#The $10K Blueprint | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

olaumi · 4 months

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Pt. 2"눈을 보고 말할래요. "보고 싶었어요"

⋆｡˚୨୧˚｡⋆synopsis: you're living your best life, leaving everything behind in the past however a small 'family' gathering at Levi's home threatens to unfold everything.

⋆｡˚୨୧˚｡⋆contains: modern au! everyone, Levi's mom and uncle are alive in this au, mentions of swearing but not actual swearing, Carla is also alive, Eren's dad is absent, mentions of medication.

⋆｡˚୨୧˚｡⋆wc: 9.8K.

⋆｡˚୨୧˚｡⋆tw: swearing, mentions of pills, medication use and brief manipulation.

⋆｡˚୨୧˚｡⋆ Here is 1 and 3

Life is going great.

You're done with finals, you're graduating in a few weeks, and you've prepared your graduation gown and a bucket list of all the places you'd like to visit during your friend group trip to the country you've always wanted to travel to.

You've made new friends, such good loving friends. You love them like a relative, like a long lost possession about to bid its goodbye once more. You cherish the time you spend with them and they've shown you that they feel the exact same way.

All of you get along so well, you find joy and solace in each other's company, and the laughter is actually genuine. It's a huge contrast to the previous chapter of your life, where toxicity and ugly attitudes were all you knew about friendships. Now, the warmth of genuine friendships surrounds you. And you couldn't be more grateful.

You've also fallen in love with composing songs and soundtracks, which was originally brought up by a friend of yours after they saw you playing around with a launchpad and they started grooving crazily to the beat you made up on the spot and other times you created melodies that made them cry.

So now, you part-time compose soundtracks for this new uprising director, Levi Ackerman. He's French-Japanese, very well-known in the film industry and you may or may not have the biggest crush on him. He's blunt, reserved, stoic, and loaded with creativity. Nowadays, you are working on his breakthrough project, his films create a canvas for your musical symphonies and all of this wouldn't have happened if your friends didn't lovingly force you to email him your samples.

Honestly, they are your biggest hype-mans, your number-one fans, and your admirers. They tell you that you're so talented that if you released some of your music, you'd be winning awards left to right. But you don't think they'll believe you if you tell them.

You have won awards, plenty of them, more than you can count however the problem is you've won them indirectly.

4 years have passed ever since you went no contact with your 'old friends' and in those 4 years while you were living your best life, working hard to get to where you are right now, they have become popular and not just '10K popular and one viral hit' popular, we're talking about '10 million albums sold, a world tour (and another one coming up), Billboard's most weeks on chart, surpassing world legends and 3 Grammys' popular. Connie on the other hand became a YouTuber and he's amassed a total of 13M subscribers and Historia started a fashion company on par with the leading designers of today.

Half of the songs on their albums that supposedly broke the charts were produced by none other than...you. Most of the ideas on Connie's YouTube channel were brainstormed by the both of you and you see familiar designs on the clothes that celebrities wear because it was you who created that blueprint.

The last two you can't take much credit for but for the songs? Your compositions, your melodies which you have poured all your soul into, have become the backdrop of their meteoric rise.

You don't know how to feel, everything seems so bittersweet.

On one hand, there's pride in your work being recognized on such a grand scale. On the other, there's the confusion and overall sense of unease that comes with the realization.

You had so many questions surrounding this topic such as, 'Why didn't they credit you' and 'Did they do it on purpose or was it accidental'

After all, no one knows where you are, you are left with no information, you cut off everyone and now that you think it through, realistically there was no way to credit you.

While curious about their whole uprise to fame, you remind yourself that although you do deserve the credit and the fame, it's not what you're looking for right now. You've got a different helmet on and if you have to regain contact with them to gain your rightfully so credit, they might as well keep it.

You are interrupted from your session of zoning out by a p!ng, an email pops up on your computer with the subject being Urgent and the sender being Levi Ackerman.

Urgent:

come over.

You've grown accustomed to his antics by now, as you have been working together for about 2 years now. If he says 'It's urgent' it's very likely that it's just 'I don't want to ask anyone else because it's embarrassing so I'll ask you'

So you reply back with a call, smiling to yourself as you decide to tease him a little. After the 5th ring, he picks up which is funny considering he's just staring at the phone ringing until he deems it's the right ring to answer to seem like he was busy.

"What?" He asks sighing as if he has better things to do with his time.

"Oh no, it's nothing. I'm just wondering when you'll switch to texting because I can't really keep up with fossils" you reply trying to get a rise out of him.

"The only thing fossil is your humour" He retorts unfazed as he sips on something in the background, obviously tea.

"Are you sure it's not your age, I'm pretty sure you were friends with Aurelius at one point"

"Cute, are you sure it's not your personality, I'm sure I've met thousands of people with the exact same everything as you."

"Ouch, I didn't deserve that" you reply, feigning hurt in your voice when you're actually just joking.

"So what do you need? What is so urgent" you ask, curious of what it is this time.

"Come over and you'll know" He responds curtly and before you can respond, he hangs up on you. You scoff, internally noting to give him an earful when you get to his place. You roll your eyes at his attitude, his characteristic not unfamiliar to you.

With a quick text to your roommate, you inform her about your plans for the night and that food is in the fridge. Anticipating her lack of response due to her own night out partying, you head out, leaving the message to be read by her whenever she can.

Levi's home is a 15-minute drive from your apartment, he lives in the middle of the very fashioned neighborhood. Despite being full of creativity and the creator of films that have everyone on the edge of their seat, the man can't design his house at all. He has the design of a monochromatic minimalist, with no sign of color anywhere, you can't stand it. Everything is grey there, you feel the color getting sucked out of you when you enter his house.

Finally, you arrive there quickly enough as the road to his neighborhood is quite deserted. You struggle to park the car in his driveway as it's very narrow but after a few minutes, you manage.

Guess rich people don't leave their houses, you think as you ring the doorbell to his house.

He opens the door and stands there with his nth cup of tea somewhat observing you before telling you 'You know the drill, I'll be in the office'.

Ah, the drill, how could you forget? You give him a sarcastic smile before watching him walk off and adhere to the so-called drill.

You have to take off your shoes, put them in a disinfectant bag, seal it up, and hang it on the shoe rack. As well as disinfecting your hands twice and hanging your coat and bag on a coat rack where you clean it both with some weird lint roller he has. You don't mind it really, it is his house after all.

After doing all that, you put on some guest slippers and head to his office. The house hasn't changed since your last visit, it's almost vibrating with greyness. You feel like smiling is forbidden, which may be, in the comfort of his home.

You turn a corner and see him sitting in his office chair playing back parts of his last movie and writing notes on how to improve. The mood would be better if the office had some sort of personality to it but no, this is an asylum.

"You know I recently came across a color palette, and it immediately reminded me of you, It was more on the brown side, with beautiful shades of wood, warm earth tones, and hints of amber." You share with Levi, attempting to bring a touch of color into the monochromatic conversation.

"There were even hints of grey" You add to gain his curiosity after he seems to have ignored you at the first attempt at making conversation.

Levi raises an eyebrow and stares at you through the rim of his glasses, clearly unimpressed by the mention of color invading his sanctuary of grayscale. "Why would a color palette remind you of me?" he questions, his tone conveying sarcasm and a hint of curiosity.

You chuckle, finding his reaction predictable. "Well, it had a certain rugged elegance like someone I know and also because I think it would suit you"

He rolls his eyes and scoffs, a faint trace of a sarcastic smirk playing on his lips. He gets up from his desk to head towards the office cabinet. "Flattery won't change my stance, I like how things are just fine. "

"I don't know what kind of colour trauma you've obtained during your centuries of living but to each their own, I guess" You joke smiling widely as he deadpans at your joke of his age before you change the subject and look upon where he's going. He has a teacup collection in his office cabinet, you think but shrug it off instantly as it kind of makes sense for the tea-addict man to have a teacup collection. The cabinet seems to be reserved for just tea, teacups, teabags, tea flavors, and even tea scents. Perhaps he was a teashop owner in another life.

He pours the pre-made fresh tea into one of the cups and places it before you, "So now that I'm here, what do you want?"

He puts his pen down and takes off his reading glasses, before interlocking his fingers and taking a more serious stance. You honestly think he's about to fire you but his glint seems a bit more personal.

"I need a plus one" he finally admits as if it was the hardest thing ever.

Your eyes widen in surprise at Levi's unexpected request for a plus one. Your lips barely touch the cup's rim and decide to taste it later for fear of choking on your tea. His usually stern demeanor seems to soften for a moment, revealing a side of him that isn't often on display.

"But for two events, one personal and the other official." He continues.

"Personal, as in you wanna ask me out?" you ask, totally confused because that makes no sense.

"Tsk, no you idiot, maybe let me finish next time" He interjected quickly hands discreetly covering his ears at the tiniest blush that formed at the tip of them.

You become flustered at the abrupt response, slightly embarrassed by your assumption. "Maybe don't take prehistoric pauses between sentences. What's the personal event?"

He takes a moment to regain his composure, the brief flicker of a curious glint in his eyes indicating that he might be enjoying the misunderstanding on your end. "The personal one is a family gathering, My mother wants me to be the host of the family gathering this month."

"And I come in where?"

"I usually stay isolated in my room because I can't stand the whole mood of the place, it's too chatty and noisy but now I have to host." He tsks shaking his head at the memory of the last family gathering.

"And you don't know how to, so you want my help?"

Levi nods, his expression serious. "In short, yes."

"Right, yeah so I still don't understand. Why don't you pick someone else, someone who you're already comfortable with" You ask, not knowing why he's asking you when he has a few friends of his own.

"Who says I'm not comfortable with you?" Levi gives you an incredulous look as if your question is absurd and the answer is obvious.

You can't help but raise an eyebrow at Levi's unexpected response. "Comfortable with me? You've been scowling at me since we met."

Levi offers a nonchalant shrug. "It's my default expression. I'm not a people person. You're the least annoying person I've met so far."

"um, thanks, I guess?"

Levi nods, his acknowledgment devoid of any neutrality. "Don't read too much into it."

You can't tell if he's being sarcastic or genuinely expressing a form of acceptance. Either way, you decide not to dwell on it too much. Levi is known for his stoic demeanor, and deciphering his feelings is like trying to read ancient hieroglyphs, so it's best not to read too much into it.

"Okay, and for the official one?"

"The official one," Levi starts, "is an award ceremony. One of my films is nominated for a few categories, and my presence is required as a formality."

"Congratulations? But then again you're not fond of award ceremonies, are you?" You nearly get up from your seat to give him a hug but refrain from doing so not wanting to cross any boundaries.

"Yeah, I couldn't care less, stupid pricks think they have the authority to judge whose art is superior. It's fucking bullshit" Levi's expression turns sour as he expresses his disdain for the award ceremony.

You sense the bitterness in his words while taking a sip of your tea and savoring the taste with a pleased hum, you realize that the world of awards and recognition might not be as glamorous and fulfilling as it seems. "I get it, awards don't define the value of your work. It's about the impact you make and the stories you tell, but you have to attend so that you gain the recognition you need and deserve, makes sense."

Levi nods in agreement, feeling warmth seeping through him as you are fond of the tea he brewed. "Exactly. Anyway, they're announcing the nominations for soundtracks too so keep an eye out for that."

"Yeah okay, that's cool, but also nerve-wracking" you admit already feeling the anxiety seeping in at the thought of the ceremony.

"Why? Because there are major actors?"

"No, the cameras, the judgments, the expectations, it all feels overwhelming," you reply, a hint of nervousness in your voice.

Levi gives you a side glance sipping on his tea and finishing what's left, his usual stern expression softening just a tad. "If you believe in your work, that's all that matters. They can go to hell with all their opinions."

You smile and nod, his words making sense as you push away any thoughts of negativity that may increase your anxiety. You think of thoughts to push back the unwanted ones and Levi seems to be the perfect solution. You can't help but stare at Levi, busy again with noting stuff down, his handwriting a mix of scribbles and cursives. How his fingers tend to be very pale and dainty, a taint of red on his knuckles from cracking them too much. How his hair falls on his face makes you want to part them away and tuck the strands behind his ears.

He looks up at you, sharp grey eyes boring into yours, eyebrows raised as a defense mechanism against the gaze you've been holding. You quickly avert your eyes and change your gaze, not wanting him to catch on.

"So which one is first and when is it?" you begin, trying to shift the focus back to the matter at hand.

"Family gathering, tomorrow at 7 pm" He answers.

"Tomorrow? You didn't think to give me a week's notice?"

Levi looks at you with a questioning gaze at your mildly surprised tone. "You and a week's notice is the same as a bouncing ball in a minefield, you'd eventually worry yourself to death with your overthinking tendencies."

"Overthinking is true but the meals need more time. so anything I need to know about the gathering, will I be the only non-family there?" you inquired, curious to know how awkward it will be.

"One, the meals are already prepared by a chef I hired. and two, no, one of my cousins, the brat, brings over all of her friends and it becomes a whole noise-fest, so you wouldn't be the only non-family," he explained, annoyance forming on his face as he recalled the headaches he's endured over the years.

You nod, mentally noting the details. "Got it. And the award ceremony?"

Levi glances at his calendar. "That's in two weeks. You'll need to clear your schedule for the whole day because it's far, the event starts in the evening."

"Alright, I'll make sure I'm available, Anything else I should be prepared for?", you reply, thinking about the preparations you'll need to make for both occasions.

Levi shrugs, "Just the usual chitter-chatter film industry shit. Red carpet, photographers, people pretending to be interested in conversations they're having when really they're full of shit."

You nod, "Got it, it's all just a show."

Levi nods as his facial features lightly soften. "More or less, It's all about appearances, which is why I rarely attend these things willingly."

"Okay, so tomorrow at 7 pm but I should come earlier, right? here at your place, no overthinking and I'm guessing the attire is casual?" You ask listing all the things you're required of.

Levi nods, "Casual is fine. Nothing too fancy and nothing too casual Just don't show up in pajamas, and we should be good."

You smirk teasing him a little, "Okay, I'll save the pajamas for the award ceremony then."

"But wait a minute, what's in this for me?" You ask slyly poking at him to see what he might offer you. You need everything he can offer to give you at this point.

Levi relaxes into his chair and crosses his arms, seemingly intrigued by your banter. "What do you mean, what's in it for you?"

You chuckle, enjoying the banter between you two. "Well, I'm doing you a favor by being your plus one. I think I deserve something in return."

Levi gives you a blank stare, the corners of his lips curling slightly. "And what would that something be?"

You pause for dramatic effect and also because you didn't think he'd play along before responding with a sly grin, "Two things, one, you'll call me by my first name, and two, you owe me dinner"

Levi deadpans at your demands, seemingly unamused. "Call you by your first name? That's negotiable. But dinner, you're practically dreaming."

"That's totally fine you can just forever be in debt."

Levi raises an eyebrow at your response, contemplating your proposal. There's a brief moment of silence, and you can almost sense the gears turning in his stoic demeanor. Finally, he lets out a 'tsk fine', a subtle way of saying 'I can't say no to you so do whatever you want'. You are too oblivious to see the stark contrast in Levi's behavior with you and with others, it's basically night and day. He treats you very differently, and though his stoicism remains, there's a peculiar comfort in the way he interacts with you. It's as if your presence manages to crack the surface of his usual 'idgaf' and 'the world bores me' attitude.

So, you like where you are right now, you like how things are going and you never want this chapter in your life to change. You've found a sense of fulfillment in your work, genuine friendships, and an interesting dynamic with Levi.

You're content.

Meanwhile on the other hand...

Eren wakes up disheveled, his hair now shorter and his moustache is long gone, shaved out of existence. He stands in the bathroom, already finished brushing his teeth and water droplets falling down his face, a product of washing his face. He looks at the mirror cabinet, deciding whether or not to take his pills. He decides not to, not being bothered to as he feels there's no point to it.

He doesn't want the stability of his moods or the functionality of his routine to actually work. It doesn't mean anything, at least not anymore.

He has two calendars, one plain white that is normal, he uses it to remember certain dates and important interviews that shape his career. The other calendar is reserved for you, your absence to be exact, he crosses out each day that passes without your captivating presence. Today it’s 4 years, 3 months, and 6 days. Every day at 7, he sits down by his desk, grabs both your calendar and his journal, and just writes how much he regrets what he did that day. He's gone through 7 journals so far and he writes for you, to you, and because of you.

He writes about how much he misses the music that used to fill his house when days were hard and he thought he couldn't get through them. How you were so patient and loving and that you didn't deserve anything that he put you through. He writes what reminds him of you, the tulips that bloom in the spring near his mom's house, the cherry blossoms he came across during his tour to Japan, or the jasmines he was gifted by an Indian fan during his trip there.

Everything comes back to you.

He feels so pathetic, so darn twisted to have said all those things to you, to have pushed you away and the worst part is, he doesn't even know why. He doesn't know whether or not to embrace the memories of your smiles, laughter, and the warmth of your presence or let it haunt him. Eren regrets the days when he let his issues take control and drive you far away from him, the days when he couldn't appreciate the simple joy of your company.

He would give everything to get you back again, but that's selfish of him, he thinks. He wants you to be happy, to live life, and never look back for him. He's torn between wanting you back in his life and acknowledging that it might be better for you to move on. The weight of his actions, the hurt he caused, and the bridge of friendship he destroyed between you and the rest of your friends are heavy burdens he carries.

Connie hates him to this day and rightfully so. So does Jean.

Eren used a recording of Connie that was taken out of context. The day of that recording was on your birthday and Connie was tired of the plain ol' happy birthday surprise because it wasn't surprising anyone. So he took it upon himself to spice things up. He decided that he'd have a fight with you the day before and the day after that he'd make a fake recording of him saying horrible things and once you got upset, he'd apologize and surprise you with your favorite flavored cake. He knew he'd get a few head smacks from you for even thinking about calling you a 'bitch' but all he really wanted was to hand-make the cake with the rest of your friend group and see you eat it half teary-eyed and laughing. But he decided against it after recording the audio, paranoid that it might actually drive you away so he resorted to just the plain non-surprising birthday party.

But no, Eren saved that recording even when Connie had deleted it from his phone. Eren drove you against everyone for mainly one reason, or rather two. Jealousy and insecurity.

Eren hated, he loathed, how you spend time with Jean, he despised how you looked at him with those beautiful eyes of yours, all doe-y and filled with admiration and love. You shouldn't be looking at horse-face like that, it should be him.

Eren believed he deserved your undivided attention, and the idea of you sharing those moments with Jean fuelled his jealousy. The insecurities within him festered, making him resentful of anyone who seemed to be close to you.

In an attempt to have you closer to him, Eren manipulated the situation, using Connie as a pawn in his scheme. The recording, taken out of context, became a weapon that not only hurt you but also fractured their own friendship. Connie, who was genuinely trying to create a memorable surprise, became an unknowing victim of Eren's envious tactics. This showed just how far Eren was willing to go to have you all to himself. He also had another recording of Jean also taken out of context but since he threatened Jean that he'd tell you everything, Jean thought it would be better to come out on his own terms.

But it all backfired. The fallout from his actions left a trail of broken friendships and severed ties. The fallout was severe. Connie was hurt and betrayed, harbored deep resentment towards Eren, rarely ever talking to him unless it was urgent. Connie's initial reaction was worse, first, he took it as a joke and brushed Jean off when he told him everything, and then when he entered your room to look for you, everything was wiped, your closets were empty, your gaming setup that was right next to his was completely clean, only the table remained and all Connie could see was red causing a huge fight between him and Eren.

Jean, too, felt the sting of betrayal as Eren's actions caused you to forever leave and leave them swimming in regret not only driving a wedge between friends but also leaving a lasting scar on the trust and happiness that existed between the entire friend group.

To say that they all miss you would be a heavy understatement. It's like you took away the sunshine and left them in a never-ending gloomy day. It's not the same without your crazy laughter and the way you made even the boring stuff fun. Everything's just kind of off now, and they can't shake the feeling that things got messed up for no good reason.

In the dead of night, when everything's quiet, each of them thinks about the good times and how quickly things went south. There's this heavy feeling of 'what if' hanging in the air, 'What if I never created that recording' 'What if I never told her how I truly felt about her in the past, would that have changed her decision' 'what if i didn't exist'. Eren especially can't get over the fact that he let someone as wonderful as you slip away for his own self-centered and insecure reasons.

Life moves on, yes, but it doesn't seem so in this context. Everything feels so dull, they don't have fun anymore, no one laughs genuinely, it's very awkward. Everyone wonders where you went, where you've been, how you are, if you're happy at least, and that if you are then they're happy too but they're still figuring out how to fix the mess. Your absence is this big, annoying elephant in the room. If your absence has taught them something it's that they should try to appreciate the people around them. Your absence is like a neon sign saying, "Don't fuck up."

Back to the present day time, Eren gets a text from Mikasa and he doesn't want to open it but does so that he doesn't get manhandled and thrown across the backyard.

Mikasa: get ready and be there me and auntie are already in the car driving

Mikasa: the address for the gathering is [Street Address/PO BOX], dress well pls

He groans into his pillow. Another stupid gathering, he thought he could get away from this year's gathering by traveling to America, a country where Mikasa's relatives aren't scattered around but no, the host of this year's gathering is Levi and he lives in America and specifically in the same state he traveled to. Eren can't even begin to express his annoyance. It's almost like the entire universe is against him not attending and he's not even related to anyone there. Why does he have to go, he thinks? Social events are the bane of his existence, ironic considering his whole career relies on interacting with people (fans).

Eren contemplates ignoring the text and pretending he never saw it. Maybe he can come up with a convincing excuse, like a sudden illness or something lame like 'I accidentally leaked the address, fans everywhere'. But he knows Mikasa too well – her persistence is unmatched. Ignoring her texts would only escalate the situation and so he responds with a 'fine, got it'.

He tosses his phone aside and stares at the ceiling. The prospect of facing another family gathering fills him with dread. It's not the family part that bothers him; it's the forced interactions, the fake smiles, and the constant questioning about his personal life. Resigned, he starts thinking about what to wear, already dreading the inevitable awkwardness that awaits him.

Eren makes sure to dress casually, opting for a comfortable yet presentable look. He styles his hair with a bit more care than usual, not wanting to appear too disheveled. As a final touch, he puts on his best cologne, he doesn't know why, but he feels compelled to dress properly, look proper, and act proper.

Almost as if there's something, or rather someone that's going to present tonight, that's worth impressing...

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

You woke up at 10 am and left for Levi's house at 1 pm, giving yourself a few good 6 hours to prepare everything. Levi insisted that you didn't need to come so early and that he's already setting up everything but you like these kinds of things so you tell him it's fine. He tells you to utilize the catering staff he hired and leave their job to them but you refuse. It's a 'family' gathering, it should have bits and pieces of his personality embedded into his effort as well.

You couldn't find some grey cutlery so you bought what you could find which happened to be some colorful plates to Levi's dismay but you promised him that you'd keep them and it wouldn't stay in his house for more than a few days. He sighs a 'tch' at you that you don't think much of. You waste no time and get to work immediately, unpacking the bags and organizing the items you bought. The colorful plates you've chosen might not match Levi's monochromatic taste, but you believe they add a lively touch to the gathering.

You proceed with setting up the dining area and arranging the colorful plates alongside the other tableware. The clash of colors against the neutral backdrop creates a unique aesthetic, one that you find oddly satisfying. Levi also starts his part in cleaning, which doesn't take long as he cleans his house on a regular basis.

The catering staff, initially unsure about your decisions, follows your lead. As you continue to work, Levi observes silently, occasionally offering input or preferences. Despite the clash of styles, a subtle understanding begins to fold and everyone likes the outcome of the collaboration between the expertise of the staff and your knowledge of Levi's tastes.

After a few good hours, everything is set and you go change from your 'helping out' clothes to your casual clothes for the event. The catering staff bid their goodbye and Levi takes a seat in the living room.

It is now 6:00 and Levi's mom and uncle arrive, you can hear their chatter from upstairs, a booming laugh can be heard and you assume it's his uncle. You've never been more nervous in your life. 'How should you greet them?' 'What if you look too casual' 'What if you say something wrong' are all the negative thoughts flowing through your mind right now. You take a deep breath, brush them aside, and head downstairs and you immediately happen to lock eyes with his mom, she sits on the couch with an amazing posture while Levi and his uncle bicker at the door. You wonder how Levi greeted his mom, too bad you missed it.

She looks so ethereal, with long healthy black hair flowing nicely with the white dress she's wearing, and her facial features are soft and delicate, she looks like the kindest person ever, she radiates this sort of 'welcome' feeling. As if she'll accept you in your arms, sinner or priest.

You snap out of it, stopping the gawking, and continue to walk up to her. She instantly smiles and gets up from the couch.

"Who is this young pretty lady?" Levi's mom exclaims with a warm smile, her eyes sparkling with genuine curiosity. You feel a mix of relief and nervousness as you extend a hand towards her.

"Hello Ma'am, I'm [Name]," you say, trying to match her warmth. "I'm a friend and co-worker of Levi's. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Ma'am?" She laughs a hearty laugh and pats you gently on the shoulders "Sweetie, there's no need to be so formal, You can just call me Kuchel"

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Kuchel" you reply, not bringing yourself to call someone much older than you by just their first name.

"You're a cheeky lady, aren't you?" Kuchel jokes with you, giving you an affectionate smile and you finally understand what the term 'girl crush' means because you've never been so positively intimidated by someone's elegance and stance. She urges you to sit down when in reality you should be the one urging her to sit down and making her feel comfortable.

Levi and his uncle also come by to sit down before he introduces himself to you.

"How's it going, little lady? I'm Kenny. I'm this kid's uncle, regrettably" he says with a smirk, causing Levi to roll his eyes and Kuchel to slap his arm playfully.

"Hello, I'm [Name], I work alongside Levi and we're also friends." Levi glances at you to see if you're uncomfortable in any way, he's good at reading people and you seem, relaxed and not tense as he predicted you'd be. He mentally nods at that and reminds himself to glance at you every now and then.

Kuchel smiles warmly at you. "It's wonderful to have you here, [Name]. I'm glad he's becoming friends with coworkers, he usually never does that"

"Mom, I'm 28, stop talking about me like I'm 15" Levi groans at the embarrassment, hands digging into his face.

"You're still my baby boy, no matter how old you get." She retorts, moving closer to him to pinch his cheeks and coddle him.

You coo at the rare sight, of Levi crossing his arms while his mother hugs him and strokes his hair, it's obvious Levi loves the affection his mother gives him, his fond smile gives it away no matter how grey his eyes look.

His uncle also seems to enjoy the sight, smiling a faint one as he catches you observing him. He flashes you a wink before looking back at the scene. You feel less tense now, feeling more welcome with the whole atmosphere.

It's now 7:15 and the first batch of relatives come out of a minivan, you smile and they somehow hug you as if you're a part of the family, one elderly woman asks if you're Levi's other half and you can't help but stutter on your words as you form incoherent sentences you later resort to shaking your head as a form of no.

It's now 8:15, an hour has passed and everyone is eating their starters, you look at the lively atmosphere and you feel so warm inside, everyone knows one another and everyone treats you like a relative, you feel like you belong before the doorbell rings again and you tell them that you'll go get it.

Nothing could've prepared you for who was behind that door.

You quickly open the door and get your clothing stuck on the handle of the door by opening it too quickly. You manage to say your hellos but your focus is on the door, trying to get out of this embarrassing situation.

"[Name], What’re you doing here?" a voice asks and you think it's Kuchel but once you finally get your clothing unstuck from the door and look up at the new batch of guests, you're astronomically wrong.

It's Carla, It's Carla Jaeger.

You've never thought you'd see Carla of all people here, you think you're hallucinating and that the presence of Kuchel may have triggered your longing for the mother figure who treated you like you were her daughter.

But no, it's actually Carla. How could this be and why? She's standing in front of the door with a fluffy scarf and a huge coat that hides her actual outfit. She stares at you with sadness in her eyes, but then Kuchel shouts 'Carla come in' which makes you snap out of it and open the door so that she may enter. She does so and as you try to close the door she tells you that..

"There's one more person"

And cue the anxiety, panic, and dread. You look at her, confused and worried. Carla immediately embraces you with a tight hug, as if seeking comfort or offering it, you're not sure. She cups your face gently, looking into your eyes with a mixture of affection and sorrow.

"[Name], You've grown up."

Carla whispers, her voice a mixture of sorrow and longing. The memories flood back – the warmth of her hugs, the wisdom in her advice, and the unconditional love she showered upon you. The times she'd teach you how to bake and you'd end up messing the whole thing up and she'd laugh at you while teasing.

"You look more refined" she continues, her gaze filled with a motherly pride. Carla steps back, holding your shoulders as she examines you. "But the same twinkle in your eyes remains."

"Thank you, Auntie" you reply not knowing what else, a pang of guilt heaving in your heart as you mentally embrace yourself for the person who accompanied her as the doorbell rings again.

please don't be eren, please don't be eren, please don't be eren

This is what you keep chanting in your mind as Carla gestures towards the door, indicating that you should answer it. As you open the door, you're met with the face of the person who accompanied her.

It's not Eren. Thank God

It's Mikasa.

You mentally smack yourself on the head, how could you have not known? Mikasa Ackerman, Levi Ackerman. What more clues did you need? A big red billboard?

Mikasa carries two baskets of what seems to be treats for everyone at the family gathering. She doesn’t seem to notice you since you're practically hiding behind the door as she goes forward to set the gifts down at the kitchen island and give greetings to her relatives.

Taking your invisibility to her as an advantage, you close the door not wanting the cold to get into the warmed house, and wonder where you should go and you decide you’ll go upstairs to get some fresh air, calm your nerves, and focus on the priority here.

You run up the stairs and go to the nearest bathroom, you’re pacing around not knowing what to do. You think let’s rewind a bit.

Now we know that Mikasa is related to Levi, check. Does that guarantee that anyone else who you’ve left behind could also be here, no. But why is Carla here then?

And that’s where you’re stumped. You have no clue. And you don’t want this to ruin your image with the people you just met, for you to just run off out of nowhere because someone you know is in the same room as you. You’re not like this, this is the anxiety talking. So what know them? Say your hellos and look the other way, it’s very simple.

You slap your face gently as if to beat the words into your face, that’s until you hear a booming noise from downstairs, it sounds like someone is cheering. Anyways, you think, let’s get back to this gathering. Whoever comes, came and whoever is not present well then that’s a win for us.

And with that you head downstairs, slowly observing the table where everyone is seated at, Levi with his armed crosses, Kuchel with her hand on his head, Kenny bored out of his mind and Carla exchanging smiles with Kuchel. The other relatives seem to chatter among themselves.

You quickly head down the stairs and grab a plate to get yourself some food. Carla comes along behind you, she follows what you do, also grabbing a plate and putting food on her plate.

“So how has life been treating you, [Name]?”

She asks, genuine curiosity flowing through her voice, you look at her and put your plate down to show some respect and talk to her.

“It’s going great, I’m graduating in a few weeks.” You reply, observing her features, she hasn’t changed a bit, she looks just as comforting as before. She smiles at that and pats your back.

“I’m proud of you sweetie. You deserve everything good in this life and the next”

You smile and hug her abruptly, the connection you had with Carla was unmatched, nothing could top that and you just feel so guilty for not telling her anything beforehand.

“Listen, [Name], As a mother, I need to apologize.” You look at her confused and she continues with heavy words. “I never got the chance to apologize to you for Eren’s behavior that day, if I double-checked whether or not he took his medication, perhaps this wouldn’t have become the outcome.”

“Auntie, this is in no way your fault. This was my decision, I’d like to think that either way, I would’ve left. It’s just the terms I left on could’ve been improved, but that’s also my fault. I just combined everyone in the same category as Eren and left without further notice. That’s a fault on my part.”

"Nonsense, none of this could ever be your fault." She smiles and pats your cheek,“The ever so kind [Name], you have a heart pure as the driven snow.”

You appreciate her words but can't shake the feeling that you could have handled things differently. All the guilt and regret start pouring in, you've left so many people under the assumption that they hated you, Carla was one of them, you thought that if her son despised you enough to hurt you, then what would be stopping her?

Carla seems to sense your troubled self so she takes it upon herself to make the mood more friendly and less soggy with regret. She's seen how regretful both you and Eren look and it's so dreadful as his mother and as someone who cares about you. She tries to lighten his mood up, take him to places where serotonin may be boosted, and engage with him in activities that liven things up, but to no avail. Eren was stuck in a trance of regret.

Carla wishes she could ask you to at least talk with Eren or sort things out with him. Her motherly side worried about the wellbeing of her son but she can't bring herself to do so, it's too much on you and selfish of her.

"My kitchen is in good shape, I know for a fact that it has missed your mishaps," Carla says with a playful glint in her eyes, attempting to bring a smile to your face.

"Mishaps? More like nuclear testings" you respond with a chuckle, appreciating Carla's effort to lighten the mood. Her warm demeanor and easygoing nature make you feel more at ease, at least for the moment.

Kuchel calls Carla over once more, she has a glass of red wine and she seems like she has lots of things to catch up with her. Carla gives you a nod before heading over to her and taking her plate of food on the way.

You take a moment to collect yourself, glancing around the room. Levi is engaged in a conversation with his uncle Kenny and Mikasa is on her phone. You take this as an opportunity to clean the dishes, left by the guests as they head to the living room to watch a sitcom together.

It's now 8:50. it's almost two hours past the intended time, you can let out a deep sigh of relief. No one else is coming and everyone here is sleeping here for the night. Washing the dishes calms your nerves and you feel more relaxed, you hope that Mikasa stays on her phone and does not notice you. That'd be great, but the chances of someone not noticing another in a 'family gathering' are very low. She'll probably notice one way or another.

You finish the dishes, dry your hands, and allow the families to enjoy their own company. You, however, make your way to the small seating area, opposite to the door. You grab a book from the shelf and start reading, taking your mind off all this.

In the process, 20 minutes have passed and it's now 9:30, you giggle at the book, you never knew Levi was into comedy like this, half the books on the shelf are comedy and satire books. You put a hand over your mouth to conceal your chuckles as you continue reading. The sound of laughter and conversations from the living room serves as a comforting backdrop. Despite the initial nervousness, being immersed in Levi's world, even if just through his book collection, brings a sense of belonging.

Until the doorbell rings once more.

You're on the other side of the room so it'll take a bit longer for you to open it but as soon as you get up, Mikasa is running to the door to open it. Why would she be running when she was on her phone the entire time? You're just standing there a bit confused at who it is and why 2 hours after the initial time.

Mikasa opens the door and the room suddenly turns into an incoherent noise factory. You can't see who it is because they immediately hug Mikasa but you'd recognize that grey hair anywhere.

It's Connie and behind him are Jean, Sasha, Historia, Ymir, and Reiner.

Mikasa steps back, breaking the hug, and the noise reaches a peak as everyone starts talking at once. Connie, always the ball of energy, is the first to greet everyone, Levi leaves him hanging on his fist bump and he doesn't mind as he goes on to greet everybody else.

You don't dare move from your spot continuing reading your book hoping to stay unnoticed in your little corner of the room. As everyone continues their greetings and catching up, you bury yourself in the book, pretending to be engrossed in the words on the pages. You hear Historia apologizing for being late as the roads were blocked due to snow.

The minutes pass, and you start to believe that your plan to remain inconspicuous is working. That is until you hear a familiar voice entering the room, and a chill runs down your spine. The voice is unmistakable, and dread creeps in as you hope it's just a figment of your imagination.

Eren stands there awkwardly, pathetically fidgeting with his hands as he mumbles 'Sorry I'm late'. Kuchel hugs him and playfully pinches his cheeks and he shyly averts his gaze down. You take this as a small chance to observe him from the peek of your book.

He grew a bit taller, his hair was styled to a fashionable degree, and his face was glowing although his eyes seemed dark from his eyebags as if he hadn't been getting much sleep. His azure eyes aren't as dull as you last saw them, they're still a bit dull but the color stands out more. He looks disconnected from the rest of his friends and Mikasa pulls his arm to bring him closer.

You should've picked a more discreet place but then again why should you be hiding, it's just a coincidence that all of you happen to be reunited here. However you don't want any drama, you contemplate leaving through the back door and telling Levi something urgent came up but you don't want to let him down and there's no point in doing so if you so claim to have forgotten about them, meeting them, saying hello and disappearing again shouldn't be so hard. Maybe, just maybe, you can enjoy the evening without the complication of facing them. The minutes tick by, and your hope grows. Perhaps, for once, fate is on your side.

It's as if everything is happening in slow motion, the laughter of Carla and Kuchel, Connie play fighting with Levi's uncle and Historia chatting to the elderly family members. You glance once more from between the book and you see that their attention is elsewhere. You get a text from your roommate who happens to tell you that all the roads are blocked due to a snowstorm in the area and wondering if you're safe.

you: yes i'm fine, are you at home?

claudia: yeah, it seems like you have to stay where you are until the snow dies down, don't try to go anywhere, kay?

You seem worried a bit, wondering if your friends are also at home and not outside, you check the news and it calmly urges anyone and everyone who is outside to get inside and people who are inside to stay inside.

you: damn, it looks bad out there, how's everyone, are they all inside?? i can't get through to them.

claudia: [one attachment], we're fine, see u at home tmrw. stay safe!!

You open the attachment to see all of your friends huddling in the room, windows closed and all in oodies giving the camera a big thumbs up and smiling.

You smile at that, responding with an 'okay' and sighing a deep breath as all of your friends are safe. You're convinced the universe is against you, making you trapped in a house with people you want to run away from. You can't stand the anxiety that comes with it, you put the book down and hear the distant chatters of Levi's family members telling each other about the news as they put on the news channel.

You need a drink, you think to yourself. You quietly slip away from your corner, avoiding making any noise as you make your way to the kitchen. The distant chatter and laughter follow you, but you try to drown it out. You open the fridge, and fortunately, there's an array of beverages. You grab a bottle of water, thinking that's probably a safer choice but then you put it back as wine seems like a better option in this situation.

While you're being indecisive, it seems that someone else has entered the kitchen, they have their back to you, and you see the mini man bun and immediately know it's Eren. He hasn't noticed you yet, he thinks you're just a random family member also in the kitchen, choosing some snacks, but he has trouble finding the cork opener for the wine bottle he's about to open. He can't go back and ask Levi in front of everyone because he knows his mom. will scold him for trying to drink. So he resorts to asking a stranger, you, instead to save him that trouble.

"um, excuse me?" He starts looking at your back as you attempt to leave the kitchen stealthily, sneaking quietly past the cabinets and stuffing your face in one of them. You freeze at the sound of Eren's voice. The last thing you wanted was to become involved in his search for a corkscrew. In an attempt to avoid the impending interaction, you continue pretending to browse the snacks.

"Excuse me," he repeats, a touch of frustration in his voice.

You debate whether to respond or slip away unnoticed. The room suddenly feels smaller, you feel claustrophobic and you wish you had chosen a different place to hide from the social storm. I mean, why would you go to the kitchen when they just arrived on an empty stomach?

Eren decides to approach you, still unaware of your identity, he lightly taps you on your shoulder. "Do you know where the corkscrew is?" he asks, coming up beside you and you swear this feels like a scene straight out of a Kdrama, one of those awkward side-character interactions that you'd rather avoid. Panic sets in, and you need to think and act quickly. Holding your breath, you contemplate the best course of action.

Escape seems like a tempting option. You scold yourself for feeling afraid and decide that avoiding unnecessary drama is your priority. Without turning around to face him, you respond vaguely, slightly changing your voice.

"I think I saw it near the sink," gesturing vaguely in that direction.

You sigh a loud deep breath as he heads in that direction but immediately suck it back in. As you are walking backward, you bump into someone, you pray it's someone you don't know but by reflex, you turn around to see who you bumped into and come face to face with a groaning Connie. He has his hand on his arm after he hits it on the corner of the wall and looks up at you only to have the annoyance etched on his face disappear within a millisecond.

He stands there speechless, unable to say your name, unable to even understand the whole situation, is it real? or did he play fight with Kenny a bit too hard? He can't do anything but stand there. He takes you in, every part of you and it finally hits him like a wave of strong tides. He missed you so badly, all this time, he never truly understood how much your absence affected him. The sight of you, the sound of your voice as you mutter a small 'oh', the simple act of bumping into you – it's a flood of emotions he tried to suppress.

"Hello and sorry."

Is all you say, in a monotone voice, a stark contrast to the emotional whirlwind that's taking place within you. You grab a packet of chips and purposefully move away, creating a physical distance between the two of you. You move behind him because behind you is Eren opening a bottle of wine and glancing at the whole accident, still oblivious.

Connie scoffs at your attitude, he's immediately snapped out of his trance and feels the need to confront you. You haven't even bothered to hear his side of the story, or given him a chance to explain and it's so fucking annoying.

"Sorry for bumping into me or sorry for going no contact for like half a decade, hm?" he questions, his tone carrying a mix of sarcasm and genuine hurt. The confrontation hangs in the air, and you can feel the weight of his unspoken emotions.

You want to retort back but you know that this will just lead to confrontation on a wide scale and you don't want to ruin Levi's hard work. So you ignore him and go back to sitting down on your small chair in the corner and Connie can't believe you're actually acting like this. He watches you leave to sit down on a small chair and he's so pissed. He glances at Eren who seems to be in his own world, scrolling on his phone and drinking his wine and suddenly Connie feels like starting a fight because Eren's nonchalant attitude irks him. But he refrains, he has something else to do, something better. Connie takes the opportunity to shift the attention to the living room. He interrupts Sasha's karaoke performance in front of the TV, grabbing the microphone with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Guys, I know someone with a much better voice in this house, so who wants to listen to some real music?" He declares and Sasha pouts but lets go of the microphone. This causes Jean to tell him to stop being so rowdy and sit down. He shakes his head telling them 'You guys don't want to miss out, I promise' and they seem a bit curious at his offer, wanting to know who it is.

You think he's already gone, ignoring you as well since he never liked you in your memory so you take a breath of fresh air and continue reading while glancing at Eren who drinks the wine slowly while scrolling on his phone, replying to texts from his manager asking him on his opinion of certain costumes. He looks dreadful you almost pity him.

"It's [Name]" Connie announces, and there's a mix of surprise and curiosity that spreads among the family members. One, because half of them didn't know you could sing and the other half is reactions from Carla who knows where this is going and connected the dots, and Jean and the rest because they had no idea that you're here, so they scoff at him and tell him to stop playing.

"Come see for yourself, then" He taunts and now everyone is really confused.

Eren hears your name being said and his head immediately perks up from his distracted state. He sets down the wine glass, his eyes narrowing as he searches the room for confirmation. He goes to the living room to see a glimpse of your face but you're not there. He then proceeds to return back to his spot disappointed but stops in his tracks as he sees you, sitting down on a small chair right behind the table he was drinking wine at. He's not like Connie, he stares at you with guilt in his eyes, you know you can't hide behind your book for so long so you set it down and look at him with an annoyed gaze as Connie and the others also turn around the corner of the kitchen, surprised to see you there.

Eren feels.. weird, he feels so pathetic, he feels like he’s gonna cry any minute now, going to full-on sob in front of everyone. Your annoyed gaze tells him everything he needs to know, he wants to fall on his knees and grovel, wants to tell you he'd do everything and anything to make it up to you, he places a hand on his mouth, almost to stop himself from revealing the overwhelming emotions threatening to spill out.

Everyone else seems to look at you with the same gaze, regret, confusion, guilt, surprise. Connie, crosses his arms, half pissed at you for what happened but also happy now that he knows you've been okay, Eren looks troubled like he doesn't know where to start, Mikasa has this face on that you can't read, Historia is in a state of surprise, Jean doesn't believe his eyes and Sasha and Ymir are so confused.

You don't know how to feel, you hate how everyone just put you on the spot, how you are indirectly ruining Levi's first time hosting this gathering, but most of all, you hate how much their presence affects you.

You don't do much but look outside at the snowstorm, and then tension grows higher and tighter with each second, you hate how they look at you like you are some animal in an enclosure, like a performer and people are patiently waiting for your next trick, it feels too awkward and makes it hard to breathe, you can't help but wonder if somehow standing in the snowstorm seems like a better option than standing in the storm brewing inside this house.

notes: first things first, thank you all for reading the part 1, I really appreciate it and to those who interacted, hope that nothing inconveniences you ever again in your life!! emphasis on ever. so here's to part two, crazy how it's 9K because I remember my milestone being 5K so how I got here is honestly mindblowing. I'm glad you liked my plot, I thought it might've been weirdly put but it seems not. so I hope you enjoy this one as well and let me know if you also want a part 3, I kind of left it on a cliffhanger...

divider credit: @hitobaby

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jungkookschin · 3 months

Text

demigod trials: fates intertwined | two

synopsis: you met jungkook at camp half-blood when you were 10 years old. since then, your fates have been infinitely intertwined.

word count: 10k

pairing: son of ares!jungkook x daughter of hephaestus!reader

genre: camp half blood au, percy jackson au, demigod au, childhood friends to lovers, exes to lovers , enemies to lovers, jungkook is sooo in love, jungkook is emotionally constipated, THEY FALL INTO TARTARUS TOGETHERR, jk and y/n are supposed to be reminiscent of percabeth, y/n can wield fire 😳 , ANGSTYY, taehyung as a son of poseidon, namjoon son of athena, mingyu son of jupiter, mina daughter of venus,

warnings: death, angst, blood, kinda gruesome, SMUT (not explicit at all- it's told more in a poetic way), v card loss, many percy jackson references, character death (she comes back to life)

author’s note

chapter 1 | chapter 2 | chapter 3 | chapter 3.5 | chapter four

That morning, Jungkook, Namjoon (son of Athena), Taehyung (son of Poseidon), Jinyoung (son of Hermes), Jennie (daughter of Hades), Jaehyun (son of Apollo), Jisoo (daughter of Demeter), Mark (son of Hephaestus), and Yeri (the satyr) gathered around the ping pong table in the Big House, as called by Chiron.

The purpose of the gathering was to address the need for camp expansion. With the current cabins unable to accommodate all the demigods, it seemed impractical to have 22-year olds like Jungkook share living quarters with ten year-olds.

Namjoon unfolded the blueprints across the ping pong table, revealing intricate architectural designs for every cabin, along with plans to make space for adjacent cabins to accommodate all the demigods.

“So,” Taehyung begins, “We can separate the cabins by, like, minors and 18+?” he shrugs, to which everyone murmurs in agreement.

“Gods, that sounds good,” Jinyoung asserts, “My eight year old brother pulled condoms from my bag and kept asking me what they were! Can you imagine how I felt?”

Jennie swats Jinyoung’s chest. “Seriously? In front of Chiron?”

Jinyoung shrugs, “We’re all grown, I’m sure Chiron is aware of- that we… you know,”

Chiron sighs. “I’ve experienced worse with my brothers the Party Ponies. If anything, this is all the more reason to push for expansion. We must ensure the children are not inadvertently exposed to your... daily activities,” he finishes, eliciting laughter from the cabin leaders.

Jisoo plants her palms on the ping pong table and looks over the blueprints for the Demeter cabin. She bats her lashes at Namjoon. “Any way you can expand our garden, too?”, to which Yeri the satyr joins and uses her puppy eyes on him.

When Namjoon sighs and acquiesces, Jisoo and Yeri interlock fingers and squeal in excitement.

“In that case, can I get a pool in my cabin?-”

“Taehyung, shut up.”

Mark steps through and rapidly scans Namjoon’s blueprints before stepping back and nodding. “The Hephaestus cabin can do this in two weeks min and a month max.”

Jungkook dealt with weird emotions each time he crossed paths with Mark, your younger brother. Seeing Mark earnestly step up to lead the Hephaestus cabin, carrying the responsibilities you once shouldered, filled Jungkook with indescribable pride and sorrow.

“Anything we can do to help, then?” Jungkook offers to which Mark nods

“Namjoon and I can organize a list of materials we need for each cabin to gather. But beyond that, it would be best if you all stayed out of our ways, erm- respectfully, of course,” Mark responds.

Jaehyun laughs at that, throwing a lazy arm around Mark. “I’m so proud of you,” he nuzzles his forehead against the side of Mark’s head, “Our baby is all grown up.”

“Eww, get off me,” Mark responds, lightly nudging Jaehyun away.

Later in the day, Jungkook started collecting the materials Mark had instructed the Ares cabin to gather. He ran into the woods to start cutting wood when he senses another presence.

A monster, maybe, or perhaps a nymph or satyr wandering about. The sound of footsteps rustling through the dry leaves Jungkook further concerned, and he unsheathes his Celestial Bronze knife. “Show yourself.”

You step out from behind a tree in a fresh set of clothes and Jungkook drops his knife.

He looks at you, and you look at him.

In an instant, Jungkook's pupils burst into flaming orbs as he draws his sword, swiftly advancing towards you. The sheer disdain etched on his features is unforgettable, and you quickly realize that he likely mistook you for a monster taking on your appearance.

You turn around and run. You sprint towards the camp barriers, screaming for your life before you trip on a rock, sending you sprawling onto the ground, your face meeting the cold, hard earth.

Confusion clouds Jungkook's features as he slows his pursuit. He looks you up and down, uncertainty written across his face as he assesses the situation.

“Jungkook! It’s me! It’s actually me! Stop!” you scream, desperately trying to make him recognize you.

He assumes a defensive stance, but his voice quivers. “Y/N?”

“Jungkook,” you respond breathlessly, “I can explain. Did Rosie tell you guys about the Physician’s Cure?”

Jungkook comes to a sudden halt. "I... just..." His brain malfunctions, leaving him at a loss for words in your presence.

He pulls himself together. “I’m going to arrest you and take you to the Big House… just in case.”

You appear a little stunned but you nod, reaching into your magic toolbelt to pull out handcuffs, grinning at him a little when you toss them to him.

News of your return spread through the camp like a wildfire. Jungkook guides you to the Big House while a crowd of people formed around him

His heart insists that it’s you, and his soul is screaming at him that it’s you, but after all this time he refuses to believe it.

Camp Half-Blood achieved a new milestone by hosting the highest number of meetings in a single day: 2.

The ping pong table has been folded and moved to the side, leaving a single chair in the empty space for you- or a monster pretending to be you.

All the cabin leaders sprinted to the Big House once they heard the news.

Taehyung and Namjoon, sweaty from sprinting from the pegasi stables, stand in the doorway to catch a glimpse of you.

Taehyung instantly falls to his knees and Namjoon drops the notebook in his hand.

The seas of people part at the sound of Chiron’s hooves, whose face morphed into exasperation at your appearance. “My gods, it can’t be. Y/N?”

You smile shyly, tucking a strand of hair behind your air before waving with your fingers, “Hi?”

Jennie peeked from behind Chiron, gasping, and she tried to run towards you until Chiron stuck his arm out to stop her.

Jaehyun stepped forward with a bow strung on his arrow, ready to fire at any moment. “Explain,” he seethes.

“Oh,” you laugh awkwardly, combing through your hair with your fingers, “What a warm welcome.”

A horn blows throughout the camp, signaling the arrival of the Roman demigods, who were alerted of the news immediately after Jungkook made the announcement.

Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood established a teleportation portal between the two camps, allowing instant and seamless communication.

Rose passed through the crowd, gasping when her eyes landed on you. Ignoring Chiron’s warnings, she ran to you, her hands falling on your shoulders.

“The Physician’s Cure?” she asks, breathless.

You nod, and she embraces you tightly, tears streaming down her face. “Fuck, Y/N. It fucking worked It’s a miracle.”

“Rose Park,” Mina’s voice echoes throughout the building, and she assumes an offensive stance with her Imperial Gold spatha. “You’ll be under arrest for treason if you don’t explain what’s going on.”

You rise abruptly, shielding Rose with your body. “I’ll explain. I am Y/N L/N, and it’s true that I died, but I was brought back to life with the Physician’s Cure.”

“On the ship, after Jungkook and I returned from Tartarus,” you begin, your eyes flickering towards Jungkook, “Rose and I began developing the Physician's Cure, an injection that can bring anybody back to life. It was formulated by Asclepius, son of Apollo and the god of medicine.”

Rose nods sternly. “I’d been researching the Physician’s Cure for years,” she adds, “Y/N was the only one I trusted with its formula, and we did it. I thought we had failed, but Gods, it worked.”

You vigorously nod. “And I had this idea- this idea that I had to be the one to kill Gaia. To storm or fire the world shall fall,” you state, recalling the prophecy, “I’m fire. It had to be me. So Rosie and I devised a plan to kill Gaia for good. And I knew the risks, I knew I could die- but when Rosie told me about the Physician’s Cure I knew I had to do it. It was a sign from the fates. I had to get rid of Gaia by burning her to death, and the only way I could do it was burning myself to death. We would fly Gaia away from her home court, burn her to death, and Pulchra would bring me back with the Physician's Cure.”

Jungkook’s features twist in pain, in betrayal. “So it wasn’t an accident? You planned on dying without telling us?”

His attention turns towards Rose. “And you knew?” he seethes, “This whole time, all this pain could have been avoided-“

“I thought she was dead!” Rose responds, “You were so depressed I didn’t want to give you any false hope! That injection had a 10% chance of working- I didn’t know!”

“So you knew Y/N was going to die and did nothing about it,” Taehyung seethes.

“It was my choice,” you interject, “It was for the mission. Gaia is gone and that means it was a success.”

Jungkook scoffs. “To storm or fire the world shall fall,” he recites the prophecy. “Storm would have sufficed. Mingyu and I had a plan, Y/N. We could have avoided all this.”

“But Mingyu would have died!” You respond.

“I wouldn’t have!” Mingyu interjects, “With all due respect, my body could have taken it,” He puts a hand on his heart to convey his sincerity. “You should have told us. Can you imagine how Jungkook and I felt when you fucking died in front of us? And we couldn’t do anything about it?”

“I’m here now, aren’t I? Why does it matter?”

Mingyu looks at you with an especially crestfallen expression and your stomach plummets. You shift your gaze to Jungkook and he looks arguably worse, eyes turning red as he stares at the ground, shaking his head in disbelief.

Chiron steps in the middle to intervene. “That’s enough, everybody. Let Y/N finish her story. Where have you been the past two years?”

Your face falls and your knees buckle. “T-two years? What?”

Rosie hooks her arm through yours. “It’s been two years. Take a minute to process everything.” She leads you to your seat, and you inhale so deeply your chest hurts.

Two years? It was just yesterday that you incinerated Gaia.

“I-I woke up on an island,” you explain, “I don’t know where exactly I was, but it was somewhere in the Indian ocean. I made some tweaks to Pulchra’s GPS system and flew back here as fast as I could.”

Jungkook nods bitterly, tears streaming down his face as he addresses you. “Yea Y/N, it’s been two years- two fucking years. We’re not teenagers anymore, we’re adults and we take responsibility for our actions,” he bitterly states.

“Kook, I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

“Did you know that we spent six months looking for you? Traveled every sea, walked every country to find you, even though the Hades kids confirmed your death?” Jungkook adds, voice quivering. “So this information would have been nice to know when were on that ship for six fucking months,” he seethes, redirecting his attention to Rose.

“Don’t blame her,” you interject, “She was in a tough position, she couldn’t have-“

“Oh don’t worry, inferno princess, I blame you too. I must’ve meant shit to you if you were planning on dying without telling me. Did everything…” he trails off, gazing at you with such profound betrayal, “Did everything mean nothing to you?”

You shake your head, unable to conjure a proper response. “I-I thought I’d only be gone for a few hours Kook- I didn’t know-”

“And if the Physician’s Cure didn’t work?” Jungkook asks, staring at you incredulously, “Rose herself said it had a 90% failure rate, so if it didn’t work, you would have just died and expected me to live with myself? To live without you?” The pain in his chest is nearly unbearable, and sadness envelopes your entire being.

“I’m sorry,” is all you say.

“Sorry? Sorry? So that night when we- when you- with the candles, did you know? Did you know you were going to die?” Jungkook asks.

Your face falls, and Jungkook bitterly scoffs at that. “What you did wasn’t heroic, Y/N. What you did was cruel. You’re- you’re crueler than the gods.” And with that, he bitterly stomps away, the crowd parting for his exit.

Chiron clears his throat, walking towards the middle of the room before he announces “Campers under the age of 20, you are dismissed. Return to your daily activities immediately.”

You gaze at your trembling hands, struggling to comprehend everything, when Namjoon engulfs you in the most intense hug he's ever given. In his embrace, you crumble and break into tears.

“Gods Y/N, I’m just- I’m glad you’re back.”

You embrace him with the same intensity, crying into his shoulders.

You refuse to let Namjoon go until you’re ripped from him from the hem of your shirt and pulled into Taehyung’s embrace. He’s crying harder than you, body trembling as he holds you and at that moment, you would do anything to ease his anxiety and calm the tremors coursing through his body. You sniffle, rubbing his back up and down with your palms, and the only thing you can say to him is that you’re sorry.

Mingyu is up next, and as pissed off as he was, he holds you tight and cries into your shoulder. “You’re a fucking idiot,” he says and all you do is cry.

Mina, dropping her Spatha, rushes towards you, throwing herself into your arms. She buries her face in your hair, letting out guttural cries

For hours, you and your childhood friends stay in the Big House, crying, hugging, and catching up.

That night at dinner, you reconvene with your siblings in the Hephaestus cabin, who ardently welcome you home with a toast to your father.

Mark, your younger brother who is now the head of the Hephaestus cabin, receives the biggest hug the moment you spot him. He laughs and returns the hug with equal enthusiasm, saying, "So, does this mean I don’t have to be head counselor anymore?"

You shoot him a playful glare. “Don’t even. You’ve been doing so well. I’m proud of you. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to help.”

“Of course, sis,” he adds, “It’s water under the bridge- you did save the world anyway,” he shrugs.

During dinner, your gaze involuntarily wanders towards the Ares table, and Jungkook is noticeably absent.

The thought of what you did to Jungkook makes you sick to your stomach. Back then, your focus was solely on the quest, and you didn't want him to intervene because you believed the mission had to take precedence.

The mission carried immense stress, and you had to devise a strategy to eliminate Gaia. The fate of the world hung in the balance, dependent on your actions. Your friends would've intervened if they knew, and Gaia might have fully come back to life.

Everything he said was true. You were selfish. You knew you were going to die and you pretended like everything was okay because you desperately clung onto that sense of normalcy you had with him.

You were selfish, and you were a coward.

While dying for a noble cause sounds heroic- Jungkook was right, you were selfish. You would rather die than deal with the grief of losing your friends.

Nobody says anything about your encounter with Jungkook, until Jaehyun approaches you after dinner.

As you walk back to the Hephaestus cabin, he scares the shit out of you when he appears from the shadows, “So, Jungkook? Were you guys like …?”

You’re a little taken aback, but you can’t help but notice the crestfallen expression on Jaehyun’s face and all you can do is nod. “He’s it for me. It’s him or nothing,” you respond.

Jaehyun tightens his lips and gives a nod. "I- well- alright. If you ever change your mind... just let me know," he says with an awkward smile. He offers to walk you back to your cabin, and you oblige to catch up with him.

Walking past the Ares cabin, you can’t help but notice two figures convening by its side, one on their tiptoes to kiss the other. You tilt your head and momentarily pause.

“Wait Y/N- we should just go back-“

Your heart drops when you realize it’s Jungkook and a girl, a girl you definitely don't recognize. She’s got her hands on his cheeks, her thumbs rubbing his skin soothingly, and he can’t seem to take his eyes off her as they speak to each other.

You shake your head, immediately backing away before you stumble and fall onto Jaehyun. He catches you, gaze immediately sweeping over your face. You collect yourself and wipe the dust from your clothes.

"It-it's fine," you say, but tears are already streaming down your face. You sprint back to your cabin before Jaehyun can say anything.

That night, you can’t sleep. You and your younger brother Mark spend the entire night in the main room of the Hephaestus cabin, poring over a blueprint of a prototype he's working on for the new 18+ Hephaestus cabin.

"Obviously, I'm not sticking to Namjoon's blueprints for our cabin," Mark declares, as if it's the most evident statement, “Since you and I are the only 18+ kids in our cabin, we’re gonna make that shit the best building Camp Half-Blood’s ever seen!” he expresses with a twinkle in his eye.

You smile at his enthusiasm as you scan over his blueprints. “Jacuzzi tub for every bunk?” you express, “I like how you think little brother.”

For hours, you and Mark review blueprints, constructing the best cabin to ever be built.

The next morning, you and Mark look like death, but you insist on heading to breakfast anyway.

Your expression darkens as you catch sight of Jungkook and his girlfriend walking towards the dining hall. Mark instantly notices the shift in your mood and attempts to divert your attention by sharing another idea he had for the cabin.

Throughout the night, you had confided in your brother about the details of your past relationship with Jungkook, and now he fills you in on the information he gathered about Jungkook's new girlfriend.

A descendant of the Roman Apollo, Sofia traveled all the way to Camp Half-Blood to visit Jungkook.

In Jungkook's eyes, Sofia became a symbol of unwavering support, a pillar of unconditional devotion, and Mark’s verbiage makes you feel infinitely worse, considering that you disappeared after three weeks of dating Jungkook.

You know, maybe you weren’t so in the wrong. Ironically, considering he has moved on, perhaps you weren't as significant to him as you thought, not enough for him to hold on for two years.

Instead, you direct your attention to Mark’s plans for magical laundry chutes throughout the new Hephaestus cabin.

Taehyung and Namjoon join you for breakfast at the Hephaestus table, eagerly spilling everything they’ve accomplished the past two years.

Namjoon is now Chief Architect for Mount Olympus, and Taehyung discovered an underwater Camp Half-Blood for mermen. Mina and Mingyu join later and you immerse yourself in conversation, learning that Mina and Mingyu are the Praetors for the Roman Legion.

You smile at everybody, eagerly chatting and listening along, perceiving exactly how much you missed the past two years, as happy as you are for your friends, you’re heartbroken by the realization of your prolonged absence.

You’re pulled from your trance when Mina makes a damning statement. “Rose is on probation. She’s going to be put on trial for treason against the Legion and conspiring for your death.”

You freeze.

“What?”

Mina sighs. “I’m sorry Y/N, but that’s the law. I can’t bend rules because she’s my friend.”

The tension at the table is palpable, and you stare at Mingyu and Mina with a tenacious reflection in your eyes.

“Where is she?” you ask, adrenaline surging through your veins.

Mina and Mingyu exchange glances, imploring the other to answer the question. “She’s in a jail cell back in Camp Jupiter,” Mingyu finally answers.

You gasp, abruptly rising to your feet before Taehyung grabs your hand to stop you from going anywhere. “Y/N, sit,” he says through gritted teeth.

As you stand, eyes searching for answers, you catch Taehyung's grip on your hand and the subtle shake of Namjoon's head. You glance around and notice the curious and concerned gazes of fellow demigods in the dining hall. Innocent children, still unaware of the haunting reality of being a demigod.

These are the demigods you once swore to protect. You can't afford to disrupt the fragile peace that binds them together, even if your heart screams for justice.

Feeling the weight of the collective gaze, you reluctantly sink back into your seat. The metal chair feels cold against your skin, mirroring the chill that has settled in your heart.

Immediately after breakfast, the head counselors for every cabin meet at the Big House for yet another meeting. You’re back in the middle of the room, all eyes on you as you implore your friends to stick up for Rose.

"You can't go through with this," you express with exasperation, directing your gaze at Mina and Mingyu.

Mina dismissively shakes her head, her expression resolute. "It's not just about you," she emphasizes, "Well, it is but it's also about the principles we stand for in this camp. Trust, transparency, and accountability are crucial, especially when lives are at stake. Rose's actions have raised questions about the very foundations of our community."

The weight of Mina's words hangs in the air, and you can sense the gravity of the situation settling in the room.

“Killing Gaia my way was the only way, and I can prove it,” you counter. “Rose did the right thing. She saved the world.”

Mark, your little brother, steps forward and places a comforting shoulder on the small of your back.

“Jungkook is right,” Mina adds, “We were on a quest for six months to find you. She should have said something, but she didn't. She committed a crime against the Roman Legion."

At the mention of Jungkook's name, your gaze shifts toward him. He's leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed, eyes trained downward.

You shake your head. “The Physician’s Cure was a prototype. We both knew that it probably wouldn’t work. What’s the point of bringing it up? To turn the six month quest into a year long quest? You have to understand her-“

Jaehyun grimaces, biting his lip, immediately speaking up. “Y/N, you don’t get it. After you died, it was rough. Really rough. Rose is in the wrong. She should have said something. She alone could have provided us more clarity, more closure.”

"And this isn't just about you; it's about the entire quest, the well-being of everyone involved,” Namjoon adds, his expression grave. “Hiding the details of your death is a serious offense in the eyes of both gods and mortals.”

You pause. “I get it. I really do, but what was she supposed to do? Would she have gone to jail for ‘conspiring in my death’ if she said anything? The reason we planned it out without telling you guys was because we knew you would stop me. The quest takes precedence. We had to put the quest first. And that’s what we did.”

Jisoo intervenes. “Y/N has a point. If Rosie mentioned the Physician’s Cure, would that have made a difference? It would have just left us with uncertainty, and we would have gone in circles around the world clinging on to hope. Isn’t it good that we moved forward?”

The room stills at Jisoo’s comment, silently acknowledging the validity of her point.

Ignorance is bliss, and Rose left both camps blissfully ignorant, free to move forward with the closure that they exhausted all efforts to find you.

You venture to ask something at that moment. “If I told you guys what I was planning… would you have stopped me?” You finally ask, eyes flickering to the demigods present on the quest.

Mina shakes her head almost immediately. “I wouldn’t have. You’re right Y/N. The quest takes precedence and the prophecy clearly states ‘To storm or fire the world must fall’.”

“I would have,” Taehyung states. “100%, and I wouldn't do anything differently if it happened today.”

“I-“ you look around, “I can prove why it had to be fire and not storm. Mingyu, your plan would have never worked in the sense that there would have been too much collateral damage.”

Mingyu tilts his head at your comment, and you whip out a white board marker, approaching the white board on the wall.

“Do you know how hot I burned to incinerate Gaia?” you ask everyone, and everybody’s eyes follow you- even Jungkook’s, listening and watching intently.

In bright red letters, you write 1,200-2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

“That’s how hot lava burns,” you explain, pausing before you write another figure on the board.

10,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

“I burned at 10,000 degrees when I finally incinerated Gaia,” you state, and everybody looks dumbfounded at the number, unable to comprehend how hot 10,000 degrees actually is. “That’s as hot as the surface of the sun. At 10,000 degrees, matter does not exist, atoms do not exist- it simply implodes.”

The next thing you write on the board is

Saffir Sampson Hurricane Wind Scale.

Pointing to it, you explain, “This is how we measure intensity of storms. It rates hurricanes from Category 1 to Category 5 based on wind speeds. The deadliest hurricane on this scale was Hurricane Mitch in 1998, with wind speeds exceeding 155 miles per hour,” you explain, writing 155 MPH on the board.

Everyone appears to be aware of the direction you're heading, yet you still need to articulate it to drive your point home.

“Hurricane Mitch resulted in 11,000 to 19,000 fatalities, and I’m not even talking about injuries or displacement. So imagine the devastation of a storm with an intensity equivalent to 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit!”

Namjoon tilts his head, rising. “I get what you’re saying but that argument won’t hold up in court. Conversion metrics between temperature and speed don’t exist in Science- but hypothetically, a storm strong enough to kill Gaia would also kill a lot of people in its wake.”

You nod vigorously. “So Rose, by keeping a secret, killed Gaia and potentially saved the lives of thousands! Beyond that, you’re free to question her moral integrity, but it wouldn’t make a difference anyways!”

The features of Mingyu, the man who is responsible for stirring this hypothetical storm, morph into deep contemplation. “You’re free to argue that in court, Y/N. Our job is to uphold Roman law. I’m sorry.”

Your testimony for Rose in court reveals to be successful. The charges are dropped against Rose, and she is reinstated as the Official Healer for the Roman Legion.

However, Rose’s acquittal fails to supersede the animosity, hatred, and damage that have infiltrated the once-unbreakable bond among the seven demigods who triumphed over the Earth mother Gaia.

While the evil primordial goddess was physically dead, she successfully sowed her seeds of disdain within your group of friends.

The tension between Rose, Mina and Mingyu is more palpable than ever. How can a friendship be repaired after your best friends send you to jail? Rose refuses to talk to Mina and you can’t blame her. Nor can you blame Mina and Mingyu. You understand the rigidity of the role of Praetor, and Mina and Mingyu were simply fulfilling their duty.

At the same time, Jungkook still refuses to acknowledge your existence. If he sees you, he turns the opposite direction, not batting a lash at you.

The hurt in his eyes and the bitterness in his actions show how horribly he feels betrayed, and it makes you sick to your stomach. Despite Namjoon and Taehyung's assurances that he'll eventually come around, your intuition tells you that Jungkook's actions aren’t a choice he’s making willingly, but rather a burden too heavy for him to bear.

The bonds that once held your group together are now strained with secrets, regrets, and the harsh realities of the decisions you made.

You can’t even fathom how or if your friendships will ever be repaired. The wounds go deep, leaving scars that aren't just physical – they're emotional and psychological, ingrained in the very essence of your shared history.

It’s only three months after your miraculous return that Jungkook speaks to you.

By this time, the construction of the 18+ cabins were complete, meaning that all demigods over the age of 18 were given their own quarters separate from their little siblings.

Jungwon, a thirteen year old kid from the Ares cabin, established his name amongst Camp Half-Blood as the next best swordsman after Jungkook, of course.

Last month, he ventured on a quest now dubbed the Quest to the City Stuck in Time. Eldritch Haven, a quaint city in Maine, became seemingly stuck in time. The Oracle only called for a 13 year old Jungwon, calling him to eradicate the threat of the Lamented Souls- vengeful spirits ensnaring the city in a temporal web.

As requested by Chiron, you forged Jungwon a brand new Celestial Bronze blade called Kataklysmós, or Cataclysm, the forthbringer of destruction.

Armed with the freshly crafted blade, you secure it in its sheath and make your way to the Ares cabins. Of course, Jungwon resides in the cabin for minors, so you politely knock on the door to present him with his newly forged blade.

The door knob turns and to your surprise, Jungkook greets you.

He gazes at you, his expression devoid of any emotion, and his eyes pass from your face to the sword held in your hand.

“Come in.”

You abhor how he addresses you with such formality.

You follow Jungkook to the living room within the cabin, gingerly taking a seat on the leather sofa before Jungwon pops out from the adjacent room. He greets you with a firm and brief handshake before sitting on the couch in front of you.

Jungkook looms behind his younger brother, arms crossed as he scrutinizes every inch of your face. Gods, as handsome as he was, he also is the most terrifying and intimidating man you’ve ever encountered.

You clear your throat and unsheathe the blade. “Jungwon, I present you with the Kataklysmós. Henceforth, this blade shall be your weapon of choice on quests and your primary tool against monsters. Your skills were recognized by Chiron, and he prompted me to design and construct the finest sword I’ve ever created.”

Jungwon's eyes gleam as they lock onto the sword, sparkling against the silver reflection of the blade. Anyone could tell that this kid has fallen in love at first sight.

Honestly, you feel the same. This blade is the sexiest thing you’ve ever seen. Kataklysmós is a celestial bronze blade adorned with intricate engravings depicting scenes of Jungwon slicing through the Lamented Souls. Its hilt, crafted from Stygian iron, features a blood-red gemstone at its pommel, a gemstone embedded with divine magic.

“Not only does this sword enhance the weapon's slicing capability, it is magically embedded with divine magic. So, long as you form a soul link with your weapon, Kataklysmós will absorb the essence of fallen enemies, temporarily enhancing the wielder's strength and combat prowess.”

A small gasp leaves Jungwon’s lips and his gaze shifts from the sword to you. “What?” he asks like his breath has been taken away.

“A soul binding link,” you clarify, “You have to form a bond with your weapon for its celestial energy to be channeled,” your eyes flicker towards Jungkook whose features are twisted in a mixture of confusion and curiosity, and his face slightly disorients you so you clear your throat.

“This is new technology. My little brother Mark, Chiron, and I have been working on forging weapons with magical enhancement,” you elaborate.

“Weapons with divine energy from ancient times exist, but creating one has been a significantly challenging process” you continue, looking back at Jungwon, “So I don’t know exactly how you’ll form a soul tie with your blade, but I know you can do it. Chiron chose you to be the first wielder of a magically enhanced weapon for a reason.” You offer Jungwon a sisterly smile, and he appears like a fish, unable to comprehend your words.

“If this is the first weapon, doesn’t Cataclysm run the risk of causing harm to Jungwon?” Jungkook jumps in, question stern and abrupt.

You shake your head, locking eyes with him. “Magical enhancements don’t work that way. It only runs the risk of not working. It can only cause harm to its user if I enchanted it with some evil spell,” you confirm.

“Gonna pull out a whiteboard to explain that too? We have one in the other room,” he shrugs.

You wish there was someone you knew to exchange uncomfortable glances with, because was he cracking a joke after not acknowledging your existence for three months?

“Um-“

“Excuse my brother,” Jungwon intervenes, “It truly is a blessing to be the first candidate chosen to weild an enchanted blade. Thank you, Y/N.”

Observing Jungwon fixedly gazing at you with earnest eyes, you can’t help but think that 13-year old Jungwon is a stark contrast from 13-year old Jungkook. Jungwon is polite, a sweetie pie if you’ve ever seen one. 13-year old Jungkook cursed at Chiron, was a fireball of impulsivity, wreaking havoc everywhere he went.

You smile. “Yea Jungwon. I know you can do it. Congratulations on your last quest.”

“However, I do need you to keep a log of your progress," you add, retrieving a small notebook from your pocket. "Every day, as you work on forming a soul tie, fill out the form in this book. It's straightforward, covering things like the time you spent practicing with the sword and your thoughts during the process."

Jungwon nods, taking the logbook from you before flipping through it. “Got it, Y/N, and can I find you in the Hephaestus cabin if I have any questions?”

You nod. “Any time.”

With that, Jungwon gives you a final handshake before hurrying off to the dueling arena to practice parries and strikes.

You're on the verge of leaving when Jungkook clasps his arm around your wrist. His touch feels electrifying, and you look up at him.

"Let's talk."

Jungkook takes you to the 18+ Ares cabins, where so far, he is the only resident. The cabin looks different from how you constructed it, littered with his own personal Jungkook touch.

A sleek flat screen TV sits in the front of the room of the TV, a leather black couch you don’t recognize is littered with Hello Kitty plushies, probably from his girlfriend. The thought makes you nauseous.

You sit on the leather couch, watching as Jungkook whisks towards the kitchen to fill up a glass of water before handing it to you.

He sits next to you, his hands resting on his thighs. “I’m sorry, Y/N,” he states, and you’re a bit taken aback.

“Do you.. do you know what my fatal flaw is?” he continues, addressing you directly, not looking away even when you fail to meet his eyes.

Despite the years of separation, the answer is clear to you. With Jungkook, it was painfully obvious, and you caught on immediately during your adventures in Tartarus.

“Yea,” you respond, “Love. Your fatal flaw is love.”

He nods, seemingly a bit taken aback before releasing a relieved laughter. “Of course.” He smiles cheekily to himself, a wave of nostalgia seemingly crashing over him.

“That’s why..” Jungkook trails off, “That’s why I was so sensitive to… to your death,” he finishes. “I led the quest for six months around the world, and when we couldn’t find you, I left Camp Half-Blood for a year.”

You nod. You heard from the others what had occurred during your absence, but hearing it from Jungkook still makes your stomach drop. “I’m sorry Jungkook-“

“No,” he cuts you off, “I get it. You were right. Mine and Mingyu’s plan would have never worked. In the end, it was my fault,” He looks forward, a gleam of despondence reflective in his eyes, “I couldn’t protect you. It was my weakness that forced you to do something so dire, and you paid the price with your life.”

“This whole thing,” Jungkook continues, “This whole thing is a mess. The more I think about it, we were so young. Why did we have to go through all that?” He shakes his head in disbelief.

“If you told me about your plan, I would have gone ballistic,” he describes, face twisting with emotion, “And- and if Rosie told me what actually happened, gods, I would have destroyed Apollo’s shrine with my bare hands.”

“So maybe you were right to hide it from me. It sucks to say it, but our relationship was a small price to pay for saving the world, and as demigods we have to bear that burden.”

Your hands still, and this impulsive little demon living inside you is screaming tell him you love him, tell him you want him! Instead, you shakily exhale, blinking tears from your eyes.

Usually, when you cry, Jungkook wipes your tears or counsels you with his embrace.

This time he does nothing.

“We were kids,” he concurs, “The gods put us in this situation. You did your best, Y/N. Thank you for serving diligently.”

Unknowingly, your hands grasp onto the Hello Kitty plushie by your side, mistaking it for a pillow to hold. When you realize what you're clutching, you quickly set it down. “Sorry. That’s from... your—your—“

“My girlfriend?” Jungkook finishes, “My girlfriend…” he trails off, “Do you think I would even be speaking to you if I still had a girlfriend?”

You blink at him. “Did you guys.. break up?” You don’t realize you're holding your breath until you sigh in relief at his response.

“Yea,” he agrees. “Sofia’s a good girl. She needs someone who can love her, take care of her. I guess a kid of Ares isn’t that guy. She said I was too emotionally unavailable and found some other guy in Camp Jupiter.” He shrugs it off.

You’re a bit taken aback by that. Sofia seemed so enamored with Jungkook; you can’t fathom that she was the one to break it off.

Jungkook bitterly laughs. “The gods fucked us up so bad no one in our generation will ever get married.”

You know Jungkook is doing his Jungkook thing by coping with humor, but you can’t bring yourself to laugh along. Looking down with despondency at the Hello Kitty plushie, a sad “Yea,” is all you’re able to conjure.

As you both stare at the Hello Kitty plushy, Jungkook breaks the somber atmosphere with a casual tone. "So Y/N, friends?" he asks, a small smile playing on his lips. "It sucks to not talk to you—I mean, I still use this stupid knife all the time," he says, pointing to the Celestial Bronze knife you crafted for him all those years ago.

You smile, nodding at Jungkook. “Yea,” you concur, “Friends.”

Rebuilding your friendship with Jungkook was a lovely experience. You loved him and wanted him in any way, and if that was to be platonic, you would take it.

Countless hours were spent in the 18+ Poseidon cabin, immersed in the cool waters of Taehyung’s pool. Jungkook joined you in the forge, learning how to craft magically embedded weapons, and for an Ares kid, he wasn’t so horrible at it. As counselors for your cabins, you both emerged as pillars and leaders for the young demigods, echoing the very positions you once occupied years ago.

Neither of you dared to cross the boundary between friendship and love, and maybe it was better that way. It was too painful to love. There was too much at risk.

At 23, Jungkook embarks on a one-year journey to Camp Jupiter, assuming the role of Assistant Commander for the Roman Legion. A Greek in the Roman Legion was almost unheard of, but Jungkook who was highly respected for everything he accomplished, seized an unprecedented opportunity.

At 24, you find yourself presented with the opportunity to work in your father Hephaestus's forge for a year. Immediately, you accept it and bid goodbye to your friends in Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood.

And at age 25, you return to Earth, reuniting with Jungkook at Camp Jupiter for a meeting- a meeting of seemingly great importance, considering that the most powerful demigods have been summoned to gather.

25 years old

As Namjoon, Taehyung, Jungkook, and you meander around the grounds of New Rome, you explore the coffee shops, savoring the thrill of the bustling city and immersing yourselves in the rich tapestry of its culture.

You’re standing by a statue of your father in his Roman form Vulcan, posing with Namjoon for the photo while Jungkook snaps a shot.

You skip over to Jungkook, looking over his shoulder to view the photo before you’re tackled to the ground.

“Y/N! You bitch!” Rose, daughter of Apollo, is on top of you, holding her Imperial Gold dagger to your neck. She’s fuming, her face scrunched in hatred, and you already know what this is about.

Jungkook, Namjoon, and Taehyung aren’t sure if they should intervene; perhaps this was the cute new way you girls greeted each other (?)

Namjoon intervenes only when Rose starts drawing blood from your neck, and somehow, Rose has acquired monstrous strength, as she doesn't budge an inch when. Instead, she elbows him in the crotch and Namjoon falls to the floor with a thud.

Apollo: 1. Athena: 0.

“Y/N, you fucked my dad?!” Rose seethes, threatening to push the dagger further into your neck.

“Get off!” You employ your feet to push her away from your body and start wiping the blood from your neck.

Romantic entanglements between gods and demigods weren't uncommon. In various stories from Greek mythology, gods were known for their pursuits of mortal beings, including demigods. Quite frankly, the gods didn’t care that demigods were children of the other gods- they really had no decency. Anyone was free game.

“I did not fuck your dad!” you enunciate, “He came after me. I turned him down every time.”

“You liar!” She hisses, and suddenly she eerily resembles Lamia- the same demon who tried to kill you multiple times- before she pounces after you. Before you can comprehend it, you’re sprinting away.

Thank the gods Taehyung, your knight in shining armor, restrains Rose, locking her wrists behind her back. “Gods Rose, it’s not Y/N’s fault your dad is a slut,” Taehyung murmurs, looking up and raising his brows in amusement.

Rose quite literally growls at that, trying to release herself from Taehyung’s grip, and honestly you’re scared she’s going to kill you.

“Y/N, I swear to the gods- if you fucked my dad, I’m going to murder you,” she hisses, fuming from her ears.

“I did not fuck your dad! Are you insane?!”

“Taehyung, let me go!” Rose screams, “I’m not going to do anything, just let me go!” She screeches. Taehyung obliges and she falls on her face.

Her chest rises up and down while she catches her breath. She looks up at you, murderous intent still in her eyes. “Tell me everything that happened.”

During your time on Olympus, the god Apollo approached you in the forge multiple times, attempting to coax you into sleeping with him. You weren’t flattered, nor were you offended. It was Apollo being Apollo.

Under the protection of your father, you were able to pretend that he didn’t exist. Hephaestus soon got fed up and engineered a metal net to put an end to Apollo’s visits.

That’s how you, Namjoon, Taehyung, Jungkook and Rose end up at a nearby cafe, chowing down on pizza while you retell the story.

“Why are you blaming me for this?” you deadpan, “In what world would you be blaming me for your dad trying to sleep with me?”

Rose slams her face on the table, “I had a dream, Y/N. Not a dream, a fucking nightmare. I had a very vivid and repulsive dream of you and my father and I- I- Gods, my daddy issues are so horrible,” she mutters into the metal surface.

Jungkook places a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Yea, me too,” he concurs, blankly staring into the atmosphere.

Taehyung dismisses the notion with a wave of his hand, “You should’ve known it was a dream and not a vision. My Y/N’s a good girl- she doesn’t do stuff like that.” Teasingly, he inches closer towards you and drapes an arm over your shoulder.

Your features twist in disgust and you whack him in the head with a rolled up newspaper.

Jungkook shrugs, "Y/N is beautiful. We all know that. It was bound to happen eventually," he takes a sip from his iced coffee, so nonchalant, like he doesn’t know how you desperately cling on to his every word, dying a little inside at his little compliment.

Namjoon side-eyes you.

Rose scoffs, glaring at Jungkook, “My father. My father tried to fuck my best friend. That wasn’t just bound to happen.”

Taehyung grins, “Y/N kissed your brother and then fucked your dad. Are you sure she’s your best friend?” he muses, so blatantly trying to trigger another cat fight between you and Rose.

Instead, you both frown deeply at him.

“So are you going to apologize to me for elbowing me in the balls or-”

“Gods Namjoon, I’m sorry. I was in the wrong. Blah, blah, blah,”

While Taehyung, Namjoon, and Rose bicker amongst each other Jungkook turns towards you, pointing to his neck, prompting you to look down at yours. “Want me to bandage it for you?” he mouths, to which you shake your head.

Rose didn’t cut you that deep. A sip of ambrosia would do the trick.

“You sure?” he mouths.

You nod. “It’s all good.”

The Senate House is home to important gatherings, crucial decisions, and the collective wisdom of the Roman demigods who shape the destiny of New Rome.

As you enter, you can feel the palpable tension in the air, making it seem colder than the rest of New Rome.

Jennie, daughter of Hades, stands at the podium, her stunning features clouded with pure exhaustion. She looks like a walking corpse with her cheekbones caved in and a gray shadow casting over her face. The aura she exudes is so dark that you can feel its weight from meters away.

She locks eyes with you but quickly averts her gaze, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead. She begins trembling intensely, and Mina, daughter of Venus and the Praetor of the Roman Legion, rushes over to hand Jennie a bottle of water.

In the corner of your eye, you notice Mingyu conversing with another soldier in the Roman Legion. He seems taller and more muscular, his usual playful demeanor crushed under the weight of a serious expression on his face. He oddly resembles Atlas, a titan forced to hold the weight of the sky, and it sends chills down your body.

Timidly, you take a seat in the audience and wait for the meeting to be called into order.

Mina and Mingyu step in front of the podium. "Senators and esteemed demigods of Rome and Greece, your immediate attention is required. We gather here not in routine matters, but in the face of an unprecedented and dire threat. Our very existence is under siege, and the safety of our camp hangs in the balance,” Mina begins

“I beseech you, lend me your ears and hearts, for what I am about to reveal is of utmost gravity. Recent developments have uncovered a menace that surpasses any we have faced before. The threads of fate are unraveling, and the forces that threaten us are ancient, powerful, and malevolent,” Mingyu continues before glancing at Jennie.

With a gulp, she addresses the assembly through the microphone. “Hades, my father, has lost his reign over the Underworld. The primordial god Tartarus has plunged the Underworld into chaos and is plotting to ascend to the surface, aiming to annihilate both demigods and gods.”

Her gaze shifts towards you and Jungkook. "He has somehow taken control of my body, sending me vivid and disturbing dreams. He's furious and demands a sacrifice – a sacrifice of the demigods who once intruded into Tartarus six years ago. If we don't comply, he threatens to rise to Earth through the surface of Camp Jupiter, annihilating Camp Jupiter completely upon his return."

thanks for reading this far :) if u want then check out the

author’s note

#demigod!enhypen #demigod au #demigod!jungkook #demigod!bts #jk fanfic #jungkook fic #jungkook imagines #jungkook fanfic #jungkook scenarios #jungkook x reader #heroes of olympus

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sixosix · 10 months

Text

GENSHIN IMPACT.

# XIAO

( 1 ) something happens

drabble / 1.7k words. verr goldet and huai'an playing matchmaker, basically

( 2 ) wasted time

drabble / 500 words. talks a lot x listens trope, but with xiao

# WANDERER / SCARAMOUCHE

( 1 ) patching you up

drabble / wc 500. you're injured, and wanderer is there to help—not of course without a bit of snark here and there.

( 2 ) flustered

drabble / wc 600. wanderer proves that he can fluster you.

( 3 ) clingy

drabble / wc 1k. scara shows his true colors when he’s missing you.

( 4 ) softie

drabble / wc 800. scara does, in fact, have a soft spot for animals.

( 5 ) he can fly; you cannot

drabble / wc 700. he makes it his problem.

( 6 ) and his voice is a familiar sound

longfic / wc 5k. forced proximity + childhood friends reuniting.

( 7 ) happy birthday, wanderer!

drabble inspired by wanderer’s 2024 bday mail

( 8 ) pda w/ wanderer

drabble about him and public display of affection

# SHIKANOIN HEIZOU

( 1 ) i drive down different roads | part two

fic / wc 4k. you met a detective once on an unexpected night; fate decides that it won’t be the last time.

“you look so pretty,” the stranger with twin moles murmurs, “like it’d be a crime not to want you.”

# LYNEY

( 1 ) distractions

drabble / wc 600. roommate!lyney annoying you who just want to finish your essay. you fail miserably.

( 2 ) sleight of hand

longfic / wc 8k. local sumeru architect goes to fontaine looking for inspiration and comes out of it with three rainbow roses and a crushing magician.

you will not let lyney get to you. unfortunately, lyney already got to you the moment you met eyes. after all, what is a magician if not an expert in stealing hearts?

( 3 ) kissing him awake

drabble / wc 600. kissing lyney awake doesn't really work.

( 4 ) teapot voicelines

drabble / wc 1.5k. lyney’s teapot voicelines turned fic

( 5 ) overwhelmed

drabble / wc 500. a huge party + reader who is sensitive to the environment + lyney being a sweetheart

( 6 ) sickfic

fic / wc 3k. you take it upon yourself to make it up to lyney when he couldn’t perform on the night he looked forward to the most—and lyney falls a little harder.

( 7 ) kisses

drabble / wc 500. sleepy lyney + kisses all over his face.

( 8 ) sucker

drabble / wc 700. it was not your intention to seduce lyney, really, he was just already so very weak for you.

( 9 ) lovesick and desperate

drabble / wc 900. lyney can't stop staring at your lips.

( 10 ) plastic flowers

fic / wc 1.8k. the great magician lyney wooing nine-to-fiver reader.

# AETHER

( 1 ) jealous

fic / wc 1.5k. aether has been traveling with you long enough for his bottled up feelings to overflow one day. lyney pushes that day closer.

( 2 ) infatuated

drabble / wc 1.5k. mutual pining but aether is a tease and you're an idiot.

( 3 ) accidental

drabble / wc 500. you accidentally kiss him on the lips.

( 4 ) hitting on you

drabble / wc 700. aether (one of the) main character(s) in hit game genshin impact hits on you.

( 5 ) stay, too

fic / wc 2.8k. you were afraid that aether would break your heart, but that all flew out the window the moment he got sick and demanded only you take care of him.

( 6 ) i want you for worse or for better

fic / 2.8k. your ex, aether, invites you to be his plus one at a wedding; you were doomed from the very beginning.

# KAEDEHARA KAZUHA

( 1 ) can i go where you go?

fic / 2.2k words. three times kazuha keeps kissing you on 'accident'

# KAVEH

( 1 ) it was all by design | part two

longfic / wc 10k. when soulmates are given a second chance.

he kisses you square on the mouth, the blueprint of the palace of alcazarzaray hidden beneath his palms, and he thinks he’s never been happier.

# ALHAITHAM

( 1 ) officially swept off your feet

drabble / wc 1.5k. in which everyone knew you were in a relationship, except for you.

# WRIOTHESLEY

( 1 ) one look (meant just for you)

drabble / 700 words. wriothesley visits your home.

#i cant believe i have a genshin masterlist #606:GENSHIN

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shiyorin · 9 months

Note

What do you think it would be like if primarchs used social media?

Lion El'Jonson:

Private account, doesn't accept follower requests

Rarely posts, usually just sunset or forest photos

Uses emojis sarcastically in replies

Has 20 followers but thinks it's way too many

Fulgrim:

Aesthetic pictures pose artfully depict exotic hobbies and runway couture

Filters all photos to perfection

Constantly debates high art vs pop culture

Thirst traps cause monthly massacres

"Like for a follow back 🔥"

Perturabo:

Photos are exclusively poorly-lit fortress blueprints

Bio is 25000 character treatise on siege tactics

Follows exactly 12 history scholars

Hates everyone and everything on the site

Actually ran some incisive political commentary bots before being banned

Jaghatai Khan:

Only posts the sickest motocross and extreme sports clips

Videos have insane views but no captions

Fans think he's a cryptid until rare livestreams

Hijacks Fulgrim's comments to hype rad stunts

Leman Russ:

Changed his name to 'Wolf Daddy 🐺'

Shirtless hunting/drinking photos get 10K likes

Roasts everyone in comments but they love it

Followers think he's a viking hipster meme page

Follows biker gangs, sled dog accts, scholars of old Terra

Rogal Dorn:

Only posts are architectural blueprints and records of fortifications

Gets into epic debates about structural principles in comments

No one knows if he actually loads new content or just archives old

Somehow gains tons of followers thirsting for DILF

Konrad Curze:

Pure darkness and screams in hazy JPEGs

3 followers and they're all bots

Posts disturbing ‘prophecies’ and murder puzzles

Under investigation for doxxing

Sanguinius:

Angelic selfies bring all the followers to his page

Flowing locks and golden abs get 20K likes instantly

Quotes poetry in every reply but no one understands

Only follows animal shelter and children's hospital accounts

Ferrus Manus:

Only follows engineering/robotics pages

Posts heavily filtered machine shop mini-documentaries

Photos of custom machines that make engineers weep

Comments are unintelligible techno-babble

Somehow gains huge gym bro following thirsting for muscle

Angron:

Gets banned monthly for graphic content and abuse

Posts angry rants about society in broken caps

Got suspended after sending death threats to Guilliman

Only follower is Khârn who comments 'THIS' on everything

Roboute Guilliman:

Shares updates on the latest Codexes

Only follows serious history/philosophy lecture pages

Posts long analyses of governance strategies

Constantly lectures others in comments

Has blocked half his followers for trolling

Mortarion:

Aesthetic is grimy gas mask selfies in back alleys

ONLY reposts plague doctor memes from 2003

Bio is endless copypasta about essential oils

Gains cult following of goths, metal heads and preppers

Magnus:

Endless livestreams talking about theoretical magic at 3AM with 2 viewers.

Tries making TikToks explaining sorcery but the videos are an hour long each.

Overexplains memes and emojis in long-winded threads

Memes and facts threads blow up as the most esoteric

Horus Lupercal:

Selfies showing off abs get him 50K followers in a week

Posts stunning photos from across the Imperium with #blessed captions

Fan club is half the mankind

DMs from people asking for selfies blow up his notifications

Lorgar Aurelian:

Aesthetic is dark robes and candlelit monasteries

Constantly reposting zealot sermons out of context

Accidentally starts wars of faith whenever he livestreams

Got suspended for uploading hardcore Slaneeshi hymns

Still has 10 alt accounts all named Brother [REDACTED]

Vulkan:

Only follows puppy accounts and craft bloggers

Posts Happy Holiday baking tutorials and dad jokes

Likes and comments positivity on everyone's posts

Followers think he's the nicest DILF ever online

Secretly the biggest wholesome meme page

Corvus Corax:

Only darkness, shadow puppets and cryptic poems

No one knows if he's real or a myth on the deep web

Internet detectives can’t trace his true identity

Only sends encrypted coordinates in mysterious DMs

No one has any idea what he's trying to say

1 follower is Alpharius who only replies 'No, I'm Alpharius'

Alpharius/Omegon:

Constantly pretending to be other online

No one knows their true forms or agenda

Takeovers of government sites spark conspiracies

Leaves clues implicating everyone else’s schemes

#warhammer 40k #wh40crack #primarch #lol #warhammer 40000

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dbh-bb · 1 month

Text

Yet More Questions

As we come up to the final sign up deadline for Artists we've been receiving a lot of questions about how much we expect by June 1st, so we wanted clarify some information for both artists and writers

ARTISTS

Oh my god, how much do I have to have ready to submit by 01 June? What will the form ask for?

The form will ask you to submit the following things:

Identifying info (obvs), including whether you are a minor

Your willingness to be paired with a minor

A sketch, layout, or concept of your art

The premise of your concept for the story

Ratings you’d be happy with on the story

Things you really don’t want to see in the story

Let’s break down a few of those.

Sketch, layout, or concept of your art:

This should be substantial enough to get your idea across to the writer. It does not have to be finished or near-finished (although it can be if you’re there). If you work in a medium that takes significant time to generate, or where the concept of a “sketch” is hard to apply (such as 3D render art, gifs, or fanvids), do your best to express what the idea is. This could include a storyboard, a rough sketch, stick figures, and/or references/examples to show what you mean. We want the writers to get the general idea of what the final art will look like.

We will ask these submissions to be in standard formats (i.e. .png, .jpg, .gif, etc) that can be accessed on anyone’s computer without the use of special software. Your final art can be in your preferred format.

There will also be a text box where you can describe what the final art will be, like you might for an alt-text.

Premise of your concept for the story:

Artists aren’t just sharing a sketch, they’re sharing the concept behind that sketch. The concept of your story should be enough to give your writer a good direction to head in, without being so limiting that you’re ‘ordering’ a story rather than planting an idea. Yes, you can give ideas for bits of dialogue, and scenes, and major story beats and character dynamics. We want you to be either providing a jumping off point that a writer can build from, or full on working with the writer to tell a story. You need to give them enough that they can write ten thousand words from it, so we want more than the idea for the scene you are depicting yourself and a pairing.

That being said, this isn’t an opportunity to demand a very specific story out of a writer; that’s called a commission. There should still be room for the author to help shape the story as well. As Atro said, you’re giving them the blueprints; they’re building the house.

Things you don’t want to see in the story:

This is where you can let writers know anything you really don’t want added to the story. Including your personal specific do-not-wants is a way to help writers pick which stories they want to bid for. For example: “No X/Y, I prefer X and Y as platonic,” or “Please no background A/B.”

Keep two things in mind: first, writers are not allowed to add any of the AO3 Big Four to a story unless the artist suggests it first. Second, we do expect writers to work with the artist’s concept. So you don’t need to list out every single possible thing you don’t want.

What if my idea is risque, or even extreme?

We’ll make sure you get into the version not provided to minors, and you’ll have the same space to explain your concept as everyone else. Sometimes having a more extreme concept makes it harder to find a writer …but sometimes, you find that one person who does see your vision! All we ask is that you remain flexible in case the idea has to evolve to find you a match.

I’m not a writer. How much do they need for 10,000 words?

In writing terms, 10k and up is a novelette or a novella — either way, a short novel. Significantly, this will introduce plot. Now sometimes people think “plot means an entire movie” and it might not — sometimes the plot is “X and Y on a date.” Sometimes the plot is porn. But 10,000 words gives you both room to play with moving pieces.

Example for artists who don’t write: Let’s use a very generic concept: a heist fic. You want the Jericrew on a heist. THESE ARE ESTIMATES DONT COME AT ME based on mods being old enough to remember when a drabble was 100 words exactly, but in general:

~3000 words will get you a scene. A dramatic scene or a confrontation! Cool! But a single scene.

5000-7000 words is a bit of the plot. Maybe the heist itself. Or a bit after the heist. More details, some repercussions.

~10,000 words will cover… let’s say planning the heist, executing it, and a bit of what comes after.

A full mystery novel is usually 70,000-90,000 words.

I’ve seen heist fics that break 200K.

This is why the minimum is 10,000 words — we want to generate deeper works where things happen. And the artists get to start the process this year. For those of you who wanted to make multiple arts and are limited by our writer count: this is your chance to think of other artworks you’d like to make within this concept!

WRITERS

How much information / freedom am I going to have?

First: We ask that writers do not add any of the AO3 Big Four to a story unless the artist suggests it.

Second, see above for the information artists are being invited to share, to get a feel for it.

Third: There will be a variety of offers to choose from. Some artists might have a much more vague concept, while others might have a lot of the story in their head already. Remember that writers get to pick in this scenario. So if you prefer jumping into a fully-formed idea, look for those. If you prefer a less-firm idea where you can really collaborate with your partner to flesh it out, look for those.

Artists are expected to understand that their concept is a suggestion, not a commission. So even if an artist sounds like they have a narrow view of the story they want, they know that they need to work with their writer to make it belong to both of you. Even at low levels of collaboration, we’ve seen this work out so that both contributors can be happy. So if there’s an idea you love but/and have suggestions for, go for it — there’s a good chance your artist will be happy with all your enthusiasm.

#detroit: become human #detroit become human #dbh #dbhrbb2024 #reverse big bang #fanart #fanfic #big bang #dbh big bang #detroit become human reverse big bang

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courtney-deserved-better · 8 months

Note

Hi!! I'm a huge fan of your writing, and I've been wondering: how did you plan long fics (like slippery slopes) in the past, and how are you doing it now with amicus curiae? :)

thank you! and that's a great question! for slippery slopes, i used canon very much as a blueprint and plotted out the changes episode by episode until i had an outline of all the plot points and moments i wanted to write. and then as i was writing it some of that stuff went completely out the window (courtney was originally gonna be eliminated in the china episode and cody was gonna make it to the final four but courtney and alejandro ended up unexpectedly developing this great friendship so courtney stuck around for a lot longer than i initially planned but i loved how it worked out) but because i had my outline i was able to still hit the most important parts of the story as well as develop new ones that fit into the overall fic. as for amicus curiae... i made an outline for the entire season, struggled to write it, got like 2 drafts and 10k words in and was like "nope" so i completely abandoned the outline and started writing episode by episode with no real plan. which worked for about 40k words until i realized that courtney and emma's dynamic would work so much better if they were class rivals before the fic started (in the first 3 drafts they didn't know each other prior to rr and i wasn't vibing with their dynamic) and so i started a new draft, rewrote those previous 40k words but with courtney and emma's new dynamic, and then kept going, and that's how we landed with the amicus curiae that's actually seeing the light of day (aka ao3). i had a few small things planned out for each episode, mostly just eliminations so it could logically track and a few ideas for conversations/interactions but i was very much going chapter by chapter watching the canon episodes and writing along with my own version. which took me to a lot of places i didn't expect, but also created some logical inconsistencies that could be a pain in the ass to work out. i had an idea of which team was gonna win when i started but that has changed three times by now (i think) and i haven't written the last three chapters yet so who knows how that will turn out. in the original stuff i've been writing for, yknow, my career as a writer, i've learned that writing very freeform and not starting with an outline is actually really helpful with not only motivation but creativity and discovering new things about characters and where the story can go. i've been writing the courtney time travel au pretty similarly, but because that is focused on one pov and this is focused on six, amicus curiae has been a lot harder to write spontaneously. but it's been a great challenge and i've enjoyed not constraining myself too much with outlines and povs and whatnot!

#ask #anon #slippery slopes #amicus curiae

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yoriko-furra · 2 months

Text

Once again i appear, now to drop an Omnitrix design

Build as a final version of the omnitrix that will grow on Ben's arm like the first 10K had, also now has a lot of functions that i will elaborate

The Omnitrix has similar functions to the original trix like

-Transformations of 10 minutes + initial 10 aliens for user

-It adapts the user DNA into the alien, meaning that the user will be able to use thinks like blueprint memory of a Mechamorph sadly has some drawback like the user keeping damage done on transformations

-As a way to keep the user alive the omnitrix heals the user into a survivable level if the damage is too much

-The badge have specific commands, like quickchange, detransform even translation of the species language

-The omnitrix will also adjust it features and size if the user is smaller, bigger, can't touch the buttons even if it can't talk

There are 6 buttons with specific uses too, like...

Black, select mode, the dials goes up and by rotating it the user will be able to select the species to transform into

White, quick form, the user will tranform into the last alien used

Red, omni fix, the omnitrix will block itself so can fix hacks, glitches or even try to repair itself

Green, off time, the user can keep the transformation until the user itself decides to detransform, once detransform the omnitrix will recharge the same amount of time that the user was transform

Blue, Area scan, it scans the place around the user to select an alien able to survive there

Yellow, scans a species to get its DNA or equivalent, now this version can scan species that can't before like...

Mana-base lifeforms

More primal species like vulpimancer level

Even species with genetic code more ancient than the RNA, like Slimebiots

Those buttons can be combined to more uses but for now is enough information

#ben10 #ben 10 fan alien #omnitrix #alien design #design

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mrcowboydeanwinchester · 2 years

Text

🌸 sapphicnatural fic rec list! 💜

inspired by the ever wonderful @lesbianjoannaharvelle i decided it was finally time for me to make a sapphicnatural fic rec list! these are my (current) favourite 10 sapphicnatural fics of all time, and there's such a mix in here i really do think there's something for everyone. enjoy <3

Growing A New Half Soul by HeddersTheOwl @kerryweaverlesbian

E, jody/donna, 18k

one of my favourite spn fics ever. incredible writing and characterisation, gorgeously sensual and great disablednatural content too. cannot recommend enough

Violet by ghost_roads @queerstudiesnatural

NR, jo/cassie, 4k

the blueprint for a whole era of sapphicnatural posting - essential reading for sapphicnatural truthers. a spendidly written case fic with the atmosphere of early supernatural, just endlessly better

A Weight Lifted by knifegirlruby @lesbianjoannaharvelle

G, jo, 1k

jo shaves her head. an outstanding exploration of jo having some very butch, sapphic, gender feelings, with lines which make me gasp out loud every time i read them

Listen, I tell you a mystery by bathilda bagshot

T, anna/mary, destiel, 26k

when i think of annamary, i think of this fic; it completely altered the lens through which i view both mary and anna. it switches between mary and dean's pov, but this only serves to make you feel more insane over everyone involved

my heart a rotary phone and yours the only number i dial by halfwheeze @magdaclaire

T, ellen/missouri, 10k

an atmospheric and vividly moving fic which delves into some of our most beloved but underrated female characters throughout their lives. another defining sapphicnatural fic for me

Faith Undone by iamfoxfire @supersapphical

E, anna/laylah, 9k

would it really be a sapphicnatural rec list without this fic? absolutely game-changing, and an incredible example of a thoughtful, artfully contructed one hit wonder (also with some of the best religious imagery smut i've read)

Coda by basset_voyager

T, jo/anna, 12k

some of the most heartfelt jo characterisation out there, with absolutely beautiful writing and images which still stick with me. both jo and anna are given wonderful space to breathe

Fragile As We Lie by perilously

E, anna/bela, 11k

anna drags bela out of hell. this is full to the brim with meaningful characterisationl; there's incredible interplay between anna and bela and the sexuality of the tension between them

i don't know nothing (and that's fine) by halfwheeze

G, madga/claire, 7k

another mindblowing rendition of a thoughtful, gorgeous one hit wonder. heavy and sweet with a chance for both characters to really shine, an absolute sapphicnatural must-read

the righteous woman (and the fallen angel) by high_queen

G, jo/anna, 1k

the lazarus rising arc annajo rewrite you never knew you desperately needed. the concept alone is incredible and its execution is impeccable - for a short fic, it leaves a big impact

🌸and some cheeky bonus sapphicnatural fics from yours truly <3🌸

Jo Daily

T, jo/cassie, 37k

previously unseen entries of Jo's blog from 2005. follow her struggles with her mother and the absence of her father, her experiences with her first boyfriend rick, and her first positive encounters with girls her own age

jo, aged 13, removes nail polish behind a locked bathroom door

G, jo, 1k

the freak with the knife collection tries to paint her nails

be still, my beating heart

T, jo/rowena, 1k

the jo stabs rowena homoeritcally in the heart fic

#i cannot emphasise enough how difficult it was to just put 10 fics on this list. every single one of these fics makes me feral #sapphicnatural really just hits different and i love it SO MUCH #please read them!!!!!!! please share them!!!!!!!!!!!! please show them to everyone you know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#please comment and tell the authors you adore them and their writing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#sapphicnatural #spn fic recs #spn ladies #spn women #spn fic #fic rec #fic rec list #ola writes #ola originals

83 notes · View notes

daydadahlias · 21 days

Note

:o 4 & 24 of the writing questions!!

:D thanks for asking!

4. What’s a word that makes you go absolutely feral?

OOO I LOVE THIS QUESTION!! And y’know what the actual answer that immediately came to mind is?? DAPPLED!! I fucking love the word dappled!! Especially when something is “freckle-dappled” ugh I swoon every time <3 I stole that phrase from Molly and now I end up using it in like all my fics!

24. How much prep work do you put into your stories? What does that look like for you? Do you enjoy this part or do you just want to get on with it?

So, it depends largely on the fic! Like for a 5-10k I’m usually not going to prep a lot for that. But if the fic is an AU or it’s over 20k, I tend to do more prep. I do a lot for my longer fics. Like, for my long fics, I always tend to make 1) a playlist 2) a pinterest board and 3) a slideshow where I put all the important information I need (for MiM this was, like, apartment blueprints and now for Lovelace it’s the tour dates and the songs). I like to get invested in the little world :) sometimes i get more wrapped up in prepping than I do in writing the story lol!! It’s just so damn fun!! Like I’ve already written a couple fake journal articles about this fake band for no reason other than fun!! <3 i loveeee world building.

#pigeon #anon #thanks for asking!!!!#and the cute lil face #mwah

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galecgun · 4 months

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for the ask thing :3

17, 44, and 62

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

combat boots i got from a secondhand store. they’re pretty beat up but i work in them and tend to walk like 10k+ steps any day i leave the house (am in nyc it just kinda happens) so like. yeah they will get some battle damage

44. favorite scent for soap?

i got this bath and body works body wash titled “cashmere glow” a while ago and it just smells heavenly but the bottle’s almost empty now rip

62. seven characters you relate to

ohhhh you got me. okay sorry readmore

Seven is so many oh god

-rodimus prime (transformers, mtmte/lost light). hes got issues <3

-rigby from regular show unironically

-spongebob squarepants (am gay, have visible pores, am line cook, boots squeak, can’t drive, cries often. I could go on)

-prince vegeta the fourth dbz im not gonna get into it because i have to sleep and am liable to spend hours here connecting pins with red thread but ummmmmmmmmm… he is the blueprint 😔 understand this

-dean venture (the venture bros.). genuinely appreciated the part of the show where he started getting a shitty mustache while i was on T and growing my own rip

-arcade gannon (fallout: new vegas) i just think hes neat

-will graham hannibal SORRY you really do get will graham bundled in with the kin machine and i cant think of another character that isnt just like. an ancient member of the kinlist that i dont actually think about at all anymore or a half joke like fucking . spongebob and rigby

I dont wanna get too detailed because it gives the game away and it was kinda hard to dig up seven lmao but honorable mention to son gohan who i didnt wanna include because i felt like i had to pick from only Different Media but I get his whole thing. I understand it

#i forgot my text post tag

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erstwhilesparrow · 10 months

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double life fic recs

organized by session! (i.e., fics under session 4 will have spoilers up to and including session 4, fics under session 5 will have spoilers for session 5, etc.)

session 1:

these old ghosts; Thunderbirds_and_Lightning - Team Rancher Pacific Rim AU. Brutally sad, but also features: a terrific action sequence, gorgeous prose, unspeakable grief about Flower Husbands, and incredible jaeger and kaiju names.

the right thing; sparxwrites - Cleo and Scott talk the night after the first session. Short and tender and sort of a character study for all of Divorce Quartet despite the other two not being there. Joe Hills, despite also not being there, is a significant presence, which I think really elevates the whole experience.

session 2:

all is fair in love and war but i can't fight with you anymore; wizardlover - Scarian angst with a happy ending. Scar isn't stupid and also he should be allowed to go apeshit. The author is correct on both counts about this. Works out to be very sweet. (Psst. This author does great Scarian just in general -- it is worth checking out the other works in the series this fic is in!)

Detail of the Fire; canarydarity - Team Rancher hurt/comfort, patching each other up after the fire. This one feels a little like walking slowly through an art gallery -- lingering on beautiful / stately / lonely images. Inspired by a Richard Siken poem and does fun things with excerpts from the poem.

those were kinder times; SurrealSupernaturalist - Team Rancher Actually-Ranchers-Not-In-A-Death-Game AU! They escape to a farm and go on a healing arc that is nearly 10k words long. Incredibly sweet, domestic, and warm, plus angst about Jimmy as Omen of Misfortune.

session 3:

[When BigB returned from his rendezvous with Grian,]; orangeocelotmartyn - Ren and Bigb go red and figure out that this isn't going to work. They eat golden apples about it. Very good for Bigb and Ren talking about their relationship! Parting ways basically amicably! Realizing the soulmate thing is bullshit and they can and will pursue what they want!

under my skin?; Sixteenthdays - The soulbound pairs discover that their partnerships are literally, physically changing them. Features snapshot scenes from every soulbound pair as they attempt to cope with this change to varying degrees of success. A total delight all around.

you're the fool, i'm just as well; honeyblock - Pearl gets sick. Scott attempts to soldier through the effects this is having on him to deal with her. Contains: really fun / creative / piercing turns of phrase, Scott and Pearl doing that thing where it feels like they almost understand each other and then everything falls apart again, soulbonds being upsetting.

to catch a secret soulmate; wormcity - The entire server gets looped in on an attempt to find Bigb's secret soulmate. Bets are made, shenanigans are had, the sitcom energy is through the roof. Incredible character voices, and also just generally really fucking funny.

rainy day; whatcaniwriteinthis - It's a rainy day on the Double Life server, and people are waiting it out, or finding ways to occupy themselves, or reflecting on the game so far. The narration style is lots of fun, and it perfectly captures the vibes of hanging out somewhere during a torrential downpour in the late afternoon.

session 4:

[Once a week, the double life players each get one phone call to someone in the outside world.]; dmwrites - The Double Life players make off-world phone calls after session four. They gossip, or pass along life updates, or share blueprints for death machines. Hilarious, and also makes me so goddamn sad about ZombieCleo.

Soulmate-Things With Other People; savannah_owl - During the Homewreckers's pool party, people sneak off in pairs to, shall we say, hang out without their soulmates. There are good times had all around. Features relationships from Third Life, Hermitcraft, and Last Life. (savannah_owl also just has a bunch of really good Double Life fic? Worth taking a look!)

session 5:

hit the ground running; jelliegiggle, rosycheeked - Scar and Grian have a talk at Bigb's grave. Bigb is not, of course, physically there, but it is very much a fic where someone's absence is distinct and palpable. Really really good Desertduo Being Sad And Complicated And Intertwined.

session 6:

[The room is a dim basement room.]; theminecraftbee - Pearl and Scott have a bad time. Superhero AU, featuring a clandestine meeting between two people who hate each other and have no one else who will ever know them the same way. Months after reading it, I'm still obsessed with this one.

and by resilient i mean which holds; TheYesterdayShow - Martyn and Cleo have a bad time. Canon divergent: Cleo and Martyn survive to the end, and wind up talking about what they were supposed to mean to each other and what happens next. Absolutely brilliant characterization for both of them.

sugar, we're going down swinging; BananasofThorns - Etho and Joel have a-- Wait. [checks notes] Okay, honestly, they seem like they're having a fine time. Canon divergence where after outliving every other pair, Boat Boys fight to the bloody death. It's incredibly pretty and perfectly paced.

#sparrowsong #double life #double life smp #fic recs tag #made myself a rule that i can't repeat authors but like. so many people on this list are good and have other excellent works #barely restraining myself from going 'please please please go read these people's fics they're so good'#also those session 6 fics especially are like. yeah. this was a crucial influence on how i write these characters.#tell me if any links are broken etc.

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jake-marshall · 5 months

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16 for fanfic asks!

16. Do you have that one fanfic that you wrote a ton for, ages ago, but never posted? Will this be the year, come hell or high water, that it WILL get finished and posted? I wouldn't call it "ages" because it was just last year lol but it was definitely something I wrote a "ton" of... So from end of April to end of July last year I did pretty much nothing but work on a self-indulgent fic for the movie Animal House, wherein I got to write one of my very first ever slash ships Actually Getting Together post-movie (tangentially: I look at this ship and am like oh God they are definitely a blueprint for the "type" of ship I gravitate towards). I ended up writing 40k in 3 months (actually a bit more if I consider how much is in the "extra" doc, of lines/scenes I cut). My "feel" for it is that it should be around 50k when it's done and I am very much determined to knock out that 10k~ at some point this year so I can post this fic - so I can have the fic that the Leanne from 20 years ago would have wanted to read. Thanks for the question Sevarix! >>ask me about my fic writing plans for 2024 from the meme here<<

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veritasrose · 1 year

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I should not have stayed up so late, but I made some new in game buddies so it was worth it. I was about to log out but they put in guild chat that they needed help fighting a dungeon boss. Not many people were on at midnight, and I was playing my necromancer, so I decided to hop in and help. I ended up finishing the dungeon with them and in the end they tipped me 10k gold and a blueprint for a really pretty dwarven lamp.

Anyways, it was fun to do a random activity with semi-strangers. Made me feel a little more connected again.

#veritasrose rambles

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lovelessprick · 1 year

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Chapter 3

Pairing: Din Djarin x reader

Summary: With another truth slapping you, you'll do anything to escape this hellish reality.

Themes: Angst (a lot of action)

Warnings: gambling, persecution, mentions of violence, swearing, kidnapping, typical show violence

Words: 10k (I regret nothing)

BTW, this ends here, at least for now. I all of a sudden have a ton of work in my personal life, so you'll probably not hear from me for a while, love you all though <3

Even though you had a brief idea of what and how your plan was going to dissolve, you had to be honest with yourself, you were stuck in yet another messy situation. Two guards behind you, one in each side, in addition to about another four guards scattered around the luxurious dining room. A table placed horizontally, long enough to fit about ten people, and in the very middle none other than the person that had put a bounty over your head, lord Denter.

The lord, sat on the other side of the table, and had an enourmpusly big feast. A range of meals adjusted to Denter’s refined and picky sensitive tongue, from local meals such as engine-cooked turkey with yellow berry souce placed irresistibaly on top of it, and you could see the little square cubes decorated within the berry sauce, and you’d recognized it as rocky fruit. And though you hated this place enough, you’d be willing to plot a fire and burn everything to a crisp, the yellow berry sauce was once of Maker’s blessings to you since you’d been trapped here.The rest of the plates you’d simply recognize as “rich fancy food” such as the golden stew within cascaded eggs seated right by the turkey or heat-style pudding which was further back to be eaten later.

The lord, with a noticeable smirk across his face, took his cup containing Sunvasus wine. It’s exactly as it sounds, tilts from dark red to the palest of yellows scattered throught the classic cava glass, sparkling bubbles shown across it.

Denter seemed like he was itching to say something, and knowing him, you knew it was to boost his already high ego, and most likely to put yours down at the same time. And once he took his final gulp of the wine, its warm colours reflecting onto his skin on his cheek, he spoke once again.

“I’m very disappointed in you” he called out to you rather loudly, and his accent slapped you in the face. You’d completely forgotten how strong his background accent actually was, or even how it sounded. And it froze you in place.

“Why so sad?” he was questioning you. You opened your mouth slightly, not because you were going to say something, but rather because you weren't expecting that question. But before you could go over your thoughts and think about what he was referring, he ranted on his little speech further.

“Remember you are still part of this little joyful town” you listened on, trying to ignore the way he would entonate the r’s and not let a giggle come out in the middle of whatever this was. And with that, you let a little silent sigh escape your lips, easing you slightly.

You weren’t sure why, but the moment you stepped on this very room, you were more relaxed than what you had anticipated, maybe it was because you felt you had some sort of control. You knew the blueprint of this palace like the back of your palm, and that thought gave you some sort of comfort.

“You have made me very mad over the past years” his tongue pointedly said looking straight at you. A smile still remained on his face, but his stare was hard on you, a very cruel-like one too. One full of hatred and almost longing-like, one described as resentment written across his stare. He meant everything he just said now, and oh boy, you knew you had to leave now or you woudn’t be able to later.

“And I’m delighted to see you back” he took a break from his staring to question which piece of culinary he’d take next. He grabbed the fork, and by his `playful nature, he spined the cutlery and land it onto his next meal, not before of course, sending you another threatening look.

“Only time will tell you, you belong to me” At this point far from being scared, you were slightly amused at his indignant regards of your persona. And you coudn’t even be offended, not with the royal-like accent. So you had to stay there just trying to close off the slight warm feeling crawling to your heart, and hope to the Maker it wound’t be shown on your face.

You really had a tragic life, your dad dies when you were just a teen, you are kidnapped and ensalved in this town, once you get just a bit of liberty, you have a bunch of bounty hunters chasing after you, and now you have to suffer through his delusional and egotestical monologue, honestly what came next?

“You’ll soon remember I served you well” he ranted on, but you kept to yourself. You weren’t about to listen to this whole thing, not when he spoke to you in such a manner. And so your eyes landed just below him, to the food. You had felt this before when you saw the amount of food scattered effortlessly across the gigantic table, but you were very much hungry. You hadn’t eaten since the morning of the incident when you came across for the first time with the Mandalorian.

Pupils focused straight at the pudding laying there, pleading and begging to someone to notice how lonely it was. Oh Maker, your stomach had sunk in even deeper at the sight of the delicious pastry. If you won’t do it to ensure your freedom, do it for the hunger. Escape with it and it eat, because your were damn sure Denter woudn’t just let you eat it here.

Ok, think, think, think, how do you get out of this situation? Your eyes scanned again the room, giving quick glances to Denter and your pudding, until your eyes just coincidentally landed on a window double your size and quite nicely decorated, with right angle lines plated in gold which shone even brighter at the sun that was bidding farewell near a rocky mountain at the horizon.

“And I won’t let you go again, becasue you’re my favourite pet” he shouted at you, earning your instant attention and gaze. A snakely smile metamorhped his previous smirk into something that could be translated as the literal Devil’s child. Curls at the corner of his mouth so far back, just about where the ear was, with many muscle wrinkles formed at the uncmounfortable and tense position of his mouth, his eyes were just like before, the same vengeful soul lurked between the yellowish irises of his.

But of course he wasn’t done, what were you expecting. And he didn’t disappoint either with his next little words.

“My sweet submissive and vulnerable pet” he’d calmed down the intensity of his stare thankfully, and you could only thank the Maker for that. You coudn’t take this seriously, Denter was just like any weird villain of stories your dad told you. So delusional, so annoying and so frustrating, to the point even your younger self woudn’t cower to him. But there was a tint of fear lurking within you. This was the reality afterall, the man in front of you may be plain weird and delusional, but you knew better than to feign ignorance of the last five years you had been exposed to his unstable character.

A quiet screech behind you had alerted your instincts, and while still frightful of the man in front of you, your gaze met up with the T shaped visor of your hunter.

That’s right, the Mandalorian is still very much present and part of the audience to this spectacle. It seemed he shifted his position, which led to his boots slide a few centimetres away.

You both didn’t need to talk, and quite frankly both you didn’t want to either. Interrupting Denter’s words was not a good idea.

You raised your eyebrow, your eyes still wide in dismay. A simple act to let him know you were cursing at him for bringing you to this place. And as you expected, he didn’t move and give any signals that he was responding to you.

“And I’ll love you until my dying days” he sing sang and you shot back to him at the words. He was in a new position. His legs rose up and rested on the arm rest on his left, as his back was placed to rest on the other. Noticing your gaze he just winked at you and continued on. A shiver run you cold at the little gesture.

“When you’re gone I’ll go mad, so don’t throw away this thing we had” your brain just froze, and you were petrified at his words, and the not in the good sense. Of course you knew better than to think he actually loved you, or you just wanted to tell yourself that. But the years you spent here were far from nice, and it that’s the way he wanted to show his ‘love’ you just started to realize in how much trouble you actually were. Previously you thought you were going to end up dead sooner or later, by which now sounded like Denter being merciful, but that wasn’t the case. He was going to keep you alive for a while longer, torturing you and humiliating you, while your sanity would decay and rot.

“Because next time I'm in the presence of your absence, I’ll go kill everyone” and there it was, the confirmation that you were in a worse position than you had anticipated. Your eyes becoming cold at the lack of blinking and wideness of it you had to fore it close. Looking up at the lord, you weren’t sure what to say, did you even need to say anything? You were simply at a loss of words. And you needed to leave now, not wait until you found a chance. Even if an army of people chasing after you in the middle of the dry Ryloth, you simply needed to leave.

The sudden movement somewhere behind you startled the lord, or he tried to seem surprised but it came out rather theatrically. Instantly, he called out a name, loud enough it seeed like he was yelling. While apologizing at the Mandalorian for forgetting about his presence. And honestly, even in this messy situation, a brief smirk came up your lips. You could only feel some sort of amusement that Denter practically made him stay for longer for no good reason. You could imagine it was to boost his ego and feel he could control him, and he wasn’t wrong entirely. The Mandalorian would stay until he had his credits afterall.

Finally, a man opened the golden traced doors by which you were guided in beforehand. The man looked older than Denter by a few decades, wearing many loose pieces of clothing, typical of the dry planet. A loose shirt and trousers with a belt made from another fabric, making the man look more fresh, comfortable and heat-proof.

“Bernard go and see our guest of honour” he ordered the man, before looking at the Hunter that brought him his little pet “35 000 was it?” he asked him, and he simply nodded his helmet.

“Oh you troublemaker, making me spend so much off this town’s money for your safe return” he commented as a way to end the conversation with the two other men. You were just thinking he had some sort of talent with words, but he was wasting it all with whatever he was doing, making you uncomfourtuble, humiliating you?

With the thud of the door shutting, Denter tilted his head to the other side.

“Excuse me I have been talking none stop. So tell me, what’s inside that sweet rotten mind of yours” you stared at him. You positioned you body more comfortably and try and ease the tension. And you smiled. Yup, you were using your cool guy tactic once again. And it worked, Denter’s face remained the same narcissistic smug that he wore throughout his speech, but his head tilted to the other side, a sign that he was at the very least intrigued at your change in character.

“I understand everything my lord” you reassured Denter, opening up your arms to let the tension flow through them. Making you seem not comfortable, but rather looking like your were talking to an old acquaintance of yours.

“Except that wig” you pointed out one of the unspoken rules within this town. Every one knew, they just never dared speak up about it. Denter’s baldness.

And just as everyone was starting to compute what you had just said, your arms that were slightly raised, pushed back in great force and hit the guards groin area. You turned back, the guards feeling the impact of your punch in their sensitive area, you swiftly grabbed the guard’s spear before he fell. Seeing the man’s had still gripped onto your only weapon at your disposal, you kicked him away. Two more steps, and you bashed the other guards head that was recomposing itself up, only for his strength to be robbed after the spear came in contact with his face before joining his companion.

A quick glace around the room to examine your situation told you to jump up the table due the remaining guards surrounding you, two by the lord’s side and two more behind you. Quickly finding your balance, an incoming knight with a blade similar to a vibroblade but double in size. The man charging at you, positioning his weapon to strike you dead, had his vision blocked shortly by the flying bowl of buns you kicked at him. You didn’t waste time as you looked at the puddding nearby. Using your feet, you slid the pudding at the end of the table near the enormous window.

You had to be quick about your next steps, now all the six guards were coming at you, and you had to make sure run and not trip on the culinary masterpieces at your feet. So you forced your gaze downwards and watch after your feet. Stepping on the turkey you eyed earlier a new sound entered your ears. Between the yells of the knights and your heavy steps on the table you heard the yelp of the lord after smashing his little turkey just in front of him. That thought amused you, and you would laugh about it later, with some Spochka in your system.

Coming close to the end of the table you slightly jumped on your side, grabbing onto the golden seat at the end to maintain your posture until your feet landed safely with a little striking pain underneath you feet from the high impact. But this didin’t stop, not when you had just created this mess in the dining table of this town’s sire. And so you grabbed onto the wide chair, forcing you to harden and toughen your stomach as another way to keep your strength for the big and heavy object in your arms, which as a result your breathing stopped for a moment feeling the slight but bearable nausea coming straight to your face. And as quickly as you held onto the chair, you launched it to the window, smashing it into millions of pieces and creating a big enough gap for your frame.

And before you jumped, you looked behind you, the guards already on your tail. This was the time to jump but you didn’t. Most likely, It was one of the stupidest things you done, but you made an internal oath, and the pudding three steps away was calling for you. And so, you ran to your beloved and swiftly ran back to jump to the floor level. All the while you looked at Denter, bit into the pudding and smirked up at him as your body reached outside.

The air waved at you as a quick realization that you didn’t have enough clothing for the night. And so you ran as fast as you could, plate of the pudding in your hands as a way too steady the gelatinous texture and keep it from moving too much.

You could hear some screaming in the distance, and you recognized as the knights trying to follow your lead. But fortunately for you, you ran quite fast and silently, and so you were far away, but not far away enough to guarantee they wouldn't find you within an hour.

You ducked inside a barn, very little lights present. Local farm animals stayed within their cage and locked. And you noticed the place was quite spacious. The barn was quiet, all except for the sounds of uneven breathings right around the corner. Your head tilted, leaving your body for protection on the wall as not to be seen. A man in his twenties sleeping against the wall, a bottle of liquor by his side and you wondered what happened throughout his day that he would drown himself in alcohol so early in the night.

Relieved that he wasn’t conscious as to find you and report it back to the knights, you slumped back with your eyes closed to breathe in. And a second later, you opened your eyes, and the air that was threatening to leave got stuck again, choking you slightly. Your hunter had once again found you, with a blade to your neck.

Instinctively you put your hand on your mouth as a way to muffle the chokes and hope it woudn’t wake up the drunk. And once your itchy throat had slightly calmed down enough for you to talk again without choking, you looked the man’s visor, you eyes read nothing but frustration.

“Do you just hate me or something?” you yelled whispered at him, earning you his head tilt to the side. He said nothing for a few seconds, and then he sowly saved his blade onto his side. You muttered a rush thank you when you saw he didn’t have any weapons in hand, happy that he’d become more docile with you.

“What?” left his modulated voice toward you, stepping aside for a little to give you some space.

“You already have the credits, why are you helping them?” a murmured spite came out of your spicy tongue. You stayed put against the wall, crossing your arms, and a look of annoyance written across your face. He looked back, one leg rested slightly forward and bent to the other.

“I’m not helping them” he said, almost stoic. And you huffed air out, glad that at least the Mandalorian wasn’t going to get you back to the lord. Your gaze rolled to the little lamp nearby, the only source of light in this area of the barn. And you closed your eyes. Your heart was beating fast from the chase, and the scare the Manadalorian gave you barely a minute ago. But your body was easing up, and it was yet another reminder about how tired you were.

“Thank the Maker-” you hitched up a breath. You were breathing deeply and slowly until you got your normal breathing pace. And while still huffing you looked up at him, him joining the staring contest. “Just never to that again” you demanded him, more like a plead. He just nodded his head to you in acknowledgment.

Last part of your plan was to escape, and you were almost glad to him again. He could be your escape ship, and a little giggle, one with a lot of huffing nosies in between, at the sheer luck you just had. Why he was still here was a mystery to you, but you didn’t care, what you did care though, was that he was here right now, and you were about to strike up a bargain.

“Hey, help me escape this place” you muttered to him, his head tilted to the side before he spoke. “Not happening” you pointed in annoyance at him and you stepped closer. Your eyes turning once again to the one in frustration.

“You owe me one after taking me here” he was silent and didn’t move either, he just looked at you. An it seemed he was almost guilty about the whole ordeal. His bounty hunter code forbade him from knowing the details of the bounty, but he had learned against his will. And listening through Denter’s monologue involving you, a sensation of almost pain needleed through his heart.

The cold air pained your skin, especially the area of your throat. And so, while awaiting his response, your fingers tucked onto your cape and slid it to the centre of your body. Creating this very thin blanket to protect you from the cold. When you bought this tunic, the seller had told its high price comes with the weather controller. Essentially, the cape was to be also used as a way to warm up or get colder, as well as being rain-proof. This was without a doubt one of the best investments you’d done, and if it weren’t for this fabric you would’ve freezed to death on many cargo ships.

“Are you a mechanic?” his voice joined the yelling outside and the commotion of the streets. His was stronger though, overpowering all the noises of the town.

“I’m not entirely a mechanic since I never worked as one, but I know how to repair things. And oh boy, you need some repairing on that ship, my friend” you spoke lowly, still trying to disguise yourself as better as you could. You smiled at him, trying to convince him to take you with him.

He groaned, and a fine escaped his lips.

Maybe it was the overwhelming emotion you’d been lately having, so much anxiety, so many things bad happening to you, and for once, it seemed like the Maker actually blessed you for once, and the warm feeling in your chest, spreading rapidly throughout your heart, made you smile grow wide. A little giggle left your lips, and not like the huffy one from earlier, this was livelier and full of emotion. And the Mandalorian’s response had completely made you forget about the drunk person just around the corner.

A slight burp bounced through the walls. Your had coming to meet your mouth and enclose any type of sound that would come out of it, staying still with your eyes open. It seemed due to your nervousness of being exposed enhanced your hearing, and you noted that the man that had just woken up, stood to his feet, or at least tried because the noise of something heavy slumped back down against the floor with a groan. And then more snores, almost as immediately as he fell down, he knocked himself out with a good night’s rest.

You looked at the man in Beskar, his hand was brushing against the baster in its holster, the same as the day he found you. And once he acknowledged the man was not a threat, he relaxed once again.

You looked up at him again. You had to do something first, and you coudn’t involve him. That thought made you remember of the pudding sitting on a chair nearby. And so you walked towards and chunked the piece you grabbed in your hand and into your mouth. It was disgusting, and the gelly feeling that remained in your hand made matters worse. But you didn’t have any cutlery and now wasn’t the time to be refined and modest with your table manners. And just as you savored the after taste of the delicious pastry, not regretting almost sacrificing your plan of escape by taking it with you. You got your robe, cleaning the remaining of your hands and some lingering in the corners of your mouth. Making what once was white, the previous shades of black, you added the pale brown and beige colours onto it. The caramel conquering pieces of the fabric as it absorbed it.

You looked back at he Mandalorian, still looking at you. And you guessed it wasn’t pretty the way you just ate a hand full of pudding. But you forced yourself to shake away that thought.

“I have to do something… it’ll be best if I go alone” You spoke softly, and he crossed his arms leaning against the wall. Questioning you with his stare.

“I thought you wanted to come to my ship” you could sense his raised eyebrow. And you looked up at him, pleading he would drop this without asking much questions. But he maintained his stubborn attitude for a few minutes. Him questioning you why you had to stay, the place where you were wanted by the nobles. But you didn explain yourself further from little words sentences, telling him it woudn’t take long.

And so, in the end he sighed, his arms raised in defeat. “Alright, but if by sunrise you’re aren’t by the ship, I’ll consider you good as dead, understood?” his question hit hard on you because of the way he spoke the words. Slowly, and lower, that’s how he said it. And it made you rethink if it was a good idea, quite frankly it wasn’t, but you needed to do that so there woudn’t be another bounty over your head. And remembering where you actions laid, you nodded at him. “Understood”

_______

The palace as still as the desert-like planet which contrasted with the city swarmed with knights, knocking on people’s home, interfering with the civilians nights, ransacking their home until they concluded you weren’t there and then got to another house, and thus this cycle would go at least throughout the night.

You’d been able to make it back to he palace, making sure your noise would be as quiet as the wind not waning to disrupt the sleep of the desert.

You had peaked over the entrance, just to see how the situation was inside the golden house. You were met the sight of guards keeping their master’s home safe. And so you opted in intruding another way, the you had previously come out.

And so, you fingertips had managed to get a hold onto the base of the shattered window, a smooth surface unlike the crystal particles you had to brush away so they woudn’t pice through your skin and take damage for a long period of time.

Your head peeked through the window, only showing up to your eyes and look at the mess you had created before. The dining room was dark, only taking in the light source coming from the lamposts from the town, and so you were able to make out the chair Denter was sat in an the table just in front of you. The shapes of painting decorated within the room, as well as the door that gave you access to inside the palace. And no one guarding inside the dining room.

With the little force you had in your arms, you tried pushing yourself up just enough to get your knee on the base of the window, and then you other one before. Your feet and legs came across the remaining cristal shards, these one bigger in size, and you were glad you wore long trousers and boots. Now that most of your weight was on the inside of the room, you easily got the rest of your body inside and safe. Leaving your arms sore from the climbing.

You looked around, to see any signal of anything. You weren’t just going to leave through the door as you assumed the guards must be guarding it the from the inside, and so you demanded your brain to remember the blueprint of this place. You knew a handful of secret passage ways, and one must sure go to Denter’s room.

You looked across the familiar walls, paintings showcasing the most desirable parts of planets, ranging from the lava rivers of Nevarro to the ice cold mountains of Hoth. Between these paintings, you also found faces, from men to women, children and the elderly, all scattered. The printing at the very middle though, the painting of the rocky mountains painted in a yellowish and brown palette, brighten by the red sun rising from the mountain, was bigger than the rest. Positioned exactly to be behind the lord’s the golden seat. You’d recogize this painting from your stay here, as you often times hid inside whenever you did something to guarantee the guards punishing you.

You brushed the thick golden frame of the bigger painting. Before you grabbed onto it and pulled it apart from the wall, the heavy frame making up for most of the weight it had on your arms and you simply dropped it on the floor.

The passageway was dark enough you coudn’t see anything, but you recognized the paths anyway. It had only been two years since you last had been here, and your mind was a stronger than ever. Like before, you crawled up to the hole, your arms propelling your body up to get inside. This was was more tricky though, due to the size of the painting, the hole had to adjust to its size. And so, the only way to acces to the other side of the path was through crawling. Boosting you feet so your body got into the little cave further, you began crawling as fast as you could. The little space around your body could end up being your grave if you didin’t hurry up and get out as soon as possible, especially when a sudden thought popped in your head. The little space would suffocate you enough until you passed out due to the decreased oxygen particles in this cramped space.

Once you were further enough, the place were the light was dead, you reached over to your trousers. Fumbling and shaking it in an attempt to grab onto the match that was hidden away. This match being one of the little things they let you keep when they considered the tiny pocket wasn’t worth looking through,

Holding the match on your fingers, and just like phoenix’s rebirth after its dying light. Warm calours shone brightly in front of you and you could see how far away you were from the other side. Crawling your arms forward with the help of your propelling legs, you got there faster than before, with sweat over your forehead, and with shaky breaths. The end was just a block of black which you assumed had to be another painting. Slightly you pushed yout fingers against it, andyou were glad to touch something that was wasn’t heavy, and so you slightly pushed it away to get out.

You sat on the floor for a little while, looking at the painting on the floor, this one with a hole you must have caused when you fell on it. And you got up to search around the dark room. And just like the dining room, the lights of the town reflecting on each surface in the room, the painting ont he wall, the chairs near the window, the door near at the ent of the room, the mirror with niclecy cut wardrobe and finally the bed with a sleeping Denter within it. His eyes closed evidence of being in a good dream. You looked up at him for a while. It didin’t feel right kill someone in their sleep like this, escpecially whe you weren’t a murderer, not now al least.

And so you froze in place, a the realization of the action you were about to make. It slowed you movements, making them hesitant, and your brain was just not functioning. You were nervous, like a little kid riding on a roller coaster for the first time, except you weren’t gidily inside. You heart dropped to your stomach, and its presence made itself known by beating so hard it was vibrating the surface of your belly.

The noise of the shouts outside awoke you changing the direction of your gaze to the window. That’s right, you had to do this. Killing someone shoudn’t face you that much, not when many people had tried to kill you, or seemed to want to kill you. But it was the fact that he was so vulnerable and defenseless, and the quiet of the room, made your head think twice.

But you had to do this, you coudn’t live in fear that Denter would plot his revenge on you. Not when he’d hire more bounty hunters to follow after your fresh blood, not when Denter would finally have you under him, controlling you, humiliating you, and hurting you. So you had to do it, for yourself, for your survival, this was your survival instinct so don’t you dare mess this up now when you’re so close from killing the cause of your pain and axiety.

You looked at the match gripped tightly in your hand. You didn’t have a weapon if it weren’t from the mandalorian taking them away from you earlier when you intruded his ship. But you had this, and the match would suffice.

You opened the window, the slight air coming in the room. Ready to start the fire and leave as soon as possible, but you didin’t, not when you could clearly remember how this little snake always got away with anything, and you wanted to ensure he died. Unpon decidin your next few steps, you walked towards him, so quietly it seemed you erased your very presence in this room, disguising yourself like a passerbyer ghost, and becoming one like the unmoving and soulless objects in his working desk.

It was this very desk you’d do you next move. It wasn’t the desk itself, but rather the content above it. With the slight illumination giving out shades of orange as a mix between shadows and the town lights. You made out made things, an arquitectorical piece and by the look of importance, it screamed like maybe it was town hall. The display was shown in blue light contrasting with the darks shadows behind it. An though everything was showed in the same cyan blue colour you could make out mosty if not perfectly what the sleeping man behind you had thought of building. A wide building, as well as tall, with other two blocks with the same width as the centered on, but not as grandiose. And that was about it, the design looked very unfinished.

Behind it, though it was harder to clear out with your eyes, were a set of what you thought wuld be essential for an architect. Some blank paper scattered, thrown and torn apart in the, with some pencils and rulers atop. But there was something else that caught your attention, a pipe. A metallic pipe of maybe one meters in length and maybe had a circumference of six centimetres. You snatched it away, happy with whatever you found, and made your way to the door.

You were sure there’d be guards on the outside, so you had to make an extra effort not to alarm them in any way. Raising your harm holding the pipe, you slid it through the door knob, which had the same shapen as a metallic golden pull. The pipe got stuck at between the rectangle shaped arcs, and it was long enough it woudn’t drop even if the door were to be shaken violently. And even though you were positive no one would be able to come in, you traced your steps to pull up the chair and lean it over the door handles. Positioning it just before them and at the right angle, it would create another force impeding the loyal guards to come after their sire.

You looked back at your soon to be victim, your movements as sharp as a robot, but your outer body experience made you look like you’d just been possessed by an evil witch, whispering to your ear things demons would crawl you to the furthest level of hell. And even in this position, you had to try and take control over your body, try to be neutral, calm or collected. Especially ignore the way your heart was vibrating in your chest.

That face you’d hope to forget once this thing was over, faced back to you his eyes still closed. So calm, so vulnerable and almost so innocent looking. You felt an almost sprrpful feeling just by thinking the way it would mark his end. The universe was wide enough for you two to live in, both of you away from each other, both of you in peace. But he coudn’t take it, he had to take you in and make you feel miserable for his ego, and that ego of his was what settled his grave of ashes. He was going to die in a brutal way, whether it was from suffocation, carbon monoxide poisoning or burnt alive. The result was the same, he’d become just the same as the dust in old houses. His royal bloodline would be nothing but ashes that would later be discarded away as just the rest of the furniture.

Maybe if you two lived by another society, followed other rules, maybe gew up in a democracy where everyone was meant to be equal, maybe then, this woudn’t have happened to him. Maybe his insatiable hunger to see others suffer would’ve never awoken, and maybe then you two could’ve become friends, or at least tolerate each other. But you hated him, and he hated you, even if he wanted to mask it as some sort of weird love, he hated you that’s why he did those things to you. The universe was wide enough, but he didn’t accept that. And in the end that thought shaped into obsession, and that sealed him for good. You weren’t sad he was going to die, it had to do more at the fact that it was you who had to seal him away. This would be your first time doing it as well. But if that was you fate, then you’ll carry through until the end.

Opening fire, you approached the lighter to the mattres until a small fire ignited and was the beginning of your ploy. You walked over to the painting, and by this point, you could feel the fire you ignited barely three seconds ago become this fierce beast you’ve heard about many times. It burned so well, so aggressive, all in mere seconds. But you knew better than to stop and be mesmerzied by the lightning magic, and you quickly caught the broken painting and lit it up. This painting being on the other side of Denter’s face, as a way to maybe to not wake up Denter, wether it would be from the initial fumes of just the shift from cold to hot.

You lept onto the window giving another glace to Denter, his sleeping form still unmoving and vulnerable, almost baby-like. He was remaining in his sweet dreams, and if Maker would allow it, he’d make his death painless by keeping him trapped in his realm of dreams, instead of the panicked wave of knowing he was going to die horribly in the next minutes.

Doing the same little finger movement, another click was heard. You’d noticed the curtain flowing elegantly through the little wind, and it didn’t take you long to decide to it would ake great igniting material. Partly, it was to prevent the fact that maybe Denter, in his panicked state, he would jump out of the window. Though that wasn’t the Denter you knew, no the lord you knew was lazy, not athletic, picky and refined. But you never know what anyone would do in a panicked state. What their instinct of survival whispers their pale ears, and what uncharacteristically actions they do in order to stay alive, to be able to look at the sky again, to laugh again, to weep over meaningless things That’s why you lit the curtains as well, even if you arm was starting to dangerously increase in temperature rapidly. This was your survival instinct, you had to make sure he was dead, for your own good, and make sure you woudn’t be chased again like a little frightened lamb hoping their killers woudn’t take her to the slaughterhouse.

And so, Denter’s room was in a mess of roaring flames, the fire conquering every bit of hunger and turning it into ashes, and soon enough he’d swallow whole the perpetuator of your suffering for so long. The amount of the shining light coming from the flames was enough that the townspeople beow you would notice another ball of fire, that was if the sun was present at the moment. You needn’t see Denter to know he was fucked. There was no way he’d survive, and by the amount of the ashy fume coming out from the window he’d mostlikely already died from ingesting it. So much fumes you had to move to the other side of the double window, and be protected by the closed crystal to your right. But the carbon monoxide did some effect on you already, as dry, just like if ashes were spread out on your throat, coughs came running out your mouth. You knew you just alerted everyone to come here. You you swallowed hard before you got moving to the Razor Crest, or at least that’s how you remembered the ship’s name to be. You weren’t completely sure. But the point was that you needed to get into the Mandalorian’s ship now.

Your fingers got a hold of the rocky wall of the palace. Your improvised plan was to get yourself on the streets of this accursed town and just run. Escape the inevitable fate of the guards following you to wherever you were going, which was the ship. And you were finding it difficult, between the flames the anxiety of he off chance something in the room would explode, you were having a difficult time finding your balance on the rocky wall. But just as you managed to get your smooth boots to get somewhat stuck on the wall, screams resonated in your brain. And not any ordinary screams, the same typ of screams you heard barely an hour ago. You looked down, and immediately after you regretted it. You wee indeed quite high, and you had tolook away to ake sure your head woudn’t do anything funny.So high in fact, if you decided to jumo down, you knew at least you’d break both your legs. And you weren’t about to sacrffice the only limbs that would guarantee your escape, and especially you didin’t want to hear the earsplitting sounds of cracked bones. And if that didn’t convince you enough, the swarming of guard just below you did.

“Dank Farrik” you breathed out realizing how they exposed your location, and so if you coudn’t climb down, you’ll just have to go up. After two attempts, and the bursting of fire threatening you, you found your footing and started to climb the little wall left to the open space area a top of you.

The sensation of the cold wind overpowering the hot flames brought great comfort, and while your body was tense from the free climbing your were doing, at least you were somewhere away from the fire. The sweat that the fire had created through your body, from your palms and neck to your knees and legs. The climb wasn’t going to be long either, it was just one room up from Denter’s. And once your hot hands from the soreness reached the railings, cold droplets cascaded down your back traveling alongside your collarbone. Though you were tired you needed just a little bit of extra strenght, propelling your leg slightly and get over the railings. With the sudden change in weight, it was just a matter of the help of gravity to help you get pulled down on the other side.

Your back layed there, with your eyes closed trying to breathe normally for a few seconds. The remaining sweat drops watered down from your nose until it reached your upper lip, before it got drowed in your mouth and the foul hot salty flavour spread throughout your tongue. Still breathing hard, and yet trying to slow it down to get some energy, you opened your eyes as you sat up, reminding yourself this was far from over. The guards underneath you saw climbing up the wall, and now you had to find a way down without getting caught, ideally without them noticing, but just escaping with a soul and all of your limbs was enough.

You sat there enough for two more breaths to escape your lips before you stood up and got yourself working. In any minute the knights would be surrounding you, and you needed o do something quick about it. With another deep sigh and let the tense muscles detangle themselves, you looked around to find something to help you, anything.

And you found something, something with the same mecahinism as a fish harpoon pleasantly came into contact with your eyes, and next to it a rope. The Maker must have surely given you this day as a way to redeem itself to you and all the years you’ve spent here, because the amount of luck you had in a single day were definitely more than all the years you’ve spent alive.

Already charged with a rope, you took the heavy mechanism and tightly strapped onto the edge of the poles, and without thinking to hard where to aim, you simply shot a place near the exit. The spealike end inemediately sprung out violently to meet up with a surfice and and hook it tightly enough. You had to be lying if you told yourself you were weren’t nervous, especially when the pounds of rapid steps getting louder and louder as you moved, and you knew the knights were about to find you. Taking away the white fabric surrounding you, you stepped over the long rope that had traveled across town with the spear. Throwing you cape over to the other side of the rope, finding said rope in the midde of the fabric, and your had gripped thightly for dear life onto both sides of the dirty fabric. You turned to look at your back, the steps were echoing through your head and you weren’t quite sure how far away the guards were, that was until, the sudden opening of the roof doors answered the question for you. The sudden noise made you almost jump in surprise and it helped you in tripping over the edge, and if it werent for the cape hanging onto he rope you would have fallen to your death.

Your scream could be heard further away than the accursed town, and you hoped that maybe the Mandalorian could have heard you, and luckily help get away from this situation. And even though some seconds passed your, voal chords gave it all and never decreased in it energy. Sliding down the town like a zip line, and you weren’t sure if it was the air hitting you or the fact that if you lossed your grip slightly you’d fall to your death, but your eyes were watering you and many droplet of salty wanter flawed dwn your cheeks and left you to meet the people below you. Something you weren't going to find out, the thought of looking how high you actually were gave you nausea and so you tightly closed you eyes from the rare instances of opening them again to see if you were nearing to the end.

But it was halfway through that the rope shook abruptly and you looked back, fear written across your face. You could only see the silhouette of the of a man, a darker shande than the sky, a nice contrast to see the guards actions. A blade on his hand as he motioned rapidly to where the rope was. This time, the rope fell apart and you’d fall dawn if the right texture of the rope had conveniently brushed your arm. You grabbed onto it before this chance disappeared. Once gravity had settled on you again, your arms almost passed out from the strength in which it was pulling you down, and an inner spark of determination to live made your hand remain a tighter grip onto the lace. You hadn’t realized you closed your eyes and you opened them, seeing the earth coming close to you as your lurching forward with the rope. You already knew the spot of where you were about to land, and so did the civilians who had plans for the night, as most of them got out of the way and take shield from the house. Except a woman, to blurry to know her age, she stood petrified as you came closer to her before the undeniable impact occurred. Her body felt like rocks against the rapid velocity you were traveling and both of you ended on the street. All of her belongings scattered across the pavement.

You were the first one to stand up, true pain hit you in the forehead, and you put your hand up to your bruise. And still a bit blurry and nausea form the impact you tried to run away before the knights reached to you once again. The exit wasn’t much further either, maybe ten meters away from you, and from where you stood, you could see the ship of the Mandalorian still standing, his ramp down. You walked toward your final destination, and the woman who was sent three meters away from you yelped when seeing you closening the space between you both. You looked at her confused, fear an pain could only be seen in her form. And then you found something else, a pendant of a rock, too dark to see the colour, but you did see the cut stone had been nicey decorated with a golden shine across from the cut, framing the mineral and shining along with the street lamps around you. You looked back at the woman before speeding towards the pendant, she screamed once again seeing again your incoming form but at a much faster speed. But once she saw you crunching down slightly to catch what was rightfully hers, she screamed this time more confident and indignant strained her voice. “YOU THIEF”

That’s what you were, and didin’t call yourself anything less. Your dad taught you to steal from the dead and abandoned, and you soon become a thief that would steal of the living as well if I so needed too. This pendant would be a great start of credits once the Mandalorian would leave you in some planet. You didin’t steal for pleasure like many did, you did it because you needed to provide for yourself somehow. You never claimed to be a good person anyway. If you were, you most likely wound’t be in this citation to begin with.

The sprint your legs were carrying felt strained at the beginning, with every action of your feet meeting the floor and you swore you could sense the inner working of your body working, arteries, bones, ligaments all of them unimanosly working and strained for the last bit of this escape. And as your mind was filled with the joy of knowing your were safe, the joy you were away from this place, the joy of freedom, that clouded your mind and fueled your veins, just the same as what charcoal did to some of the older droid prototypes. Determination to live. That very feeling numbed your legs and it felt like it was moving on its own, powered by this will to live.

The ship was near, maybe three meters from you. You could see the distinct feature the Mandalorians had. He was waiting for you, leaning from the wall. He did a slight shake on his helmet, an action you missed, and walked inside his traveling home.

It wasn’t long after your legs landed on the metallic ramp, a more noticeable heavy thump as you practically jump to get to safety faster. The change in direction, pace and speed from the inclination nearly gave your legs out. And just then you noticed the abuse your knees had to endure for the past hour. Sore and sweaty, that’s how you’d describe it. Each step, worse than the one before. You were so heavy, and yet your mind was so high. You coudn’t think straigh, and the pain was just striking your body. The veins circling your knees were vibrating uncomfortably around it, another sign of your heart racing rapidly other than the lungs thumpipjg your ears making it the only sound to exist at that very moment.

Your fuzzy brain, got ahold of the stairs inside the ship. How you gotten to that place already forgotten by the nauseating vision of yours. A mixture of yelp and sigh escape your lips, as your legs whine as your tried climbing up the ladder. Another dry huff came out, an action to comfort your legs for a second and try to propel yourself up in that milisecond of easiness. And again and again, you did that, each huff hurting your lungs further, and you had to almost ignore the electric shock from your legs after from the pulsating arteries surrounding it.

Maybe it was due to the lack of oxygen to your brin, but you coudn’t remember how managed to get into the cockpit and strap yourself into your seat, a little greenie sat on your lap and looking up at you. Your uneven breaths came out as heavy puffs, and now that you were resting you could feel the your hot cheeks from running that marathon. Looking back at the cape in your hand, you smiled slightly at the child as you covered him like a blanket. The heaviness of th whole ordeal closed your eyes. And as you felt the rise of the ship, you felt safe. This was finally done and dealt with. Best yet, you had your life, all of your limbs and you were free.

The night sky accompanying you in your dreams as you slumped in your seat and got comfortable. And as the child tried to get ahold of your attention, the Mandalorian called out to him and murmured sofly to let you rest after the long day you had.

___

Waking up to a sore body was not a fun way to start the day. Everything just hurt, from you hands that have been pierced by the little rocks as well as the burning sensation you had when you gripped onto the fabric when you managed to just escape the guards. Your legs from climbing and running. Your belly wasn’t necessarily hurt, but it was definitely numb, probably due to the thumping heart, your neck was sore from your sleeping position, and the worst one of all your forehead. It was sore, burning, hot and it gave you a terrible migraine so bad you could barely open your eyes.

Once your body started acknowledging your awakened form, your hand rushed to your forehead to rest on it, wincing slightly when you applied too much touch on it. You groaned again, and you closed your eyes again from the pain interfering with your eyes. You could tell, only by memory, that you were in the viewport. The cooing creature, doing what he knows best, cooed at the realization that you were awake. Another groan escaped your lips as your throbbing head just seemed to hurt and burn more, and you had to force down a gulp to quiet the yelp that was forming up your trachea.

“You okay?” the same raspy modulated voice questioned you, seeing your pained look. You stayed silent for a few seconds, hydrating your throat as to when you’d open your mouth your voice wound’t be shapesifted into a gran. Soothing once more the ball formed just above your throat, you spoke again.

“N- No, my head hur-” you stuttered along with with the scorching pain. Every throb felt like it was vibrating your mind, making it impossible to even think anything else other than the pain. You shut your eyes tighter, feeling the full blast of pain across your skin. You hadn’t even noticed how dry your voice was.

“Let me see” that’s what the Mandalorian said, and you obliged. You took in a deep breath and soon after deflated all of the air out of your lungs and removed your hands for him to see. You slightly opened your eyes to look up at him. The pain, though just barely, decreased slightly in soreness when the protection of the had was removed, feeling the cold air particles touching the very noticeable bruise.

His hard gloved hands took the sides of your head, and yu supposed it was to inspect better the bruise. He remained like this for a few seconds. An you wished the helmet was off, just so you could satiete your hunger on curiosity. What face was he making? How badly was the bruise? You were sure there’d be a mark, but how bad was it? Not even the reflection of his helmet gave away much. Everything was in dark tones, and you coudn’t quite make out the bruise itself.

He eventually sighed, standing up to walk aaway from the cockpit. You were about to question him, but he cut you off unexpectedly of him.

“I’ll get some bacta spray, your bruise looks nasty” he called out before he disappeared. You slowly, layed back onto the seat, trying best to soothe the angered bruise on your forehead, by breathing deeply and the exhaling it slowly.

But while your mind was rightfully on what mattered the most at the moment, the burst in your forehead you hadn’t seen yet. Your body relaxed in your seat almost too comfortably. The kid was looking at you, sad eyes written across it as he noticed the overwhelming pain you’re experiencing.

And you noticed how the kid’s presence was welcoming to you. It was like he was helping you, but rather, like a pet that was trying to comfort you after a long day at work, sitting closely to you, and you swore at some point he hugged you, or at least trued to with his tiny arms. You only looked down at the kid, grateful that he was nearby so you wound’t have to be feeling like crap alone. You tried to ignore how the past few days the presence of people clinged in your heart, starved for people. To have any social interaction, and to stop talking to yourself repeating it was a completely normal thing to do because you had no one to talk to. Now you had this green inspect thing, a cute one you have to add, giving you the starved attention you didn’t know you needed.

You had to admit it was tough, knowing you probably weren’t going to be with people in a short while. It was kind of unjust. You had something to didn’t know you needed, and soon after you it woud become non-existant.

You gulped again. You were gong to miss the kid, and the Mandalorian as well. As quiet as he was, he still listened, still made things to acknowledge you. Yeah, you definitely were goung to miss these two, or more specific, you were going to miss the feeling starved attention you never knew you had.

Or maybe, you could try talking to the Mandalorian. Convince him to join him and the kid. Afterall, it would be a win-win situation, you’d have a social circle and he would have his ship fixed. Yeah, you’ll try talking to him later. Your last thoughts dissipated as you heard the Mandalorian going up the ladder with something equivalent to a lifesaver. And though you couldn’t quite smile through the pain, the corners of your mouth slightly quirked up.

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