnât help but trying to imagine how you would react if you were in Minhoâs shoes and of course, you had to admit that you would have your good doses of suspicions as well.
«Iâm not really sure I can understand everything you tell me,» he admitted, «but I really want to try.» you found yourself genuinely smiling at his words.
A comfortable silence fell once again, and you searched for Minhoâs eyes in the partial darkness of the place; three small candles were lightning up the room, creating an intimate atmosphere while allowing you to see each other just enough.
«Thank you, Min Min.» you quietly mumbled, now definitely trying your luck; you knew that the only person allowed to call him like that was Felix, and although your relationship was completely different from how it started, you were certain that he would admonish you, telling you not to call him like that.
However, Minhoâs reaction was definitely unexpected; his eyes met yours in less than a second, and despite the little lighting in the room, you could clearly see a sudden blush adorning both his cheeks and the tip of his ears.
«Wait, did you justâŠ? No, nevermind,» Minho quickly dismissed, his unexpected flustered state was more than enough to make your cheeks flare up as well, «letâs suppose you ended up coming here from another dimension, why do you think it happened?» the conversation took another bittersweet turn, and you went back staring at your knees.
«I have no idea.» you confessed, disheartened, since you had wondered about that a concerning amount of times as well.
«Do you want to go back?» Minho questioned out of curiosity; he had immediately noticed how you eventually managed to find your place among the crew, and how you got along with everyone.
«I canât even explain how much I want to.» you admitted, and before you could actually realize it, tears had started to escape your eyes.
«Hey, donât cry, Iâm sorry I brought that up,» Minho seemed to move towards you as if he had been hurt by a sudden static, «I didnât want to make you cry.» he mumbled again, wiping your tears away as gently as he could, touching you as if you were made of frail glass despite his usual roughness. Eventually, he placed your pillow over his lap and you let him adjust your position enough that you could lay your head over it.
Minho kept gently stroking your hair with clumsy yet gentle movements â clearly unfamiliar with intimacy, lulling you to sleep while mumbling that «itâs okay, Iâll help you find a way,» or even «donât cry, pretty princess, youâre safe now.»
That night was the first time that you and Minho willingly got so close physically, and you never expected for his touch to feel as comforting as it did; although you had stopped crying few minutes after you were laying on his lap, you didnât want for that interaction to stop, and therefore you laid there, greedily taking all the unexpected affection Minho was showering you with.
Two days later, you were officially touching land; two days later, you were completely certain about the fact that you had shifted dimension â since there was a tiny part of your heart that still hoped you were having a really weird dream.
The port was large and full of people busy working; you looked around in amazement admiring everything: the small stalls of the market a little further on, peopleâs clothes, the type of architecture of the housesâŠ
However, something didnât add up once again. There were various wooden signs hanging on the stalls, price indicators or more simply indicators of what could be found in each one of them, and despite the fact that the alphabet was a strange combination o weird symbols youâve never seen in your life, you could understand them; fabrics, groceries, swords, you could read everything, was it another special ability you gained while shifting?
âThis is crazy,â you thought as you kept looking around yourself, âitâs like I chosen a default language in a videogame.â
Minho seemed to have noticed the puzzled expression on your face as you were glancing around, and quickly got to your side.
«Not like itâs important for us, but can you read and write?» he questioned, watching as you hesitantly nodded at him.
«Iâm not sure about the writing part,» you answered, looking around and not quite believing your eyes, «but it turns out I can read!»
«Thatâs good,» Minhoâs sudden gentle smile made you feel incredibly flustered, and you shortly played with your fingertips since you didnât know what you were supposed to answer, «Iâll see you tonight, then.» he added, making you furrow your eyebrows.
Before you could question his words, Leana and Chris had joined you, the latter informing you that he had already booked a carriage for both you and Leana.
âThatâs it? Theyâre going to leave me here?â you met Minhoâs gaze, just to switch it quickly towards Leana, who had reached out to hold your hand, gently tugging you towards her.
«I believe someone forgot to tell you,» she said, admonishing Minho with a stern gaze, «Oâdraxxia, the Capital, is a city in which men cannot enter, meaning that we have all the day for ourselves!»
The carriage ride lasted a little more than an hour, and both you and Leana kept staring out of the window, amazed by the scenery surrounding the two of you; it was the first time for Leana as well to venture into Oâdyllita, and just like you, she was overly excited to finally visit Oâdraxxia, since she had often heard about it.
«From what I know, almost everyone in the city is a priestess,» she had explained, the two of you never looking at each other since your attention was completely engrossed towards opposite directions, «and they say the library is so huge that there are pillars as big as towers that are used as bookshelves!»
Despite the dense and rich vegetation, the landscape seemed to have a tremendously lonely air; in the distance you could see ruins of old structures that looked like castles or fortresses, clearly uninhabited and reclaimed by vegetation.
Overall, the landscape almost seemed fiabesque, even if you couldnât glimpse a trace of a living soul for kilometres.
Just as Leana had said, Oâdraxxia was entirely populated by women, and all of them looked mesmerizing and stunning; some of them greeted you and Leana with a court nod, just like they did with the other women that were visiting the city.
Despite the fact that the city was populated and animated by the priestesses and occasional tourists, the city gave you a serene yet lonely feeling. The houses were simple and elegant, made of grey bricks with bright green plants growing along the walls, covering some parts with elegant red and orange flowers. Both you and Leana followed one of the priestessâ indications to reach the library, as the two of you kept glancing around in utter wonder as you were walking.
«Iâm really glad we get along,» Leana spoke out of the blue as you were strolling around town, headed towards the library, interlocking her arm with yours; you sent her a glance, only to start once again to focus on the unfamiliar scenery in front of your eyes, «we tried to let other girls on our ship, but it didnât end well.»
«Why not?» you questioned out of curiosity, your gaze still focused on the unfamiliar flowers decorating the streets; the novel youâve read ended as soon as Chris and Leana got their happy ending, so her words were definitely something you didnât know about.
«They ended up liking Chris a little bit too much, and you knowâŠÂ» the innocent smile on Leanaâs lips was a stark contrast to the gesture she made: she ran her index finger over her neck horizontally, and you suddenly widened your eyes, gulping nervously.
«You⊠did you kill them?» you whispered, only for her ears to hear, not quite knowing how to feel about it.
«And threw them in the sea,» she proudly clarified with a wink, «for all I know, they could be the sirens that attacked us.» her tone was as nonchalant as if she was talking about the weather, and you furrowed your eyebrows, familiar with what she was implying, since you clearly recalled the author mentioning it once.
Apparently, mermaids â or mostly known as sirens, were the women thrown off ships because of the common belief about âhaving a woman on boat brings bad luckâ, and therefore, as those poor women sank to the bottom of the sea, they committed themselves to their rage and their desire of revenge. You clearly remember how that paragraph made you quite uncomfortable, empathizing with those women as they rightfully wanted to take revenge on the people that killed them without reason. Moreover, the author described how they started to change underwater, their lungs adapting to the water until they could breathe and their tied legs eventually became a tail over time. They drowned sailors and pirates in revenge, but especially, they seem to target the crew that did them wrong, until they could see the remaining of their ships at the bottom of the sea.
All of a sudden, one of your first conversations with Leana came to your mind.
«So, what do you think about Chris?» she had questioned with an earnest smile, the both of you sitting on deck as you watched him ordering the others around.
«Heâs awesome,» you immediately answered, excitedly, «Felix told me heâs in charge of each route of the whole sea, and heâs basically around my age. Heâs really awesome for that!» you had excitedly explained, avoiding to mention too intricate details you read in the novel.
«He really is, donât steal him from me though!» she had laughed back then, gently nudging your shoulders with hers in an almost friendly gesture.
«I wouldnât dare,» you immediately scoffed, «youâre basically the perfect match! moreover, heâs not really my type.»
Only now you realized all the things that could have gone so incredibly wrong if your interaction had gone wrong back then, and you glanced at her once again.
Leana was now gazing around the town in amazement, since you knew that she had never been here as well; you instinctively scoffed a laugh, to thing that you believed Minho was the biggest threat among the crew.
Not to mention that the surprises were definitely not over; shortly after, Leana asked you if you believed in soulmates.Â
«I think I do,» you confessed; it was definitely one of your favourite genres to read about, but you couldnât admit that to her, «why?»
«Iâve been thinking about it lately, but I never had anyone to talk about itâŠÂ» she admitted.
âI wonder why,â you silently commented, but kept silent.
«Sometimes I have the feeling that me and Chris were meant to be, you know?» she fondly smiled, her gaze lost somewhere in the scenery around the two of you as she was probably recalling one of the various memories she had created with her husband; you were about to answer something encouraging and motivational, when her next words definitely made your voice die in your throat.
«I mean, I didnât even like Chris when he brought me on the ship, let alone if I could imagine myself falling in love with him or even marrying him.» she admitted, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
âWait a fucking minute now,â
«What?» you asked in complete disbelief. Once again, you perfectly recalled you read that Chris and Leana were in love before she got romantically and dramatically stolen away from him; to be precise, Leana was engaged to another man, who she didnât love.
However, Leana was standing in front of you, telling you a completely different part of the story, making you question if the things youâve read on your couch were correct in the first place.
«I was engaged with an officer of the navy, and I loathed pirates at first; I accepted to go with Chris because I agreed with my fiancĂ©e that I would have made Chris vulnerable in some way.» Leana hesitantly confessed, and you couldnât bring yourself to find an actual reply, «in the end I fell for him little by little, to the point where I couldnât imagine my life without him.»
âWhat the hell,â you thought; you had stopped walking altogether, and were simply standing still in silence, a whirlwind of thoughts floating around your head as you were staring at Leana. You never read something like this in the book, but if we had to be honest, the book was following Chrisâ point of view, but again, by the way Leana was described, she was meant to be the typical damsel in distress that runs away from an unhappy relationship to find her love.
However, in front of you stood Leana, a damsel that was very not in distress, a damsel who had a concerning series of murders weighting on her shoulders,  whose original plan was to serve Chrisâ head to the navy.
«Iâm glad you married him,» you ended up blurting out, «you look really cute together.» Leana loudly laughed at your unexpected comment, and as the two of you started walking again, she hugged your arm a little closer to her side.
«Wanna know whoâs cute?» her teasing tone made you sigh out of reflex, not sure whether you wanted to know the answer to her question, «You and Min Min.» she chanted, making you whine as an answer.
«I donât like him like that, letâs just â letâs talk about it another time, okay?» you pleaded, hoping that she would fall for your suggestion so that you could keep avoiding the topic forever.
The moment you stepped in front of the libraryâs entrance, you couldnât believe your eyes: it was as if a huge castle had been redecorated just to serve a new and better purpose. Leana didnât lie when she said about the pillars being huge, and the more you ventured in, the more you felt overwhelmed; you loved books, and for a second, you thought that you could become a priestess just to have a chance to read every single book you could see, even if it would have took literally a lifetime.
In the end, you ended up asking to a priestess for help, since you would have taken at least a whole day in order to find some useful information without asking for help.
«Books about teleportation?» the priestess had repeated your words, as if making sure she heard you loud and clear; you hesitantly nodded, feeling incredibly small under her gaze; she eventually nodded at the two of you, asking to follow her.
Needless to say, you ended up walking your way on the stairs around one of the pillars, just to reach the highest bookshelf.
«Itâs been a while since someone asked for that,» she said, trying to make conversation with the two of you, but only Leana was answering her various questions, since you were way too nervous to speak.
As you reached the bookshelf, your shoulders immediately lowered in deject; there were only four books about teleportation, but no one of them were like the one you brought.
«Sadly, we only have these ones.» the priestess excused herself, quickly taking notice of your saddened expression; you immediately tried to smile, shaking your head and answering that it was okay.
«Are you sure youâre okay?» Leana whispered to you, as soon as the priestess begun to walk down the stairs on her own and was now out of sight; your gaze was still on the books, which you eventually tried to examine.
What if the cover was different because you were in a different dimension?
However, as your fingers leafed through the pages, you couldnât understand your feelings; you almost seemed happy about the fact that your task had failed, as if what you really wanted was to remain into this world.
«I am,» you nodded, seeing Leanaâs concern vanish from her features, «I really am.»
The fact that your mission had failed meant only one thing: you and Leana were free to curiously look around as you pleased, and thatâs exactly what you did.
At the end of the day, once you were back in the carriage, you could swear you almost had a headache due to all the informations the both of you had tried to assimilate in your brain.
«What was that one again? Flat parsley and saffron?» she mumbled, massaging the side of her head.
«This planet is not flat was the first part,» you tiredly answered, mimicking her actions, «I donât know where you got the parsley and saffron thing from.»
«It was the recipes book I wanted to steal.» she urged, trying to give you another hint, as if you hadnât read an infinite quantitative of books within few hours.
«Oh, that one,» you hummed, recalling the moment where Leana had tried to see if the recipes book would fit under her shirt, saying that Felix would have loved it, «it was the recipe of saffron rice⊠There was no parsley, though.»
When you got off the carriage, Minho and Chris exchanged a quizzical glance as they saw the two of you look exhausted; both of you were dragging your feet towards them, talking with a flat tone about how amazing your day had been.
«Found anything?» Minho questioned, ignoring how his heart was beating in a silent hope that you didnât manage to find the book you were looking for; you kept walking, silently shaking your head.
Minho didnât say anything as he walked up next to you; the pirate breathed a soft sigh, swinging his arm around your shoulders and instinctively you hugged his waist, leaning your head towards his shoulder.
«Youâll find it.» you heard Minhoâs reassuring tone, and you shrugged in a silent answer.
âI think it will be okay, even if I donât.â you secretly thought, glancing at the pirate walking next to you.
Out of your sight, Chris and Leana were glancing both at you and Minho, before looking at each other.
«Am I hallucinating?» Chris questioned his wife; he knew that things between you and the pirate had improved, but he didnât imagine they had improved that much.
«I think weâll be celebrating another marriage soon.» Leana sighed, fondly smiling at the two of you. «âI donât like Minhoâ, my ass.» she scoffed, mumbling to herself as an amused smirk erupted on her lips, recalling the moment you denied liking the pirate.
That night, you found out that Chris not only owned every single soul sailing above the sea, he also owned few taverns scattered around the land as well.
You and the others had ended up in the courtyard of a local tavern â the Bitter Dahlia, the musicians animatedly creating a joyful atmosphere as few people had eventually started to dance. You had let yourself convince to try a whole lot different kind of drinks by Hyunjin, and now you were tipsily strolling around the courtyard with a pint of beer in your hand, and thankfully, Minho had easily noticed it; thatâs why as soon as you walked past him in order to find Felix, he reached out, placing his hand on your right shoulder and tugging you close to his body, your back pressed against his chest. You didnât realize it was Minho at first, you simply pouted because someone was stopping you all of a sudden; when you decided to find out who was attached to the arm blocking your path you giggled as soon as you saw Minhoâs face, and let him pull you closer to him.
Minho didnât say anything, and neither did you â nor did you move away in the first place.
«I think you drank too much, princess,» his hoarse voice â probably affected by the drinks he had, spoke right against your ear, and you instinctively crossed your ankles just to press your thighs together; you let him take the pint of beer from your hand, his arm eventually found his way around your waist, and he leaned his chin on your shoulder.
«Felix!» you giggled, catching a hold of the boyâs forearm as soon as you saw him walk by, tugging him towards both you and Minho, «Look at them,» you excitedly spoke, «look at them!» you urged again, giggling excitedly as you obviously forgot that Minho was right behind you and therefore he could hear everything.
Even if he was in a worse state than you were, it didnât take a genius for Felix to understand who you were talking about, and he followed your glance towards the small group of couples that were dancing; of course Chris and Leana were there, and of course you and Felix had felt the need to talk about how wonderful and amazing they looked.
«Theyâre both stumbling on their feet,» Minho had stated from behind you, holding your waist a little firmer, and you suddenly reminded that he had been unconsciously made part of your secret conversations with Felix, «theyâre really drunk, like â three sheets to the wind drunk.» he clarified, amused with your behaviour.
«You donât understand,» you quickly answered, your hand flying on top of the one the pirate had placed on your hip, «look at -» your voice vanished from your throat as soon as you turned your head towards him, and instead, your heart picked up pace at a concerning speed; Minhoâs face was millimetres from yours, his gaze burning into yours, «them.» you eventually finished, your voice barely above a whisper. You and Minho had already been close enough to kiss once, but to say that the situation was completely different would be an understatement.
If back then neither you nor Minho would have considered the option to kiss the other â let alone being attracted to each other, to this day things had drastically changed. Even if you blamed it on the alcohol, you were very much aware about the fact that you would have loved to kiss him; the fact that Minhoâs gaze kept shifting between your eyes and your lips clearly told you that your desire was reciprocated.
âIf this was a movie we would make out while CĂ©line Dion was singing her heart out in the background,â you drunkenly thought, âand all I get is drunk bards play the tarantellaâ.
«Well, this is something unexpected!» Jisungâs loud voice made you and Minho immediately turn your head towards him, and much to your embarrassment, he wasnât alone; of course Changbin and Hyunjin were with him.
«Sheâs tipsy, I didnât want her to fall over.» Minho had immediately answered, his voice a little bit too defensive if you were to ask Hyunjin, who carefully â and drunkenly, studied his expression with a sly smirk.
«And the empty chair next to you was claimed by a ghost?» Jisung questioned the pirate, who rolled his eyes without answering.
However, the worst still had to happen, because in that very moment, Leana seemed to appear out of thin air, as if she had magically listened to the conversation while she was dancing with her husband.
«You didnât hear it from me,» Leana loudly announced as if you and Minho werenât there, «but when we returned from Oâdraxxia, Minho straight up hugged her.»
You felt Minho bury his forehead in the crook of your neck, and you shortly met Felixâs gaze, who was looking at you with a drunk dazed smile: «We better talk about this!» he said.
«And, he also kissed her forehead.» Leana lied, getting drunk shouts of surprise from your friends, and you knew that as soon as you got back on the ship, you and Minho would become the most interesting topic among the crew.
«Want to scoot over?» Minho spoke against your ear once again, and you found your mind drifting towards unholy thoughts before you could stop yourself; his question was sincere, and as he voiced it, he started to move his arm away from your hip. However, you didnât bother to voice an answer; since your hand was still placed above his, you pushed it more firmly against your hip, purposely intertwining your fingers together.
As you felt Minhoâs lips hovering above the exposed skin of your shoulder in a barely perceptible kiss, you could swear that all the noise coming from the loud party around the two of you had been ignored from your brain.
Back on the Golden Fleece, everything seemed to have fallen back to the usual routine, with the only addiction that your friends had decided to constantly tease you and Minho about your almost kiss.
Of course, even if three days had passed since that night and Minho had visited your bedroom as always, no one dared to approach the topic, and you kept dancing on your tiptoes around each other.
However, whatâs a princess without a fairy godmother?
That evening, right after dinner, Felix had bursted into your room unannounced, somewhat expecting Leanaâs presence as well; the two of them were casually sitting on your bed, ignoring the fact that you were curled up under the covers, refusing to get out and face them.
«Well?» Felix urged, lowering the blanket just to expose your face; you hissed like a stray cat, but you quickly understood that neither of them was going to leave without an answer to the same question.
«I donât have anything to say,» you stubbornly said, and you heard Leana snort.
«Okay, weâll go first:» she spoke, leaning towards you, «I was drunk but I sure do have eyes, girl.» she spoke with an alluring tone, and you tried to roll over the opposite side in order not to hear her, «and my eyes are telling me that you like Minho, and Minho likes you.» choosing to groan instead of answer, Felix saw an opportunity to chime in.
«You were still dancing when it happened, but they almost kissed â like, kissed.» Felix added, empathizing the last part of his sentence, and Leana almost shrieked in disbelief, her offended voice questioning why you didnât tell her such an important and fundamental detail.
«Did you tell him?» Felix questioned, just to add the question you didnât dare to ask yourself, «Oh⊠Do you still want to go back home?»
You eventually threw the blanket off your face hearing that, meeting your friendsâ eyes as your face was filled with unsure doubt; you never thought it would have happened, but you had to admit to yourself that you were happy. You had friends,  you felt accepted, and you managed to have fun thanks to your friends, who cherished you. MoreoverâŠ
«I donât really want to hurt your feelings,» Leana suddenly spoke, interrupting your thoughts, «but when we were in Oâdraxxia and you didnât find the book, you almost lookedâŠÂ relieved.» your gaze met, and you realized you had a problem: your heart was clearly telling that you wanted to stay there, in that absurd world youâve read about one random afternoon.
When you met Felixâs gaze, you realized you had another problem, maybe a bigger one than the previous one: you liked Minho.
Well, of course you already knew that, since he was your favourite character of the novel; however, liking the real Minho, the one daily standing in front of you, the one who went from threatening to throw you overboard to gently caress your hair until you fell asleep was a different kind of thing.
«I think I need a second.» you admitted with a sigh, staring at the wooden tiles on the ceiling,
âLetâs suppose I like him,â you thought, âI donât think he actually likes me, he was probably tipsy,â you bit the inner part of your cheek, âwhat if he likes me and I like him and I find the book?â you scratched the back of your neck out of frustration, ignoring the fact that you wanted to scream, âwhat do I do?â
«Well, you could start with a simple âI think I have feelings for you and I donât think I want to go back any longerâ» Felix gently suggested, and as your gaze flew towards his, you realized that you had been unconsciously voicing your thoughts all along.
The same moment Felix was heading towards your room, Minho was heading towards the dining room, knowing that he would have found what he was looking for. The heavy smell of smoke and alcohol filled his nostrils, as he approached his friendsâ table quietly.
«Loverboy decided to ditch his girl to embrace his old habits?» Chris glanced at him, quirking an eyebrow with a mischievous smile.
«Iâm coming here in spite of myself, but I⊠have to.» Minho spoke in a dramatic tone that made Chris snort, waiting for his friend to tell them what was going through his mind, «I think I might like her.»
«We knew it already,» Hyunjin replied with no interest, his eyes still glued on his cards, admonishing Jisung because he was trying to sneak some of the coins off the table and inside his sleeve; Minho stared at his friend with stupor, but Hyunjin seemed too focused on their match to pay attention to his friend.
«"Like her" as in, âI want to hold your hand under the moonlightâ,» Changbin â the only one beside Chris who was listening to Minho, suggested, «or âI want to ravish you until you canât standâ?»
Minho didnât answer immediately, choosing to think about it for a while, even if he didnât really have to; he undoubtedly found you attractive, and over time, he found himself slowly getting incredibly soft for you, to the point where he would glance around at random moments of the day just to see what you were doing.
The more Minhoâs silence went on, the more his friends had gradually stopped focusing on their match in order to look at him with curiosity and malice, enjoying how the pirateâs face gradually got flustered.
«As in⊠both.» Minho confessed, making his friends hum and mumble in acknowledgement.
«Ah! ⊠Well, we knew that already.» Hyunjin replied again, his sharp gaze once again back to the table in front of them.
«What do you mean?» Minho asked quizzically, since it was the second time his friend had mentioned it.
«Yeah, well, remember when Jisung was teaching her the basic of self defence?» Seungmin â who had kept silent until then, asked making Minho immediately nod, how could he forget that day?
Jisung had been trying to teach you a few simple movements for what seemed to be hours, but in the end, you kept doing stupid and predictable mistakes because you seemed to be too tense to use a dagger â let alone a sword.
«Leave it, Han, sheâll end up stabbing herself by mistake.» he had told his friend with an arrogant tone, and he clearly remembered the flustered expression on your face.
As always, you tried to fight back, but this time it was a little bit different; thatâs how you ended up chasing Minho through the deck while screaming «Iâll fucking kill you, I swear!» until Changbin decided to stop you by stopping you mid run.
«What about it?» Minho asked again, not understanding what his friend wanted to imply.
«Felix and few other saw you laughing,» Seungmin added, «therefore, it was just a matter of time.»
Minho placed his elbow on the table and roughly massaged the bridge of his nose, trying to analyse the situation he was in: he liked you, but what happened few nights ago was just a result of the both of you being tipsy, and moreover, he knew that you wanted to go back home. What was he supposed to do?
«Iâm not an expert, but try with a simple âI like you, please stay here with meâ.» Jisung had spoken as if he could read his thoughts; only then Minho realized that he had never been silent in the first place.
Minho had eventually joined you in your bedroom few hours after Felix and Leana had left, even if you had already stated that he either fell asleep or he was spending the night gambling with the others. You seemed to miss his presence more than you usually did, especially because that night you were freezing: no matter how many blankets you were laying under, you just didnât seem to warm up.
âIt wouldnât be punk rock for me to die like this,â you thought, breathing in your joined fists as you tried to ignore the constant shivers of your body.
A familiar knock on the door caught your attention, and as soon as you recognized Minhoâs voice whispering his greetings, you had to physically stop yourself from asking him to join you under the covers so that he could warm you up.
Unlike you, Minho didnât seem to mind the cold that much, but nonetheless he quickly walked up to you, pressing the palm of his hand to your forehead just in case you had a fever.
«Iâm genuinely wondering how the hell you manage to live like this.» you broke the silence, your jaw trembling because of the sheer cold; although you tried not to think to the accommodation of your original life, your mind couldnât help but wander to your beloved electric heater, your faithful companions during winter.
«You just ... get used to it?» Minho questioned back, not really able to give you an actual answer; of course, during the first years he spent sailing he was in the same situation as you â everyone had, but he eventually got used to it.
Minho sat on the edge of your bed, mindlessly running his fingertips through your hair â a simple yet intimate gesture he had come to love.
«I can hear flowers blooming in that flower field,» he smugly commented the fact that you were keeping silent, and you clicked your tongue, asking what he meant, «what did you use in your world to keep warm?» he curiously questioned, and your heart soared at the realization that he was honestly and genuinely interested in your stories.
However, you were too cold for your brain to function properly, and you ended up talking about the concept of the electric heating in a very confusing way; nonetheless, Minho didnât seem to mind you words, for his concern had increasingly risen.
«Hey,» the pirate interrupted your explanation, «are you sure you donât want another blanket?» despite the fact that you were doing your best, he still noticed the occasional shivers and clattering of your teeth as soon as you stopped speaking.
«Itâs okay,» you reassured him, «I used all the blankets Leana gave me⊠Iâll warm up eventually.» you answered hopefully, but Minho didnât answer immediately; instead, he reached out, shortly enveloping your hand with his just to comment that it was as if you had stuck your hand into ice.
«Come here,» Minho said, stretching over your legs and fully sitting on your bed with his back against the wall, widening his legs so that he could form a space for you to sit in; you kept still in amazed astonishment, not quite trusting your thoughts on the hypothesis that Minho wanted to cuddle.
«Are you gonna kill me?» you blurted out, for your frozen brain decided it was the most likely solution.
«Quit that, princess,» he clicked his tongue, urging you to come closer, «you know weâre past that.» folding all your blankets around your shape, you slowly crawled in the space he made for you, trying not to lose the small amount of warmth you had created; you immediately tensed up, sitting straight and clutching the blankets closer to your body.
Since the night you almost kissed, you had never been so close to Minho, and for some reason, it was enough for your heart to pick up pace as if it was begging you to set it free through your ribcage.
«Come here,» the pirate repeated, his voice a little gentler â a little softer, and you found yourself leaning against his torso. Unlike you, Minho wasnât using a blanket to keep himself warm and therefore he could move his arms freely; of course he used them to loosely cage you in his hold.
Although you had to admit that the position you were in definitely looked kind of weird, it was extremely comfortable;Â Minhoâs steady breathing was slowly calming your nerves as well, and you found yourself relaxing in his hold.
«Do you want some of my blankets?» you mumbled quietly, embarrassed about the fact that you didnât ask sooner.
«Iâm good.» Minho answered immediately, gently repeating that you should try to sleep.
Despite the fact that you were comfortable, despite Minhoâs presence, despite the fact that you were slowly warming up, sleep was definitely your last priority. The pirateâs nose brushed against your forehead as he was trying to adjust his position to get more comfortable, and you quickly noticed that his skin was cold as well.
«Minho,» you called out again few minutes later; the pirate hummed, and you took it at a silent question to go on, «can we please share blankets?»Â
«Why?» he chuckled at your distress, and you could feel his soft breath in the side of your face.
«You look cold,» you tried to justify yourself, «I have a lot of blankets, we can share.» you insisted.
Minho eventually gave up, and the both of you ended up shifting from your original position; however, this meant that your arms were touching as you were now laying next to each other, and there wasnât a blanket you could use as an invisible barrier anymore.
Under the sea of sheets, Minhoâs right arm snaked under your neck, pulling you to his body; as if you were magnets, you followed his lead, laying on your side and hugging his waist, resting your head in the crook of his neck, nuzzling as close as you could. Your nose was right against Minhoâs neck, and you could almost feel the goosebumps he had whenever you breathed; you ended up blaming it on the cold temperature, since you were fond of keeping your mental sanity and you were madly trying to distract yourself from thinking about other ways to share body heat.
«You know, once we got stuck in the middle of an iced part of the sea,» Minho mumbled, talking about one of his adventures as if he was trying to prevent his mind from wandering towards the same sinful thoughts you were trying to avoid.
«What?» you hummed, too tired to try remembering if you read about it in the novel, «How did you get out of there?»
«Ropes,» was his immediate answer, «we ended up pulling on the rope until we could break the ice.»
«Like that âVikingsâ episode,» you giggled to yourself in a tired voice; Minho had immediately questioned you about it, and you tried to explain to him what movies and TV shows were.
However, you were obliviously fighting falling asleep, reason why Minho ended up gently shutting you up with a gentle and earnest: «youâll tell me about it tomorrow.»
As always you fell asleep first, but this time, when Minho moved you so that you could lay on your bed to sleep more comfortably and he could walk back to his room, you weakly grabbed his hand in your sleep.
«I get lonely if youâre not here.» you mumbled, still lost in dreamland. Minho was thankful to the lights being completely off and to you being asleep because the expression on his face was priceless: he was incredibly flustered, his blush was flaring up both his cheeks and the tip of his ears.
That night, Minho slept next to you for the first time, and as you randomly woke up in the middle of the night, you found him laying next to you under the sea of blankets; you instinctively snuggled closer to his chest, only to realize that you were partially laying on top of his firm chest. Not wanting to disturb his sleep, you tried to scoot away as quietly as you could in order not to wake him up, just to lay next to him.
However, that was your initial plan, since you soon found out that Minho was indeed a light sleeper; the arm he kept around your waist had tightened out of reflex, harshly pulling you in your original position once again.
«Where do you think youâre going, princess?» he murmured, his voice still groggy due to sleep.
«I, uhmâŠÂ» you hesitated, your brain was clearly too sleepy to come up with a clever and witty answer.
Minho didnât wait for you to find your words, though; keeping you close to his body, he gently rolled you on your back, partially draping his body over yours instead.
«Go back to sleep,» he murmured again, easing his left leg between yours, and nuzzling his head in the crook of your neck.
âHeâs a cuddler?â you wondered in pleased surprise; your hand eventually ended up in his hair, running your fingertips trough it and trying to lull him back to sleep.
However, Minho found it impossible to fall asleep again, judging your wild heartbeat hammering right under his ear; he glanced up towards the small window in your room, and quickly deduced that it was still the middle of the night, meaning that you didnât get to sleep much in the first place.
If at first he had tried to lull you back to sleep while caressing your hip in a loving manner, he quickly realized that his touch had quite the opposite effect on you; he also had to admit that the sudden proximity of your body and the position that you were in was making him significantly riled up as well.
«Canât sleep?» he asked, shortly rubbing his eyes with his fingertips in order to get rid of sleep as fast as he could, deciding that you didnât have to stay awake on your own; you settled for humming affirmatively at his question, and Minho effortlessly pushed himself up, partially balancing his weight on his right elbow so that he his face was hovering above yours. Due to the change of position, his thigh was firmly pressed between your legs, and you forced yourself to swallow a whimper as his knee slightly dipped in the mattress.
Despite the poor lightning, you could feel his gaze on your features, as if he was trying to see through the darkness; you were clearly trying to do the same, and another silence fell as the Golden Fleece was constantly rocking your body while gently following the rhythm of the night sea.
«Do you think the flowers growing in your head are contagious?» Minho blurted out all of a sudden, his left hand mindlessly running up your side in a gentle yet firm touch, «I think I might go back on my thoughts of you not being a siren.» he quietly added; you didnât answer â your senses about to go overdrive due to all the different kind of constant stimulation added to the comfortable warmth of his body, settling for humming yet again, silently asking him to go on.
Minho ran his left hand from your side to your neck, and eventually started to run his fingertip over your features, delicately brushing over your skin ever so lightly, touching you as if you were some precious treasure he unexpectedly found in the middle of the sea.
«You have completely driven me mad,» Minho confessed with an earnest voice, his fingertips brushing over your cheekbones, «with affection,» he added, his touch brushing over the bow on your upper lip, «with desire,» you found yourself weakly gripping at the front his shirt as soon as you heard his hoarse voice overflowing with the feelings he was talking about, «to the point where I know I should want you to be happy, but I keep wanting â I keep craving, that you could find your happiness with me.» Minhoâs confession made your head spin; you wanted to answer that his feelings were completely reciprocated, answer that you didnât found happiness with Minho â you found a home.
However, your voice died in your throat as soon as the pirate had leaned in, his lips hovering barely above yours, yet almost constantly brushing together due to the shipâs movement.
«I am completely enamoured of everything about you,» Minho had whispered then, making you suddenly tighten the loose grip you had on his shirt to the point that the necklace he had been wearing since they day you saved the crew from the sirensâ had fallen out of the collar, now dangling between your bodies, «your body, your personality, the crazy flower field in your head, princess, I â I donât want you to go back.»
Your heart was overflowing with a different mix of feelings, but the happiness of your feelings being reciprocated seemed to prevail.
«I stopped wanting to go back since me and Leana returned from O'draxxia.» was what you admitted out loud, your voice trembling due to all the sudden emotions that were almost setting your soul on fire.
Only then you leaned in â trusting your body more then your words, capturing the pirateâs lips in a timid first kiss, filling it with all the love you felt for the pirate. Minho returned your gesture immediately, kissing your lips slowly, tentatively, over and over again as he was trying to savour you, shortly kissing your lips just to drift his attention elsewhere and kissing your cheek, your nose, your chin, as if he was trying not to lose himself to the lust he was feeling. The kiss had eventually started to heathen when Minho leaned in to kiss you, just for you to run your fingertips through his hair and harshly closing your hand in a fist against his nape, tugging him closer to you and preventing him from running away, so that you could delicately running your tongue on his lower lip.
Minhoâs kisses started to get less cherishing and more passionate, occasionally leaving a path of open mouthed kisses on your neck, his knee digging further in the mattress anytime he moved and creating the kind of friction you were honestly about to beg for.
It was as if you were a small ship adrift caught up in a sudden storm; Minho kept worshipping your body and all you could do in that moment was to take, take and take, hoping that as soon as the storm had passed you wouldnât have completely fallen into madness, wishing to stumble right in another one because you felt addicted to the rush of adrenaline.
As your kisses grew hotter, so did your bodies and eventually, the sea of blankets you were covered with was progressively being scattered either on the floor or in a corner of your bed.
On deck, the sight of the sun about to rise in the distance was in stark contrast to the light drizzle that had started to fall, the sound of rain echoing on the wooden tiles and absorbing the faint noises of the pirates waking up for the morning shift; in your bedroom, Minhoâs hair felt like gentle rain falling on your body everytime the pirate leaned down to kiss your skin as he was undressing you.
âWell, fuck,â you thought, admitting to yourself that Minho was definitely both a good and experienced lover. He had patiently took his sweet time to pay extreme attention to your body, studying how reacted to his different touches as if he was making up for all the lost time, occasionally showering you with praises as his head was nestled between your legs and he was lapping at your clit, making you quicklytumble on your first orgasm of the night.
It had definitely been a long time since you had sex with someone, your boring routine had never actually given you an opportunity to meet new people â let alone think about a relationship, but you werenât expecting Minho to act so smug about it.
As your bodies were finally connected,Minho had sneaked one arm under your waist while steadily moving his hips against yours, harshly pulling it upwards so that your back would be a little more arched and your naked bodies would be pressed together even more; once again, you were greedily taking everything Minho was giving you, helplessly running your fingernails on his back deep enough you would leave marks, beaming yourself in the feeling of his low moans and the goosebumps erupting on his skin out of reflex.
«Going dumb on me for this little action, princess?» Minhoâs hoarse voice was filled with desire as he spoke, his hips gradually slowing until his movements came to a stop; you immediately whimpered loudly at the lack of friction, trying to move your hips in circles because you were desperately to create it on your own. You wanted to feel more, you wanted for that moment to never end. As you kept your movements slow and rhythmic â you had to admit that Minho still hoisting you up was doing half of the job, you grabbed the necklace sill dangling between the two of you with your left hand, harshly tugging it and therefore bringing Minhoâs face closer to yours.
«Do you ever shut up?» you answered instead, the nails of your right hand â still gripping at his shoulders, were most definitely digging half moon shapes in his skin, and you felt proud of yourself for not ending up whimpering with need somewhere along your sentence; even if it was probably dawn already, you couldnât see him clearly yet, but it didnât take a wild guess for you to know that he was smirking at your words.
«I donât know, do I?» he challenged, shortly capturing your lips in a passionate kiss, starting once again to move his hips to meet your movements.
«Ruin me, Minho,» you urged, keeping him close to you with your grip on the necklace, «I want to be yours,» you confessed then, your body slowly about to lose itself to the momentary euphoria of another orgasm, «I donât want you to be anybody elseâs but mine.»
«Do you think we can sleep in?» you mumbled, tired; you could both clearly hear that it was raining, and you desperately wished for your alone time with Minho to continue for few more hours; you were now laying in bed, lovingly cuddling in your post orgasm bliss.
«Iâm on duty this morning,» Minho replied, caressing the bare skin of your shoulder, and admitting that he would have loved to spend the day like this; eventually, you and Minho woke up, washed up and got ready for your day.
Of course, during the day, the pirate had used any excuse to drive you in a corner of the Golden Fleece and kiss you as desperately as if it was your last time.
Of course, you couldnât escape a certain pair of eyes.
âOh no, here they come, Sauron and Sauron jr.â you thought, chuckling to yourself as you saw Felix and Leana approaching with big and quick steps; you found it hard to contain your laughter, since they were lightly pushing and pulling each other as if both of them wanted to know first.
«Congratulations on the sex!» Leana had mischievously commented, and you immediately reached out to press your hand against her lips in a vain attempt to let everyone on the Golden Fleece know about your early morning activities, «you have hickeys everywhere.» you heard her mutter against your skin.
«Are you finally official?» Felix questioned, secretly happy to have you as a sister in law; you didnât immediately reply, since you and Minho didnât clarify it out loud.
However, as your gaze shortly wondered to your lover, who was continuously walking around on deck while changing his destination every now and then as he was trying to avoid Hyunjinâs Jisungâs and Changbinâs teasing â they were literally tailing him and occasionally trying to widen the collar of his shirt just to see «where do these scratches on your nape come from? Is there a stray cat on board or something?», you found yourself smiling gently at the sight.
«We are.» you confirmed, a smile on your face as you finally felt happy.
A month later, you and Minho were definitely official: he moved to your bedroom, and you managed to fit in your small bed nonetheless. You both spent your days doing your chores, and your nights enjoying your affection, either making love until you were exhausted or talking until you were on the verge to fall asleep.
Minho wanted to know everything about you, every single detail that you didnât consider important, and you felt cherished, since you knew that no one had ever loved you like that. Actually, you wanted to know everything about Minho as well; although the author of the novel had paid enough attention to his character, there were a lot of things you didnât know, and you found yourself listening to his stories, silently wishing that you were already in his company so that you could have experienced those memories together.
«Youâre a pirate,» he had chuckled at your comment, «Iâm sure youâll get to experience your dose of adventures, too.»
Minho was completely smitten with your presence, and so were you; slowly, you found yourself occasionally forgetting about your life before you had shifted into this dimension, admitting to both your lover and your friends that you didnât want to find a way to go home any longer. Needless to say, they were all more than happy with your choice.
However, a month later, your destiny gave you an unexpected choice.
The Golden Fleece was now docked to a port for your usual restock of supplies, and as everyone was busy with their commissions, you and Minho decided to wander through the nearby marketplace, since everything about that world was new to you. You ended up buying a matching necklace, since the both of you were too scared to lose a ring in the middle of the sea, and you kept playing with it as you were strolling around, your fingers loosely intertwined together.
The marketplace was filled with the most random people, but what captured your attention was a small stall that seemed to be packed with books.
«Iâll check this out for a second.» you told Minho, who had simply nodded at you, answering that he was going to check out the stall right next to yours. Â
As soon as you quickly approached it, a certain book seemed to catch your eye in a magnetic hold: it was relegated in leather, some golden details that recalled the title written in beautiful handwriting. Honestly, a small familiar detail was the one that caught your eye, making your heart rapidly hammer in your chest: a small golden stone embedded right under the title was quietly reflecting the sunlight.
Immediately, you found yourself fanning the pages with anxious fingers, and you couldnât believe what you were reading; the book was talking about your life, the life you were leading before finding yourself in the novel you had been reading.
What the hell was happening?
Quickly, you jumped to the end of the book to read the summary, and you felt as if you couldnât breathe: it was a short novel about a girl â who coincidentally had both your name and worked exactly where you used to work, who spent her quiet life in a small home town, occasionally meeting her friends.
Of course, it sounded rather plain and boring, but the description was perfectly matching your life; anxiety was slowly clouding your emotions as you opened the book at a random page.
â«Cleo, donât sit on the window sill!» the girl had yelled from the kitchen, worried about her catâs habits.â
You closed the book immediately, recalling the scene a bit too vividly; your cat had the habit to sit on the window sill anytime it was open, therefore worrying you to death, and every time you ended up picking her up in order to give her some extra cuddles to refrain her from climbing there yet again.
A whirlwind of thoughts were occupying your head; if this book was talking about your life, that meant you could go back to your ordinary life and keep living your days as you used to.
Going back meant not having occasional nausea due to living on a ship and not risking to die of hypothermia; moreover, all of a sudden, you were definitely craving to eat some junk food.
«Are you interested in purchasing the book, young girl?» an old lady called your attention. She was probably the owner of the stall, and you squinted your eyes at the familiarity of her face; to be honest, you were almost certain that she was the same person that owned the book-store in your original time, but that couldnât be the case, right?
«Hey princess, if you donât hurry up, weâll leave you here!» Minhoâs voice interrupted your thoughts, and your head seemed to clear just like the wind clears the sky after a heavy storm; you turned your head to look at your lover, who was looking at you with his hands on his hips, a smug yet enamoured look on his face. The Golden Fleece was about to sail, you reminded yourself, you had simply stopped in town to get some supplies, water and enough provisions for the next trip.
Out of instinct, you hugged the book to your chest, as your eyes remained fixed on Minho; you didnât know anything about how you managed to end up in this messed up reality, and at this point, you didnât care.
The chance to go back was right in your hands, but as you watched Minho scoff a laughter at your indecision, every trace of doubt vanished from your heart; you and Minho definitely had a rough start, but you had to admit to yourself that you wouldnât want to live in another dimension without the pirate who was looking at you as if you were the centre of the universe.
Going back meant not having Felix waking you up in the morning, or Leana bursting into your room looking for cuddles because «Chris is busy with stupid pirate stuff.». It meant not seeing both Seungmin and Jeongin incredibly proud about the latterâs progresses in writing and reading, or Changbin, Jisung and Hyunjin restlessly trying to lure you into their gambling circle.
Going back also meant no more Minho; no more walking up in the middle of the night just to cuddle closer to him, no more having quiet sex on deck in the middle of the night, no more laughing among yourselves because of a stupid inside joke you created, not having him gently chuckling at your unconsolable face anytime he was drying your hair with a towel as you kept whining about your limited edition conditioner.
Most importantly, it meant no more Minho telling you that he loved you, his eyes full of love and sincerity.
«Thank you, but I prefer adventure books.» you honestly answered at the lady, and with a content smile you placed the book exactly where it was; you quickly walked towards Minho, who hugged your shoulders out of instinct as the two of you walked towards the port.
«Saw anything you liked out there?» he wondered curiously; you sincerely seemed interested in the book you were holding, why didnât you buy it?
«Yeah,» you answered honestly, «you.» the pirate scoffed a flustered breath, and you circled his waist as you kept walking.
Unbeknownst to you, the lady was looking at you and Minho with a some sort of fond smile on her lips; as soon as you were at a reasonable distance, the book seemed to vanish, as if it had completely disappeared from this world. In a blink of an eye, the old lady seemed to have disappeared as well, and in her place was standing the original owner of the stall, a man who was selling every kind of jewellery shining brightly on the table in front of him.
Few meters away, a cat with a very unique appearance â black fur randomly dotted with ginger spots and light green eyes, was quietly roaming the port, satisfied with her task.
She recalled being called in a different variety of names during her immortal life, âAnankeâ was probably the most used among different cultures; however, she will always cherish the memories she had made with a very special human who had randomly picked her up on a rainy day, giving her a shelter, keeping her well fed and gifting her with a brand new name: âCleoâ.
Walking towards the Golden Fleece, your attention was caught by some pirates who were carrying a dozen crates on board that looked quite heavy.
«Did we have so little supplies on board?» you questioned Chris, as soon as you and Minho joined the others on the wharf.
«We had plenty!» Leana answered instead, «Me and Felix decided to fill your wardrobe with new clothes, as a welcoming gift!»
«But⊠I donât have a wardrobe in my roomâŠÂ» you answered, wondering how could a wardrobe fit in there now that you and Minho were sharing the bedroom.
«Not yet!» Felix answered, mirroring Leanaâs euphoria; you were about to answer him, when Hyunjin had asked you whether you had decided to stay with them.
«I did, Captain said itâs not a problem.» you nodded, imperceptibly pushing your body against Minhoâs side as if to look for an invisible shelter; what if the gambler trio was against the idea?
However, Hyunjin had simply nodded, while Changbin and Jisung seemed to be genuinely happy about it.
«Well, thatâs great!» you said, clapping your hands once, «Chris said that I could chose the first thing to do, and so I decided weâre about to raid a merchant ship!»
«Are you sure youâre okay? Did you perhaps hit your head again?» Seungmin wondered, instinctively reaching out in order to touch your forehead, as if checking if you had a fever. However, you were already walking towards the Golden Fleece with confident steps, as if you were meant to be there.
«Come on, scallywags!» you eagerly announced in a loud voice, as if you were impersonating the Captain, «Letâs go, Min Min.» you added then, your voice definitely more softer and a smile on your lips.
«Wait!» Jeongin halted everyone, his hands hovering in the air, «Did she just call him-»
«You heard the lady!» Leana interrupted Jeongin, quickly pulling the palm of her hand on the youngerâs mouth. «Letâs go!»
âAh, I really shouldnât have wasted the Britney quote like that,â you pouted, ânow I have to figure out another iconic thing to scream as we walk on the merchantsâ ship.â you sighed, instinctively leaning towards Minho as soon as you felt his arm circle your shoulders.
«You seem lost in thought,» he pointed out, noticing your eyebrows furrowed.
«Does âitâs high tide, baby!â sound scary and menacious to you?» you wondered out loud, thing that made Minho burst out laughing, «Why are you laughing? Itâs not like we can crash against their ship screaming âvibe checkâ!» you pretended to be offended, but you found yourself laughing along with your lover.
«âVibeâ what? Where did that come from now?» he asked, already knowing that this was just another one of your weird figure of speech.
«My flower field.» you proudly answered, tapping your temple twice, Minho rolled his eyes, and leaned in, shortly kissing your temple.
Everyone was busy on deck, the Golden Fleece had sailed once again; your gaze lost itself in the vast sea in front of you, and you found yourself recalling the question Leana had asked you when you were on your trip to Oâdraxxia.
«Do you believe in soulmates?» she had questioned you, and back then you uncertainly answered that you thought you did.
âWhat if me and Minho are soulmates?â you wondered, unconsciously wrapping your fingers around your matching necklace - both the one you bought at the market and the talisman made out of your precious clothes; you found yourself recalling the unpredictable change of your relationship, and you breathed a content sigh, for the first time in your life feeling completely at peace.
«Yes, we must be.» you softly mumbled to yourself, your voice barely above a whisper losing itself in the wind. Â
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[3.21]
â pairing : Chris x fem! reader
â content warnings : wolf au, Chris is a wolf, reader is a witch, soulmates, thigh riding, wall sex, medieval settings as always, unprotected sex (wrap it up yâall), fantasy au
â word count : 3.541
â notes : want this fic to make sense? read this as the last one of this series!
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
đșđź WOLVES! STRAY KIDS SERIES
Chris part one | part two // Changbin // Jisung // Hyunjin // Seungmin // Minho part one | part two // Felix // Jeongin
The full moon shone bright in the starry sky, meaning that the wolves were on a hunt and the witches could meditate together, strengthening their bonds. It was a pleasant casualty how eight witches managed to go from absolute strangers to not only sisters, but also the protectors of the forest and the nearby village.
As the night breeze softly dishevelled your hair, you sat next to your sisters under the moon, your eyes closed and your soul â strangely enough, incredibility uneasy. Although you were physically distant, mates could feel each otherâs emotions and so, you knew that Chris could easily figure out if anything was wrong and vice versa.Â
Even thought you spent the day constantly feeling worried, you didnât want to alert anyone else about it; when Chris asked you why you were so troubled, you shook it off saying it was probably the full moonâs effect, and he believed you. Even thought the moonâs energy was flowing in your soul, you couldnât help but feel distressed.Â
In the silence of the night, Felixâs mate suddenly called your attention with a gentle tap on your shoulder, and you immediately turned your head to make contact with her worried gaze; to interrupt a meditation, something must have happened.
«The Black Spirit saw some trespassers,» she whispered, tilting her head to the right and mumbling something to the spirit who always watched over her, «he says theyâre wolves, and theyâre wanderers.»
With a sigh, you furrowed your brows, silently biting your tongue while lost in thoughts; now that the pack wasnât around, you were in charge. Chris was the Alpha, and not only you were his mate, you were also the first witch to join their pack, thing which immediately gave you a position of power.
Luckily, you all got along among each other and so no one of the witches ever tried to challenge your authority, especially because both you and Chris accordingly acted as leaders only in case of important matters.
With a quick nod, you asked Changbinâs and Felixâs mate to come along with you. Changbinâs mate came from a small village of fighters, so she was not only a powerful witch but also a strong warrior; Felixâs mate, well, she was powerful and also had the extra help of the Black Spirit, which could definitely come in hand. Asking the other witches to keep their meditation and to watch over you, the three of you quickly walked to the edge of the woods; you felt Chrisâ emotions change into sudden worry, meaning that he already understood that something was wrong, and you knew it was just a matter of time for him and the others to come back.
Basically, you had to buy them enough time, a thing which you definitely could have done.
«Walk past that birch, and weâll be considered at war.» you said with a stern voice to the six boys about to walk in your territories. They were young, tall and the scowl on their faces was threatening, as they kept looking at you as if you were nothing.
«If Iâm not mistaken, your mates are not around,» one of them scoffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest with an amused grin, «I donât see the problem.» as he was about to step past the birch, you let out a short unamused chuckle, lifting your left hand in mid-air: immediately, the boy stopped in his tracks as your eyes flashed golden. Chris has marked you a couple of weeks since youâve met each other, and therefore, you were aware that the wolf already knew you were the Alphaâs mate, and the fact that he deliberately choose to ignore it, both worried you and irritated you at the same time.
«Is my authority not enough?» you challenged, raising an eyebrow; as the boyâs friends were about to pounce, your sisters mimicked your spell, and in an instant, the wanderers were totally unable to move.
«What can a witch do to a wolf?» he spat and you chuckled, instinctively tightening your hand in a silent spell just to make them feel a little more pain.
«I donât know, you donât seem to have the upper hand right now.» you shrugged quietly, and the ruffling of leaves on your left signalled you that your mates had finally came to your rescue.
Chrisâ bright red eyes were fixed on the wanderers as his wolf form was slowly making his way towards them while emitting a low and menacing growl; three black wolves quickly emerged from the bushes, and you immediately recognized them as Changbin, Minho and Hyunjin, the strongest among the pack and slowly, the others gradually emerged from the woods as well in their majestic wolf forms, confronting and outnumbering the still immobile trespassers.
«You can solve your matters with my mate, if you prefer.» you added, nodding towards Chrisâ, which was now protectively in front of you and more than ready to jump at the boyâs throat if he ever tried anything which he didnât like.
Feeling safer, you and your sisters released your spell at the same time, your eyes turning in their natural colours; the wanderers could move again, but they wisely settled for walking away without any other word.
âThat was surprisingly quick,â you thought, secretly glad that the matter had been solved without anyone getting hurt; you were all under the influence of the full moon, meaning that the witches were stronger but the wolves could easily lose control, thing which was definitely too dangerous. No one would have wanted to risk hurting their mate.
Before you could look back to the witches and tell them they did well, Chrisâ head nudged your arm, and you immediately scratched his grey fur with a soft smile; you knew what he wanted to say, and you lowered yourself just enough to place a kiss next to his ear.
Thank you for coming to our rescue,» you gently told him, «you can go back.» Chrisâ wolf form was both intimidating and majestic; even if you already saw it a countless times, you always found his soft grey fur and high red eyes mesmerising.
Eventually, the wolves went back on their hunt, and the witches went back to their meditating activities.
«Chris, wake up,» you sighed, squirming under the boy sprawled almost completely over you, «I bet breakfast is ready.»
Chris groaned unintelligible sentences which sounded like «Five more minutes.» before eventually lifting his head enough to quickly kiss your cheek in a good morning kiss and rolling on the other side of the bed with a movement way too slow and uncoordinated for him to be already awake; you chuckled to yourself at his cuteness, rubbing your eyes in the attempt to get rid of the desire of wanting to sleep a little more as well.
«You might want to hurry up, unless you want Seungmin and Hyunjin to eat your share of food as well.» you reached out to kiss his shoulder, and got up; you quickly washed up and headed towards Felixâs house.
A pack living in terraced cottages inevitably meant that the living room in each house was big enough to host everyone; Felix and his mate were surprisingly good at cooking and so, it had become a habit â more like a tradition, to cook and eat together at their house.
«I canât believe it!» Jeonginâs mate shouted in disbelief, and you looked at her curiously as you joined the others for breakfast, taking a sit next to Changbinâs mate.
«You had to see her! âIs my authority not enough?â» Hyunjin said, trying to impersonate you as best as he could, «We could hear her all the way through the woods and I was like, âYeah, go big sis, fuck them up!â» he said over excitedly before loosely wrap his arm around his mateâs shoulders, and you blushed in reflex, hiding your face into your hands in embarrassment.
«You did more than great.» Chrisâ voice came in an unexpected whisper, right after a soft kiss has been placed on the top of your head. He sat next to you and yawned briefly while rubbing his eyes, before staring into an indefinite spot on the wooden table; you chuckled,  waving a hand in front of his face, wondering how did he managed to be so cute even when he had barely woken up.
«-cottage on the river.» you heard Seungmin say, and you realized that you forgot to pay attention to him because you were completely engrossed by your mateâs beauty.
«Come again?» you innocently raised your eyebrows in confusion, ignoring the fact that Jisung and Changbin were laughing at you because they knew how smitten you and Chris were for each other.
Actually, truth was that your days were a constant teasing each other because mates shared a really deep and emotional bond, therefore it wasnât rare for a couple to be completely engrossed by each otherâs presence; letâs just say that you and Chris were the ones which gave it away the most.
«I said, you both look tired, you could go on a mini-vacation and stay at our cottage on the river.» Seungmin gently repeated himself, and you quickly shook your head.
«And leave you without supervision?» Chris joked, «Thanks, but someone has to watch over a group of hyperactive toddlers.»
«Some of us are older than you!» Minhoâs mate immediately joked along, and Chris winked at her before mouthing âsmall babiesâ.
«At least, you donât think the same, right?» Jeongin questioned you, and you took a sharp intake of breath before searching for Chrisâ gaze, which was already looking at you with a smug and amused expression, quietly munching on his breakfast.
«WellâŠÂ» you hesitated, silently confirming Chrisâ words. The thing was, you occasionally talked about it; Chris was the Alpha and you were his mate, therefore, even if the both of you loved them all to the moon and back and considered them as your equals, you couldnât help to feel somehow responsible for them and their safety.
«Well, mom and dad, pack your things, you have the weekend off.» Felix said, pointing the butter knife to you in a useless attempt to look threatening, making you erupt in quiet laughters instead.
The first time youâve been to said cottage was when you first moved in with the pack, two years ago; that day will probably be engraved in your memory forever, since you and Chris made love for the first time and he officially marked you at his mate.
Since then, the other witches started to join the pack, and you were both too happy and too occupied with making them feel welcome that nor you nor Chris ever thought about going back.
The cottage was almost identical to your houses; a simple, cosy wooden house stood next to the river, far enough from the woods, signalling the end of the packâs territories.
Relaxing under the sun, you sat with your eyes closed and your head tilted back, balancing your weight on your hands, when a sudden sound of quick steps on the grass made you turn around; before you managed to, however, Chris was already sitting behind you, effortlessly pulling you between his legs and hugging your waist, so that you were pressed flush against his chest.
«I must admit, this was surprisingly a good idea.» you admitted, relaxing against his chest; could feel the smile in Chrisâ lips as he brushed your hair over your shoulder, baring the side of your neck so that he could leave a trail of soft and gentle kisses as you were talking.
«I canât wait to have you all for myself.» now as then, Chrisâ voice was more than enough to send shivers down your spine, making it look as if you just recently got together, instead of being one of the most consolidated couples among the pack.
«Itâs not like the walls at home arenât soundproof.» you joked, but before you could actually finish the sentence, Chris had already turned your head with a gentle movement, capturing your lips with his.
The kiss was slow and sensual, full of unspoken promises about what would have happened later, Chrisâ hold tightened around your waist anytime you tried to turn around, and you eventually resigned yourself to snake your hand in his soft brown hair.
However, much to your dismay, the kiss didnât last long enough; Chris parted from you with a soft sigh, smiling at your attempt to chase his lips in order to deepen the kiss once again.
«Patience, love.» he chanted, resting his chin on your shoulder before gently rocking your body sideways together; both of you sat there in silence, occasionally sharing kisses before eventually, Chris got up and took off his shirt.
«W-what?» you questioned, dumbfounded, as your eyes travelled on his pale and toned chest, the scar on his stomach was a constant reminder about the day you found him.
«Iâm going to hunt,» he chuckled, «Unless you want me to eat you for dinner.» with a wink, he finished undressing, before turning into a wolf in front of your eyes; you briefly covered your ears, the loud noise of bone cracking while he changed still sounded way too painful to you, even if him and the others had told you more than once that they felt nothing.
Chris licked your chin in a silent way to say âsee you laterâ, before disappearing into the woods. Â
«Shouldnât we clean up?» you somehow managed to mumble, clearly not believing in your own words, as Chris backed you against the wooden door of the bedroom, his thigh pressed between yours and your lips roughly moving together; your hands quickly slid from his hips to under his shirt in order to wander on his chest.
«Iâm sure it can wait.» Chris simply mumbled back, not bothering to detach from your lips as his hands quickly loosened the front leather laces of your corset, easily getting rid of it; he pressed his thigh flush against your core and you whimpered against his lips, quickly unfastening his trousers.
It was a blur, honestly, how you went from hopelessly tug at each otherâs clothes in order to get rid of them while being both driven by lust, to Chris guiding the pace of your hips against his left thigh.
Something you had figured out, was that anytime he made you ride him or his thigh, Chris enjoyed keeping your movement slow, occasionally letting you in control, because he loved too see you slowly coming undone; if you were to ask him, it was a sight heâll never get used to.
Chrisâ lips were on your neck, on your collarbones, anywhere they could reach without moving too much; your head was thrown back in bliss, symphonies of needy cries escaping your lips while you occasionally arched your back from the cold wooden door. It didnât help that you could feel his hard length constantly brushing against your thigh, teasing you ever so slightly; the fact that he kept tensing up his muscle every now and then didnât help you at all, on the contrary, such small and unexpected actions against your core were making you reach your orgasm quicker than you were willing to admit.
Carefully keeping eye contact with you through hooded eyes â which were now completely red, Chris lowered just enough to capture your right nipple between his teeth, slightly nibbling around it; immediately, you roughly tug at his hair, making him moan in surprise.
«Touch me, Chris,» you whined,  «⊠Iâm so close.» you added as if he didnât know already; Chris could feel your motions growing weak, so he lifted his leg up to meet your core.
«What if I wonât?» he teased you, his lips back against yours and both his hands blocking your own against the wall, in case you felt brave enough to reach out and try to touch yourself. Judging by your whines and pleads, Chriscould tell you just needed a little more and youâd be there; you managed to intertwine your fingers with his his as you sighed heavily, hiding your face in the crook of his neck.
Encouraged by the feeling of your orgasm deliciously burning into your abdomen and ready to spread into your body, your hips rocked back and forth on his thigh faster as you reached your peak, closing your thighs impossibly tight around his as you reached your orgasm with a broken moan.
«Fuck me,» you pleaded with your breath still uneven, ignoring the fact that you were still repeatedly clenching around nothing and coming down from your orgasm; Chrisâ body was pressed flush against you, and you were about to go insane with the need of feeling him inside you.
«Shouldnât we clean up?» Chris mumbled with a smug smile, quoting your own words in order to tease you, as he effortlessly picked you up and pressed you against the stone wall next to the door.
«Youâll clean me up later.» you mumbled, too far gone to understand that he was provoking you, before connecting your lips together. Chris aligned his length at your entrance, tip rubbing up and down your slit, wetting it with your juices before eventually bottoming out inside you with a slow and constant movement. Chrisclosed his eyes, enjoying the small whimpers that left your lips while you tugged at his hair, making his hips instinctively push a little harsher against yours. The feeling of being stretched and at the same time filled up was everything you needed, making your eyes roll up while your mouth slightly opened in a silent moan.
Despite Chris was strong enough to effortlessly keep you up without getting tired, gravity was inevitably giving you the sensation of falling, and therefore, not only you could feel him even deeper, but you could feel him twitch inside you in a total different way than when you were having sex on your bed.
With your hands anchored one on his shoulder and one in his hair and Chrisâs hands being under your thighs, he started to move in a slow and teasing pace, his only goal to drive you insane with the luscious strokes of his length; he peppered your neck with soft bites and lingering kisses, knowing that you were about to give up.
«Faster, Chris, please.» you pleaded against his lips with a weak and broken whine; Chris hummed with a smug smile, his bright red eyes burning into yours as he pressed you flush between the wall and his body as he pressed one elbow against the wall, supporting your thigh with his left hand.
Chris happily complied to your request since, to be honest, he was anticipating for this moment since he had backed you up against the bedroom door earlier, and therefore he picked up the pace, drastically; his length was going deeper and deeper, tip deliciously hitting your sweet spot until you were a whimpering and trembling mess, begging for release.
«Touch yourself,love.» was Chrisâ only answer to your pleads, slowing down his pace and detaching his chest from yours just enough for your trembling hand to reach down and press against your clit, before he resumed his previous actions, your hand trapped between your bodies and occasionally brushing against his soaked hard length as you were quickly rubbing circles on your clit.
«Come with me.» Chrisâ raspy moans gradually increased as you started clenching around him more frequently, his teeth nibbling at the mating bite mark that he had left on your neck long ago.
Needless to say, Chrisâ voice was more than enough for you to reach your climax, and your orgasm suddenly washed over you, making you clench around his throbbing length and triggering his orgasm as well; Chris came exhaling something in between a husky groan and a shaky breath, his eyes gradually turning back from bright red to dark brown.
Chris gently slid out of you before placing your back on the ground, his hands gently brushing your hair from your face as you leaned into his touch; with a tired smile you reached out to rub your noses together, before mumbling a quiet «I love you,» which he immediately returned with a content smile framed by his adorable dimples.
Eventually, after you managed to clean up both yourselves and the dishes, you settled for cuddling on the bed, playing with each other fingertips before eventually, Chris decided to smoothly intertwine them together with a simple movement.
«I was thinking,» you mumbled, encouraged to go on by Chrisâ soft yet sleepy hum, «As much as I miss the others, I wouldnât mind stay here another day.»
«Well, love,» Chris mumbled, running his fingers through your hair as he briefly played with your fingertips before finishing his sentence,
«Iâd say that we can stay here until we realize that the kids managed to burn down half of the woods.» he joked, making you giggle; you nodded against his chest, and the two of you gradually fell asleep with content smiles, cuddling in each otherâs embrace.
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories.
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[16.40]
â pairing : Chris x fem! reader
â content warnings : fluff, a little bit of angst, smut (but it's not too explicit), royals au, Chris is a Duke, reader is a Countess, thereâs a mysterious bandit pulling those Robin Hood cards guess who could it be, medieval settings as always // main inspiration for this from Elisa di Rivombrosa
â word count : 4.489
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
đ ROYALS! STRAY KIDS SERIES
Chris // Changbin // Jisung // Hyunjin // Seungmin // Minho // Felix part one | part two // Jeongin
«Promise me youâll only get married for love.» your mother had told you countless times when you were younger; you loved to recall her words as you peacefully stared into the small lake close to your familyâs territories, your eyes losing in the majestic nature in front of you.
Your horse neighed not too far away from you, and you quickly glanced at her, just to see that she was peacefully eating some strands of grass. Shifting on the rock you were seating on, you went back fantasizing.
Sometimes, you wondered if you were really going to keep the promise you made to you mother when she was still alive, but you had to admit there were days where you thought you probably would not. You were a noble, and hardly noble people got married for love; noblesâ marriages were all about money and politic interests.
ugging your knees to your chest â as much as your gown allowed you to, you smiled to yourself as you thought about being lucky to have grown up in such a serene and happy environment; your parents met at a ball, and luckily, they quickly fell in love. Their love lasted all their lifetime, and they always made sure to make both you and your brother grow up with the same values as them.Â
«Well, this is definitely an uncommon place to meet, My Lady.» an unfamiliar voice startled you, and your head snapped towards its direction.
Judging by the voice, it must have been a boy probably around your age, but you couldnât make out said boyâs features, since he wore a mask covering the lower part of his face so that only his eyes could have been visible, if it wasnât for the hood hiding his remaining features.
He comfortably sat sideways on your horseâs saddle, which surprisingly enough let him do it without any warning neigh; furrowing your eyebrows, you wondered how she could be comfortable when a bandit was sitting on her back with a bent knee and a short blade elegantly dancing between his fingers.
«Who are you?» you asked with a wary tone as you stood up, your blue gown falling once again around your legs until it touched the grass, and your eyes locked on the blade.
«Oh, you never heard about me?» he asked, clearly pretending to be hurt, judging by the tone of your voice. «I definitely must work harder, then.» his mischievous tone worried you, but the stranger must have been noticed your discomfort, because he put his blade away with a polite «Forgive me.» the action confusing you.
You were about to ask him another streak of question, mixed with a «Get the hell down of my horse.» in a way which wouldnât have been considered worthy of a Countess, when he surprised you once again. His head slightly turned left, holding up a finger to silently tell you to keep quiet, and immediately jumped off your horse.
«Well, My Lady. This had been an wonderful first encounter, but I have to go.» he politely bowed towards you, «Iâll see you soon!» he added, and with that, he ran back in the direction of the woods, his cape helping him blend in with the nature surrounding him. You stood there, dumbfounded, trying to process what just happened, before you noticed a small patrol of officers clearly looking for him.
«Forgive us, Your Grace.» one of them referred to you, his strong foreign accent accompanying his armyâs uniform. «Have you perhaps seen a bandit around here?» your eyes widened for a second, and the officer mistaken your expression for fear. He tried to tranquilize you, but he honestly was not making an exceptional good job, since he told you a lot of information about said boy. «The Hawk and his man have been spotted running back towards the woods.»
«Yes- yes, I saw him,» You nodded at the officer, pretending to be still shaken from the story about said terrible and cruel bandit, «he went that way.» you told him, pointing on your left, instead of pointing towards the woods.
They politely thanked you, before storming off on their horses, chasing for the Hawk in the wrong direction.
Before they could realize you lied, you quickly got on your horse with a hammering heart, confused at your own actions.
Apparently, ou just saved the townâs most wanted banditâs life, and you absolutely didnât know why.
«How early is too early to leave?» you politely asked your brother, which was standing next to you in the Dukeâs sumptuous ballroom; your eyes annoyingly studied the crowd, and you quickly noticed that, behind the people dancing in the middle of the room, there was a small group of women focused on something, or rather, someone.
«I see you spotted the Dukeâs charming son.» your brother whispered as he followed your gaze.
«Hyunjin,» you giggled, «How am I supposed to see him?» you whispered back, referring to the fact that between all those people, only a mop of wavy blonde hair was visible. You and your brother shared an accomplice giggle, and talked how obviously those women were interested to his title, when you spotted a familiar figure gracefully walking towards you.
«Your beloved Countess is coming this way,» you hastily whispered to your brother, and you smiled at the fact that at the mere sight of her, Hyunjinâs cheeks tainted with a faint shade of red, «don't do anything I wouldnĂŹt do.»
«If you put it this way, I believe I have plenty of choices.» Hyunjin joked, taking a few deep breaths to hide his flustered state; the three of you entertained a pleasant small talk for a bit, and eventually, your brother asked her to dance, leaving you alone and finally giving you the opportunity to get some fresh air.
No one was on the balcony beside you, and you were grateful for your time alone, since formal balls have always annoyed you to death; you gracefully placed your gloved hand on the marble balcony, your eyes wandering on the fountain in the middle of the small labyrinth under you, when a strangely familiar voice snapped you out of your daze.
«Well, this is definitely an uncommon place to meet, My Lady.» you turned around at the speed of light, expecting to find the Hawk once again, but you were meet with a young, blonde boy around your age.
«Your Grace.» you politely bowed to him, and he quickly shook his head.
«Please, letâs forget formalities when weâre alone,» he chuckled, your eyes shifting between his warm brown eyes to the dimples cornering his amazing smile with your brows slightly furrowed in confusion. «I see we share a mutual dislike for balls.» he added with a teasing whisper as he walked next to you.
«Iâm Chris,» he said, slightly outstretching the palm of his hand towards your frame, as you noticed you were definitely close, and you immediately took it, placing your hand in his as you introduced yourself as well and Chris briefly kissed the knuckles of your gloved hand.
For a moment you thought you were able to feel his plump lips over the layer of satin covering your skin, but you settled for ignoring the thought, and politely smile at him.
âI wouldnât blame all those women, if they were amazed by his beauty and not only his title.â
The afternoon quickly went by, and only when you saw two butlers lightening up the candles on the balcony, you realized that you and Chris basically spent the afternoon talking on the balcony, as you helped him hide from all those âannoying women,â as he had previously referred to them.
The clear sky had slowly painted itself with dark colours, and the dim lights provided by the flames of the candles were dancing on Chrisâ features, making him look even more handsome.
«Christopher?» you both heard an authoritative voice approaching the balcony, and Chris immediately pulled on your waist while murmuring a streak of apologies.Â
Chris held you close to his body as you both hid next to the heavy curtain, which separated the balcony from the ballroom, and hidden by darkness, you saw a man walking few steps on the balcony, turning his head left and right. You couldnât think straight with Chrisâs soft breath gently fanning your cheeks, and you were sure there was a raging blush covering all the way from your cheeks to your chest.Â
Chrisâ gaze was focused on the man while his back was pressed against the marble wall and slowly, his hand reached out to partially drape the curtains over both your frames with a slow movement. Eventually, the man got tired of looking for Chris, and deducing he was not on the balcony either, he got back inside with what seemed an exasperated sigh.
«Thank you,» Chris sighed, leaning his head against the wall «If he found me, my father would had thrown me immediately in those harpiesâ group.» he tightened the hold on your waist, and you realized just then that you had been clinging on his strong arms the whole time.Â
Chris was attractive, and he was also a kind and gentle boy, but as much as you could appreciate his company and be attracted to him, you wondered what would have happened if someone found you like this, hugging on the balcony behind a curtain.
«Chris, we should-» you mumbled, and you believed you lost any capability to speak as soon as he looked back at you, now both fully aware of your proximity. Beside your brother, youâve never hugged a man, let alone being alone and close like this, your noses almost touching in such a compromising pose.
«Usually, by now there would be a game of cards going on in the room next to the ballroom.» Chris said, «Care to join?» his wide smile was enough to make you nod immediately. Chris led you through the ballroom, his arm tightly linked with yours as you were accompanied by curious whispers.
«So⊠The Duke.» Hyunjin said with a smug smile once you both were back on your carriage leading back home.
«So⊠The Countess.» you remarked with the same tone, before both of you erupted in giggles.
«Youâre gonna be the talk, sister,» your brother said with a sigh, «you were the only one he willingly spent time with.» You were glad to the darkness in the carriage for hiding the wide smile on your lips.
Months had passed since you first met Chris, and incredulously enough, you were now a couple. He had been nothing but gentle and caring with you, and his natural gentle behaviour quickly got your brotherâs approval.
Surprisingly enough, Chrisâ parents were ecstatic about him finally choosing someone, and they quickly fell in love with you. You quickly found out how romantic he was, always gifting you roses, expensive presents or sometimes, writing his feelings in secret letters youâd mysteriously find on your pillow.
No matter how many tender or passionate kisses you and Chris had shared, youâd always be a blushing mess, your heart hammering in your chest and the feeling of burning desire creeping through your body.
You and Chris were free to date and to be seen as a couple in the public eyes, and so scenes where Chris had his arms tightly draped around your waist werenât that uncommon anymore, but you still couldnât help feeling incredibly flustered about it.
«People are staring,» youâd whisper every single time.
«I can't blame them, they must be pretty envious,» Chris would answer, «after all, the prettiest girl in town is my fiancĂ©e.» heâd kiss your forehead affectionately, leaving the warmth and the passion of your more intimate kisses only for the two to know.
Since your parents raised both you and Hyunjin to be polite with your servants, a strange habitude had been going on since you were kids; in fact, you were invited to their smaller and humble balls. You and Hyunjin had always more fun spending your nights with them and actually having sincere fun, instead of spending your time at someoneâs ball pretending to have fun while being in the same room of a bunch of overdressed ladies and gentlemen.
However, you kept wondering why your servants were so happy they constantly look like they were on cloud nine since your engagement with Chris had been announced, few weeks later.
«You couldnât find any better man,» some would say, and youâd smile at them and nodded, but still wondered why they seemed to personally know him, sometimes.
Your happiness, unfortunately, wasnât the only side of the coin you had to consider.
The peopleâs discontent was worsened by the injustices suffered by the authorities charged with governing your hometown, and this is where the Hawk comes in: him and his men had restlessly targeted the commander of the army entrusted to your city, and repeatedly plundered their headquarters, so as to redistribute supplies equitably among all the villagers.
The Hawkâs mysterious identity became a real enigma, and no one in the village dared to expose him, since he was helping poor people by challenging public authorities.
As much as you â and your brother, secretly approved his actions, you could not help but be annoyed at the boy anytime you met him.
The Hawk proved to have the ability to show up at the most inconvenient times, and yet another time this theory had proven itself being the truth as you were quietly swimming in the small lake where you first met, the thin fabric of your white chemise was the only shield your body had in that very moment.
«We must stop meeting like this,» he said, and you totally immersed back in the water, leaving only your head out. The Hawk was there, once again seating on your horseâs saddle, as he waved at you with a gloved hand, «pretty entertaining, I must admit.» You scoffed, swimming towards him and the pile of your clothes laying on the grass.
«You must stop sneaking up on me like a pervert.» you told him, getting out of the water while fully aware that the chemise was clinging on your body at the point where there was almost nothing left to the imagination.
The Hawk whistled, and you resisted to the temptation of throwing a small pebble at him.
«Care to turn away?!» you said, and he chuckled at your annoyed tone as he turned around until you were facing his back. You quickly dried yourself and re-dressed, as a rather strange comfortable silence now fell upon the two of you.
No matter how the boy managed to annoy you or rile you up so effortlessly, sometimes you could not help but feel like you already met him somewhere, you still never got to wrap your mind around it.
«I came to congratulate on your engagement.» he said, as you were striding towards his direction. «I bet the Dukeâs ecstatic about it.» he added, and you mistook the malicious irony in his tone for sarcasm.
«Is that envy I hear?» you said, holding on the reins of your horse before telling him to get off your horse. «He is ecstatic about it, and I am as well.»
With another amused chuckle, the Hawk gracefully climbed off your horse, looking at your frame getting further and further away as you quickly rode away on top of your horse.
«Iâm glad our marriage wonât be annoying, love.» he murmured, looking at your frame with a wide, smitten smile safely hidden under his mask.
What you definitely did not expect, was to be kidnapped by the Hawkâs men a month before your marriage, while you were headed to the village in order to choose the flowers for your bouquet.
Strangely enough, no one dared to hurt you, neither tie you up. In fact, you were sitting in their hideout, arms crossed in front of your chest in annoyance, politely waiting for the Hawk to arrive, as his man stood few steps from you, as if waiting for your outburst of rage.
«Care to tell me whatâs happening?» you asked, for the umpteenth time, irritation clear in your voice. Their hideout was neatly hidden in the woods, and you doubt that any authority would have found it unless they perfectly knew the zone or followed one of them; there were few small hideouts built on the trees â which definitely blended in with the surroundings, and you wondered who these people actually were.
«Do you live here?» you asked out loud, trying to calm down, already knowing that no one would have answered you anyways.
One of the Hawkâs men quickly appeared on top of his horse, followed by few others, loudly warning everyone that some soldiers had followed them.
From there, everything happened too quickly for your to realize; delicate hands â probably a womanâs, gently but firmly helped you up and guided you towards one of the almost invisible ladders hanging from the small houses, when a pair of strong arms immediately took her place, and helped you climb up.
«Mislead them and make sure you have lost them before coming back!» the man which was basically carrying you up shouted to his men, and you quickly realized that you were indeed climbing your way to the Hawkâs private den with said man following you close behind.
«Donât you even think about it.» his low and warning tone sent a shiver down your spine, and you wondered how could he be aware about the fact that you were thinking about refusing his help and call for the soldiers.
Differently from all the times you met him, you could feel he was dead serious, and you settled for obeying him; after all, he was a bandit.
You curiously watched as him and the other quickly gathered the ladders so that no one had a way to climb up unless they would roll them all the way back to the ground, and you plopped on his small mattress with your arms crossed in front of your chest.
You refused to talk for the next couple of hours, and the Hawk didnât pay much attention to you, either, too busy spying and observing what was happening just below them.
«Care to tell me whatâs going on?!» you asked as soon as the shouting below you had stopped, signalling that the soldiers effectively followed his men away from there.
«Your soon to be father in law approved the army's behaviour.» he explained, leaning against the wooden wall, after putting his bow and arrows back in their place. «If he wants to see you again, heâll have to take his statement back, so that the townâs not going to be under their control anymore, and of course the soldiers must leave.»
«Youâre kidding me, I hope!» Your eyes widened comically wide. He slowly walked in front of you, «The Duke is never going to do that.» you added with an obvious voice, and he simply kneeled in front of you.
«Trust me, he will.» he said, tilting his head to the side. «I know him better than anyone else.»
«And how could you, I wonder? Youâre a rebel.» you scoffed, looking at the wall on your right.
He hesitantly took off his leather gloves, tossing them on the mattress next to you, before holding your hands in his; you tried to break free from his hold, but he was indeed too strong for you, and plus, the familiar touch let you speechless for a moment. You spent enough time with Chris so that you could recognize his touch between hundred people, butâŠ
The Hawk couldnât be Chris, right?
With slow movements, he guided your joined hands towards his cape, in order to take it off and expose the higher part of his face.
Blonde, wavy hair and warm brown apologetic eyes met yours, and you froze; he guided your hands on his cheek, lowering the fabric which was covering his face from the nose and below, and your hands started to tremble at the sight of Chris staring back at you.
our head started to spin, trying to process the fact that the most wanted bandit in the city was your soon to be husband, the boy you loved with all your heart; your first instinct was to scream, but somehow you couldnât find your voice. Chris didnât move an inch, your hands still joined in mid-air as he waited for you to say something.
«You⊠Chris, you lied to me.» you mumbled, feeling your heart sink and tears threatening to fall from your eyes. Chris furrowed his brow in a sad expression, before nodding, adverting his gaze.
«Believe it or not, you were safer not knowing anything of this.» he answered, and your heart calmed down a bit. Chris sat next to you, as he explained everything the Hawk and his men were doing, and you couldnât help but forgive him.
Deep inside, you knew that his intentions were good, and by now, you knew Chris well enough to be certain that he would have never hurt you on purpose. As much as it pained you to find out like this, you had to admit that knowing his identity was risky, especially since by now, there was a bounty on his head.
That afternoon, was the first time you and Chris made love, since no more lies were hidden between the two of you. Chrisâ kisses were soft but passionate, and the fact that you were sprawled on his small mattress in his small wooden cabin made it feel even more intimate.
ware of it being your first time, Chris made sure to pepper your body with soft kisses, the movement of his hips slow and sweet; heâd praise you every few seconds, his raspy voice and his body pressed flush against yours while his length was moving inside you making your head spin, resulting in your nails sinking and scratching his back and Chris groaning in response right next to your ear.Â
Chris waited for you to build your orgasm just to come with you, moaning next to your ear and mumbling promises that could put the most experienced lover to shame.
«Do you think your men heard us?» you asked, hiding your head in the crook of Chrisâ neck as you were now cuddling and sharing much gentler and softer kisses.
«Itâs probably a good thing,» Chris chuckled, caressing your spine with gentle fingers as one arm was behind his head. «So they can get used to it quite soon.»
«What?» you said, propping yourself up on your elbow to look at him. «What do you mean?»
«Theyâre all people you know pretty well.» Chris offered you a wide, malicious smile as he reached out to gently boop your nose. «Well, some of them are my servants, but the others are⊠yours.»
«Please, donât tell me my lady in waiting is part of this, too.» you said incredulously closing your eyes while connecting all the puzzle pieces which had been laying in front of you for months, and Chris laughed, suddenly pulling you to his body while rolling the two of you around.
«Do you think all my love letters walked on your pillow by themselves?» his grin widened as he saw your narrowed eyes as you pretended to be angry at him.
«Iâm really an idiot.» you mumbled with a pout, and Chris made sure to kiss it away every time it appeared on your features.
Youâve been hiding in the banditsâ den for five days, and not only you and Chris had made love for countless times, but you also met almost three quarters of your servants, diligently taking turns between working at your residence and working on their part time job as rebels.
«Now I understand why you were so happy about my marriage.» you mumbled one night during dinner, while you were seated around a small campfire, and some servants started laughing, while others deeply apologized to you. Your lady in waiting was quick to seat next to you, hugging your shoulders as the cloth, which was supposed to hide the lower part of her face, was neatly pooled around his neck.
«He had been anxious about you all the time.» she confessed, her tone low and only for you to hear. «He kept thinking that if you ever found out, your feelings would have changed.» you carefully listened to her as your eyes travelled towards Chrisâ frame which was animatedly talking with one of his friends, not too far from where you were.
«Please, remind me that sentence you always say - you know, the one about your husband.» you answered, turning towards her.
«That⊠Men are idiots?» she asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. You nodded, your eyes once again locked on Chris.
«Yeah, heâs an idiot for thinking something like that.» you sighed, «Heâs lucky, heâs cute.» and the both of you erupted into complice giggles.
Chris turned towards your group with a wide, triumphant smile on his face while holding a letter in his hands. «We did it!» he exclaimed, and you were sure that among the woods, their loud cheering could be heard everywhere.
Learning that the Hawk and Chris were the same person all along had been quite a shock, but learning that Hyunjin was aware of it all along was even worse.
«Ah! I knew it!» your brother hugged you close, affectionately kissing your hair after you and Chris â still dressed up as a bandit, had rode back to your house on his horse, his arms securely around your waist as he held the reigns. «I knew you were safe with him!»
«You knew?!» you groaned, your eyes repeatedly shifting from Hyunjin to Chris, and they both gave you an innocent smile; you sighed, settling for ignore both of them in order to finally get a warm bath.
Things quickly returned to normal, needless to say, both you and Chris grew nervous as days went by, your marriage approaching and now, being just a week away.
Chris loved to sleep at your house, even if you werenât married, yet, and also loved hugging you from behind while both of you were watching the sunset from your small bedroomâs balcony.
«So, I was wondering,» Chrisâ malicious tone made you chuckle in anticipation, as you felt his chin resting on your shoulders and his hands around your waist, over your white chemise. «Should I wait for you dressed as the Duke or dressed as the Hawk?» he joked, gently rocking your bodies around as you giggled together.Â
Chris affectionately kissed the side of your head as you both waited for another day go by, waiting for the day to be officially proclaimed husband and wife.
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories.
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[20.55]
â pairing : Seungmin x fem! reader
â content warnings : angst, fluff, smut, royals au, Seungmin is a Prince, reader is his most trusted knight, medieval settings, unprotected sex (wrap it up yâall), fantasy au
â word count : 5.480
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
đ ROYALS! STRAY KIDS SERIES
Chris // Changbin // Jisung // Hyunjin // Seungmin // Minho // Felix part one | part two // Jeongin
Kim Seungmin, a name you knew far too well.
Kim Seungmin, the soon to be King; but also, Kim Seungmin, your beloved bestfriend.
You and him knew each other since you were little, both your parents deciding that the two of you should grow up together in order to develop a strong bond based on friendship and loyalty which would definitely come in hand as soon as youâd be proclaimed his personal bodyguard- since your family had always served the Royal family like that.
Truth to be told, your parents expected to give birth to a boy, but nonetheless, the King decided that even if you were a girl, you would have been trained for the same purpose.
Days turned into years, and the two of you gradually grew up, overcoming together even the most embarrassing stages of your adolescence, and completely becoming inseparable. People at the Kingâs court did not fail to express their disagreement with the fact that the personal guard of the only heir to the throne was a woman, but anytime it happened, both the King and Seungmin stood up for you.
«She comes from a well-respected family,» the King would answer, «I have good faith in her.»
«You have no idea of what she can do!» Seungmin would answer instead.
Eventually you proved your capabilities and your talent, deciding to spend most of your free time training yourself, and so, in your twenties, you proved yourself enough in battle to being assured both the title of Seungminâs personal bodyguard, but also the Royal armyâs Commander.
The rumours of a woman being not enough qualified for the job disappeared, and people respected you, the only complain being about your too-stoic behaviour.
What they did not know, is that Seungmin was the only one to see both sides of the coin. Seungminâs behaviour â and therefore yours, immediately changed as soon as you were alone, and youâd spend your time laughing together until your stomachs hurt, sharing blankets, cuddles, and everything a couple of friends that had known each other for their own life would do. When you were alone, you and Seungmin would often lose yourselves in your own little world, where the two of youwere the only inhabitants.
Growing up, however, you could not help but notice that your feelings for Seungmin were slowly changing, constantly transforming until they finally took the shape of a crush, which sadly, quickly developed into love.
Spending your whole day with him didnât help you suppress your feelings at all, and so you gradually grew attached to Changbin, your attractive and witty second in command, and finding yourself seeking for comfort in his wise words of advice.
«You should never, ever, tell him.» Changbin had told you one night, while pouring you a glass of wine while you were discussing important matters in his private chambers; and of course, with âimportant mattersâ, you clearly meant âSeungminâ.
«Doll, donât get me wrong,» Changbin quickly added, dropping any time of formality when the two of you were alone; his brows furrowed as you kept staring at your glass with a dejected expression. «I honestly wish for your love to become true but, weâre soldiers.» Your eyes met his over the table, and you quickly understood what he was about to say. «Unless we suddenly adopt the Vikings mindset â which would be extremely cool by the way, our hands are soaked with blood. Seungminâs - the Kingâs or the Queenâs, are not, theyâll never be. At least, not directly.» Changbinâs words did not surprise you, since you have been thinking about the same things for a while, but you had to admit that hearing them out loud from someone which wasnât the voice of reason in your head, actually hurt.
«Weâre like the Sun and the Moon,» you sighed, finally sipping from your cup of wine. «How could I bring together two worlds when theyâre so different?»
Changbinâs eyes locked with yours, a drunken smile on his face. «An eclipse.»
«Why are you so unfocused today?» you questioned, as you effortlessly planted both Seungminâs hands on the floor rather roughly, your body hovering above his.
Training together was a daily habit, over the years you both memorized the otherâs technique so that it was actually a challenge to win against each other, but today Seungmin was definitely not himself. He let you disarm him during the first ten minutes, and even let you pin him on the floor without a fight. «Whatâs wrong?»
Seungmin sighed, the cloud of thoughts that enveloped his mind dissipating at your softer tone. He rolled the two of you around, so that heâd be the one to pin you on the floor. «Battle strategy, I won.»
You narrowed your eyes, «Seungmin,» you warned, and his hand hovered above your cheek, the ghostly touch sending shivers on your skin. Something was definitely wrong; it wasnât unusual for the two of you to cuddle or hug, but if was definitely unusual for Seungmin to run his fingertips along your cheekbone as if he was almost scared to touch you, as if such a simple act was actually forbidden. Seungminâs gaze bore into yours with an intensity youâve never felt, your heart picked up pace as his face imperceptibly drew closer, and you instinctively tensed up. Â
«My father wants me to get married, soon.» he mumbled with a strained voice, looking as if he was totally opposed to the idea for a moment.
«Oh.» was all you managed to answer.
Seungmin arched his brows, definitely not used to his bestfriend being so quiet about important matters like this, especially regarding him. «What do you think about it?»
Despite the feeling of Seungminâs body pressed flush against yours, your heart sank in your stomach, and you repeatedly tapped his side as soon as you managed to sneak one of your hands out of his strong hold, «Come on, buddy, trainingâs over.»
Seungminâs confused expression only deepened, but he let you move him off you, so that you could stand up and gather your things as quickly as you could; you felt his eyes bore into your shoulders, since he probably was still waiting for an answer.
«You knew that it would have happened, sooner or later.» you answered, more to yourself than to him, hoping not to burst in tears since it would have been rather inconvenient to explain why you were crying.
With quick steps, you walked out of the training room, leaving a confused â and hurt, Seungmin calling for your name.
A month had passed rather quickly, and you hated to admit that Seungminâs fiancĂ©e was unquestionably beautiful, charming and adorable. The worst thing was that you could not bring yourself to hate her, since she had only been kind and respectful to you; even if you didnât know it, yet, the two of you were more alike than you could originally have thought.
In fact, both you and the Princess would have given anything to be born with a different social status.
«I admire you so much,» she confessed with a tiny voice after she had approached you â standing on the side of the room, during a ball. «Youâre a warrior! You must be so strong and elegant, too!» her eyes became as wide as childâs which was talking about her favourite tale. «Iâd love to be in your place, even for a day.» you couldnât help but sigh at her words, as she gently linked her arms with yours.
«Me too, Princess.» you admitted, your eyes scanning the room and immediately glancing at Seungmin, busy laughing with his friends; you and the Princess kept talking for most of the night, and she never failed to notice you and Seungmin stealing glances to each other.
The Princess started scheming an intricate plan that same night, her pretty doe eyes narrowed and a smug smile adorning her lips as she held your still linked arms closer to her frame in the same moment she saw her soon to be husband looking at his personal guard with the same adoration youâd look at your lover.
Contrarily to what you expected, you and the Princess became friends. She was easily entertained, and loved to hear the stories you have experienced on the battlefield; you also became friends with her lady in waiting, following her Princess like a shadow and you had to admit, sometimes you brought yourself to wonder about the bond the two of them shared.
Despite the fact that you were technically befriending your enemy on the unforgiving battlefield of love, you knew that you could never win and so, you gradually started to find happiness in the fact that for the first time in your life, you had a friend that wasnât a boy.
Seungmin, however, started giving you mixed signals. He was happy that you and the princess got along, but he also felt extremely dejected; the realization that heâd have to get married, made him realize that the only woman he wanted to give his heart to, the only woman he wanted to be faithful to, was you.
There were days where Seungmin would run away from his meetings in order to spend time with you next to the river, pretend to be a fortune teller and reading your hand.
«A majestic Prince will swipe you off from your feet, one day.» heâd say, refraining from the instinct of intertwining his fingertips with yours and never let go.
«Seungmin,» you laughed, «Iâm not qualified enough.» you mocked the words youâve been hearing for years but this time, they held every bit of truth.
As you were about to retreat your hand from Seungminâs, he tightened his hold, falling silent as he silently held your hand and wordlessly stared into the water, his jaw clenched and looking somehow as if your words managed to hurt him.
Other times, Seungmin would treat you as your relationship was strictly business related; talking to you only when it was strictly needed or coldly dismissing you as soon as the both of you reached his personalâs chambers room. You silently went along with him, loving and cherishing every moment of kindness he showed you, but also hoping for your feelings to definitely dissipate into thin air before the engagement was officially announced.
Another month had passed, and for your Kingdom, things dramatically changed; the King sadly announced you that you would lead the army in order to suppress a riot, which had quickly turned into a guerrilla, and consequently, couldnât be solved peacefully anymore. The nearest Kingdom was attacking; declaring war to yours and taking advantage of these riots to furtherly increase the number of their soldiers.
«No.» Seungmin interrupted you; as you were about agree on the mission. Both yours and Changbinâs head turned to him at the speed of light, and your gaze locked with Seungminâs intense one. «Itâs too dangerous for her.» he spoke, his eyes never faltering from yours with such a desperation that almost made it difficult for you to breathe.
With a hammering heart, you furrowed your brows, confused by Seungminâs strange attitude; you knew the possibilities to come back alive were almost inexistent but they have always been, and still, Seungmin never objected, not once. At least, not during an official meeting.
Changbinâs knee softly bumped against yours under the table, and you snapped out of your thoughts, noticing how everyone was staring at you.
«Itâs my job, your Majesty.» you tried to keep a composed voice despite the whirlwind of emotions running into your soul, referring to Seungmin by using  his title, like every other time you were in public. Seungminâs eyes widened in surprise and his brows furrowed; he wanted so desperately to convince you not to go, but the words died in his throat.
«The meeting is dismissed.» the King nodded at you and Changbin, «Youâll leave tomorrow in the morning.» he dismissed the both of you, but asked Seungmin to remain.
«The hell was that?» Changbin whispered at you, tightly gripping your elbow as soon as you were outside the council room.
«No idea.» you mumbled back, watching Changbin sneakily placing his ear against the heavy wooden door in order to hear what they were saying.
«Theyâre yelling!» he mouthed, aggressively pointing towards the door. The guards standing at the sides curiously glanced at him, but then decided to remain silent, knowing better not to get on Changbinâs bad side. «I canât understand anything, for fuckâs sake.» he furrowed his brows, bending his knees as to try a better angle.
«Maybe near the keyholeâŠÂ» he whispered, and you shook your head before grabbing his ear and starting to walk away, ignoring his pained whines.
Seungmin asked to meet you in his private chambers few hours later, and you gladly accepted, always preferring to stay away from the busy preparations of war; Changbin would have done everything superbly anyways. Seungmin didnât tell you what he and his father talked about, and you did not ask, knowing that he would have eventually told you as soon as he was ready.
The two of you laid together on his big mattress as you did every time youâd be about to leave, Seungmin holding you impossibly close to his strong chest at the point where your breathing synchronized, and probably did your hearts, too.
«Promise youâll come back,» Seungminâs quiet mumble broke the peaceful silence of the room.
«I always do.» you mumbled back immediately, unaware that youâd cut Seungminâs sentence halfway.
«To me. Come back to me, please.» Seungminâs arms tightened around you, and you widened your eyes, confused; your heart picked up pace, and you shuffled, removing from his tight hold in order to sit on the bed and face him instead.
«Seungmin,» your heart was hammering in your chest at the point you felt it was getting hard to breathe, but you proceeded; you knew better than anyone that, despite your promises, your return was never granted, and with an imminent war coming up, you would rather face the enemy with a furious broken heart instead of a heavy heart full of unconfessed feelings. «I⊠Love you.» you mumbled, suddenly unable to look at him in the eyes.
«I love you, too.» you felt the bed shuffle, and Seungmin sat in front of you, mirroring your pose and reaching out to hold one of your hands; with a breathless chuckle, you shook your head, a lump forming in your throat.
«Not like that, Minnie.» you tenderly looked at him, calling him by the nickname you used when you were still kids. «I love you in the way Iâm not supposed to, like a woman loves a man.» you finally managed to lock your gaze with Seungmin, which was looking at you like he had seen a ghost; his eyes were wide and his lips were slightly parted. Seungmin remained silent, and your heart sank deeper by each passing seconds, until you closed your eyes, sighing loudly.
«Itâs okay, your Majesty.» you politely smiled at him, your walls building up by themselves, «I knew that, already.» you reached out to affectionately ruffle his hair, before climbing down the bed and taking your leave.
That night, Seungminâs and the Princessâ engagement was publically confirmed.
Needless to say, being his bodyguard, you had to be there too, a fake smile plastered on your face as you congratulated them, Seungminâs eyes looking anywhere but you.
That night, you broke down crying in Changbinâs arms, which remained silent, patiently caressing your hair and wiping your wet cheeks as you cried yourself to sleep.
The following morning, you and Changbin sat on your horses, leading the army as the Royal Family and the villagers were ready to wish you good luck, accompanying you all the way through the cityâs gates.
No matter how many times Seungmin tried to make eye contact with you; you kept your gaze strictly in front of yourself, your eyes swollen and your heart heavy.
«That was hot.» Changbin told you once you were far enough from the Capital. «Cool, but also hot.» you scoffed, sad smile on your face.
«It wasnât. Iâve been an idiot.» you sighed, shaking your head at the thought of what happened the day before.
«I donât think so,» he shrugged. «You didnât look at him, but I did. And let me say that-»
«Changbin,» you turned towards him, and he immediately shut up at the sight of your teary eyes, mimicking to close his mouth with a lock and throwing away the key. «Iâd rather talk about our upcoming duties.»
For the following three weeks and two days, Seungmin did not show up in your thoughts, not even once; the situation on the battlefield was alarming, and to say that the problem had been underestimated was a euphemism.
The enemyâs soldiers outnumbered yours, and you had spent your days restlessly fighting and protecting the small watch out defensive forts you managed to occupy. Both you and Changbin had been changing up strategies day by day, and the both of you grew stressed easily, also noticing that the soldierâs morale definitely weakened due to the unbalanced situation.
«If we get back alive, Iâll start a riot myself.» Changbin said, putting all his effort into keeping a calm surface when he probably wanted to set fire to the whole Castle out of spite. «That bastard of a King sent us out here on our funeral.» he spoke, his hands balled in fists and his knuckles almost white; you chuckled, humourlessly, agreeing with him.
It was indeed a suicide mission, and you allowed yourself thinking about Seungminâs strong arms holding you close, one last time, before gathering your things and getting ready to join your soldiers on the battlefield. You were glad you and Changbin were on the same page: todayâs battle would have been decisive for the decision regarding your retreat.
Swinging your sword, you managed to neutralize yet another one of your opponents, helping one of the soldiers that had been surrounded by enemies. Deep in your heart, you knew you would never win todayâs battle; the soldiers were too tired, and the enemy clearly outnumbered you. As much as you hated declaring loss, the options were simple: retreat and have a small chance to get back home, or die on the battlefield. Your sword effortlessly sank in the stomach on another man, and you kicked him to the floor with a strained groan.
«Fall back!» you shouted at the top of your lungs, glad that the soldiers near you immediately repeated your command, and so you all quickly retreated. Hastily, you glanced around one last time, and Changbin appeared next to you with a worried shout, which did not reach your ears, as it should have.
Everything started to get blurry, and you gradually got dizzy; your grip around the swordâs handle loosened, and you glanced down to see a short blade perfectly lodged into your abdomen. Pain and darkness surrounded your senses and you collapsed, aware that Changbin was ready to catch you once again.
Seungmin essentially spent the majority of his days staring outside of the window, waiting to see you coming back with a triumphant smile on your face as you leaded the army back home, as you always did every time. Once again, he shifted his position on his chair, before he heard one of the guards outside his door announcing that his fiancée was about to enter the room.
«Seungmin, we have to talk.» she told him, an unusual distressed tone in her voice, and he shifted his gaze on her. «I know you donât have feelings for me.» she reached out, placing her hand above his on the chairâs handles.
Seungmin scoffed, an exasperated sigh leaving his lips as he threw his head back on the chair. «And?»
«And I donât love you, either.» she finished with a polite smile as his head shot back and their gaze locked. «Iâm in a relationship with my lady in waiting.» she carefully whispered her confession. «Iâve been cheating on you even before meeting you!» she smiled widely, and he faintly returned her smile. «I came here to tell you I want to help you, as soon as she comes back. We donât love each other, but weâre still friends.»
«Thank you.» Seungmin said, placing his hand on top of hers, gratitude evident in his eyes. Seungmin couldnât wait for you to come back home to confess his love for you, and so, he and his fiancĂ©e spent the entire morning creating a plan that could allow their Kingdoms to maintain the newfound peace, but also allow them to realize their love without suffering any further. She was about to answer, when a guard entered the room, informing you that the army was now crossing the castle gates, and Seungmin ran.
Seungmin rushed through the castleâs corridors like a mad man, and as soon as he was almost at the Castleâs gates, he was met with Changbin, riding on top of his horse and staring ahead with a dark look on his face. Seungminâs eyes shifted on your white horse, pain squeezing his heart in a tight grip, as he did not catch any sight of you. You were not riding your horse, you were not walking among the few remaining soldier, and you were nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, a small, wooden carriage that both yours and Changbinâs horse were pulling along caught his attention; an arm was dangling from the wooden surface, and Seungmin petrified.
Even if that personâs identity was hidden thanks to a blanket placed over their shape, Seungmin would recognize that armour anywhere, since he gave it to you as a present.
«Move.» Changbinâs tone was rough. It did not show empathy, nor respect. Seungmin could feel the pent up rage that was boiling in the boyâs blood.
«Is she-»
«I said move,» Changbin repeated, as if he was talking to a captured enemy soldier and not to the future King, the dark circles under his eyes now more evident as he finally returned Seungminâs gaze. «Or she might as well be dead.»
You woke up feeling as if a whole army had been using your body as a carpet to walk on; you couldnât entirely remember what happened on the battlefield, but there was a white bandage covering up you abdomen, and the pain you were feeling was almost unbearable.
«Youâre lucky youâre alive.» Changbin said as soon as he heard the news that you woke up. «That blade was poisoned.» he said, squeezing your hand as he sat on the small, wooden chair next to the bed.
«Well, that was an adventure.» you muttered, still feeling weak and already hating the feeling of the bandage around your abdomen.
«Adventure? I was so worried for you, I almost got fired!» Changbin whined, and you giggled.
«Iâm sorry, I didnât mean to almost die.» you sighed, and your friend simply leaned in to quickly kiss your forehead.
The second visit you received was Seungminâs. Cowardly, you pretended to be asleep for half of the time he had been there, until he sighed, and hesitantly reached out to hold your hand.
«I canât wait for you to wake up,» his voice gently said, as his thumb caressed your knuckles. Even if your first instinct was to intertwine your fingers with his as you always did, you prevented yourself from doing so, settling for enjoying the feeling of Seungminâs warm hands holding yours. «So that I can confess to you properly, hoping to be still on time for you to say yes.» your heart picked up pace at his words, but you still kept your eyes closed.
«Truth was, you caught me completely off guard that time, and I had been talking with my father about annulling the engagement, because I love you. The marriage⊠It wonât be cancelled, but me and the Princess found a way to make everyone happy, guess how?» he chuckled, «The Princess has-no, I want to see your expression as I tell you but, long story short, we both love someone else.» you had to bite the inside of your cheeks not to smile. «And now, you canât stop pretending to be asleep.»
Your eyes shot open with a groan, «I was good at acting!»
«Youâve always been terrible at it.» Seungmin smiled at you, tightening his hold around your hand.
«Tell me about the Princess.» you eyed him curiously, as your fingers finally interlocked together.
«Oh! She has a girlfriend.» he said, smiling at your eyes widening while an incredulous smile spread on your face. «Her lady in waiting.»
«No way!» you exclaimed, excited and happy with the news. «Now help me up, and tell me everything.» With gentle hands, Seungmin helped you in a sitting position, and told you that he and the Princess both decided to get married, but live their own sentimental life behind closed doors.
«I guess me and her maid will sink our sorrows in the wine that will be served at the wedding, then.» you sighed, and Seungmin held your hand a little bit tighter.
«Is that a yes?» he asked, hopeful eyes searching for yours.
«Yes, Seungmin.» you smiled, with a nod. «A thousand times yes.» Seungmin leaned in, kissing your lips with a soft peck, before smiling widely and mumbling a sweet «I love you.»
One long year passed since that day; your wound totally recovered, and in exchange, you got yet another scar adorning your body. Seungmin saw you naked a countless times by now, and yet, heâd still take his time to kiss every scar on your skin, his gentle and soft lip making you shiver in reflex.
The guerrilla had been won thanks to the Princessâ Reign landing you their military forces, and you and Changbin came back from the battlefield with wide smile on your faces. Needless to say, as soon as you told Changbin about Seungminâs plan, he couldnât stop talking about it.
«What did I tell you back then?» Changbin smiled, hugging you close and spinning you around few times. «You needed an Eclipse!»
«Changbin!» you laughed, «It makes no sense, and you were drunk back then!»
«Tipsy. And still a genius.» you were glad to have Changbin as your friend, since sometimes you felt like he was happier than you were about it. Truth was, deep inside you knew that you risked your life on a daily basis, and the thought of not coming back to Seungmin made your heart sink in your stomach.
Seungmin and the Princess got married approximatively seven month after you came back injured, and you couldnât help but giggle as the Princessâ lady in waiting gently elbowed you as they swore each other fidelity. Seungmin managed to glance at you as he spoke his vows, and you rolled your eyes at him, tilting your head and hiding a smile from unwanted eyes.
Seungmin and the Princess both insisted to re-arrange the dispositions of the rooms, so that yours and her lady in waitingâs would be at each side of their shared chambers; meaning that they both could sneak out to meet their lover without anybody knowing.
Therefore, thatâs how you spent your time. During the day, you would be occupying your position as Seungminâs personal bodyguard, ignoring Changbinâs knowing gazes as you were trying to maintain a stoic posture, while at night, you were Seungminâs lover.
Seungmin was both a gentle, passionate Prince as much as he was a gentle and passionate lover; whatever he did, he always made sure not to hurt you, and he always put your pleasure before his. At first, his hand would be draped over your mouth to muffle your too loud moans, but eventually, the King found out about your secret relationship as one day, a loud cough interrupted your make out session behind one of the Castleâs columns in the hallways. Seungmin had you pinned against the wall, one legs between yours, and you couldnât be more embarrassed about it. Of course, the Princess had been called up immediately, and they both decided to confess.
The Kingâs face paled for a minute, before dismissing you all with a wave of his hand. «I want an heir. I donât care how, but at least make me become a grandfather before you make me die of heart attack.» since then, he never said anything else about the situation, but indeed, he had been paying a little more attention to the four of you, finding a new source of entertainment among the court.
Your nightgown danced around your legs as you walked over to Seungminâs desk chair, his eyes travelling on your body since the nightgownâs fabric did not hide almost anything. With attentive hands, you grabbed Seungminâs crown, admiring the precious stones adorning it, before placing it on top of your head and turning around to meet Seungminâs gaze, still looking at you while leaning against the doorframe which connected your rooms.
«Does it suit me?» you asked, smiling at how Seungmin was looking at you.
Seungmin was indeed taken aback, utterly dumb at the sight â at the sheer insolence of it, at the impossible beauty. His crown suited you perfectly, he thought. With slow steps, Seungmin moved closer to you, and you furrowed your eyebrows at his lack of answer.
Seungminâs careful fingers adjusted the crown on top of your head, and as you met your gaze, you felt almost devoured by the sheer lust and love you saw in them.
«Donât ever let anyone but me see you like this.» Seungmin mumbled, as he admired once again the girl he has loved for his whole life wearing his crown and looking definitely too insolent, too beautiful â and entirely his.
Standing on your tiptoes, your hands sneaked around Seungminâs neck as you hastily captured his lips in a passionate kiss, and he quickly held your waist, turning you around so that you would partially sit on his desk. Seungminâs hands travelled along your legs, lifting your nightgown as they reached higher, and quickly scooped you up in his arms, causing you to squeal in surprise against his collarbone, which you were busy marking up. Seungmin effortlessly walked to your room with you in his arms, blindly closing the door behind the two of you.Â
Seungmin laid you on the bed as your open-mouthed kisses set the pace for the rhythm of taking off each other closes, and that night, Seungmin let you ride him while wearing his crown on top of your head. Seungmin was sitting on the bed, balancing his weight with his left hand stretched out behind him, as his right one occasionally gripped your thigh, strained moans accompanied by nails sinking into your skin, or either to cup your jaw to connect your lips as the feeling of you moving so perfectly on top of him and leaving scratches along his back and his chest made him feel on cloud nine.
Needless to say, you felt the same; Seungminâs hooded eyes would follow every move, looking at you like you were some sort of goddess, while his hands caressed your body, fondling your breasts or gripping your hair just to roughly connect your lips. Seungminâs gaze went downwards, and you followed it; your wetness was spreading all over Seungminâs hipbones, and you could not help but let out a moan at the sight of his length continuously disappearing inside of you at the pace you set. Â
«So perfect,» Seungmin mumbled against your neck, voicing a strained moan as your orgasm unexpectedly washed over you as now both his hands were playing with your breasts. You sank down on his length, your head falling in the crook of his neck as you hugged him tightly, his crown falling on the mattress. The continuous feeling of you clenching around Seungmin triggered his orgasm as well, and he came with a low moan.
«Letâs use your crown every night from now on.» you panted, reaching out to toy with the jewel as both of you were still recovering from your post orgasm state. Seungmin chuckled over the sweaty skin of your neck, and you shivered.
«Give me ten minutes,» he mumbled, lifting his head to bite your earlobe. «And we can use it again.» your answer came under the form of a breathy, needy whine, as his hands roughly pulled your body against his.
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories.
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[15.54]
â pairing : Minho x fem! reader
â content warnings : fluff, implied smut, royals au, runaway royalty, idiots to lovers, medieval settings
â word count : 4.413
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
đ ROYALS! STRAY KIDS SERIES
Chris // Changbin // Jisung // Hyunjin // Seungmin // Minho // Felix part one | part two // Jeongin
«Has anybody even remotely thought about asking me?» you inquired, looking into your fatherâs - the King, eyes. Despite the sorrow you saw in them at the new he just threw on you, he sighed, knowing that he had to think about his Kingdom before his - or his familyâs, desires.
«There was no reason to do that,» he stood up from his throne, and you followed his movements with a dejected expression. «You will marry Prince Minho, whether you like it or not.»
Even if you wanted to scream your disappointment and the fact that you were utterly opposed to this decision, you knew that your hands were metaphorically tied; you were receiving an order directly from the King and in front of the Council, the only thing you could do was obey.
With hastened steps, you exited the Council room and headed to your private chambers, immediately referring to your lady in waiting what just happened.
«Everyone says Prince Minho is a charming gentleman,» she tried, watching as you were pacing around the room while trying to secretly come up with a plan that would have taken you out of that situation, «Iâm sure youâll be happy!» she said, and an idea popped into your mind at the speed of light.
«You know what would make me happier?» you quickly turned towards her, your fingers politely intertwined in front of your stomach, «Going to my private mansion for few months.» your lady in waiting hummed, furrowing her eyebrows, pondering the option, unaware that the troublemaker side of your personality already came up with the plan of running away.
«I suppose itâs an option,» she sighed, «The marriage will take place in six months.»
With that, you didnât bother to justify why you put in your luggage an insane amount of definitely not needed clothes.
Two days: that was the maximum amount of time you allowed yourself to remain into your mansion, before eventually changing your mind once again because youâve always lived surrounded by luxury. It was indeed a risk, youâve never lived by yourself and you knew very little about the tasks of everyday life, but you were clever, and in case of emergency, you knew how to use a sword; you could do it.
At this point, you firmly believed that anything would have been better than marrying someone you neither knew nor love.
«I canât believe Iâm doing this» you held a leather bag containing few change of clothes and a good amount of money to your chest; securing a short dagger inside your boot, you let your skirt fall over it, before wearing a dark cape which hid your identity from unwanted eyes.
The clothes you were wearing were much more humble than you were used to, but you didnât have time to check yourself in the mirror to see whether they looked good on you or not. The only thing belonging to your Princess status you decided to take with you was your necklace, the one you always wore; it had the royal emblem on it, and it was the only thing which could make people recognize you as the Princess if you ever decided to come back home.
Without looking back, you carefully walked through the corridor of your mansion, taking advantage of the much lower number of guards surveying the area, and in the dead of the night, you disappeared.
One week into your new life and you realized that running faster than rumours was indeed impossible; you were peacefully sitting on a stool next to a counter in a local tavern when you managed to catch few words from the table sitting behind you.
From what they were saying, someone ran away from their castle; even if you didnât hear their pronouns or the first part of the sentence you tensed up, deducing they were talking about you. What you didnât know was that someone else was listening to the same conversation, his shoulders tense and his eyes attentive; someone which managed to sit on the stool next to you without you even noticing, due to how focused you were, trying to make out as many words as you could despite the loud chattering in the tavern.
«Listen to me!» someone urged from the table you focused your attention on, «The King is offering a lot of money if we ever find-»
«Itâs not polite to eavesdrop.» someone said from next to you, and your head quickly turned on your left, acknowledging the young boy which was staring at you with a knowing grin, his cheek placed on the palm of his hand.
«I wasnât eavesdropping.» you answered, adverting your gaze immediately, feeling your cheeks heating up due to the fact that not only youâve been caught but also, the stranger who did that was incredibly handsome; he wore a simple dark green cotton shirt and a jacket of the same colour on it, his clothes didnât look particularly expensive, but you immediately recognized that it was indeed a good quality fabric.
«Sure,» he chanted, before sipping from the glass he had in front of himself; since that moment, the stranger remained next to you, occasionally doing small talk to break the uncomfortable silence.
«Why are you even bothering to-» as you turned your head towards him, you noticed them; a small group of men was staring at you, occasionally mumbling things between themselves, you quickly figured out they were bandits, or worse.
«Bingo,» he sighed, relieved that you finally noticed them as well, «you probably shouldnât wander around all alone, at night. Donât you have a husband?» despite the nosy question, his tone was gentle, his brows delicately furrowed as he locked your gaze with yours.
«I donât.» you simply answered; the stranger hummed in response, and you both fell silent.
Eventually, you let him walk you towards the inn where you were spending the night.
When you woke up, it was barely before dawn; you knew you got far away enough from the Castle, but your destination was still far away, therefore, sleeping more than needed was useless. The innkeeper was an old woman, and she was more than willing to prepare a quick breakfast for you.
«I will not let my guests travel with an empty stomach!» she smiled, the wrinkles on her face framing a gentle and sincere expression; anytime she complimented your manners you couldnât help but tense up, hoping that no strange thoughts ever popped into her mind about you being some sort of noble.
Sometimes, you let your mind wander to your days back in the Castle, undoubtedly missing them and thinking about what could have happened if you ever decided to come back; deep inside you, you thought that they would not accept your return, throwing you away for good and definitely removing you from your position.
With a sigh, you eventually got out from the inn, resigned with the fact that you were planning to reach at least the next town without having a horse; taking a deep breath, you started walking towards the empty streets of the village.
«We meet again,» you heard a familiar voice say; you glanced on your left, and the stranger you met yesterday night was now effortlessly walking on top of a low stone wall, his fingers intertwined behind his nape and occasionally looking at you with a sly smile.
«Yeah, I canât believe, Iâm so lucky.» you answered, your voice flat and trying to keep your voice as quiet as possible because it was still early in the morning and you didnât want to wake anyone up.
«Where are you going so early in the morning?» he asked, and you wondered why you felt so annoyed at the boy, since you didnât even know him.
«Iâll tell you only if you tell me where you are going.» you retorted, acknowledging the fact that he was carrying a bag as well, and therefore he was travelling to; no one would wake up at such an unholy hour just to take a walk.
«The City of Duvencrune.» he answered with a shrug, and you halted your steps. Duvencrune was a neutral city, and many people occasionally looked for shield in there, either because there was a bounty on their head or simply because they wanted to live far from the strict Kingdomâs rules. Through the years, Duvencruneâs popularity increased, and therefore the city became much bigger. It was not a safe place for a woman travelling on her own â even less for a Princess, but you didnât know where else to go.
«Donât tell me, youâre going there too?» the boy asked, jumping off the wall as a crossroad approached and standing in front of your frame; you nodded, adverting your eyes from his face, since the rising sun hitting on part of his features contributed on making him look even more handsome.
«And who are you supposed to be?» you asked, crossing your arms in front of your chest, admiring how the sunlight danced on his raven black hair.
«Lino,» he smiled, and you snorted, shaking your head.
«Sounds like a fake name to me.» you said, raising your eyebrow.
«Sounds like the only name youâll get.» he winked at you, before turning away and resume his actions of walking while his hands were once again intertwined behind his nape.
«Come on, my horse is that way!» he called out, nodding towards the stable, and you immediately started walking.
«I donât have a horse.» you admitted; honestly, you thought about taking a horse from the stable the night you ran away but you figured youâd be more recognizable.
«I guess someoneâs going to walk, then.» Lino shrugged, and you narrowed your eyes; if this boy wanted to get under your skin, he was doing an excellent work.
Turns out, someone really ended up walking:Â Lino.
Long story short, he made you sit on his horse instead of him because he was tired of your continuous complaining, and you spent half of the time looking at him from above. Contrarily to you, Lino didnât complain about the fact that he was tired, not even once, but you were a Princess, and Princesses were meant to be gentle, humble and caring.
«Come up,» you simply said, re-adjusting your position to make some space on the saddle. «We donât have all life to get to Duvencrune!» you immediately added as soon as you saw Linoâs smirk, trying to make it clear that you were only doing it because he was too slow.
Lino easily climbed on the horse and sat behind you, his arms caging your frame while holding the reigns of the horse; you didnât want to admit it to yourself, but somehow, in that moment, you felt safe.
Unexpectedly enough, Lino was not as obnoxious as you originally thought. First of all, he could do a lot of things more than you â for example start a fire, and anytime you asked him why he was going to Duvencrune, heâd brush it off with a vague excuse. Since you werenât being honest in the first place, you never tried to look too much into it; Lino never asked you why you were traveling, or when he did, he accepted your answers.
Even so, the boy had an exceptional talent: he managed to get under your skin as if it was his job. Lino himself admitted that by now, it was his favourite thing to do; to him, your flustered reactions or the fact that you didnât think twice before answering him with a sarcastic retort was interesting to him, because he definitely was used to be treated in a whole different way.
The fact that you didnât think twice to stood up for yourself was incredibly alluring for Lino, and the fact that you acted in such an elegant way with everything you did made him question whether you said the truth about who you were; however, even if you were lying, Lino was definitely not in the place to say anything about it.
«Donât fall asleep,» Linoâs voice startled you, and you were thankful for his arms around your waist, or you probably would have fallen from the horse, «weâre almost there.» he added, his voice a little gentler than you were used to, and you focused not to doze off once again and settled for waiting to arrive at the next town, just to fall asleep on a real bed.
To say you were exhausted was a euphemism; today had been hectic. The day started with Lino waking you up at an unholy hour during the night, claiming that someone was getting close and therefore, you had to go; you complied, probably after sleeping for three hours at maximum, but blindly following Linoâs orders because sleep deprived you decided that he was worthy of your trust.
Turned out, Lino was right, you spent a part of your morning trying to outrun a small group of bandits, and when you thought you did; they eventually catched up. All the money the both of you possessed was carefully hidden under the horseâs saddle, so the bandits settled for stealing part of the clothing in your bags, before tying you up and walk away.
At least, this is what Lino told you because as soon as they catched up, you fainted.
«Care to tell me why you have a busted lip?» you asked the boy next you as soon as you regained consciousness, momentarily narrowing your eyes due to your headache.
«I tried to defend you, they believed I was your lover,» he tilted his head towards you, few strands of hair falling in front of his eyes, «I look hotter, now.» Lino winked, confidently, and you scoffed.
«Thank you,» you admitted, the feeling of relief mixing up with the feeling of guilt because, despite you mutual growing feelings towards each other, you were lying to him.
Even if you found strange the fact that a small group of bandits settled for stealing clothes, you didnât question it any further; your head was about to explode, and you wanted to sleep.
The inn was small and cosy, and you and Lino were resting in two different bedrooms, one in front of each other; you wished him goodbye as soon as you arrived, unaware about Lino staring at your retreating figure with worried eyes. As quickly as you could, you took your clothes off, only to wear your nightdress before laying on your bed, hoping to fall asleep as soon as possible.
With an annoyed groan, you opened your eyes, immediately recognizing the nature of the noises coming from the room next to yours. Undoubtedly, they were having much more fun than you, but you needed to sleep; glancing out of the window, the jet black and moonless sky met your eyes, and you walked out of bed and without thinking twice about what you were doing, quickly heading out of your door, not bothering to wear a cape over your nightdress.
Closing the door behind your back and locking it with your personal key, you walked towards the room in front of you, knocking few times and hoping that Lino wasnât asleep.
âWhat if heâs with someone as well?â you thought, the feeling of unexplained jealousy creeping into your soul, before you heard the door unlock.
«What is it?» Lino asked, his eyes still closed and his voice still full of sleep.
âOf course he sleeps shirtless,â you thought, after taking a quick glance at his firm and toned chest â now that he was too asleep to realize it; instinctively, you reached out to ruffle his messy black hair, but you eventually stopped your hand in mid-air, refraining from doing so.
«The couple next to my room is having sex,» you explained, walking past him and leaving your roomâs key on his nightstand before throwing yourself on his bed.
«Uh, do you want to turn it into a competition, or�» he mumbled, closing the door and still too asleep and too confused on why you decided to walk into his room in the middle of the night.
As you looked at Lino walking towards the bed while ruffling his hair even further with a soft yawn, you thought that you probably wouldnât have minded.
«Maybe in your dreams,» you retorted instead, suppressing the wave of desire that hit you by rolling on your side so that heâd face your back.
«Where am I supposed to sleep?» the bed creaked under Linoâs weight, and you felt his fingers poking at your side, slightly tickling you.
«With me, but if you try something, Iâll kill you.» you answered, ignoring how your heart immediately picked up pace as you felt Lino lay down next to you; youâve never slept with a man, nor sexually, nor in the most innocent way.
«I knew you were kinky.» you heard him joke; of course, you couldnât know, but Linoâs heart was beating so fast it was almost matching the pace of yours. Â
Somehow, during the night, the both of you shifted and unknowingly re-arranged your position; you were now laying on your side, partially laying on Linoâs chest and your head was in the crook of his neck, his arms securely wrapped around you.
Lino woke up earlier than you did, gently caressing your face and admiring your features when your necklace suddenly caught his attention; you were loosely holding onto it, and the familiar emblem made him act on instinct.
With extremely careful movement in order not to wake you up, he gently took the necklace from your head, before exhaling a breathless laugh, shaking his head, his head falling back on the cushion for few seconds that he spent staring at the ceiling.
«I canât believe it,» Lino whispered, placing your necklace in your hand once again, before smiling softly at your asleep frame, «I guess youâre really my destiny, Princess.» gently rolling you on your side an in the position you fell asleep in, he never mentioned that he woke up with you cuddling close to his body, neither than he knew who you were; he decided it was his small secret.
Duvencrune was indeed as beautiful as people said, the city was partially built on the side of a mountain, using its stones so that the houses looked like they were erupting from nature itself; you and Lino opted for staying at one of the locals inn, not bothering to ask for separate rooms since by now, youâve been travelling together for two months.
As much as you were happy about the fact that you finally managed to reach your destination and therefore, you could live your life starting from zero, you were also scared about facing your own feelings for Lino.
During your travel your relationship naturally changed into something you couldnât really pinpoint; youâd still tease each other but instead of feeling your soul burn with the instinct of reach out and physically fight him, youâd feel a soft warmth slowly spreading in your chest, leaving you flustered and shy.
In your shared room, Lino had both his hands on the railing, trapping you between his body and the balcony behind your back; you had to admit that the rainstorm was providing a more than romantic atmosphere to your evening. Linoâs eyes repeatedly shifted from your eyes to your lips; his desire to kiss you was undeniable, and it managed to make you feel as if you were suffocating.
Of course, you had feelings for him and of course, you wanted to kiss him as well.
However, how could you expect Lino to return your feelings when all you have done has been lying about your identity?
Lino inched closer to you, his lips few millimetres apart from yours; in that moment, you took your final decision. Even if you wanted to love him and wanted to be loved by him in return, he had the right to know the truth; whether to love a coward who ran from her own marriage would have been his choice.
You turned your head at the last moment, so that Linoâs lips met your cheek, and you closed your eyes, immediately holding onto his arm in order to keep him close to you. Â
«Let me explain,» you mumbled, aware that he heard you loud and clear due to how close you were. Lino shook his head, clearly about to tell you that there was nothing you should explain, when you furtherly asked him to hear you out.
With that, you lead him back inside just to sit in front of each other at the small table in your shared room, and you kept glancing at him while nervously playing with your fingers.
«Look,» Lino sighed, running a hand through his hair. «Iâm sorry if I made this awkward, I-»
«I lied.» you suddenly said, cutting him off; Lino tilted his head, looking at you, expectantly. With a quick move, you took off your necklace for the first time since you left the mansion, and placed it to the table, so that Lino could look examinate it closer if he wanted to.
«Remember back then, the men talking in the tavern? About- about the bounty... Well, I'm the Princess. I ran away as soon as my marriage with Prince Minho was announced.» Linoâs eyes bore into yours, trying not to give away the fact that he already knew who you were, «I like you â a lot, actually, but I canât be with you knowing Iâm lying and therefore, putting you in danger.»
Lino raised his eyebrows, running his hands through his hair while looking at you with a serious expression; you were about to ask his opinion on his matter when he simply scoffed, exhaling a brief breathless laugh. You furrowed your brows, watching Lino standing up from his chair in order to look for something in his leather bag.
«Do you remember when I told you my name, and you told me that it sounded fake?» he placed an almost identical necklace next to yours, with a different emblem embroided on it. «Well, you were right.» he said, as soon as he saw you holding his necklace just to examinate it closer. «I ran away as well, Iâm Prince Minho.» now it was your turn to look at him with an incredulous expression.
What were the odds of coincidentally meeting the person you were supposed to marry, when both of you ran away from home?
Minho was now partially sitting on the table, and you abruptly stood up in realization.
«I have to get married to you?» you asked, still dumbfounded.
«Yes, Princess,» Minho chuckled, effortlessly pulling you to his body, «If we manage to get back in time.»
«Weâll leave tomorrow in the morning,» you nodded to yourself, running your hands on Minhoâs chest, «I donât care if it took us an eternity to get here.» your heart felt weightless at the realization that you were almost cheating on your future husband with, well, your future husband.
«Oh,» he raised an eyebrow with a sly grin, «so you want to get married to me?» Minho, which had both his arms around your waist, sneaked his right hand upwards along your arm, until it eventually reached your face, in order to brush few strands of hair behind your ear.
«Yes, I do⊠I like you,» you admitted, unsure, «You donât?»
Minho gently cupped your cheek, mumbling a quiet and almost inaudible «Of course I do.» before closing the space between your lips; you sighed, immediately returning it, while holding him as close as you could.
Despite the fact that you both spent two entire months desiring each other, Minhoâs lips were gentle and caring, gentleness that dissipated in the same moment he heard a quiet whine escape your mouth and a tentative nibble on his lower lip; the kiss became more passionate as seconds went by, Minho holding your body close to his as if his life depended on it.
«I think we should anticipate our honeymoon,» Minho mumbled against your lips, sliding off the table and reverse your positions so that he had you pinned against it.
«I think that you can be smart when you want,» you retorted, and let Minho pick you up and lay you down on the bed.
That night, you and Minho made love for the first time â the first of a countless times, the heavy rainstorm providing as a background noise and Minhoâs hair fell over your body as if it were gentle raindrops, anytime he left a trail of kisses on your skin.
Six months later, just like that night, there was a rainstorm outside of the Castle; you sighed, content with how many things managed to happen.
Both you and Minho decided to go back to your Castle, since it was the closest from Duvencrune, and as soon as the guards recognized you, well, it was quite a scandal, since the both of you managed to unleash absolute chaos in two different Reigns.
Minho was much better at lying than you were, and explained that the two of you had been exchanging letters in secrets and eventually gave in to the desire to meet; your parents believed that, and despite the fact that you managed to worry almost everyone in your Kingdom, your marriage was still safe.
You and Minho got married two months after your return, and you moved to his Castle, your new home; the cheesy realization that you managed to feel at home anywhere â also in front to a bonfire in the middle of nothing, as long as Minho was with you made you smile, and with a small giggle, you rolled on the bed, seeking for Minhoâs cuddles.
Or at least, you tried to.
«Can you please move your fat ass?» you groaned at Minhoâs frame completely sprawled out on your shared bed and preventing you from rolling on your back.
«I donât have a fat ass.» Minho groaned, rolling back on his side of bed and waiting for you to get comfortable so that you could cuddle.
«You do, and I love it.» you giggled, gently slapping on Minhoâs butt a few times in rapid succession.
«Of course you do.» he chuckled, before kissing your head.
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories.
I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.
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[2.33]
â pairing : Felix x fem! reader
â content warnings : smut, fluff, royals au, Felix is a King, established relationship, medieval settings, â ïžexhibitionism/voyeurism, donât read if you donât feel comfortable with itâ ïžunprotected sex, fantasy au
â word count : 3.504
â notes: part two (coming soon!)
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
đ ROYALS! STRAY KIDS SERIES
Chris // Changbin // Jisung // Hyunjin // Seungmin // Minho // Felix part one | part two // Jeongin
«Happy anniversary, sweet cheeks.» Felix playfully winked at you, brushing a hand through his long blonde hair, as he gently clinked his golden chalice against yours; you giggled, feeling a little bit more tipsy than you were used to, while leaning against the back of your seat as your eyes scanned the room full of nobles drinking and eating in your honour.
«Can you believe itâs been three years, already?» with your elbows draped on the armrest, you turned your head to your husband, which had already inched closer to you.
«Yeah,» he nodded, a small, cute pout adorning his lips; Felixâs fingertips tapped on the side of your right eye with a gentle movement, «You have wrinkles already.» you scoffed in response, hiding a smile and immediately lifting your hand in order to swat his away but, he acted quicker than you did, and so, he intertwined your fingers as soon as your hands came in contact. You simply stared at Felixâs smug and pleased expression with a raised eyebrow, incredulous at how your husband was still so smitten for you that heâd try to touch you â from hugs to holding your hand, anytime you were next to each other, either you were in public or alone.
If back then, someone were to tell you that youâd find love in an arranged marriage you probably would have asked for that personâs execution; and yet, there you were, completely in love with Felix, your affectionate husband.
«If you say something like that again,» you said, leaning towards him, your lips now few millimetres apart and your eyes running along the sea of freckles adorning his cheeks â freckles which you counted an undefined amount of times, «Iâll poison you.» words you clearly didnât mean, but you and Felix were used to joke around like that, always ready to jump at each otherâs throat when honestly, your bond was very deep and you were each otherâs biggest supporter. Felix was everything for you; he was a friend, a lover, a confidant. You would have done anything for him, and you know that Felix felt exactly the same.
Felix simply smirked at your affirmation, lifting an eyebrow before shaking his head, probably choosing not to answer and instead, leaning in to close the space between the two of you with a quick and chaste kiss.
«You wonât,» he answered, purposely keeping his voice low as if keeping the secret of your conversation, when you genuinely doubted that anyone would have heard the two of you between the loud chattering in the room, «you love me too much.» Felix chanted with a victorious expression and you giggled as you nodded eagerly, your head turning to the side so that your husband could lean in and kiss the side of your head.Â
As your eyes quickly scanned the room, you caught Changbin looking at your interaction with Felix with an interested smirk, making you immediately advert your gaze; among Felixâs closest friends â which all held an important title in the court, Changbin was the one you never managed to completely figure out.
Changbin was undeniably handsome and charming, but his attitude towards you manage to do nothing but confuse you; he would address to you formally, he would treat you with extreme respect but, occasions where he would flirt with you werenât rare, and as soon as you told Felix, he laughed it off with an amused smile.
With a sigh, you leaned forward and grabbed your chalice only to lean back on your seat, taking a small sip of your wine, recalling the first time that you told your husband about his friendâs flirty behaviour; you were both lying in bed in a dazed post orgasm state and more than ready to sleep.
«I have something to tell you,» you mumbled with a racing heart while your head was resting on his chest, noticing how his heart immediately picked up speed as well.
«Do you want a divorce?» Felixâs voice was so worried and insecure that for a second you forgot about what you had to say.Â
«What?! No!» you answered immediately, glad that you felt him immediately relax. «How could you even think about thatâŠÂ» you added, your voice a little softer as you held him a little closer to your body and, after taking a deep breath, you told him everything, and much to your surprise, Felix patiently listened to all you had to say while running his fingers through your hair before shrugging with a small giggle.Â
«Well, we canât deny heâs insanely handsome,» Felix confessed, «We should have a threesome, sometimes.» your eyes widened in stupor, you definitely werenât expecting such an answer; you propped on your elbow almost at the speed of light, looking at him with a puzzled expression and ignoring the strange sensation you felt at the mention of sharing your bed with not only Felix, but with Changbin as well.
Honestly, you never thought about that before, but you couldnât deny the fact that you somehow felt intrigued at the thought. Felix caught you off guard, pushing your shoulder as he rolled on top of you under the blankets, «Or we could make him watch,» he added, his lips trailing a different path of kisses on the skin of your neck, «Wouldnât you like it? Someone else knowing how good you are for me?» Felixâs deep, husky voice send shivers down your spine and as his left hand reached out to caress your breast in a passionate, almost rough way, you instinctively whimpered while arching your back, eager for his touch.Â
Felix was looking at you with an incredulous smirk on his face, secretly glad that the both of you were on the same page; even if he never said anything, he always knew about Changbin flirting with you and therefore the fact that you were always shying away in a silent answer, and was more than happy that you decided to tell him.Â
However, you felt terrible; you just got wet about the thought of someone watching you and your husband having sex, and no one else but Seo Changbin. You couldnât stop feeling like you were cheating on Felix, and you quickly reached out to hug him close to your chest while mumbling hastened apologies; being the perfect husband he has always proved to be, Felix felt the change of your mood and hugged you back, asking you what was wrong until eventually, you decided to tell him.
«I will always belong only to you.» you added on the verge of tears, meeting his gaze even if you were ashamed of your own thoughts. Felix looked at you with an incredulous expression, and you gradually started to panic before eventually, he bursted out laughing.Â
«We belong to each other, sweet cheeks,» he smiled, the sincerity in his eyes immediately comforting you as he was gently kissing every section of your face to reassure you, «Thereâs nothing wrong with exploring new things, as long as we are doing it together.» somehow, his words manage to make you feel better and since then, mentions of exhibitionism or interesting mĂ©nage Ă trois werenât that rare anymore.Â
«I could go ask him,» Felix chuckled, immediately snapping you out of your thoughts and bringing you back to the reality of the expensive banquet you were having for lunch.Â
«I donât think Iâm ready, yet.» you whispered, glancing at Changbin which was now immersed in a conversation with Chris, and your husband rolled his eyes with a playful, mischievous smile.
«Iâll wait, then.» Felix answered, faking a pout while his fingers gently caressed yours.Â
«Of course you will,» you chuckled, «You love me too much.» you teased him, quoting his words from earlier and he smiled wide, shaking his head.Â
«You donât even know how much.» Felixâs sincere smile made the butterflies in your stomach do somersaults acrobatics.Â
Night arrived rather quickly, and a yawn escaped your lips as you tightened the strings of your nightdress around your shoulders, ready to lay in bed and fall asleep in Felixâs arms.
Felix which, however, seemed to have totally different plans; your husband walked around the bed, holding your hand and preventing you from jump onto the fluffy mattress - a habit youâve had since you were a little girl, and you tilted your head towards him in confusion.
Without further notice, Felix inched towards your face and closed the space between your lips with a passionate kiss, pulling your body flush against his; his left hand cupped your jaw, tilting your head to deepen the kiss as he felt your hands caressing his naked torso, all the way to his hips, in order to keep him as close to your body as possible. As your right hand was about to slide inside the pants he wore for the night, he stopped you with a tight grip on your wrist, his tongue licking on your bottom lip.
«Come with me,» Felix simply mumbled against your lips, taking your hand and walking out of your room as he made sure no one of the guards were on sight.
Felix led you to through the corridors as carefully as you were thieves and not the King and the Queen, currently walking barefoot and not bothering to put a cape over your nightclothes.
Even though you didnât know what Felixâs intentions were, you trusted him, but confusion washed over you as you saw him unlocking the secondary smaller door of the throne room; it was the door that Royalty used to walk in and out and you were puzzled at why Felix decided to lead you there in the middle of the night.
«Iâve been dreaming of you riding me on my throne since Iâve been crowned King,» he briefly explained as his lips kissed your neck, pushing you against the now closed door; your eyes scanned the wide and empty room, and as you looked at Felixâs throne - few steps in front of you, a wave of arousal washed over your body and you reached out, your hands intertwining in Felixâs hair while you guided him to your lips, giving him your silent consent.
Judging by the content sigh Felix breathed against your skin, you knew that he understood and so, with a final gentle kiss on your lips, Felix guided you until you sat on his throne, your usual point of view on the room changing a little bit more on the right.
«Lix?» you mumbled, suppressing a whine as your eyes shifted repeatedly from the door and your husband which was now kneeled between your legs and busy sliding your nightdress up your legs until it was around your hips, immediately attaching his lips to your inner thigh.
«You might want to be quiet, Your Highness,» Felix quickly glanced at you, before eagerly sucking on your inner thigh pleased with your body slightly jolting forward in reaction, «Youâd better watch the door. Unless, you want to be caught?» your breath hitched at the sensation of Felixâs fingertips grazing the skin where he wasnât kissing, occasionally brushing his fingertips on your naked wetness in a teasing manner. With a sharp intake of breath, your eyes locked on the door, the thought of someone walking in in that moment making your soul lit with mixed sensations.
âSomeoneâ, because your mind definitely did not wander and thought about anyone in particular, right?
«Considered how wet you are already, you would like it.» Felixâs words came as a smug whisper before he immediately attached his lips to your clit, keeping your legs spreaded by moving them over his shoulders, so that he could focus on pleasing you while using his fingers as well. Felix knew your body probably even better than you did, and therefore, he knew that all it took for you to reach out to pull on his hair was a gentle tug on your clit using his teeth.
«Lix!» you whined probably a little louder than needed, even if you were trying to keep your voice as low as possible, immediately feeling him smirk against your inner thigh as his fingers were now pumping, curling and scissoring inside you.
«What?» he asked faking an innocent tone, even thought his voice was way too deep to sound innocent during certain situations; you have always been loud in bed - Felix loved your moans at the point that sometimes he came because of them, and therefore you didnât trust your voice to answer, since trying not to moan was already a way too difficult challenge.
Desperately, you directed Felix towards your wetness by pulling on his hair, pleased with the fact that he complied without teasing you further, eager to please you and hear you moan his name in utter bliss.
One of your hands was tightly gripping the throneâs handle with the desperate attempt to make you focus enough on keeping your eyes open and fixed on the door, instead of losing yourself in pleasure as you so desperately wanted but, Felixâs tongue was so hot against your skin, deliciously lapping at your folds while occasionally focusing on your clit just to tease you even further, and his fingers knew exactly where to curl in order to reach that perfect spot that you couldnât help but instinctively arch your back with a choked whine, pushing yourself more against your husbandâs face, thinking that anyone could have walked in; Changbin could have walked in and see you-
«Felix!» you whimpered, your orgasm washing unexpectedly over you, making your body suddenly tense up and relax in a quick succession. With a hammering heart, you shortly glanced at the door before gradually starting to relax, resting your back against the throne; Felix removed his fingers from you and stoop up, a victorious smile on his face and a raised eyebrow, busy cleaning the fingers, which just worked magic inside you, while using his tongue.
Your eyes hungrily travelled on his toned chest, noticing that at some point, he must have gave in to the temptation to pleasure himself as well, because his pants were unbuttoned and his length was fully hard and already leaking pre-come; instinctively, you sat straight and leaned towards the tip of his length with parted lips, driven by the desire to taste it once again and to let yourself choke on it - if necessary to hear Felixâs loud moans, when he stopped you.
«Maybe later,» he said, stopping your movements as he placed his hand under your jaw in a gentle yet firm movement.
Eventually, Felix made you rearrange your positions so that he sat on the throne and you sat on top of him; wasting no time and immediately sinking on his length as if you didnât just come few moments earlier. Felixâs hands gripped your hips, quietly whimpering at your wetness still clenching around him from your previous orgasm; kissing his lips, you immediately started to move, slowly riding his length and occasionally moving your hips in circles anytime he was completely buried into you.
«Who did you think about, earlier?» Felixâs question was so sudden your hips froze, his length twitching inside of you. Felix smiled, reaching out to caress your face in a gentle manner, «You usually warn me before coming.» you nodded, shyly adverting your gaze.
At your lack of answer, Felix pulled on the strings in the middle of your collarbone, which were neatly closing your nightdress around your shoulders, and easily loosened it with a firm tug; immediately, the fabric fell around your elbows, completely exposing your chest to him.
The sensation of Felixâs tongue teasingly lapping and biting at your nipples made your hips move by their own accord once again - ready to chase for another orgasm because Felixâs length deliciously filling you up and his touch made you feel like you were on fire, while in the back of your mind you were pondering whether to answer his question or not.
«I thought about Changbin walking in on us.» the feeling of Felixâs hips stuttering on the rhythm you set, abruptly pulling your hips against his was priceless.
«So eager to show him what a good girl you are?» Felixâs voice was even deeper, and his hands loosened just enough for you to reminiscence your actions of bouncing on his length, the sting of your knees hitting the gold bars of the throne making you feel even more aroused. In order to feel him even deeper, you decided to occasionally clench around his length and in return, Felix always had trouble on keeping quiet, low groans escaping his lips even if he bit his lips so hard that he could draw blood; Felixâs head was thrown back, exposing his neck which you didnât hesitate to kiss, not caring whether you left some marks in the process.Â
Felix came not too far later, kissing your neck and mumbling some praises of encouragement, he laid back on his throne with ragged breath and a hammering heart, enjoying the sight of you pleasuring yourself while chasing for your orgasm using his length, when both of you froze in your tracks at the sound of someone troubling with the locks of the main door.
Despite your sexual fantasies, you knew that you could have gotten in trouble if you were found like this and so, you quickly got up from Felixâs lap and you both hid behind one of the marble columns few steps away from the throne.
Felix had gently pushed you against it, one of his hands next to your head while the other was on your waist; he had his head tilted to the left, so that he could easily see the guard on his night patrol, controlling if everything was okay, while the two of you were still safely hidden in the shadows. You heard the soldierâs steps echoing in the room, and your heart was still hammering in your chest in a fast pace, due to the fact that you were so close to come once again but you were so abruptly interrupted; you felt Felixâs plump and warm lips against your neck, and you took a harsh inhale of breath.
«What are you doing?» you said, barely above a whisper, mixed sensations building up in your soul at the thought of being found out.
«Keep quiet, and youâll find out.» Felixâs answer was immediate, a luscious whisper against your ear, as the hand that had previously been on your waist was now collecting the half part on your nightdress in his hand.
Felixâs short nails scratched their way up your inner thigh before harshly signalling you to part your legs, order to which you eagerly complied; immediately, Felixâs fingers were inside you, frantically moving with the only goal to make you come. Keeping your breath even was much harder than before, now that someone else was in the room; as the soldierâs steps got closer, Felixâs head moved from your neck and went back on his previous ministrations on overseeing his movements. Felix fingers purposely changed pace with the excuse of the poor man getting closer or farther from you, making you actually concentrate in order to let moans escape your lips, since the continuous change of pace of his fingers was about to make you go insane.
As Felixâs fingers curled just to touch that perfect spot inside you, your muscles instinctively clenched and you closed your eyes, both your hands on your mouth to prevent any sound from coming out.
«Next time, be sure to do that around my dick,» Felix mumbled before biting your earlobe and changing once again the direction of his attention.
The night patrol was not long, in fact, the guard had simply to check up if everything was in its original place and so, as soon as you heard him exiting the room and locking the main door, Felixâs lips were once again capturing yours in a passionate kiss and his fingers lost any kind of inhibition.
Felix, eventually, decided that making you come with just one hand just was not enough and so, he moved his left hand as well, so that his fingers would occasionally alternate between teasing your clit and spreading your folds even wider, almost as if it was giving you a little massage and he wasnât about to make you come in the throne room.
«Youâre even wetter,» he cooed, «Should we invite Changbin to keep guard, next time?» Felixâs words were everything you needed to come, your back arched and muffled moans escaping your lips as your hands firmly grabbed his wrists to prevent him from stop his movements; you might not have noticed, but Felix heard that small and choked âyesâ that immediately escaped your lips loud and clear.
The next day, in the late afternoon, you and Felix convened Changbin for a private meeting.
«Seo,» Felix greeted his long-time friend with a mischievous smile, «Are you busy tonight?»
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories.
I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.
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| I feel danger on your lips but it tastes good |
â pairing : Mingyu x Wonwoo
â content warnings : fluff, smut, vampire au, mingyu feeds from wonwoo
â word count : 4.976
â summary : «donât venture so far from your room at night,» Mingyu spoke with an alluring smile, «youâll never know what lurks in the dark.»
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
The flames seemed to be alive, burning so bright that it seemed like the sun was rising extremely early that day; the orphanage was completely engulfed by a fire that sadly, no one managed to extinguish before noon.
Wonwoo woke up with a startle, breathing heavily as he did that same night years ago, as he did what he could to help saving few of the children still trapped in the building.
"Well, good morningâ, he thought, as he reached for his glasses on the nightstand, and eventually decided to get up and get ready for the day.
Wonwoo was twenty-two now, and he resigned himself that he wouldnât be as lucky as the other adopted children; however, his life seemed to had taken a decisive turn since the day he started working at the very expensive mansion where a very young Count Kim Mingyu was living.
That morning, Wonwoo had had waited for few minutes before the heavy front door of the mansion moved, and few seconds later a woman was peeking her head from behind it.
«Hello,» Wonwoo greeted with the hint of a curt bow, «Iâm here for the-»
«The butler position!» the woman excitedly interrupted him, now almost standing in front of him; Wonwoo nodded, and she answered with a gentle smile, fidgeting her hands in the white apron falling from her waist.
«Iâm Ljudmila, the head maid.» she offered, making enough space for Wonwoo to get inside the mansion. He briefly introduced himself, and when she told him that she would explain his duties so that he could start the following day, he questioned whether someone else had applied for the position.
«No,» Ljudmila shook her head, not looking at him; her frown seemed to deepen, and with it â Wonwoo noticed, so did the wrinkles on her forehead and around her eyes. «I believe you didnât hear about rumours on your way here, or anything suspicious?»
Wonwoo shook his head, and the frown disappeared from Ljudmilaâs features.
«You can walk into every room in this castle, except of course for the ones you will find locked. The Masterâs room are in the east wing of the mansion, but you donât need to meet him for the time being.» Ljudmilaâs voice was authoritative yet kind â it was obvious that she had been doing this for many years as she explained in details what would have been Wonwooâs duties at the mansion; needless to say, he was so happy to hear that he would have his personal room that he almost forgot to listen to the rest.
Ljudmila, however, quickly noticed that Wonwoo rarely spoke and brushed it off thinking that he must have been very reserved, something quickly denied from the letters that accompanied him. Apparently the poor boy was one of the youngsters living in the orphanage that caught fire few years earlier.
The days went by quite slowly and monotonously, something that Wonwoo definitely didnât dislike. Most importantly, Ljudmila must have said something to the other maids because â despite everyone being friendly to him, no one actually pushed too much for a conversation.
Needless to say, Wonwoo was incredibly thankful to Ljudmila.
Among the things Wonwoo definitely wasnât going to forget was his second day on the job, since everyone was almost incredulous about him being still alive, for whatever reason.
«Good heavens!» the cook had welcomed him in the kitchen that morning, «now this is something unexpected!» he laughed his thunderous laughter echoing in the room.
«What do you mean?» Wonwoo asked, his eyebrows furrowed in doubt.
Did he sleep too much? No, that couldnât be, the sun had just risen in the sky and yet there he was, washed up and dressed up for the day.
«Itâs not a good ideaâŠÂ» one of the maids unsurely voiced her thoughts, however, Ljudmila almost appeared out of nowhere.
«Everyone, cut it out!» she quickly and nervously walked around the kitchen, faintly hitting both the cook and the maid that spoke with a the edge damp rag, without actually hurting them, «the poor boy has just arrived, are you â think about my sanity! Iâll grow older of twenty years in three days if you keep this up.» she sat on a nearby chair, breathing an exhausted sigh before smiling kindly at Wonwoo, who was silently looking at that bizarre interaction.
It was clear to Wonwoo that there was something up with this mansion â or even the Master himself; however, Wonwoo was definitely more determined that any danger lurking around. Â
After all, he needed the job, didnât he?
During the few months Wonwoo had started working as a butler, he definitely managed to make a lot of good memories, but honestly, the only things permanently engraved in Wonwooâs mind were his encounters with his Master.
The first time it happened, Wonwoo had woken up from a nightmare and after tossing and turning in his bed without managing to fall asleep again, he decided to take a silent stroll around the garden; however, the moment he reached the path sided with roses in bloom, his feet came to an abrupt stop.
There was someone standing in the middle of the garden and right next to the fountain, his back was turned and therefore he couldnât see that Wonwoo was there. Judging by what he could see from the distance, the boy was probably Mingyu himself, Wonwoo thought, since he stood perfectly straight and his hair seemed to be as dark as a starless night.
It was like one of t he fairy tales Wonwoo had read in the orphanage; the stranger turned his head a little, and time seemed to stop. Less than a second later, Wonwoo found himself walking away, his heart hammering in his chest for whatever reason; his feet carried him back to his room, where he locked himself in just to lie on his back, his hands firmly placed above his heart in the vain attempt to calm down as he was blankly staring at the ceiling and waiting for the morning to come.
The second time, Wonwoo was silently heading back towards his room, probably a little later than usual since he couldnât help but rearrange the whole library in both chronological and alphabetical order, when he heard confident steps echoing in the hallway, coming from the opposite direction.
It was dark outside, and the butler was wandering a little too close to the east wing of the mansion, he realised â however, a little too late.
Wonwoo heard the faint clatter of shoes hitting against the perfectly clean marble floor slowly but steadily approaching, and instinctively froze in his steps; he quickly glanced around, noticing that it was definitely too late to hide.
A tall figure appeared at the end of the corridor, and Wonwoo quickly realized that it must have been his Master, the same person he saw in the garden; the more he approached him, the more Wonwoo swore he could feel his heart quicken his pace.
Master Kim was a gorgeous young man, Wonwoo thought, it was clear to him, even if the only source of light was the moonlight shining outside of the large windows that lined the hallway; he was tall, his body seemed to be well proportioned and his skin seemed to be the same colour as honey.
However, Wonwoo thought, his mind must have been playing tricks on him because he could swear that his Masterâs eyes seemed to be a deep yet bright shade of red.
«We finally meet, âŠÂ» Mingyu purposely faked to be oblivious to the youngsterâs name.
«Wonwoo, Sir.» the boy answered, his eyes now staring at the marble floor, since he felt incredibly small under the otherâs authoritative gaze.
«I hope you managed to find yourself at home here, however, donât venture so far from your room at night,» Mingyu spoke with an alluring smile, «youâll never know what lurks in the dark.»
Wonwoo felt his cheeks heathen as he apologized to him, and once again, he quickly walked towards his room, once again with his heartbeat hammering in his chest so loudly that Wonwoo was afraid his ribcage was going to explode from the intensity of it.
The menacing and mysterious aura around his Master disappeared a week later, as soon as Ljudmila asked Wonwoo to bring Mingyu his breakfast.
«Knock on his bedroom door three times, heâll let you in,» she instructed, «donât open the curtains, heâs got a terrible temper in the morning if he hasnât fed â oh please, donât tell him I said that. Place the tray on the mahogany desk in the middle of the room and then wait for him to dismiss you. Okay?» Wonwoo nodded immediately, picking up the tray filled with fruits, warm milk and a crystal vial filled with a reddish liquid that definitely didnât look normal â or edible, at all.
«Are you sure that was a good idea? The boy doesnât know that heâs working for a vampire.» the cook â already busy cutting a large amount of carrots for lunch, asked his long time friend and colleague.
«Iâm getting old,» she answered, sitting on the chair in front of him, and starting to help him in his task, «this year I will be fifty four, and believe me, I want our Master to have someone reliable at his side.»
«You could have warned him, though.» was the only thing he answered.
«Donât you remember how each one of us eventually found out? We both seen Mingyu grow up, and I believe you know better than me that Wonwooâs is in perfectly safe hands.» she explained, smiling fondly at the memories of an extremely young Mingyu, running through the kitchen and eagerly wanting to taste human food. Â
The east wing was symmetrical and perfectly equal to the rest of the mansion, still, the feeling of being allowed to venture inside it for the first time was more than enough for his heart to pick up pace in anticipation.
Wonwoo knocked three times against his Masterâs door, before hearing his faint order to come in, just like Ljudmila had said.
The bedroom was huge and, surprisingly enough, the furniture seemed to be really minimalistic.
âLess for me to cleanâ, Wonwoo thought, as his eyes quickly scanned the room. A mahogany desk with a large velvet-covered chair stood in the centre of the room â behind which stood the door-window leading to the small terrace attached to the room; to his left, a small bookcase formed a corner between two walls while to his right, there was a wide canopy bed where he easily found the target of his task.
His Master was sprawled on the mattress, his clothes were half unbuttoned and the sheets looked like he had tossed and turned all night without getting a minute of sleep.
«My dearest Ljudmila, believe me, I will die soon if I donât personally feed on a human.» Mingyu sighed, his eyes lost in the ceiling above him, as he ran his fingers through his hair with a distressed movement.
«Your- your Grace» Wonwoo cleared his voice, immediately capturing the other boyâs interest, who was watching at his every move as his life depended on it, «Ljudmila is busy, she sent me.»
Mingyu was quick to lift himself on his elbows, studying Wonwooâs movements as the butler placed the tray on his desk; while he was there, he took advantage of the situation and quickly re-arranged the order of few papers, just to make a little more space for him, if he decided to eat.
As Wonwoo re-adjusted his glasses, he heard his Master sigh, «Fine, but youâll have to feed me, bring the blood to me, please.»
Wonwoo stared both at the ample filled with the ominous coloured liquid and then at Mingyu; did he hear that right?
Mingyu, however, noticed the confusion in the otherâs eyes and chuckled briefly, tilting his head, «I guess Ljud didnât tell you anything.»
«About what-» Wonwoo abruptly cut his own sentence with a sigh; he run a hand through his hair, before eventually, he took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, «what was she supposed to tell me?»
«For a start, that the Master of this mansion is a vampire.» Mingyu answered with a confident smile, finding Wonwooâs reaction a weird mixture between adorable and cute.
«You really want me to fall for that?» he questioned the boy who was still looking at him with a confident and mischievous smile.
«Fall for âthatâ as in, fall for me?» Mingyu teased as he decided to get up from the sea of sheet he was lying comfortably on top of; with few confident strides, he closed the space between himself and Wonwoo, now standing in front of him.
Without realizing, the butler instinctively took an imperceptible step back, but the desk was there to stop his short and useless attempt to keep a reasonable distance.
«First thing first, I know you noticed my eyes when we met,» Mingyu tilted his head down to meet Wonwooâs gaze, who definitely couldnât deny the fact that normal people didnât have bright red eyes.
«Most importantly, now that we are so close,» Mingyu leaned towards the butler, who instinctively leaned back on the desk, his hands reaching behind himself in order not to fall, «I canât help but notice that your blood smells delicious, Wonwoo.» Mingyu spoke with an alluring and husky voice, every trace of the lively and teasing Master from seconds ago seemed to have disappeared; Wonwooâs heart started to quicken its pace, as he was having troubles identifying what he was feeling.
Actually, he was almost sure that among the mixture of confusion and astonishment he felt at the sudden revelation, he could also find a little bit of anticipation, especially when he was certain to have felt Mingyuâs teeth ever so sightly graze at the exposed skin on his neck that the collar of his shirt didnât cover.
The intimate moment they shared ended shortly after, when Mingyu lifted his head, tilting it back so that their gaze would meet.
«Do you believe me now?» Mingyu questioned him with a smile, and as soon as Wonwooâs gaze fell to the two pointy fangs that were oh so visible in his Masterâs dazzling smile, he eventually came to the conclusion that his words were true.
Actually, thanks to the other servants, he had always known that something was up with the mansion, he was just glad that it didnât turn out to be haunted with ghosts.
Satisfied with the butlerâs answer, Mingyu went back to his bed, and Wonwoo quickly recomposed himself.
«Should I get an empty cup of tea or-» Wonwoo nervously adjusted his glasses, which were about to fall off the bridge of his nose.
«You were really going to obey that silly order?» the vampire stared at him with wide eyes; Wonwoo nodded, and with a lively laugh, Mingyu fell back in the sea of white sheets.
From that day, much to Ljudmilaâs happiness, Wonwoo became Mingyuâs personal butler.
Few weeks later, Wonwoo knocked against Mingyuâs bedroom door, scoffing while hiding an amused smile as the only answer the vampire decided to give him was a groan.
«Good morning, Your Grace.» Wonwoo politely greeted Mingyu, who was lying in the usual sea of sheets he loved, with his pillow tightly pressed against his head.
Now, Wonwoo had spent enough days at the vampireâs side to realize that something in his behaviour definitely was off; he quietly placed the tray of breakfast on the desk, before quietly approaching the bed.
«Is everything okay?» Wonwoo gently questioned, reaching out to touch Mingyuâs hand over the pillow, but eventually halting his movements; the vampire kept silent, and the butler crouched next to his bed, finding it impolite to sit on his sheets.
«You can sit here.» Mingyu mumbled few seconds later, gently patting the empty spot next to his waist; Wonwoo thanked him and complied.
No one spoke for few minutes, and the both of them fell into a comfortable and weirdly intimate silence; Mingyu didnât move his hand from the mattress, and Wonwoo didnât realize that their fingertips were almost touching.
«I simply have a headache, you can go if you want to.» the vampireâs hoarse voice broke the silence, but somehow, Wonwoo believed that he wasnât telling the whole truth.
«Iâm your personal butler, meaning I donât have much to do if youâre sleeping.» Wonwoo lied.
He definitely had something to do in the morning: collect mail from the entrance hall and sort it in order of importance before bringing it back to Mingyu â who most importantly had requested Wonwoo to drop formalities when they were alone. Then he needed to collect his freshly washed clothes from the laundry room, and then he promised Ljudmila he would help her clean the crystal chandelier in the living rooms, not to mention -
«I get very bad headaches and really dizzy if I donât drink human blood.» Mingyu confessed,  his pinky finger unconsciously touching Wonwooâs index finger.
«Havenât you been drinking blood every day, though?» Wonwoo curiously questioned, barely moving his hand, so that their fingers touching wouldnât be as casual as it was few moments ago.
Mingyu groaned, and that was the only answer Wonwoo thought heâd get; eventually, the vampire sighed, lifting the cushion from his head, his gaze adjusting to the partial brightness in the room.
«Youâre perceptive, little one,» Mingyu teased, «however, thatâs animal blood â which for being clear, is definitely not the same.»
Wonwoo hummed, as he seemed to be lost in thoughts for few seconds, he asked the vampire if there was anything he could do, but Mingyu simply sighed, shaking his head.
«I appreciate your concern, but unless you want me to feed from you, thereâs nothing you can do.»
A whirlwind of thoughts seemed to float inside Wonwooâs mind after he heard Mingyuâs magic words.
Of course, he thought the vampire was insanely attractive and of course, he found himself more than once fantasizing about the possibility of kissing those full lips; moreover, he had to admit that the fact that Mingyu was both extremely clumsy and effortlessly funny was enough for him to get fond of t he vampire every day a little more.
Actually, his blooming feelings were completely reciprocated by the vampire, but nor him nor Mingyu had ever considered the possibility, and therefore, when Wonwoo spoke a faint «okay, letâs do it.», Mingyu thought he was hallucinating.
«Iâm not undressing more than this,» Wonwoo clarified, as he stared at the vampire, lazily sitting on the bed; the butler was basically still completely dressed, with the only exception of his gloves and his jacket. His shirt was completely unbuttoned, and thanks to the partial darkness of the room, he didnât notice how Mingyuâs gaze hungrily travelled on the glimpse of toned skin that he could see.
«Works for me, but if things get messy Iâm gonna stain your shirt, and youâll have to tell Ljud.» Mingyu shrugged, a breathless chuckle escaping his lips as he heard Wonwoo groan in agreement, since he didnât want to feel Ljudmilaâs beloved damp rag on his skin anytime soon, especially for something he didnât do.
Wonwoo lowered the suspenders keeping the shirt in place, letting the pieces of fabric dangle from his belt loop; he quickly got rid of his shirt, before folding it and placing it next to his jacket.
Following Mingyuâs direction, Wonwoo climbed on the mattress, and awkwardly sat on his lap; the vampire was keeping his left hand behind himself for balance, while his right hand immediately reached out to gently hold the other boyâs slim waist.
«This should be the part where you relax.» Mingyu mumbled, as his hand hesitantly slid from Wonwooâs waist to his thigh. He tentatively widened the palm of his hand, just to squeeze the skin ever so lightly; needless to say, he found Wonwooâs sudden whimper an addictive sound.
«If I do, weâll be touching touching.» Wonwoo answered, hesitantly; despite his embarrassment, he didnât want to move away, and as he felt Mingyu guide his hands to his chest, he let him, relaxing a little bit further against the other.
«Iâm about to drink your blood, so it works for me,» the vampire shrugged, hiding behind a nervous smile, «are you sure youâre okay with this?»
Wonwoo didnât need time to think about it before answering that yes, of course he was; a faint tug at his left thigh was what made him spread his knees a little more, completely sitting on Mingyuâs lap.
Now, clearly the both of them noticed that the other one was half hard but still â thankfully, no one decided to mention it.
Mingyuâs lips immediately found Wonwooâs collarbone, trying to focus his mind on his task of feeding before he decided to succumb to the lust and the attraction he felt for the younger boy.
«It- It tickles.» Wonwoo whispered, his shoulder instinctively twitching, making Mingyu move the direction of his open mouthed kisses a little upwards. If he were to be honest, that amount of kisses definitely was not necessary, but still, Mingyu didnât exactly know why he was paying so much attention to it; whether it was because he wanted Wonwoo to fully get comfortable in his presence, whether he was loving the feeling of the other boy tightly gripping his shirt while trying to hide needy whimpers, Mingyu thought he would gladly stop time in that moment, so that they could enjoy it a little bit longer.
Mingyu felt Wonwoo giggle again, and he breathed a little exasperated giggle as he leaned back once again.
«Iâm sorry, it really tickles a lot.» Wonwoo apologized, and the both of them ended up finding that situation incredibly surreal to the point where they were thrown into a fit of small giggles.
«Iâm good now, I promise.» Wonwoo took a deep breath as the both of them seemed to have calmed down; his hands found once again their place against the vampireâs chest â tightly gripping Mingyuâs shirt.
Wonwoo didnât know what to expect, since the only time he had heard about vampires were in fairy tales; was their bite supposed to hurt, was it supposed to bring him a weird kind of pleasure?
Whatever the butler was trying to prepare for, he definitely didnât consider the fact that Mingyu decided to place his hand on his nape, just to connect their lips; Wonwoo immediately reciprocated in a clumsy and passionate gesture, and he believed he could feel the butterflies in his stomach do somersaults as soon as he felt Mingyu groan against his lips as soon as he faintly tugged on his hair.
They ended up kissing passionately until their lips felt swollen, and as they were both panting to catch their breath, Wonwoo gently guided Mingyuâs head to his neck.
It was crazy how a simple gesture was about to make him come untouched, but Wonwoo thought that nothing could have prepared him for the feeling of Mingyu sucking on his blood; it was weird, he had to admit, but at the same time, Wonwoo felt like his blood was being turned into a molten core gently spreading through his body. His senses felt heightened in an almost inhuman way, and the feeling of Mingyuâs arms gently but firmly holding his body close were driving him to hypersensitivity; whatever was happening, Wonwoo definitely didnât want for it to end.
«Are you sure you feel better?» Wonwoo questioned, watching Mingyu nod as he wiped the small amount of blood falling from the corner of his lips.
«I know itâs really not romantic and I kind of planned to do things a little differently, but I really like you,» Mingyu confessed out of the blue, his gaze searching for Wonwooâs as he felt him instinctively tense up in his lap, «and I really want you,» he added, moving his gaze towards the otherâs lips, «heavens, how I want you.» he mumbled again, the huskiness and arousal in his voice were enough to drive Wonwooâs mad.
The butler studied the vampire for few seconds, but still, he found no trace of lie in his gaze, especially because he has proven more than once that he didnât have a single reason to lie to him. Wonwoo relaxed once again, his arms snaking around the vampireâs neck.
«I really like you too,» he mumbled against Mingyuâs lips, feeling them part as if they were magnets, «and I really want you too.»
That morning, Mingyu and Wonwoo ended up making love for the first time, showering each other with the eager affection of a blooming love, as their fingertips remained tightly intertwined.
For the whole day, no one among the servants asked where the Master and Wonwoo were; if the reason was Ljudmila threatening to kill everyone who suggested to look for them, thatâs something neither Mingyu or Wonwoo needed to know.
Few weeks later, far too early on a Sunday morning, Mingyu groaned, turning the other way as he tried to fall asleep again. He stretched out his arm, realizing that Wonwoo must have woken up already; with an annoyed sigh, he silently cursed his servants for being so loud in the morning for no reason at all.
Eventually, Mingyu ended up shifting on Wonwooâs side of the bed, trying to enjoy what was left of his loverâs warmth, but the noise didnât seem to stop anytime soon; the vampire crooked one eye open, just snort while trying to hide an amused laughter â of course, Wonwoo hushed him immediately with a quick gesture of his hand.
«I told you, that I donât want us to get married, not yet!» one of the maidâs loud voice echoed from the courtyard. Wonwoo was hiding behind the heavy curtain, following the interaction with extreme interest while carefully avoiding for too much light to peek into Mingyuâs room; he knew that light didnât affect his lover, but he also knew that his temper wouldnât be great if he were to be woken up with too much sunlight peeking inside the bedroom.
«But why not? Is it because of your parents? You didnât tell them youâre pregnant, did you?» the gardener immediately retorted, his voice filled with irritation and astonishment. Wonwoo did his best to hide his surprised gasp, the tray â  on which Mingyuâs dressed for the day were neatly placed, now digging a little more in his waist.
«I knew it!» Wonwoo faintly mumbled to himself while bringing his free hand in front of his mouth â still unaware about the fact that Mingyu was awake, and therefore earning another amused giggle from the vampire.
The argument between the couple went on for minutes, and Wonwoo was too immersed in his activity that he definitely didnât notice Mingyu eventually walking up and walking towards him.
«Whatâs the commotion?» Mingyuâs hoarse voice spoke right against Wonwooâs ear as he hugged his waist from behind, and the butler almost had a heart attack on the spot.
«Shh!» Wonwoo quickly silenced him, ignoring the fact that on that moment, he was definitely being louder than his lover.
«One of the maids is pregnant, the gardener asked for her hand in marriage.» Wonwoo briefly explained. Mingyu gave him a brief nod, yawning and scratching his chest; he absently took the tray from Wonwooâs hands â who immediately let him, and right after he placed it on his desk.
The next few minutes looked something in between from ridiculous to adorable; Mingyu, a vampire, was peeking from behind the curtain and repeating whatever Wonwooâs ears couldnât hear while Wonwoo, his butler, was mirroring his actions while moving his right hand as if to urge him to tell him more because «I didnât hear it! Oh, damn that gardenerâs thick accent.»
Mingyu yawned again, kissing his loverâs shoulders three times before eventually walking to the side of the door-window in order to open the curtains; Mingyu took the otherâs hand â and of course Wonwoo let him lead them to the small balcony.
«I thought we were eavesdropping in a discreet way.» the butler mumbled with a small pout, not enjoying the fact that his fan had been cut short; however, now that the couple was on the balcony, Wonwoo definitely noticed that a large part of the servants had gathered in the courtyard as well, everyone suddenly interested and invested about the issue.
For a second, Wonwooâs gaze met Ljudmilaâs exasperated one, and as she shook her head, he chuckled briefly. Â
«Say, Wonwoo, what if we give them something to actually gossip about?» Mingyuâs alluring voice was once again speaking next to Wonwooâs ear. The poor butler didnât even have enough time to turn around and ask the vampire what he meant, when he found Mingyuâs lips gently crashing on his.
Immediately, Wonwoo returned the gesture with equal fervour, as if it was the first time him and Mingyu were kissing and they havenât been doing it on a daily basis for weeks.
Mingyuâs hands gripped Wonwooâs waist, and pulled the younger boy flat against his chest; he didnât need to check to be sure that the lovers quarrel had been already forgotten in order to talk about how «did you see the way young Master Mingyu was dragging Wonwoo to his bed?»
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories.
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[14.23]
â pairing : Hyunjin x fem! reader
â content warnings : fluff, smut, wolf au, reader is a witch, soulmates, medieval settings as always, unprotected sex (wrap it up yâall), fantasy au
â word count : 3.172
â notes : different day, different blog, but this one's still for @helav98
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
đșđź WOLVES! STRAY KIDS SERIES
Chris part one | part two // Changbin // Jisung // Hyunjin // Seungmin // Minho part one | part two // Felix // Jeongin
«Come on,» you whispered to yourself, clenching your teeth as if it would have made you reach even further, «damn these silver azaleas, growing in a place like this.» you mumbled, outraged at the herbâs natural habitat as you brushed with your middle finger the wild herbs growing on the edge of a cliff.
Therefore, there you were, partially laying above the void itself, as you stretched out as far as you could, hoping the rock that you were gripping to balance yourself would not shatter in a moment like that. You kept brushing silver azaleasâ leaves few more times until you settled for using magic.
«Iâll never make it like this.» you sighed, your eyes briefly flashing golden and suddenly, a small bunch of silver azaleas was finally in your hand.
However, your happiness did not last long; as soon as you touched the herbs, the rock under your hand suddenly shattered, leaving you to precipitate into the cliff.
At least, this is what should have happened.
The feeling of  a warm hand immediately gripping your wrist with a firm hold made you look up, just to see a boy with long, black hair staring back at you with eyes full of worry. He effortlessly picked you up, and for a second you wondered how  could he be so strong without using magic.
âHe must be one of the shapeshifters,â you thought. You have studied about them: people born with the ability to shift into any animal they knew, irrevocably gaining their qualities â sight, hearing and strength, even while in human form. âOr one of the wolvesâ, you wondered, aware that a pack of wolves recently claimed the forest as their territory.Â
«Ah! Thank you!» you cheerfully and proudly showed your small bouquet to the boy, still looking at you with concern. «These herbs have the stupid habit to grow in unusual places so I always have to-»
«Always? You always risk your life like that?» the boyâs deep and dumbfounded voice cut your sentence, and you stood up, brushing away dust and small grass blades from your skirt.
«I never risk my life.» you answered immediately, your hands on your hips. «I knew how to fly up eventually.» you spun on your heels with an amused giggle, heading towards the small basket few steps away from the two of you. It was as if you could feel the gears in the handsome boyâs head starting to move, processing the fact that you were a witch, and not a commoner.
«Anyways, thank you so much,» you turned around, now facing the boy which standing up, easily towered above you.
«Hyunjin.» he said, a small and polite smile on his lips.
«Hyunjin.» you repeated before introducing yourself as well, silently admitting that he was definitely handsome up close. «Well, I have to go. I have many other herbs to gather before sunset. For example, fire flake flowers-»
«Do you want some help?» Hyunjin interrupted you, and you fell silent.
Help? You never had any help during your gathering sessions, and especially, how could he be helpful?
«Yes.» you immediately whispered, a strange pull you felt in your heart quickly pushed you to ignore your thoughts.
You blamed the sunlight hitting your face for the blush that erupted on your cheeks as Hyunjinâs lips parted to frame a beautiful, happy smile.
«As I was saying!» you suddenly exclaimed, knowing that Hyunjin was aware of your sudden embarrassment, judging by his amused expression, «Fire flake flowers. Theyâre next.»
«Lead the way, Maâam.» Hyunjin smiled with the hint of a playful bow, before gently taking the basket from your hands. «But let me carry this.» you let him, a shy smile painting your lips and silently thanking your fate for this meeting.
You spent the afternoon roaming around with Hyunjin following you obediently, the two of you talking continuously.
At the mention you were a witch, he confessed that he was a wolf.
«Thatâs cool.» you nodded, «I never had a wolf for a friend.»
«Who said we were friends?» Hyunjin playfully ruffled your hair, with a smile on his face.
You spent the remaining of the afternoon explain some properties of the herbs you were picking up to Hyunjin, and if he was uninterested with your explanations, he never showed. Instead, he kept asking you questions, until the situation inevitably ended up with Hyunjin laughing at you because you got raisin on your hair. You sighed, as you brought as much hair you could in front of your face to examinate the amount of damage; eyes briefly flashing golden, you got rid of all the raisin, and Hyunjin immediately inched closer to your face.
«Thatâs cool.» he said, your noses almost touching as he was busy studying your eyes, now back on their original colour. «Do they always change colour?»
«Yes,» you smiled, placing your hands on his wide shoulders before gently pushing him back, your heart racing as if you had just climbed that cliff back up using your own strength. «they always do.» You turned around too quickly to notice that Hyunjin was looking at your figure with a soft smile on his lips and a faint trace of a blush on his cheeks.
«So⊠Goodnight?» Hyunjin tried, smiling as he offered you the basket full of herbs once you both made it safely in front of your house, the lanterns of the village illuminating the now dark ad moonless sky.
You nodded, thanking him again. «Be careful on your way home!» you told Hyunjinâs retreating figure as you were tightly grabbing the basketâs handles.
It was dark, the streets were illuminated just enough to see where you were walking but, you saw clearly as Hyunjin turned briefly towards you, answering with a wink as his eyes flashed in two different, bright colours: blue and golden.
Spring, sunny afternoons were your favourites; meditating with the wind gently dishevelling your hair was a feeling you loved, and so you sighed, closing your eyes, your soul at ease while you were sitting in a flower field. Tranquillity spreaded in your senses, and you honestly could have stayed there all afternoon, until the rustling leaves of the bushes on your left caught your attention. Eyes snapping open, you decided not to move your head in order not to appear too alarmed - it could have been anyone, opting to follow the unfolding situations with wary eyes.
All your resolution, however, melted into a thin nothing as soon as a large, big black wolf slowly walked out of his temporary hideout. Your head turned, and you locked gaze with his mismatched eyes.
âHe has the same eyes as-â
«Hyunjin?» you quietly called out, unsure. You recalled Hyunjinâs eyes flashing with two different colours few nights earlier, but you were not sure about his wolf form because after all, you have never seen it before. The wolf gracefully lowered his head, as if he was gesturing the hint of a bow, and as soon as your eyes met his blue and gold ones, you felt once again that pull on your chest.
«I hope you werenât try to scare me, puppy,» you smiled, before returning to your ministrations and closing your eyes once again, «it didnât work.»
You heard the wolf whiff, perfectly aware that if he were in his human form, Hyunjin would have scoffed at you. The wolf slowly circled your apparently helpless frame, before plopping down next to you, his head gracefully resting on his paws. Hyunjin glanced at you from the corner of his eyes, and you glanced back, before erupting in soft giggles and reaching out with your hand to scratch him behind his ears.
You felt completely at ease, and you did not have to wonder about the reason why you felt the magic flowing in your soul growing powerful anytime he was close to you.
«Hyunjin,» you softly mumbled to the wolf which looked like he had fallen asleep. «Would you like to become my familiar?»
Hyunjinâs bright eyes stared at you for few seconds, before he tapped on your thigh with his nose, and you immediately understood that it was his way of saying yes.
Later that afternoon, Hyunjin woke up from his nap with a flower crown made with yellow and blue flowers gracefully hanging from his black ears.
The next time you saw Hyunjin, you were stark naked. You were quietly bathing in the river when once again; he quietly walked out from the bushes in his wolf form. Looking up at him, you admired how intimidating and graceful he looked. Water reached barely around your breasts, so you leaned your arms in front of you, resting them on the grass in order to partially shield your naked chest.
Truth was, you did not mind for Hyunjin to turn back in his human form and join you.
Hyunjin made his way towards you, and unexpectedly licked your left cheek, making you turn around while laughing.
«What was that for?» you asked, touching your cheek with your still wet hand, and he answered by plopping down on the grass in front of you, his head on his paws and his big, bright mismatched eyes burning into yours.
«So, Hyunjin, Iâm curious,» you tilted your head before placing it on the palm of your hand. «are you hanging out with me because youâre my familiar, or because Iâm your mate?» you saw the wolfâs eyes widen for a second, and you smiled, satisfied with yourself.
âSo, I was not wrong.â  you thought. You spent few days searching anywhere and everywhere in your books if the relationship with your familiar was supposed to make you feel somehow enamoured, but you only found endless chapters about how powerful you should have felt.
The thing was: you felt powerful AND enamoured, but anytime Hyunjin was in his human form, thoughts about kissing his full lips constantly intruded your mind. Knowing few basic things about wolves, you quickly catched up.
A comfortable silence fell between the two of you once again, and thanks to the streaming water slowly flowing around your frame, you started to doze off, until you felt Hyunjinâs nose insistently push your head to your side. Eyes falling open, you searched for any traces of something out of the ordinary towards the direction that he had pointed to, until you heard the noise of cracking bones, followed by a long sigh.
You turned around, confusion written all over your face, the wolf nowhere to be seen. Instead, Hyunjin was standing in the water, reaching out to your nicely folded clothes in order to steal one of your thin leather strings in order to tie up his hair into a half ponytail.
«Did that hurt?» you asked, focusing on his face and trying to ignore the fact that Hyunjin was standing stark naked next to you in the water.
His arm brushed yours, and you felt a spark running through your body. «It doesnât.» he explained with a smile, «We donât feel anything, itâs just noisy.» You nodded, somehow glad that he would not feel any pain while switching between his human and his wolf form. Hyunjin placed his elbows on the grass behind him, relaxing in the water with his head thrown back, and you took the opportunity to steal glances to his toned body.
«Oh, by the way,» as soon as Hyunjin turned his head towards you, you adverted your gaze impossibly quick, in order not to get caught ogling at his frame, «who did you call âpuppyâ, back then?» his hand moved quickly, gently but firmly grabbing your forearm and pulling you towards his body.
You let Hyunjin easily manoeuvre you, so that now, you were standing in front of each other, your hands on his chest and his arms loosely wrapped around your waist, as he pulled you flush against his body. You blushed at sudden proximity, Hyunjinâs soft breath fanning your cheeks, the boy staring at you with an amused expression on his face.
«You are the puppy,» you teased him, driven by a wave of confidence which made you lock your gaze with him, and he scoffed in answer, hiding a smile while turning his head. Hyunjin leaned down, and with a sudden, abrupt move, he picked you up, his hands under your thighs. Your arms flew around his neck with a shriek, your legs tightly circling his slim waist. Your noses were almost touching; Hyunjinâs eyes once again burning into yours.
«I dare you,» he whispered, inching closer and you instinctively parted your lips, «say that again.»
«I said youâre a cute, little puppy.» you mumbled back, your eyes shifting between his lips and his eyes, your left hand caressing his nape, leaving wet trails in his hair.
Hyunjin scoffed, tightening his hold on your legs and immediately bucking his knees without any notice. His lips captured yours in the brief moment you were underwater, leaving you to wonder if it really happened as soon as he lifted you back up, his smug smile meeting your outraged shocked expression.
«Now that the âpuppyâ thing is settled, letâs move to the next topic. Remember that-» Hyunjin face inched closer again, but suddenly froze in his movement as your eyes flashed golden. «Release me.» he sighed, rolling his eyes. «I wonât do that again.» he added in a monotonous voice, noticing that you didnât break the spell.
With a satisfied smile, your eyes flashed once again, and as soon as he was able to move, he turned your position around, so that your back was pressed against the rocky wall of the river.
«Remember that,» Hyunjin said, gradually inching closer to your lips, «Before I was your familiar, you already were my mate.»
«Do you ever shut up?» you mumbled, before connecting your lips together while tightly holding the hair on his nape.
Hyunjinâs kisses were passionate and rough, there was something almost feral in the way his teeth kept nibbling your skin and his lips constantly searching yours, as if you were the only grip to sanity he had.  Despite being underwater, Hyunjinâs hands travelling on your body felt like his touch was burning, leaving a path that instantly missed and longed for his passionate touch.
That afternoon, Hyunjin made love to you as your back was tightly pressed against the rocky wall, and water flowed all around you. Hyunjinâs thrusts were as passionate and as rough as his kisses, the water giving you both the sensation of him sliding even deeper in you, even if he completely bottomed out every time, just to pull away to leave you clenching around the tip of his length. You found out pretty quickly that your mate was indeed a tease, alternating between fast, hard strokes and slow and deep ones, sometimes even waiting for you to plead him not to stop, even if this meant Hyunjin smirking against your skin with his teeth clenched in order not to pound inside you at the pace he wanted to. Hyunjin placed his left hand on the edge of the wall, next to your shoulder, his right hand sliding on your waist to push you even further against his body, using the water as his advantage to manoeuvre you even better.
«Let me mark you,» Hyunjinâs strained voice reached your ears, somewhere between your shared moans, «please.» his plead was accompanied by a harsh thrust hitting the perfect place inside you and you jolted forward, hugging him closer to your frame with a loud whine. Hyunjin never stopped his movements, never giving you proper time to think about it â you would have said yes regardless of the situation, but as your eyes briefly met Hyunjinâs wolf ones, you nodded immediately.
His mismatched gold and blue eyes stared at you with love and a hint of desperation, before a small and relieved smile danced on his swollen lips. Hyunjin pushed you even further against the rocks as he stilled inside you, kissing the crook of your shoulder before biting on it.
You were his mate, now. Officially, irrevocably, for the rest of your lives. You felt his emotion flood in your soul, and you knew that it was the same for him. Feeling each otherâs love, arousal and happiness was what triggered your orgasms, leaving you clenching with rapid sigh around your mateâs twitching length.
Hyunjin was panting heavily, his forehead on your shoulder, holding you close even if he already slipped his now soft member out of you.
«Thank you.» he mumbled, and you softly caressed his hair, wetting it once again, as you tried to catch your breath, too.
«I would have said yes, regardless.» at your answer, you felt Hyunjin place a soft kiss on the mark e left, before inching back to look at your face.
«Youâre stuck with me, now.» Hyunjin softly pinched your cheeks using both his hands, taking advantage of the fact that now you were standing up once again. You stared back in his still blue and golden eyes, watching carefully as they turned back to normal.
«Witches donât have a way to mark a familiar, but weâll settle for this.» balancing yourself on his shoulders, you softly kissed his forehead.
«Oi! Everyone! The watchdog came back!» you heard a boy joke, calling out for the rest of Hyunjinâs pack as soon as you entered their territory.
«Shut your mouth, Seungmin.» Hyunjin spat back immediately, and the other boy laughed loudly.
Hyunjin introduced you to his pack and their mates â which surprisingly enough were all witches, and they all kindly and cheerfully accepted you, glad that Hyunjin finally found his mate.
Changbinâs mate quickly explained you that the pack had been teasing him about being a witchâs familiar as soon as he came back home after he agreed to your proposal.
«Theyâd been calling him âpuppyâ for days now, poor one.» she added, shaking her head at the scene of the boys playfully teamed up and chasing Hyunjin, all of them in their wolf form.
«Puppy?» you repeated before giggling, and the girl smiled with a nod. «Well, but itâs true.» you added with a shrug, seeing Hyunjin freezing in his tracks to look at you, growling. You didnât need to feel his emotion to know that in his human form, he would have said something along the lines of «Not you, too!», and the others stopped as well, some of them rolling on the floor in what resembled a laughter.
Hyunjin approached you quickly, and you giggled as you tried to hide behind Changbinâs mate. The black wolf was quick to prevent your action and pin you on the floor, preventing you from moving by placing one of his paws on the grass next to your head and the other one on your shoulder.
Hyunjin started to pepper your face with small, ticklish lips, ignoring your requests for a truce hidden between giggles.
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories.
I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.
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[17.49]
â pairing : Chris x fem! reader
â content warnings : smut, fluff, gamer au, drabble, mentions to overwatch, explicit language, oral sex (f recieving), unprotected sex, established relationship
â word count : 2.099
â notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! Iâm reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome đ
«Hurry up, Chris.» you whined to yourself as you were wearing your headphones and adjusting the microphone in front of you; streaming videogames was one of your favourite hobbies and you managed to stream a couple of hours a day as soon as you got home from work.
Honestly, you were more than thankful to your boyfriend, Chris, offering you to be the admin of your gaming channel and therefore, sitting next to you during all your streams. Despite the fact that you started constantly streaming more than six months ago, the fact that an unknown number of people was watching and sometimes judging your gaming skills was enough to make you nervous and slightly worsen your aim.
Chris shared the same passion as you did, and your gaming set up included two almost identical gaming postation and therefore, this meant that not only he could sit next to you, but also monitor the viewersâ comment just in case someone was disrespectful enough to be banned. It was undeniable that you found his presence soothing; he would place a hand on your thigh to signal that the live had started - since you couldnât see the live delay for yourself and, as soon as it was finished, he would kiss you while praising you with a wide and sincere smile, saying you did great.Â
Somehow, Chris managed to make everything seem less intimidating, and you were genuinely thankful for his daily presence in your life.
«What if I mess up and try to counter Winston with Genji?» you  left yourself sink into the chair, re-adjusting your pyjama shorts â you honestly didnât bother to dress up nicely beside your shirt, as you heard a light chuckle coming from next to you.
«Prepare yourself to be banned by the whole community of gamers.» Chris answered with a playful smile as he put on his headphones as well; you groaned to yourself, making him laugh at your reaction.
«Come here, sunshine, let me give you a good luck kiss.» Chris pulled your chair to his, and you immediately leaned in to peck his lips in a quick but soft manner; you sighed, feeling content with your boyfriendâs constant display of attention.
However, Chris felt like he wanted more, and he wasnât sure he could wait for your streaming to end.
«Hi, everyone!» you said as soon as Chris placed his hand on your thigh, staring into the camera with a bright smile on your face, «So many games came out this week, but I didnât know what to stream! I guess for today weâll settle for some quick plays on Overwatch until I decide what to actually buy.» you laughed, blushing a bit.
The stream started smoothly, you would miss some kills due to your nervousness, but Chris gently patting your leg or your elbow anytime you died helped yourself not to feel too frustrated about it.
«I know youâre about to come for my head,» you joked, focused on changing your character, «but Iâm going to try walking this path again, this time with a sniper, because donât we all love a bit of thrill.» you said, leading your character on the route where you died in silly ways at least four times, completely unaware about Chrisâ sudden mischievous smirk.
Eventually, you felt Chrisâ hand on your thigh; you glanced at him, just to see if anything was wrong or people were really spamming the comment section because âplaying a sniper on Nepalâs control map is just unacceptableâ, but he simply shook your head, showing you a playful and innocent smile.
The more the game went on, the more you tried not to focus on the fact that Chrisâ hand was slowly inching higher on your thigh, making your skin immediately feel warm at the contact; you could feel his eyes fixed on you rather than the screen, and anytime you glanced at him, heâd squeeze your thigh and shook his head in a silent signal that everything was okay.
Chrisâ hand was dangerously close to the hem of your loose pyjama shorts, he knew it, but he couldnât stop himself from the desire to touch you; Chris was perfectly aware about the fact that you tensed up, and he was also perfectly aware that you were sensitive, but he wanted to have a little bit of fun.
As you felt Chrisâ thumb stroke your thigh while applying a slight pressure every now and then, you knew it was not unintentional; your eyes widened, noticing what your boyfriend was up to. Your leg accidentally twitched, causing Chrisâ hand to slide a little bit higher; you sent him a panicked look, but your boyfriend answered with a wink and a playful smile.
Only then, you understood how mischievous Chris looked in that very moment: messy hair in which he kept running his hands, and his pyjama shirt slightly unbuttoned; this small distraction caused you to die once again, the loud noise of an enemyâs special attack startling  you and inevitably drawing your attention back to the game. Â
âOkay love,â you thought, âtwo can play this gameâ you jolted, trying to keep a neutral expression as you felt his Chrisâ hold tighten on your inner thigh, hoping that he wouldnât try anything in front of 900 viewers. Once again, you were perfectly aware about the microphone only few inches from your mouth, recording perfectly every hitch of your breath anytime Chris dared some bolder move as massaging his thigh.
You knew that at this point, the views probably dropped, since you couldnât focus due to the growing wetness in your pants.
âThis is surreal,â you thought trying to chase an enemy player, âI canât get turned on from this,â you managed to counter his attack and proceed straight to the point yet to conquer.
All the hopes you held were short lived, as soon as you felt Chrisâ hand taking advantage of the fact that your legs were spreaded â damn you and your habit of sitting in weird ways, just to place the palm of his hand directly on your wetness; your leg twitched and your knee accidentally slammed under the desk.
«Shit!» you exclaimed, «Sorry everyone, I kinda got startled by Genji screaming in my ear.» you lied, fully aware of the blush entirely covering from your face to your neck.
As you sent Chris another panicked look, your breath slightly quickened and your heart was hammering in your chest so loudly that you could confuse it for a game sound effect; Chris, however, simply winked you once again, his hold tight and unwavering.
Luck was on your side, because as soon as you felt Chrisâ hand sliding inside your shorts, the match also ended.
«Okay, today live ends here!» you announced, not planning to end it so soon, but you certainly couldnât keep streaming when Chris  was teasing you like that in front of everyone.
«Thanks everyone for following me today, see you in two days, same time! Bye!» you smiled cheerfully trying to ignore Chris slightly palming his growing erection with his head thrown on the chair, before turning everything off: live, webcam, microphone.
«Okay love, we can log out, and also» you whispered taking off your headphones, «what the hell was that for?»
Having gotten what he was aiming for, Chrisâs mouth was now stretched into a full grin and his attention directed completely towards you; his hand was still between your legs, but now he was applying more pressure to it, knowing well the effect it had on you.
«Your fans are absolutely right, sunshine,» he said, removing his hand from you for a brief moment, enough for him to stand up and balance himself on the armrests of your chair, pinning you against it and leaning towards you, «You look absolutely gorgeous today, I couldnât wait to have you all for myself.» Chrisâ lips inched towards you with a slow pace, and you waited for him to kiss you with parted lips and a hammering heart, anticipating the moment; as soon as your lips were few millimetres apart, he suddenly tilted his head, his lips busy tracing abstract patterns on your neck as he gently spreaded your legs using his.
«Are you sure you turned everything off?» Chris asked, sitting between your spreader legs and caressing your inner thighs in a rough manner, his fingertips toying with the elastic band of your pyjama; you glanced at the screen with a panicked look, and nodded as soon as you saw that you were completely offline.
As soon as Chris saw your affirmative response, he slid both your shorts and your underwear off your legs, licking his lips with a victorious smile at the sight of you already on the verge to fall apart when he still didnât do anything. Chris knew the effect he had on you, and he loved to take advantage of it; wearing rings on his hands, bracelets, it was not casual, they were simple details which would focus your attention to certain places and he loved seeing you getting flustered because of it. Especially, he loved when he could feel your body shiver as a reaction to the cold metal of his rings encountering your hot skin. Â
«Chris!» you whined, as you felt his lips attaching on your clit and eagerly sucking on it; your hands flew in his soft brown hair and he moaned against your wetness, eager to please you and to hear your moans in return, knowing that he was the cause of your bliss.
Chris wasted no time in teasing you, and immediately his tongue was occasionally alternating kitten licks to more rough movements, his tongue flat and spreading your wet folds already clenching around nothing thanks to the desire that rapidly built up inside you. Chris fingertips reached out, spreading your folds so that he could draw abstract shapes against it while using the tip of his tongue, making you whimper at the need of further contact.
However, by now, Chris knew your body language and purposely avoided to give you what you were silently asking for; you jolted forwards, feeling your legs shake as Chris experimentally moaned against your wetness, and since he was pleased with your reactions, he simply decided to add it as well to the mix.
Quickly, you reached out to unbutton your shirt, feeling like it was getting a bit too hot in the room to be so overdressed; you took the opportunity to push your wetness even more into Chrisâ face, which in response sucked on it a little more eagerly at the sight of one of your hands playing with your nipple and your chest rising and fall in quick, uneven intakes of breaths.
«Fingers,» you whimpered, «I want your fingers.» you pulled his face closer to you by the hold you had on his hair; you were close, but you wanted to come at least around Chrisâ thick fingers scissoring and curling inside you.
«Youâll take what I give you.» Chrisâ voice was hoarse and husky, and he detached from you just enough to answer your plead, before starting once again to lap at your parted folds; choking on a whine, you nodded at Chrisâ sudden rough behaviour, before glancing down, and finally noticing that Chris was also busy touching himself while pleasuring you.
The sight of his fist tightly wrapped around his length in quick and sharp movements â while the silver bracelet he always wore was dancing around his wrist, mixed to the feeling of his mouth stimulating you, made you rapidly approach your orgasm. Calling for Chrisâ name as if it was a prayer, your body shook, your muscles quickly tensing up and relaxing in a rapid succession, and Chris never stopping his motions of eagerly sucking on your clit until you eventually started to tremble in overstimulation. You were sure that your wetness was dripping on your gaming chair, but your eyes were locked on Chris, which sat back with his cheeks flushed red, leaning his weight on his hands as his pyjama pants were loosely hanging around his thighs, his length still hard and obviously begging for attention and release.
«If we donât fuck within the next minute Iâll go insane,» you panted, your legs still spreaded and the sensation of your orgasm still lingering on your body; Chris agreed, nodding few times, before quickly glancing behind himself.
«On my gaming chair?» Chris asked, rising his eyebrow at you.
«On your gaming chair.» you nodded immediately, and you both moved to stand up at the same time.
all works © lettersfromaphrodite
Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories.
I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.
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